The Battle of the Bridge by Bill Lancashire

Here is a poem that was recently sent to us by Bill Lancashire. 
He also included this message....

 "A few weeks ago a friend of mind challenged me to write a poem about Hyde United, so considering the triumphant season we have just enjoyed it may be an appropriate opportunity to post it. It's been written with a strong nod and a wink to James Leigh and if you you feature it I hope that the readers can spot my cryptic allusions to the ten pubs mentioned in the poem...."

Did anyone manage to spot the ten pubs he mentioned?  
Many, many thanks, Bill. Great poem, as always !! :)

Hyde Gentleman's Club

Here is another great photo from Marjorie...

"This group are outside Hyde Gentlemen's Club.  Where was that? Mr Wilkinson (of the farm on the Low) is 2nd from right on the middle row."




Here is a link to some information about Hyde Gentleman's Club from a previous post.
Hyde Gentleman's Club

Thanks again, Marjorie :)

Mystery Farm ..

We were recently sent this photo by Marjorie who also sent this short email with it. 
Over to Marjorie...

"This was given to me some time ago by an elderly relative who said it was Wyken (or could it be Wicken?) Farm on Werneth Low, the home of the Wilkinson family who are standing outside.  They were distant relatives of my mother. Does anyone know where this is, or was"?



I do hope someone can shed some light on this.

Many Thanks, Marjorie :)

UPDATE


David Hamilton sent us the following maps which show that Wicken is still standing today ! It is at the bottom of the map just slightly to the right of the centre. David also tells us that it is currently on the market for £595.000 !!   Wicken
Many Thanks, David :) Much appreciated !

Coming to a theatre near you...

Here is an invite to all our readers, from Stuart Green.....

  

Laughter fans everywhere are invited to a great evening of entertainment and comedy in Hyde. The Laurel and Hardy themed night takes place on Saturday 20^th October at 7.30 at The Festival Theatre Hyde.

‘The Men Behind the Movies’ a talk by Chris Coffey, gives an insight into the background and history of Laurel and Hardy. Probably many things you didn’t know! Then in the second half Andrew Craig Shepherd takes to the stage with his critically acclaimed one-man play ‘The Fiddle and the Bow’. Andrew captures Stan and Ollie’s mannerisms superbly in this wonderful play charting their rise to fame.

 

Andrew Craig Shepherd

Theatre Royal Onward are holding the event as a promotion evening for the Theatre Royal in Hyde. The group are delighted that their prime objective has been achieved - that the Theatre Royal building, once threatened with demolition, has been saved. The high standard of work carried out on the theatre by the owner means the building is now secure from decay and retains many of its original and wonderful Edwardian features.

TRO spokesperson said “We have a vision of a multi-use future for the theatre, like so many other old theatres being brought back into use with great success around the country. Community and business use would attract people into the town creating social and economic capital. It would breathe new life into Hyde town Centre and our Options Appraisal confirms multi-use is feasible”.

Tickets for the show at £6 and £5 concessions are available from Chris Hamer on 0161 368 8771.

 

Greenfield Street School

 Eric , one of our regular blog contributors, sent us these photos of Greenfield Street School the other day with this short message....

"Here are some photos of the school which you might be interested in.

 No doubt they will evoke a nostalgic tear or two or maybe a rousing cheer for those who hated their school days..."

 Old Greenfield St. School Art building in Water St. taken from Greenfield St.


Greenfield St school.


Greenfield St school later in Spring

Next are  3 photos from the start of the demolition of the school.


Going...


..Going...
.

Gone.

Many Thanks, Eric - Much appreciated ! :)

The Red Lion

 We received this charming picture and the following email the other day with the sender, Beatrice, wondering if anyone had any more details about Alice Tomlinson and why she would have had this made for her....

Over to Beatrice...

"Hello,

My GGGGrandmother Alice Tomlinson was the landlady of the Red Lion in 1881 on the census.  The address was 52 Manchester Road which I know is the  Red Lion's address.  She wasn't there in 1871 and she died 1883.  Like to know when she became the landlady if possible.  One of her sons Ralph Tomlinson went to the U.S.A. his relatives have a teacup or it may be a mug with an inscription on which reads Mrs.Tomlinson, Red Lion, Hyde.  I wonder if anyone can tell me about this.

