A trip down memory lane around Manchester....

A Road Called Gerald
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Two images of the Gerald Road footbridge in Salford.
The first one is from around 1900 and was one of the first suspension bridges ever made (built 1825/26). Gerald Road was originally called "Suspension Road" and there's a story that goes with it:

"Broughton Suspension Bridge was situated where the Gerald Road Bridge is today. It was built in 1826 by John Fitzgerald, owner of the nearby Castle Irwell, and was one of Europe's first iron chain suspension bridges. In 1831, a squad of soldiers, who had been exercising on Kersal Moor, were marching back to Regent Road barracks by way of the bridge. They felt it begin to vibrate in time with their footsteps. Finding the vibration amusing some of them started to whistle a marching tune and stamp to make the bridge vibrate even more. The front of the column had almost reached the Pendleton side when they heard a sound resembling gunfire. Immediately, one of the iron columns supporting the chains fell and the bridge collapsed. About 40 soldiers fell 16-18 feet into the river. The river was low and the water only two feet deep. Twenty were injured, some seriously, though luckily none were killed. The main consequence was that the British Army issued an order that soldiers should "break step" whenever crossing a bridge in numbers. The Suspension Bridge was rebuilt and strengthened. It was eventually replaced in 1924 by Gerald Road Foot Bridge."
 
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My memories are way back in the 60's. Sitting on my dads bike, had a little saddle on the crossbar and feet rest on the down tube. Use to take me everywhere like that.
Mum working in the Cake Box on Fog Lane and bring stale bread home to feed the ducks in Fog Lane park ? That might be wrong but we feed the ducks not far from fog lane ;)
Going on rowing boats cant remember where.
Thinking Merlin Avenue was huge when infact it's only about 6 houses long lol.

Remember Eastern Circle Burnage where my grandparents lived. Visiting at Easter and the local kids taking an interest in our funny southern/manc accents lol.
 
Here's a real oldie:
Gypsies (I know but that's what we called them then) hiring out boats on the Mersey at Northenden, just above the weir ffs. My memory of this is from when I was very young, so about 70 years ago.
It is also mentioned in one of Howard Spring's novels.
The river then stank of industrial cleaning agents and put up a swirling cloud of soapy bubbles at the foot of the weir.
 
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give it to gordon said:
My memories are way back in the 60's. Sitting on my dads bike, had a little saddle on the crossbar and feet rest on the down tube. Use to take me everywhere like that.
Mum working in the Cake Box on Fog Lane and bring stale bread home to feed the ducks in Fog Lane park ? That might be wrong but we feed the ducks not far from fog lane ;)
Going on rowing boats cant remember where.
Thinking Merlin Avenue was huge when infact it's only about 6 houses long lol.

Remember Eastern Circle Burnage where my grandparents lived. Visiting at Easter and the local kids taking an interest in our funny southern/manc accents lol.
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The ducks and rowing boats almost definitely Platt Fields, which had a motor-boat called the Archie LIttlemore, skiffs and 4-seat rowing boats. Also a mini zoo and a small pond for model boats and a band-stand that was popular. The big field was used by schools for their sports-days. On warm Sundays the place attracted familys from all over Manchester, and also the last of the teddy-boy gangs at the end of the fifties.
 
Took my bike in to Pop Up Bikes the other day and drove back down the 'bottom road' - Smedley Road, Hazelbottom Road, Waterloo, and ended up coming up Factory Brew. Mrs Ewing was driving and I was providing the commentary -that's where the flats were that looked like a liner, ICI had their recreation ground, and this is where the CWS Biscuit Works were. Onto Factory Brew - there used to be a Royal Mail sorting office here, Oh, it's still Royal Mail, and this used to be the Corpy depot (Balfour Beatty now). The Empire, long gone, was the Saturday afternoon venue for a tanner, and then on this corner were three pubs and on that corner Martins Bank, from this junction all the way down Moston Lane to Conran Street were shops, shops and more shops - the shops where yer could spend an age looking in the window to see what they'd got. Boggart Hole Clough didn't seem to have a way in off Rochdale Road, and the set-back 'garden' just on the way down the hill to the old bus 'time office' was a mass of overgrown and unkempt vegetation. The golden age was certainly the 50s.
 
