The Other M&S part 2

In Leeds the other day, it's one of my favourite cities, and we took ourselves up to the University end of town. Into the Parkinson building, and that is some magnificent architecture, opened in 1951 with no expense spared. Inside there is a Marks & Spencer exhibition celebrating their 125 years. There is also a good Marks & Spencer cafe to go with it if you need to rest you legs and get some quality refreshments.

It doesn't take long to get around the displays but there were lots of facts I discovered, especially about the time M&S had their head office in Manchester and the directors lived in Didsbury and up Bury New Road.

There is an online version here though it doesn't come anywhere near seeing the handwriting of Mr. Marks and Mr. Spencer and the artifacts.

The only similarities between the Manchester & Salford Equitable and Marks & Spencer are in the two letters of the alphabet they shared.

Guild Starts in 1931

The Barlow Moor Mixed Guild officially started on Tuesday 9th June 1931. "An exceptionally well attended meeting of members had the priviledge of listening to many fine addresses given by our visitors, representatives from the board of management, the educational committee, and the district committee of the National Guild of Co-operators."

The following Tuesday they held a whist drive, which "proved very successful, both socially and financially, and also brought along a number of new members for the guild".
Manchester & Salford Co-operative Herald 1931 page 211

The new guild got off to a good start, and instead of closing for the month of August as would be and still is the norm for voluntary organisations like this they kept holding a Tuesday meeting throughout that month.

Members Group Talk

Gave my talk to the South Manchester Co-op Members Group last evening. A very good muster of about 23 in the room. Not bad at all in the age of Tv and distractions. Well received and plenty of questions. Best though was listening to what others had to say, though at one point it sounded like everyone was speaking at once. Anyway picked up snippets about the meeting rooms. The use of coal fires, 78 rpm gramophone records, two pianos, a floor with splinters, windows on the back wall filled in years ago. Plus a stable block out back. Wonder if the milk cart horse was housed in there?

Other Hardy's As Well

There are four Hardy Lane's in England, none on Scotland or Wales. Two are in rural locations. One in Tideswell near Buxton, a pretty village that still has Well Dressing events - a good old Derbyshire custom. Another is in Tockington, near Bristol. The third is in urban Basingstoke. The 4th is this one in Chorlton-cum-Hardy. So not a common name

As you'd expect lots of Hardy Avenues, Roads, Closes, Drives and places associated with the Thomas Hardy the novelist. Above is a photo of Hardy Avenue in Chorlton. Taken today in the rain. A cul-de-sac off Acres Road, which runs between Beech Road and High Lane. The building behind is on St.Clement's Road.

Aerial View 1933

A view from 1933 and you can make out the Hardy Lane store as the only buildings at the bottom on the west side of Barlow Moor Road. Chorlton Park School opened in 1928 is in the middle, behind which is the unlaid Chorlton Park with a border of trees.

Other aerial views show the Barlow Moor Estate still under construction with plenty of empty plots of land. The building work must have gone on for many years, six to ten years maybe, starting at the Cundiff Road end in the north and finishing at Princess Road in the south.
Aerial view Aerial view 2

Hardy Lane c.1912

I'm guessing it is 1912. But cetainly after Chorltonville was built because that looks like South Drive in the background and the recreation pavilion. There are also some goal posts. That's interesting because I thought it was just tennis and bowling for the residents.

The trick now will be to go the same spot and take the same view a hundred or so years later. If it wasn't raining today the camera and tripod would have been set up already. Maybe I'll have to wait until the trees have lost their leaves too. The result would be something like this.

Other websites

Chorlton History Group now has a website. Early days yet but must make a contribution...

Friends of Chorlton Meadows is one of my regular reads. It's a great read about the fauna and flora of the area. Plus it ties in with the seasons. Hardy Lane runs across the Meadows as a footpath to Jackson's Boat so am taking a keen interest.

Three recent articles from the weblog:
Mersey Floods by a local historian
Metrolink will devastate the Mersey Valley
Great Mersey Valley Revolt

Sorting Thru It All

When I started this weblog it was to publish information as it came along or dug out of archives. Then lots of scraps of details emerge. It's a bit like getting a few jigsaw pieces but where to fit them in when you don't have the big picture on the box.

Bits include information about the farms on Hardy Lane, who lived at the cottages at the end of the lane, and what the 19th century farm kitchen looked like. Buildings and people now long gone. Then there are details about the Barlow Moor Mixed Guild activities over the years. Nothing as yet on the Woodcraft Folk who still operate from the hall. Still trawling through old photographs of Chorlton, many not that old as they date from the 1980's and 1990's. Still looking for that snap of the store in the red Late Shop livery or the earlier green and yellow Norwest livery.

Above are some pictures of old CWS tins for custard powder and health salts. If you search eBay you come across plenty of co-operative memorabilia, some at unrealistic prices. I recommend all history fans to search about once a week.