50th Anniversary Plate

Manchester & Salford Equitable Co-operative Society Limited 50th Anniversary plate. It depicts the Central Stores & Head Office on Downing Street, Ardwick. The chaps with whiskers are left side John C. Edwards - the first president 1859 - July 1860; on the right is William Stansfield who was president from July 1905 thru 1909.
Indebted to a fellow "amateur historian" Michael Walker for this - check Hayes Peoples History weblog for gems of the past.

Chorlton History Group #2

Thursday 23rd April 2009 at 1500h
Tilley's Coffee Shop, Barlow Moor Road, Chorlton
It's official I've seen the poster that I'll be speaking about "The history of the Co-Op Meeting Rooms on Hardy lane, a work in progress" and other things that come into my head

Chorlton History Group at Tilley's Coffee Shop (opposite Southern Cemetery, Chorlton) now has a Facebook Group. That's the way things are done these days - though I think you'll find there are supporters of it who don't bother with any of this web based milarky.

Meeting Room Background

The Meeting Rooms Above the Shop

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The original article published in 1996 which forms the basis of this project.

Chorlton History Group

The informal inaugral meeting was Thursday 19th March in the relaxed Tilley's Cafe on Barlow Moor Road. Everyone there has little projects on the go, and everyone knows people who couldn't make it who have an interest in the history of the area.

The Hardy Lane Co-op history project chimed in well. So well I've been invited to give a presentation at the next meeting on Thursday 23rd April at the same venue at 1500h. Just have to brush up on the dates and dig out some old photographs and it'll be sorted. Somebody is up for webcasting it - wow that would be good if it comes off. Well for novelty value but it's not prime time.

First Post

The Hardy Lane Co-op is 80 years old in 2009. Situated in Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Manchester, England. That's nothing special but the meeting rooms above the shop are one of the last Co-op Rooms in the UK. There used to be hundreds of meeting rooms above Co-op stores but the world has moved on and we don't go to meetings like it used to. This is going to be the story.

Picture is from 1959. Although it is called the Hardy Lane Co-op stores the address is 349-351 Barlow Moor Road.