Partnership of archive & local history organisations at Manchester Central Library. Supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund. Blogs by volunteers and staff. Visit archivesplus.org for events, visitor information and more.
As the lockdown continues, it’s more important than ever to stay connected with your loved ones, whilst observing the government led social distancing guidelines. We hope Archives+ can help you to do this by publishing our popular memory boxes online which can be used as a starting point in discovering your family history, find out what their childhood was like, look back at the area where they grew up, discover their fondest childhood memories and maybe uncover some hidden gems in your family’s story.
Whilst children are off school and many adults are at home, why not take this opportunity to find out about those important stories thus ensuring this history is passed on to the next generation which can often get lost or put off for another day as we lead our busy lives. Sharing memories of days gone by can bring families closer together, listening to elderly relatives can be a comfort for families as they gain an insight into their life stories.
Each week Archives+ will publish a memory box for an area in Manchester, this week our archive collections cover Wythenshawe. Below you will find a collection of images from Wythenshawe, alongside 6 worksheets. The worksheets are set around 6 themes: Industry, Place, Health and Living Conditions, Pastimes, Radical Thinking, Communities. Using the worksheets as prompts to start up a conversation, write down your findings on a piece of paper, or if you prefer type into a tablet or PC.
In addition to this blog, the online memory box will be published on the Archives+ Facebook page. Dig out your old photos too, these can also be a brilliant resource to trigger fond memories of family times.We encourage you to share your findings on social media, either as comments on our Facebook page or on Instagram or Twitter using the hashtag #ArchivesPlusMemorybox
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Twitter @archivesplus
Facebook @archivesplus
If you are unable to share your photos and stories online, when the libraries reopen bring copies of your family memories into your local library. In the coming year we will produce an exhibition in your local library of selected submissions, shared both online and in person.
Please make sure that if you share any information with us that the person you have spoken to is happy for you to share it with Archives+.When sharing your findings try to avoid sharing too much personal information such as surnames and date of birth as these details can identify your loved ones.
Resources:
Unlocking Your Sound Archive have produced a blog about conducting oral history interviews with family members. The audio clips included in this online memory box have been kindly supplied by Unlocking Your Sound Archive.
Hollyhedge Road, Hollyhedge Shopping Centre, Benchill, Wythenshawe 1955Hall Lane, Baguley, Wythenshawe 1965Minsterley Parade, Woodhouse Park, Wythenshawe 1962Northenden Village, Wythenshawe 1967Hollyhedge Road, Benchill, Wythenshawe 1964Dennis Taylor talks about working for Ferranti in Wythenshawe in the 1950s developing missiles at the factory that later became the Atlas Business Centre Courtesy of Oldham Local Studies and ArchivesTimpsons Shoes Ltd, Roundthorn Industrial Estate, Southmoor Road, Baguley 1971Civic Centre (Wythenshawe Town Centre) 1963Civic Centre (Wythenshawe Town Centre) 1963 Co-operative, Civic Centre (Wythenshawe Town Centre) 1965Mr. Bracegirdle was born into a family of market gardeners; he remembers when the Wythenshawe estate was built and the impact on “… hundreds of acres of farms…”.
