Whit Walk 1970s

I've found these photographs taken during the Whit Walk of, I think, 1979 and featuring the Fellowship Church from Chapel Street.

These two photographs are taken from Market Street looking up Union Street, and below is an image from Google Street View showing how this junction now looks.

This is Ridling Lane at the junction with Lumn Road and below is the current Google Street View.

These two photographs were taken at the junction of Lumn Road and Orchard Street and the Google Street View version isn't necessary as it looks no different now to what it did then.

Market Street at the junction with Croft Street with the Google Street View version below.

Zion whit walks

Here is a photograph showing the Whit walks circa 1966. 

More specifically it shows the Zion Congregational group of walkers including yours truly and my sister standing outside Middletons shop on Market Street.:) There are many old familiar faces on here... including the lady to the right who was a much loved teacher at Zion Sunday School called Gladys. Another favourite was Margaret who can be seen to the back of the group.

Some names I can remember

Martin Wilson, Philip Park , Linda Shepley, Jacqueline Heathcoat, Janet Shepley, Jean Nohas, Ann Lofthouse, Howard Whittingham, Shaun Taylor, Linda Easter, Russell Hamer.

If you are on this photo but not listed please let me know and I'll add your name to the list.

Marching Together.

I haven't got any information on this photo other than it appears to be of a Whit Walk in the late 1960's - early 1970's.
It shows a band marching past Hyde Town Hall but I have no idea who the band is.

Any info gratefully received.

MEMORIES OF GROWING UP IN HYDE Part 5

Continuing Roger Chadwicks fabulous Memories of Hyde....

My church bore the grandiose title of “the parish of St John the Baptist, Godley cum Newton Green”!   I never found out where Newton Green was but assumed it was somewhere around Newton Station.  Certainly Godley was a huge geographical parish and then included Hattersley and parts of Hoviley.  The great excitement of the year was 0900 hrs at the Sheffield Road (Church) School on a Whit Friday.  Huge banners, pretty little girls, a be-decked bible, Mothers Union members in blue veils, everyone in new Whit Walk clothes and the Church Lads Brigade resplendent in their smart uniforms and highly polished bugles.  A procession of up to 100 people would set off led, by custom, every year, by The Dove Holes Prize Band.  Choirboys were somewhere in the middle behind the Church Banner, the Churchwardens proudly bearing their staffs of office and the cheery rubicund Vicar, resplendent in choir robes, hood and mortar board or Canterbury Cap.  His eyes were usually fixed on us because we were troublesome and he was always ready to pounce! 

 

St John the Baptist, Godley

Our parish Walk was something of a marathon!  We would pass through High Street and Fountain Street, down “Sammy Spit” and up Commercial Brow, back down towards Hyde and through Hoviley and into Clarendon Place.  For some reason we never went into the market area with all the other processions.  Then the fun would begin!   Our route thence took us straight up the A57 (Mottram Rd), through Godley Arches and up Godley Hill Road to the War Memorial.  Apparently, the police didn’t like this tradition because we caused massive hold ups of local and commercial long distance traffic.  But process we did and the choir lads, by adroit timing of the walk and surreptitious hand signals, could welcome angry motorists and sometimes an SHMD Decker into the procession!  One brave lad decided to mount the rear platform of the bus on one such Walk and was hastily pushed off by the guard!  All this caused mayhem and infuriated the Vicar but we loved it.  All the way round, crowds would line the pavements of the parish and there was much banter and raillery on all sides. Our Godley Whit Walk took three hours to complete with numerous stops for “Deep Harmony”,” Lloyd”, “The Old Hundredth” (Hymn Tunes), prayers and readings.  On Whit Friday afternoon, everyone, including the Bands, repaired to Farmer Osborne’s field beside The Barmhouses for the Sports.  (The usual Olympic style fare of sack/egg and spoon races and much else). By 1700 hrs we were home, worn out but happy!

 

Clarendon Place

The Church had a striking tower with a good peal of “bells”….   These wonderful “bells” consisted of a heavy 78rpm wax record in a gramophone in the Choir Vestry and it was the task of choir boys to reset the record every three minutes.  This process usually lasted for a full fifteen minutes but we made sure that, if possible, the needle could be left playing at the centre of the disc.  A hideous sound of magnified hissing and scratching would then fill the air of the parish until an irate Churchwarden or Sidesman would come in and ask “what the hell’s goin’ on?”  I seem to remember that this record was called “Grand Sire Garters” from Westminster Abbey”.  It was a dreadful noise but caused us unforgettable merriment.