Kind regards,

Beatrice. "

 I do hope someone can shed some light on this for her.

Many Thanks for sharing it with us, Beatrice ! :)


 The Red Lion .

Rebuilt 1909

Early last year I was walking along  Church Street past St George's Church when I saw an inscription on one of the piers on the church wall which I had not noticed before.

I've been trying since then to find out more about it, even asking one or two people at the recent Heritage Open Day, but with no success, and was going to put this photograph on the blog to see if anyone had any information about it. But I've now found a book in the reference section of Hyde Library written in 1911 by Thomas Middleton and entitled 'History of Hyde (St George's) Church and Schools' which has this to say:

"On November 12^th, 13^th and 14^th, 1908, a Bazaar was opened on the first day by Mrs. Wood, of Glossop; chairman, Dr. Eastham; on the second day, by the Rev. W.G. Bridges, M.A.; chairman Canon Symonds, M.A.; and on the third (children's) day, by Miss Doris Brogden; chairman Master Charles Heywood. The Bazaar Handbook contained a brief history of the Church and Schools, written by Mr. Tom Middleton. The Bazaar realized over £500. With the sum thus raised several improvements were carried out. The Church Tower and West front, and the Church Street School, were re-pointed. A new boundary wall was built on the Church-street side of the graveyard. The old wall, built with the church, in 1832, was a plain structure, 5ft. 6in. high, which prevented the graveyard being seen by anyone standing in the street, The new wall averages about 4 feet in height, is surmounted by stone pier caps and copings, and has handsome iron railings fixed between the piers. By this arrangement a good view of the yard is obtained. On the centre pier are the words – "Rebuilt 1909." Other improvements to the churchyard were also carried out. The better ventilation of the church was also effected. The total cost of all these improvements was £350. The parishioners are indebted to the wardens, Messrs. John Wilde and George Spencer, for the efficient manner in which the whole of the work was supervised."

I assumed that the 'handsome iron railings' had been removed during the Second World War to help build aeroplanes, tanks and ships, but I found several sites on the internet which dispute this and all say similar things to this statement on www.buildingconservation.com:

"Many church railings were removed during World War II, ostensibly to be melted down in a morale-boosting drive to help the war effort. The reality was that the iron could not be reused and more often than not it was simply dumped at sea."

You can see where the iron railings were originally fixed.

We Love Hyde !!

 

BE THERE OR BE SQUARE !

Adverts from the Tameside Guide

A couple of adverts from the Tameside guide circa 1974. 
Nice to see that Kenyons is still in business.





If only it was that easy to get a job today!

Aeriel view of Hoviley.

 

An early 1970's aeriel map before the M67 motorway was opened showing Hoviley Brow and where Morrisons Supermarket now stands. Mottram Road runs across the bottom of the photo
.  
A look at a modern map shows that the shape of Hoviley Brow/Hoviley was kept to a degree, just the name was changed, as a continuation to Clarendon Place. I think they should have kept the name Hoviley .... although, on a post from   15th November 2011 there is still a sign stating "Hoviley" on the wall on Commercial Street. 

 
Map from 1897


Looking along Hoviley, towards Hoviley Brow in the far distance, (going up to the left) and George Street (going up to the right). The white building is the Kings Arms Pub.
(Many thanks Meglet and Hyde Lad) :)

 
A couple of cans of Flick and Gunk that are mentioned in the comments.
David Stafford still has both cans which are still half full !!

Thanks David :)

Adverts from 1964

Below are some adverts taken from the 1964 Edition of the  

"Hyde and District Street Guide and Directory"
 

I wonder if any of them are still in existence?

Mystery Postcards.

We recently received these postcards and the following message from Steve, via email....

"Hi Team Hydonian 

I have just come across a couple of real photographic postcards which might be of interest to you.

They both have Werneth Low written on the back but that is it!

I was wondering if you could shed any light on the event which is taking place and the date - I think it is around 1910."






We believe it to be Hyde Cricket Club on Werneth Low but if anyone can shed any more light on them please contact us.

