Turnstile at Maine Rd

[880125]

How do people know this shit?

This was an extract from the booklet of the auction held at Maine Road, when all the items were auctioned off.

 

[skiddypants]

I have a turnstile in my garden green paint under the blue looks like a Hyde rd one.
My Mrs not to happy and wants it out. £300

Got my north stand seat but want to keep it,
I have the Tom Gardener stretcher from Maine rd, you could give me an offer.
Giant subbutio Colin Bell, I put him out derby day to annoy the rags who live near me.

 

[Gingers Dad]

I'd love to buy the one my uncle used to lift me over whenever he took me to Maine Road. It's a slightly harder manoeuvre these days.

To be fair I bet you're lot harder to lift these days?

 

[warpig]

Once saw a lad vault over a turnstile on the Kippax

Very impressive athleticism

Must have happened quite often as the bloke in the cubicle thing just shouted "Jumper!"

I jumped the turnstiles of the kippax a couple of times in my youth and used the money to get a hotdog and drink once inside. there was usually a couple of old duffers behind the turnstiles who’d try (or give the impression at least) to catch you - but you Could get a good run up which made it almost impossible.

 

[jimmygrimblesboots]

There must have been an extra large turnstile , because my old fella used to squeeze my elder brother in the same turnstile and lift me over the top , dont think he ever paid more than 2/6 to get all three of us in , those were the days.

 

[gordondaviesmoustache]

To be fair I bet you're lot harder to lift these days?

Agreed, plus my uncle is now brown bread, which would present further difficulties.

 

[Nebuchadnezzar]

In Farewell To Maine Road (the official history of City’s grounds) I told the story of the turnstiles, including info on where they came from, who made them etc. I even had a page which told the story of how myself and a guy known as ‘Turnstile Ted’ Pearson went around the ground identifying and dating them. Combining historical research on when City bought turnstiles with Ted’s knowledge of turnstile production (he’d worked for Ellison’s) and what we could see we identified and dated quite a few.


The results were that there were 4 Ellison’s turnstiles made at Irlam which were from the 1890s and therefore from Hyde Road. They have to be marked ‘Irlams o’th’heights’ to have been 1890s and Hyde Rd. These were turnstiles numbers 48, 59, 75 & 76. City bought turnstiles in 1896 and 1898, so it could be either year.


There were nine other Ellisons Rush Preventative turnstiles and these were also likely to be from Hyde Road due to purchases made by City. We couldn’t work out specifically which ones were from what year but I know that MCFC bought some in 1904 and in 1910. So any Ellisons Turnstile from Maine Road would’ve been at Hyde Road.


The others….. Two Bailey’s Turnstiles were in operation in the Kippax wall in 2003 (and others in the Main Stand). Only those in the Kippax wall are likely to have come from Hyde Road but even then it’s difficult to prove whether those two Bailey’s did.


The Main Stand turnstiles were made by Mayor and some by Bailey – all were from 1923 or later.


NOW HERE’S THE SAD, FRUSTRATING, IT MAKES ME ANGRY MOMENT – Two of the original Ellisons Turnstiles were to be taken to the new stadium in 2003 to be housed as part of the museum. These were amongst the oldest turnstiles in existence and the King in 1920 may well have used one of them. Certainly AJ Balfour (later Prime Minister) did use one when he visited Hyde Rd. As they’d been at Hyde Rd, then Maine Rd, it would have been a great achievement for City to take them to the COM as it was. Everything was planned. Then on the day the 2 turnstiles were to be carefully removed from the Kippax wall, preserved and then taken to the new stadium, someone had already ripped them out. No one knows who stole them but if you do find an Ellison’s Turnstile from Maine Road ask for absolute proof that it was part of the auction and not one of the two stolen.

By rights MCFC should still have those two and legal proceedings should be taken but the change in ownership at City makes it difficult to follow through I guess.


If you want to know more about the turnstiles – or anything else connected with Maine Road – then please get hold of Farewell To Maine Road (you won’t regret it!).

Hi Gary,

Sorry for the bump but I was curious about something I bought online when I read your post. I saw a turnstile piece online over summer and didn't realise some of the turnstiles went missing. I don't honestly know if this is a convincing replica, or whether it has even been scrapped down from one of the stolen turnstiles to make it easier to sell.

 

[xgorton]

Remember this bloke think his name was tiny they had to open the gates to let him in,big facker.

 

[Jesus H Gabz]

I jumped the turnstiles of the kippax a couple of times in my youth and used the money to get a hotdog and drink once inside. there was usually a couple of old duffers behind the turnstiles who’d try (or give the impression at least) to catch you - but you Could get a good run up which made it almost impossible.

Haha! Brilliant....my mate tried the same thing & the old guy on the turnstile kicked the door at him, booom flat on his backside:) took a run up an all

 

[Whether or not]

If it is real Maine Rd nostalgia you want, drink a pint of flat Greenalls bitter and eat a meat and potato pie that is red hot at the crust and frozen in the middle.