Baguley Hall, Baguley, Front elevation 1932Wythenshawe Hall, Wythenshawe Park 1969Ringway, Manchester Airport 1970Mr. Bracegirdle remarks on the building of the airport and how it affected the market gardeners. “On this top road, this road that goes t’ th’airport now, Ringway road here, it used to go right through to Altrincham Road…Wilmslow Road…used to go right through and it stopped…” Baggage Handler, Ringway, Manchester Airport 1960The Forum, Civic Centre (Wythenshawe Town Centre) 1972Wythenshawe Fire Station (top right) and Wythenshawe Day Nursery 1969Tatton Arms, Northenden, Wythenshawe 1965Aerial Views, Benchill Estate, Wythenshawe 1937
Baguley Sanatorium, Baguley, Manchester 1916Wythenshawe Hospital, Manchester, main entrance 1972Children in Northenden, Lingard Road, Northenden 1900Portway, Woodhouse Park, Wythenshawe 1970Greenbrow Road, Newall Green, Wythenshawe 1949Cotefield Road, Woodhouse Park, Wythenshawe 1958Mrs. Mairs recollects when building started by New Hey Road and Broadoak Road and how people had to walk to the nearest bus stop “…there’s many a time when it’s been pouring with rain and I’ve called people in to shelter in my home…”
The Forum Cinema, Wythenshawe Road, Northenden, Wythenshawe 1959Michael McGrath remembers going to the ABC Minors children’s matinees on a Saturday morningBowling Green and Pavillion, Wythenshawe Park 1969Wythenshawe Library (Forum Library), Leningrad Square, Woodhouse Park 1972Mrs. Mairs recalls a local man who opened a library in his home “…tuppence a book”.
Golden Garter, Woodhouse Park, Wythenshawe 1972Library Theatre, The Forum, Leningrad Square, Wythenshawe 1972Wythenshawe Swimming Baths (Sharston Baths), Sharston, Wythenshawe 1966Wythenshawe Swimming Baths (Sharston Baths), Sharston, Wythenshawe 1960Bowling Alley (to right of image) before it changed to the Golden Garter, Wythenshawe 1966Paddling Pool, Wythenshawe Park, Wythenshawe 1955Mrs. Mairs asks “Did you ever hear about the Benchill Flitch?” and explains that this was where a couple had to prove they had not had a row in 12 months! To learn more about this old custom see the Dunmow Flitch Trials.
Wythenshawe Hall, Orangery, Wythenshawe Park 1953Wythenshawe Hall, Wythenshawe Park 1955Statue of Oliver Cromwell facing Wythenshawe Hall (moved from Cathedral Site in 1968), Wythenshawe 1971Civil War Re-Enactment, Wythenshawe Hall, Wythenshawe Park 1926Sir Edward Watkin, (lived at Rose Hill, Northenden) 1898 Decorative gate at Rose Hill, home of Sir Edward Watkin, Northenden, Wythenshawe 1959
St Anthony’s R.C. Church, Portway, Woodhouse Park, Wythenshawe 1960St Andrew’s Methodist Church, Woodhouse Park, Wythenshawe 1969St Peter’s R.C. Church, Newall Green, Wythenshawe 1955St Luke’s Church (Church of England), from Hollyhedge Road, Benchill, Wythenshawe 1955Wythenshawe Unitarian Church, Brownley Road, from Benchill Hotel corner (now Manchester College) 1955Northenden Social Club, Northenden, Wythenshawe Road, Wythenshawe 1959Mrs. Mairs talks about the activities in the community centre from whist drives to dancing and when she won a fancy dress competition. St Anthony’s Parish Centre, Portway, Woodhouse Park, Wythenshawe 1972Woodhouse Park and Moss Nook Community Association, Youth Centre, Portway (now The Lifestyle Centre) 1972
We hope you have enjoyed looking back at the photographs of Wythenshawe. More areas will be covered each week and if you would like to see more images, don’t forget to check out the photograph albums on Flickr and the Manchester Local Image Collection .
I remember it well, singing, The ABC lapel badges, on stage on your birthday, free entry pass for the following week, Wow brilliant. We moved to Wythenshawe in 1950, the forum wasnt their then, just fields across to Gately.
Lovely looking back at the old places we knew. My husband lived on Felskirk Road when we met during the 60s and we spent many happy days of our courting years in the surrounding area. The Golden Garter was a great place for a night out and I remember my Mother in-law shopping at The Parade! The Red Beret was a pub I remember and also The Cock o’ the North? Happy days.
Thanks for this view of Wythenshawe, I grew up there in the 50s and 60s, lived in Peel Hall went to Sharston Secondary Modern, lovely to see St Anthony’s RC church which is where we got married.
