Shop Opening Hours

These are the opening times of Co-Op stores in Manchester in 1930, and would have been the original trading hours for Hardy Lane store. I was going to copy them into type but a photo from an old handbook will suffice. Up until about thirty years ago closing for lunch was still the norm. An hour and a quarter for a midday break would now be considered generous. Saturday was the exception. Early closing day as laid down by the Shops Act 1911 was on a Wednesday. Even now in Chorlton many independent shops still close early on a Wednesday, some don't even open for the day with it being the quietest trading day for customers. Sunday opening would have been unthinkable back then but that all changed with the Sunday Trading Act 1994.

Notice the background

The photo looks like it was taken in the recent General Election, the one last May, those rosettes that are clue. However is the story is from today about the Labour Leadership campaign with Ed Milliband MP as one of the contenders. That's Hardy Lane Co-op in the background which is more the interest for this weblog.
Lucy rejoins the campaign trail from the South Manchester Reporter July 1st 2010.

Woodcraft on video

Not really covered the Woodcraft who have been meeting at Hardy Lane since the 1970's, and some earlier activity in the late 1940's and 1950's. It is an area still to be explored. Today was notified of an online video of a 1968 film called I'm a Member of a Family at the Yorkshire Film Archive which documents an international Woodcraft Camp. When you quote "they say the past is a different country they do things differently there" you can see the truism of that phrase. It's the L.P. Hartley's novel The Go-Between to save you looking it up.

Also told it was really like this by a former member back in the 1970's. It's appears as a charming, innocent age set against a background of the Cold War and a call for World Peace. Anyway here is the link to the video (10 minutes, colour, sound). It's http://yfaonline.com/assetDetails.cfm?film=2179

Late Shop Days

This photograph was taken today in May 2010 and is reminder of the old Late Shop livery of United Norwest. The lorry or at least part of it is still being used. It is just arriving at The Co-operative on Wilbraham Road in Chorlton on a wet Saturday dinnertime. Back in the years when there were Late Shop C-Stores this branch would have been a Kwik Save, then maybe a Gateway then lastly a Sommerfield store. It's hard to remember all the changes in ownership and takeovers.

Labour HQ at Hardy Lane

The Labour Party election headquarters is in full swing at the Co-op Rooms. Popped in the check out what is happening. Nice use of cycle leaning on the big plastic posters. Lots of paper to push through letterboxes.

Camapign HQ

Hardy Lane Co-op Rooms are currently the head quarters for Lucy Powell the Labour candidate in the forthcoming General Election. The rooms have been used for Labour campaigns since at least 1964, and as HQ since at least 1987.

Picture is of Lucy (left) with Yvette Cooper, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions who dropped by to meet constituents and called into the Hardy Lane rooms. At least the background looks like that.

Co-ops in Salford

Took time out to trek over to the Working Class Movement Library in Salford for a talk on Co-operatives in Salford. It is not a trek since I realised you can do shopping in central Manchester and then take a seven minute train journey - Manchester Oxford Road to Salford Crescent station which a two minute walk from the Library.

The talk was by Gillian Lonergan from the Co-operative Archives at the Co-opsUK building. A muster of over 30 punters for an excellent picture presentation follwed by tea and custard cream biscuits. Always like a history talk when it informs me of new facts. Co-ops in Salford go way back to the days of the Rochdale Pioneers with hand loom weavers, and cloth dyers forming a few co-operative enterprises. The Manchester & Salford Society got a fair mention even though despite its name it didn't have many branches in Salford.

The talks are part of an Invisible Histories series over the next few months at the WCML.

Back on the History Trail

The People's Museum has re-opened in Manchester. So why not take a look and see what is on offer. This I did on Monday last with fellow amateur historian my old mate Andy. Actually the exhibits is much of what was there before it closed. Bigger co-op display with the replica or more like re-created imaginary co-op store. You always wonder what is tucked away in cardboard boxes that never gets seen.