Old Local Buses

Here we have a 211 Hattersley-Hathershaw 1965 Daimler Bus Photo Postcard.

 

This postcard is a 1955 Atkinson Double-Decker Stalybridge-Hyde Tram Bus.

 

MEMORIES OF HYDE 1958 – 1962 Part 10

BY ROGER CHADWICK

The end of June 1958  saw Mum, Gran and I make the annual pilgrimage from Glen Wood to Godley Station.  We were on our way to the annual fortnight in Bournemouth. 

But that summer saw me staying in Bournemouth working on a market garden – for at that time Hyde had absolutely no work for temporary or unskilled workers. 

The pay at the market garden was low, the work boring and at times dangerous as I was shinning up ladders rolling “sylglass” between the greenhouse panes or taking new growth from the axils of tomato plants and for variety, feeding each and every cucumber plant in a vast greenhouse with one barrel-load of horse muck per day.  The summer did have its bonuses – I found very good “digs”, a smashing girlfriend whose father worked for De Havilland and I came home brown as a berry, ready for third year at Durham University.

This was the time when I realised I could not be in Hyde for much longer and still needed to work for the family income.  An enquiry at the Office of the North Western Road Car Company informed me that there was work for “temps” in the summer months.  I jumped at the chance! 

Mottram Road

I spent a fortnight in Conductor School and was then assigned to Glossop Garage and placed under the watchful eye of a senior conductor and an Inspector.  Very soon I was in charge of a vehicle and when on early shift, learnt to wake up at 0300 hrs, brew up, dress smartly in full uniform and stand under the lamp on Mottram Road(A 57) waving my billy can and hitching a lift so as to take a bus out for 0500.  Most days I got a potato lorry bound for West Yorkshire but then meant a long walk from The Gun Inn,  Hollingworth to Charles Street in Glossop.  Sometimes a newspaper van would oblige.  Occasionally one of the drivers would pick me up – sometimes in a car, sometimes on a motor bike.  Yet I never missed a shift in three years on the buses.  Thankfully most of the shifts started later and I could travel to work on the 0530 or 0600 service 125 to Glossop.  Coming home at night was sometimes difficult, The Company put on a “ghost” bus for late workers as far as Mottram Junction but you never got lifts from motorists so it was “shanks pony” for 2.5 miles home!  The shift that saw me work the Glossop Saturday Midnight Circular 190 taking all the boozers home was no fun when it was half past one in the morning before I got in!

Stalybridge, Hyde, Mossley & Dukinfield Joint Transport and Electricity Board Crest

It was a funny feeling to work on a bus route that passed my door and which I knew so well and to sit in the crew room at Glossop with North Western and SHMD guards that knew me from boyhood.  I often worked the 125 Limited Stop to Denton, Hyde and Old Glossop. It was an 8hr 31min “turn” and you worked hard with full loads to Hyde, full loads to Manchester and the same at night on return workings.  On one such trip we came into Chorlton Street, and went out immediately, fully loaded..  Late running was frowned upon.  Traffic jams were frequent around the city and you didn’t get a clear road until beyond Ardwick. 

 Belle Vue circa 1963

By Belle Vue I was dying to use the Public Conveniences. 

Going down Broomstair Brow I was desperate but I knew that there were facilities in Hyde Bus Station.  Never was I so glad to arrive at Hyde Bus Station and find relief – but then – it suddenly dawned upon me that I was in a cubicle!   There had been no urinal and I was too desperate to notice. I did now – I was in THE LADIES!!!  I really do remember breaking into a cold sweat.  Was I going to be arrested?   Someone might have already called the police for our bus was fully loaded and waiting immediately outside.  What if a lady came in?  Here goes – with head held high walked out pretending that nothing untoward had occurred, I emerged into the sunlight.  Suddenly there was a roar of laughter and cheering from the passengers and driver!   They had all seen what had happened and were going to make the most of it. It took me weeks to live that episode down.   Nowadays, such an incident would be world news!

Hyde Bus Station - The toilets were to the left behind the bus shelters.

I learn a lot about the British Public whilst on the buses and I will come to that in the next chapter.  My first driver warned me when I started that I would learn things about people’s behaviour that no college course could teach.   Bye – he was right – but they were good years with eight to ten weeks on buses, enjoying the travel, the “crack” with mates and the fun with passengers.  Of course, there was the bonus of good wages, plenty of overtime, Sunday double time, rest day working, spread-over penalty payments for split shifts.  I was to get married in 1963 with this “bus money” behind me!  My mother, instead of taking my wages for board and lodge took the money and then secretly saved it all up for when I needed it.

In some ways, these were the happiest years of my life!!

Thanks to Roger for his continuing memories of Hyde.
They are much welcomed and enjoyed ! :)

 

GROWING UP IN HYDE 1950 – 1957 Part 8

By Roger Chadwick

For worse, rather than better, I sat the Manchester Grammar School 11+ three months before my 10^th birthday – and failed!  But then that was why we had two years for these exams and I did get a scholarship to William Hulme’s G.S in Moss Side Manchester the following year.  I still wonder how I won this award because on the day of the first examinations the 7.50 bus to Manchester was full and didn’t stop at Glen Wood, nor did the 8.05 and I was some twenty minutes late arriving at one of the exams.

In case anyone might think I am highly intelligent, I had another crack at Manchester Grammar just before I was 11 and for Hyde Grammar as well – and I failed those!!!. 

Hyde Grammar School, now Clarendon College.