The Mystery Bridge across the Mill Brook in Baguley.
I was born in September 1946 and lived in Overdale Road Benchill before moving to Fouracers Road in Baguley about 1951. The Lanes, Farms and Fields of this time had only recently disappeared from this Cheshire landscape and surrendered to the spreading Wythenshawe Estate. Fouracres Road was on the edge of this invasion recently covered by a type of house known as Riley or Boots and known locally by the kids as “Tin Town” Exploring these lanes started almost from our front door and summer strolls up Clay Lane, Floats Road, Dobinetts lane led to Ringway Airport or Castle Mills, or by an alternative route past Shentons Farm and down Whitecarr Lane.
Surrounded by my “Tin Town” were remnants of an earlier age in the form of a solidly built house called Fouracres, occupied by a Doctor. But my curiosity focused on remnants of a cobbled lane cut short and built over by Fouracres Road at the present day junction ot of Holyhedge Road, Southmoor Road and the new Metro tram route. This lane which I later discovered was called Dunns Lane and ran by the Mill Brook from its start at Floats Road. As a child I used this route to collect groceries from Dillys, better known to me as The Shanty being the only shop in the vicinity open on a Sunday. For a few years each summer, a number of Romany Gypsies camped on what remained of Dunns Lane as they had probably done when the lane continued to the Smithy and its junction with Green Brow Lane. (Now, the site of the Red Rose Pub). Green Brow Lane disappeared to be replaced by Green Brow Road and there was no trace of the former lane remaining……..or was there?
My first school was Baguley Hall Primary whilst awaiting the opening of St Peters on Firbank Road and later progressed to St Pauls. Until 1962. At that time there was still remnants of Truck Lane on its winding way to Haverley Hey. My route home was along Cowlishawe Road past Newall Green School and there were frequent threats of being “ambushed” thankfully that never happened.
By the time I was 13 I was delivering newspapers from Taggarts and earning a few extra coppers on a Saturday night selling the Empire collected from the Royal Oak. As a favour for a friend who was away on holiday, I took over his newspaper round from Dillys, The Shanty and delivered papers to a few old houses at the start of Dunns Lane. These houses were interesting in that they could only be accessed across individual wooden foot bridges across the Mill Brook. I then had to retrace my steps along Floats Road for the rest of the round. None of the houses served were numbered and I had to remember the sequence of occupier’s names. 60 years later I still remember having to chant some of the names where deliveries were made. Dougall, Redcott, Andrews, Flemming followed by Belling, Shawe, Robertson, Prince finishing up with Rimmer on Dobbinets Lane. Some of there older cottages fronting FairyWell Wood still had outside water pumps.
By the time I was 14 I joined the Air Training Corps in Hulme and in quick succession started work with A.V.Roe (British Aero Space) at Woodford Aerodrome. At the time my only transport was by bicycle and the harsh winter of 1962 put pay to that as I was also burning the candle at both ends as Drummer with Paul Fenda and the Teen Beats following a cabaret circuit covering a wide area beyond Wythenshawe.
Cutting a long story short by 1970 my job took me North and have since lived in a small town just off the Yorkshire Coast and almost on the North Yorkshire Moors where after retirement I took up a new part time on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway.
To return to Wythenshawe I made infrequent visits to a declining number of family and friends which brings me back to my earlier memories of Baguley and the Mill Brook. The memories of which I researched from afar.
As a boy of about seven I explored the Baguley Mill Brook from a bridge over Clay Lane and immediately entered a long concrete culvert which I crawled through emerging in an area of green field and trees between the new Greenbrow Road, Morvern Drrive and Amberley Drive Flats. In my memory this area was never built on and I knew of a small brick bridge over the Mill Brook which has puzzled me ever since. Where did the bridge come from and where did the long lost paths lead to?
Research led me to investigate maps from the 1850 up to date and although the ancient Green Brow lane took a right angled turn near the bridge no map ever showed it to be part of the original GreenBrow Lane..