 

Sermons were quite long and the mosaic of the floor around the choir stalls was a good surface for “glass alleys” (marbles) which we could flirt across to lads on the other side.  Wax sweet papers made good darts and we carved our names in the choir stalls.  Once we were sent out for really bad behaviour but once chastised, it was soon forgotten.  We sang two services on a Sunday, “murdered” anthems and sang Oratorios on Good Friday, even Stainer’s ‘Crucifixion’ and Maunder’s  ‘Olivet to Calvary’.   The choir was raucous but enthusiastic.  I enjoyed every minute of it.

Canon May guided several lads towards Ordination and I was one of them.    In 1962 I wore the clerical collar for the first time and I can honestly say that over 37 years in the work I have always encouraged and joined in mischief and high spirits.   It’s all part of being a boy(and a man!) and in these days of political correctness it is something that they are missing.   Some years ago I was at Evensong in York Minster and the choir lads were misbehaving terribly.   In high spirits there was just no dealing with them.  

Bad with silent laughter I thought to myself – “Oh aye! Been there! Done that !

Many Thanks again, Roger ! :)

Also, thanks to Carl Rogerson for use of the photo of St Johns.

 

St Georges early 1970's

Here are two great photos lent to us by Ruth Dawson .

St Georges Junior School Nativity Play in 1972.
Ruth is far right on the middle row.
Some other names include...

• Linda Baker, Crispin Trueman, Colleen Ellis Jones, the Titterington Twins, Gillian Taylor, Geoffrey Lloyd, Ivan Freeman, Neil Thorpe, Fiona Cook, Gaynor Green, Jackie Stewart....

  If anyone recognises anyone else please let us know !

St Georges Whit Walks . Walking up Market Street.
Ruth is far right and Susan Blackshaw is next to her .

(I used to call the jewellers shop British Rail jewellers because of the initials ) :)

Many Thanks, Ruth.
The photos brought back some familiar faces and great memories :)

St Georges Sunday School.

A postcard showing St Georges Sunday School Whit Walks banner.
If anyone can help with the date, please let us know !

Hyde Chapel Whit Walks

Yesterday we received the following email ...

Over to Trish ....  

"In the past week you posted a lovely video of Pole Bank. Our Hyde Chapel whitwalks procession went down to Pole Bank to sing to the old folks (that must have made them feel better!) 
Anyway, I found some old pictures that my dad took, must be from about 1956/57 . Nice to see the old trolley bus again. One of the pictures shows my dads Morris Oxford outside Pole Bank (look at the quiet road, bliss, those were the days!) 
The last photo is of me and my friends on the walk. I am the girl with the shoulder bag and dark pudding basin hat (Mum, what were you thinking of, it looks awful!)"  

What wonderfully evocative photos they are, Trish !  I love your haircut by the way !!
Thanks for sending them to us. 
Much appreciated ! :)

Various 1960's Snaps.

Hyde Park flower beds circa 1966. Look how beautiful the flower displays were !
Note Hyde Town Hall and St Georges Church in the background.


Whit Walk Band circa 1968


Whit Walk. Market Street Parade circa 1968
Williams Deacon's Bank  and Greenwoods Menswear in the background .
Sadly Greenwoods is no longer open and the bank is now the Royal Bank of Scotland.

Williams Deacon's Bank is now part of the Royal bank of Scotland.It was acquired in 1930 and had a large network of branches in the north-west of England. In 1970 it was integrated with Glyn,Mills and Co.and the The National Bank (which were part of the same group) to form Williams and Glyn's Bank

 William Deacon's Bank

 Greenwoods Menswear Ltd is a clothing retailer with a strong reputation for customer service and celebrated its 150th anniversary last year. The Company which has its Head Office in Bradford West Yorkshire, opened its first shop in 1860 in Bradford City Centre selling hats to the wool Barons of Yorkshire.

Thanks to Wikipedia for the above information.

Whit Walks in Newton

 Here are a couple of photos taken in the early 1960's.
They show the Whit walkers walking up Bennett Street in Newton.


Bennett Street with Copeland Street in the background.


"Posh" car. Possibly the Mayors?

Daisyfield United Methodist Free Church

Daisyfield United Methodist Free Church whit walks.circa 1956 Whit Walkers walking around the corner from Ashton Road onto Bennett Street.  
thumbnail.