Leigh Street had educated me well, even in drama when I played Jan in “Jan of Windmill Land” and somewhere in our attic there is a postcard of the “cast” to prove it but I have no real memory of it.  This gave me confidence for school plays and concerts at the new school – and later – in the pulpit!!. 

Nowadays, junior schools have big trips over huge distances.  We had only one – a bouncy ride in an SHMD Thornycroft single decker with the seats arranged around the sides of the vehicle (for cramming standing passengers in during the war) – and then a journey via Mottram to Melandra, a Roman Fort between Woolley Bridge and Glossop.  This was part of our history studies on Roman civilisation and there we learnt our first Latin words!!

Memories of Leigh Street School continue to come back – ink monitor duties on a Monday moring, milk monitor duties at other times, boring assemblies and the singing of “Strawberry Fair” and something called “Tarah’s Halls” – the sight of Mrs Gaunt’s red Biro, something very new in 1948!  School reports, Moray House exam papers, the smell of school dinners and mad playground games.

School Milk !

All this ceased when I started school days with the daily 7.35 SHMD bus to Manchester and then another one out to Moss Side.  The new school co-incided with a new bike.  This was NOT given because I had “passed the Scholarship” but because at 11 years of age I was deemed sensible enough to be careful in the heavy traffic.   

Well! that  was like letting a cat out of the house for the first time. 

I set off up Mottram Road, through Hollingworth and Tintwistle to Woodhead Tunnel and then over the top to Dunford Bridge and Holmfirth.  Little heed had I taken of the terrain home via Holme Moss TV transmitter and a late arrival home and a good telling off for being out so long!   Then, other long days in the Cheshire countryside and by the time I was 14 I was cycling the 13 mile round trip to school in the summer term.  With no gears, the hills around Hyde were hard work but then I was young and strong and used to exercise.  I knew every blade of grass on Green Lane, past Dove House Farm, Glendarach, Godley Green to Mottram Old Road and up the Hackingknife to Idle Hill, Apple Street, Bothams Hall Wood, Broadbottom  and then a train ride back to Godley.  I loved the view across the Etherow valley to Charlesworth, Combs Rocks, Monks Road and Kinder.  Other walks come to mind -  up to Sulby Glen, Thompsons Wood, Matley, Harrap Edge and over the top of Hobsons  Moor and then home by the SHMD 4 Service from Carrbrook to the Hippodrome in Hyde!

ABC / Green Lane

During the summer holidays I cycled everywhere with a best friend from Hulme Grammar who lived in Denton.  We got as far as Oxford when we were 12, Whitby the following year and sundry other Youth Hostelling holidays in the Peak District.   Nowadays, even lads together would not be allowed this freedom and certainly not on solo walks.  But we always felt safe and there was always somebody you could ask for help.  I well remember a 40 mile ride from Hyde, through Ashton, Oldham, Rochdale, Bacup and Burnley and Colne to Skipton to stay with another friend.  Within sight of Skipton I stopped at a pub and asked the landlord if he could give me some water.   I was really tired and needed sustenance.  “Come t’ut back dooer”, he bawled out and then regaled me with tea and cheese sandwiches in his kitchen.  “Yuv come from wheah?  Hyde?  Oh aye, that’s where all’t flies from Denton go to in’twinter in’t it.    The good man would not charge me a penny.

Need I say more.

Great memories, once again, Roger !
Also, thanks to Carl's Cam for the photo of Hyde Grammar!
Many thanks :)

 

Buses and Trams Galore !!

Below is a selection of bus and Tram photos and postcards sent to us by Susan Jaleel.
Underneath are the descriptions !!



The No.4 on its return to Hyde from Mossley.  It's just crossing Bennett Street bridge, where Flowery Field Station is now.

 

The No.15 bus [SHMD] leaving Hamnett Street for Shaw Hall via Victoria Street.  How lovely to get just a little peep of the late, lamented UCP on the left hand corner of the street.



The No.19 tram stopped at the market.  There was some query about who ran the 19 recently on the Blog, but it isnt easy to pick out the livery on a black and white photo!  Also on the same posting, someone asked about the attractive building which stood where Natwest/Boots is now.  It was the District Bank and on this shot of the tram it's possible to see a bit more of that building.



Tram climbing the Gerrards towards the Grapes.  Someone has written on the reverse of the postcard "Stockport car in SHMD territory [Hyde]", whatever that means!

 

 Tram at the bottom of the Gerrards.  Just see how clearly the chapel spire can be seen without the trees of today.

 

These trams waiting at the market are from a "scenes of yesteryear" modern card, entitled "Memories of Stockport".  The date is given as 1938, and the caption is Trams wait to leave for Manchester, Edgeley and Gee Cross.  The Norfolk Arms is clear to see in the left background and, of course, the roof of the Midland Bank.

Many, many thanks, Susan.
You are doing a sterling job supplying us with great photographs and information !

Kiddies Christmas Outing 1952

Here are a couple more photos from Tony Downend.
The first one shows the Kiddies Christmas Outing from Newton Moor Working Mens Club in 1952.
The second one is a comparative shot taken in 2010.

I love the three open backed doubledecker buses waiting to take the kids!






Thanks Tony :)

Looking down Market Street

A nice shot taken by John Morris, circa 1990's, I think.(Thanks Dave) :)

The Shepherds Call pub behind the ladies on the left, Swinton Insurance (now gone) and Hopwoods Barbers (also now disappeared).I think the china shop is still open on the corner of Church Street on this photo (now Bargain Booze) - was it called Grays China Shop? - but looks for sale. Note the 210 bus coming up the hill to Gee Cross. The service now sadly defunct.