And so 60 years on I have decided to make an appeal to Historians and Archaeologists to help finally put my mind to rest about the story of this very insignificant piece of Wythenshawe history still locked in my memory.
Hi Chris, thank you for your very interesting account of your childhood in Wythenshawe. I will share your post with the Wythenshawe History group and see if anyone there have answers to your question. Thanks again, kind regards Siobhan
I worked in Tesco, in the precinct, store manager was John Sutton. floor above Tesco was a furniture shop and across the road was the bowling alley. Lifetime ago
I grew up in Wythenshawe in the 1950s, Croftlands road. I have fond memories of Hollyhedge library, where I developed my life long love of books.
Shirley Rea, (nee Jones).
Hi
I am tracing my family history and have discovered that the house they lived in has been demolished. There were two avenues off Newhey Rd Benchill called Roughly Gardens, one even numbered, one odd numbers. The latter had been demolished and replaced with Acres Court in the 1990’s to think
Does anyone know why just this side was demolished? The houses have been replaced in the same layout so it isn’t as if they were replaced with some thing else.
Thanks if you can help
Sam
manchesterarchiveplus.wordpress.com 
Don’t know wythenshawe that well, but really enjoyed post. I remember Golden Garter night club very well, some fab nights old.
Thanks Judith, it’s amazing how people from all over the North West and further afield remember the Golden Garter! Kind regards Siobhan
I worked at the Golden Garter in 1968
Does anyone remember “The Minors of the ABC” song we used to sing at the cinema in Northenden?
Found a clip on YouTube: https://youtu.be/JEvgLH6Ug9Y
Hi Ruprecht, lovely clip, thanks for sharing, I’m sure this will bring back many memories of the ABC! Kind regards Siobhan
I remember it well, singing, The ABC lapel badges, on stage on your birthday, free entry pass for the following week, Wow brilliant. We moved to Wythenshawe in 1950, the forum wasnt their then, just fields across to Gately.
Lovely looking back at the old places we knew. My husband lived on Felskirk Road when we met during the 60s and we spent many happy days of our courting years in the surrounding area. The Golden Garter was a great place for a night out and I remember my Mother in-law shopping at The Parade! The Red Beret was a pub I remember and also The Cock o’ the North? Happy days.
Thanks Pam for your lovely memories of Wythenshawe
Thanks for this view of Wythenshawe, I grew up there in the 50s and 60s, lived in Peel Hall went to Sharston Secondary Modern, lovely to see St Anthony’s RC church which is where we got married.
The Mystery Bridge across the Mill Brook in Baguley.
I was born in September 1946 and lived in Overdale Road Benchill before moving to Fouracers Road in Baguley about 1951. The Lanes, Farms and Fields of this time had only recently disappeared from this Cheshire landscape and surrendered to the spreading Wythenshawe Estate. Fouracres Road was on the edge of this invasion recently covered by a type of house known as Riley or Boots and known locally by the kids as “Tin Town” Exploring these lanes started almost from our front door and summer strolls up Clay Lane, Floats Road, Dobinetts lane led to Ringway Airport or Castle Mills, or by an alternative route past Shentons Farm and down Whitecarr Lane.
Surrounded by my “Tin Town” were remnants of an earlier age in the form of a solidly built house called Fouracres, occupied by a Doctor. But my curiosity focused on remnants of a cobbled lane cut short and built over by Fouracres Road at the present day junction ot of Holyhedge Road, Southmoor Road and the new Metro tram route. This lane which I later discovered was called Dunns Lane and ran by the Mill Brook from its start at Floats Road. As a child I used this route to collect groceries from Dillys, better known to me as The Shanty being the only shop in the vicinity open on a Sunday. For a few years each summer, a number of Romany Gypsies camped on what remained of Dunns Lane as they had probably done when the lane continued to the Smithy and its junction with Green Brow Lane. (Now, the site of the Red Rose Pub). Green Brow Lane disappeared to be replaced by Green Brow Road and there was no trace of the former lane remaining……..or was there?