Many thanks to Colin Critchlow for this photo! :)

Whit Walks in Newton

Colin Critchlow sent us these fabulous photos.

They are of the Whit Walks in Newton. The walkers are standing on George and Dragon Square on Bennett Street in the early 1960's. A huge crowd there as there always was on Whit Sunday.

Over to Colin...

" I managed to take these photos from my wife's parents bedroom window on Bagshaw St, Newton.

The Mayor and Mayoress were Mr and Mrs Leech."

As always, click the thumbnail to get a larger view of the photo.

Many thanks, Colin. :)

Zion Whit Walks

Here is a  photo showing the Zion Church Whit Walks circa 1966.

Me and my older sister Jane are the little girls in matching dresses, Linda Shepley is the little girl next to us and she is walking with her Mum, Aunt and little brother John who is in the pushchair. Gladys Hodgson is the lady in the hat at the front leading us. A lovely lady, who was one of the Sunday School teachers.

Williams Glyns Bank can be seen on the corner next to Greenwoods Mens Outfitters and the Town Hall is to the right of the picture.

Zion Whit Walks

 The following email and photos were recently sent to us by Susan Jaleel.
They show the Zion Congregational Church Whit Walks.
The photos were taken on 2nd June 1968.

"The attached photos were loaned to me earlier this year and I've just got round to scanning them!  They belong to my lifelong friend, Margaret Gilson, who appears on two of them as the [then] young lady in the pink dress.

Pictures 1 & 3 are taken at the corner of Croft Street and Market Street, and clearly show Bradley's the outfitters.

Pictures 2 & 4 are taken further up Market Street near the Union Street junction and we can see two posh kids' clothes shops Bo-Peep and Bentley's.  In Picture 4 we can just about see Timothy White and Taylor's, Chemists, which was next door to Bentley's.

Pictures 2,3 & 4 are of Zion Chapel members.  On Picture 2 the two ladies walking just in front of the men are Mrs Marion Yates and Mrs Jessie Mateer [Barlow as was], both aunts of Margaret Gilson."

 


 
 Bo Peep was next door to the Cheshire Cheese pub on Market Street

 

Thank you so much, Susan.  :)

St Stephens Church Lads Brigade 1953

 Another photo from Tony Downend showing the "Prefabs" in Newton.
This time it's a view of Whit Walks of St Stephens Church Lads Brigade, turning right from Carter into Dow Street in 1953. The "Prefabs" can be seen in the background.


St Stephens Whit Walks 1953


Comparative view 2011

Tony wrote this...

"The double deck houses were known (locally at least) as the  "steel houses". The "prefabs" came in kits, as name implies, and were single deck and those on Dow and Carter Streets were built in 1947. 

The 'steel houses'  were built at  much the same time, if not just a tad later, around the corner in Bushifield Close from the once prefabs of Dow and Carter Street.  

The refurb of the  "steel houses" was undertaken during this last year or so. 

 Hope this helps shed just a little light on Newton's  past."    

 Much appreciated as always, Tony :)

Pictures From Dorothy Bell

Union St Sunday School -Whit Sunday 22nd May 1959

Class 4 1960  Teacher on right is Mr Renwick, he was very strict.

 Daisyfield Sunday School Pantomimes. Probably 1936.



Daisyfield Sunday School Pantomimes. Probably 1936





Daisyfield Church Brigade 1934-1936 not sure of the year.



Union St Whitwalks 1957 taken near Hyde Town Hall.

Thank you to Dorothy for these great pictures, and making this post possible.. These are just the kind of pictures we like to feature more on the site. We can show the roads and buildings, pubs and churches and so on, I just find that the personal pictures are a unique view of the towns peoples  past. The sad thing is it is pictures such as these that tend not to survive. Please, if you have such pictures get them scanned and send them in... or get in touch with us if you need help in getting them copied, I'm sure we could help out.

More memories from Bill

More photos from Bill Crompton with descriptions.

"One with my Father on the said Hyde Hall Farm. You can see the gas holder behind. 1951/2 and one on Horseback.

There is also a colour photo of a group of Hyde lads on a night out I am sure they will be recognised,I am the one furthermost away. 1966

Another picture showing myself and a mate sat on some stone in Hyde park 1965.

The last one is of myself taking part on the whit walks, the 1950s on Great Norbury Street."

As always, thanks to Bill for sharing.
Without your generosity there would be no Hyde blog :)