Many Thanks, Steve, :)

UPDATE (from Dave Williams)
I've been up to Hillside Road today (3 Oct) and taken a photo from a point quite close to the cricket ground to see how it compares with that in the first photo above. Here it is:

And this is what it looks like in black and white:

Programme from Hyde United

Following on from the post about Hyde United the day before yesterday, here is a match programme from a game between Hyde United and Winsford United in 1958. 

I wonder what the score was?



I love the old adverts that you find on the old programmes.
I also like the simple telephone number, Hyde 30. 
So much easier to remember than todays long mobile numbers !!

 
A map showing where Rhodes Street North was. It was the next street to Ann Street, off Manchester Road.. Rhodes street is opposite.

1930 Advertisements

Here's a couple of advertisements from The Reporter Pictorial Review in Pictures of 1930.

I can't find out anything about H. Rigby & Sons but Cotton Street, where the Workshop and Warehouse was, ran between Russell Street and Mottram Street, just about where Clark Way passes behind Tameside Caravans.

.

Arcoleine Lubricants didn't last for long after this advert was originally printed:

The ARCOLEINE LUBRICANTS Limited.

Extraordinary Resolution (pursuant to the Companies

Act, 1929 sections 117 and 225), passed

the 1st day of November, 1934.

AT an Extraordinary General Meeting of the

Members of the above named Company, duly

convened, and held at the Philanthropic Hall,

Hamnett Street, Hyde, on the 1st day of November,

1934, the following Extraordinary Resolution

was duly passed : —

"That it has been proved to the satisfaction of

this Meeting that the Company cannot, by reason

of its liabilities, continue its business, and that it

is advisable to wind up the same, and accordingly

that the Company be wound up voluntarily."

At a subsequent Meeting of the creditors of

the said Company, duly convened, and held at the

same place on the same day, Mr. William Henry

Kelsall, of 81, Dale Street, Liverpool was

appointed Liquidator for the purposes of such

winding-up and a Committee of Inspection was

appointed.

(066) JOHN R, EASTHAM, Director.

Hyde FC revisited.

 A postcard showing the Hyde FC team of the season 1913/14.



Hyde FC were formed in 1885 the club changed its name to Hyde United in 1919, before reverting to Hyde FC in June 2010.

 *Historian Tom Middleton has said the club began at Walker Fold on the old Hyde Rugby Club field but the North Cheshire Herald refers to a ground off Mottram Road. Hyde F.C. later moved to Townend Street but moved to Ewen Fields in 1906 after merging with Hyde St George's who played in the Lancashire Combination league. The club folded in 1917 during WW1 on the grounds of what was termed war reaction. When the conflict ended, demands were made to resurrect the club. Although the "new" club was called Hyde United (to avoid incurring the old club's debts), it was effectively Hyde FC under a new name and included many of the former players<sup>.

*Thanks to Wiki  .</sup>

Leigh Street Juniors

 Here is a photo sent to us by Barbara Tomlinson.
It shows a Leigh Street Juniors class photo from approximately 1954.
Note the old stand of Hyde United in the background and the tree that stands on Tinkers Passage.



The photo is of my class and classmates.

Top row: 
Arthur Nash, Harold ? David Walker Christine Mitchell, Kenneth Morehouse, Esme Thomas, Pauline Memory, Kevin Bell, Pauline Shawcross, Geoffrey Haywood, John Williams, Brian Lewis, 
Second Row: 
David Carr, Gerald Taylor, Maureen Whitehurst, Edgar Ellis, Brenda Lewis, Me, Alan Tomlinson, Nona Gregory, Harry Hall, Joan Longdon, Bill Morris, Russell Cooper, 
Third Row: 
? Kathleen Harrison, ? Rosalind Warner, Bernice Bennett, Delia Gaunt, Edith Etchells, Ann Magraw, Sylvia Barber, Hillary Tyson, Christine Feukes, Fourth Row. John Bradley, Neville Leigh, Peter Daniels, Melvin Gregory, Christopher Mallard, Fred Durham, Harold Rushworth, Teachers  

Mr Amail, left. Headmaster Mr Renwick.  

Many Thanks, Barbara.
P.S. I notice that my Brother in law, Bill, was in your class !  :)