My first school was Baguley Hall Primary whilst awaiting the opening of St Peters on Firbank Road and later progressed to St Pauls. Until 1962. At that time there was still remnants of Truck Lane on its winding way to Haverley Hey. My route home was along Cowlishawe Road past Newall Green School and there were frequent threats of being “ambushed” thankfully that never happened.
By the time I was 13 I was delivering newspapers from Taggarts and earning a few extra coppers on a Saturday night selling the Empire collected from the Royal Oak. As a favour for a friend who was away on holiday, I took over his newspaper round from Dillys, The Shanty and delivered papers to a few old houses at the start of Dunns Lane. These houses were interesting in that they could only be accessed across individual wooden foot bridges across the Mill Brook. I then had to retrace my steps along Floats Road for the rest of the round. None of the houses served were numbered and I had to remember the sequence of occupier’s names. 60 years later I still remember having to chant some of the names where deliveries were made. Dougall, Redcott, Andrews, Flemming followed by Belling, Shawe, Robertson, Prince finishing up with Rimmer on Dobbinets Lane. Some of there older cottages fronting FairyWell Wood still had outside water pumps.
By the time I was 14 I joined the Air Training Corps in Hulme and in quick succession started work with A.V.Roe (British Aero Space) at Woodford Aerodrome. At the time my only transport was by bicycle and the harsh winter of 1962 put pay to that as I was also burning the candle at both ends as Drummer with Paul Fenda and the Teen Beats following a cabaret circuit covering a wide area beyond Wythenshawe.
Cutting a long story short by 1970 my job took me North and have since lived in a small town just off the Yorkshire Coast and almost on the North Yorkshire Moors where after retirement I took up a new part time on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway.
To return to Wythenshawe I made infrequent visits to a declining number of family and friends which brings me back to my earlier memories of Baguley and the Mill Brook. The memories of which I researched from afar.
As a boy of about seven I explored the Baguley Mill Brook from a bridge over Clay Lane and immediately entered a long concrete culvert which I crawled through emerging in an area of green field and trees between the new Greenbrow Road, Morvern Drrive and Amberley Drive Flats. In my memory this area was never built on and I knew of a small brick bridge over the Mill Brook which has puzzled me ever since. Where did the bridge come from and where did the long lost paths lead to?
Research led me to investigate maps from the 1850 up to date and although the ancient Green Brow lane took a right angled turn near the bridge no map ever showed it to be part of the original GreenBrow Lane..
And so 60 years on I have decided to make an appeal to Historians and Archaeologists to help finally put my mind to rest about the story of this very insignificant piece of Wythenshawe history still locked in my memory.
Chris Bowden April 2020.
Hi Chris, thank you for your very interesting account of your childhood in Wythenshawe. I will share your post with the Wythenshawe History group and see if anyone there have answers to your question. Thanks again, kind regards Siobhan
I worked in Tesco, in the precinct, store manager was John Sutton. floor above Tesco was a furniture shop and across the road was the bowling alley. Lifetime ago
I grew up in Wythenshawe in the 1950s, Croftlands road. I have fond memories of Hollyhedge library, where I developed my life long love of books.
Shirley Rea, (nee Jones).
Hi
I am tracing my family history and have discovered that the house they lived in has been demolished. There were two avenues off Newhey Rd Benchill called Roughly Gardens, one even numbered, one odd numbers. The latter had been demolished and replaced with Acres Court in the 1990’s to think
Does anyone know why just this side was demolished? The houses have been replaced in the same layout so it isn’t as if they were replaced with some thing else.
Thanks if you can help
Sam
It was Roughy Gardens
Does anyone know if there was a sports shop on Minsterley parade.
Does anybody remember the iron footbridge over Altrincham Road and Brownley Road junction next to the Sharston Hotel ???