wahablue said:
The Nissen Hut (cinema) at the side of St Anthony,sChurch,Portway/Cornishway circa early 50,s
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never even knew it existed, must have been a twin with the "Coronation" at the top of Longley lane in Northenden. There was a similar one in Urmston. The Scala in Withington had gas lighting which grew brighter and dimmer depending on demand. It was the only place which had two-seater cuddle-seats up-stairs. Saturday matinee 6pence to get in, then the stampede when the national anthem came on. In the sixties when hair-styles needed half a can of spray it was quite common for some dickhead to put a match to them. Kin 'ell...
 
kippaxwarrior said:
Lewis's(Which is now Primark) in town 2 weeks before Christmas and going to the basement to choose your toys
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Also remember having my hair cut in the basement in Lewis’ .. then queuing up to see Father Christmas .
Also remember a cafe facing Piccadilly gardens called the milk maid .Great memories.
 
A57 the snake said:
Also remember having my hair cut in the basement in Lewis’ .. then queuing up to see Father Christmas .
Also remember a cafe facing Piccadilly gardens called the milk maid .Great memories.
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My dad used to be a bus driver and I would go to work with him on the buses. Piccadilly Gardens bus station in the 80's was a bit of a dump but there was set of stairs in the middle of the station and when you walked up them inside was a full canteen for the drivers. I loved it in there. It was just a bit further down to the right of this picture where the 261 is

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kippaxwarrior said:
My dad used to be a bus driver and I would go to work with him on the buses. Piccadilly Gardens bus station in the 80's was a bit of a dump but there was set of stairs in the middle of the station and when you walked up them inside was a full canteen for the drivers. I loved it in there. It was just a bit further down to the right of this picture where the 261 is

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Great stuff mate would of been my dream that ..my uncle was a bus driver in the selnec years he’d take me to Hyde road bus depot on a few occasions.
My old fella used to take me to work on Saturday mornings he worked on briscoe lane next door to the fire station, it was a commercial lorry garage I’d get to go in all the wagons in the garage absolutely brilliant memories. Little did I know then but we must of literally walked across the centre spot at the etihad to get there.
 
A57 the snake said:
Great stuff mate would of been my dream that ..my uncle was a bus driver in the selnec years he’d take me to Hyde road bus depot on a few occasions.
My old fella used to take me to work on Saturday mornings he worked on briscoe lane next door to the fire station, it was a commercial lorry garage I’d get to go in all the wagons in the garage absolutely brilliant memories. Little did I know then but we must of literally walked across the centre spot at the etihad to get there.
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My dad was based at Hyde Road so been there hundreds of times. The Canteen was huge upstairs with the kitchen in the middle and at the right end was the games room with around 10 snooker tables and dartboards. The skid pan was behind the depot and I loved seeing hundreds of buses just parked up in the morning and always remember the smell of oil and diesel in that place.

If we weren't with him and he was on a day shift he would normally end up in The Star Pub across the road!
 
kippaxwarrior said:
My dad used to be a bus driver and I would go to work with him on the buses. Piccadilly Gardens bus station in the 80's was a bit of a dump but there was set of stairs in the middle of the station and when you walked up them inside was a full canteen for the drivers. I loved it in there. It was just a bit further down to the right of this picture where the 261 is

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growing up in the fifties in Withington, seemed like every street had a conductor or driver living there, years later many passed away in their late fifties early sixties, the split-shift system and the Woodbine / Senior Service John Player culture taking it's toll as well. Industry/commerce in big cities depended on public transport, there was no H S E overseeing conditions , it would take another 40 years to be effective
 
kippaxwarrior said:
My dad was based at Hyde Road so been there hundreds of times. The Canteen was huge upstairs with the kitchen in the middle and at the right end was the games room with around 10 snooker tables and dartboards. The skid pan was behind the depot and I loved seeing hundreds of buses just parked up in the morning and always remember the smell of oil and diesel in that place.

If we weren't with him and he was on a day shift he would normally end up in The Star Pub across the road!
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Yes mate the pub after work was a ritual my dads was the Vulcan and the angel in gorton.
Diesel smell takes me back as well .
 
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