Hyde in Black and White ( and red)

Here is a lovely study of Hyde Centre.
Taken outside the Town Hall, you can see the two statues that commemorate the Chartist Movement and Hyde Seal and also the old Co-op building (now Wilkinsons) to the left.



Many Thanks to Paul Husband for sharing this.
Much Appreciated :)

MEMORIES OF GROWING UP IN HYDE Part 6

1939 – 1955 by Roger Chadwick

Between 1945 and 1948, the bus fare from Glen Wood to Hyde Market was 1d both for adults and children. It was regarded as a good value ticket but when your pocket money was between 3d and 6d, it was wiser to walk the three stops and save the money for pies! 

Readers will gather that food has and always will be important to me. I am fortunate to bear the same weight at 74 that I had at 18! Walking about makes you observant and I knew every part and parcel of that 10 minute amble!

   

 Mottram Road

Mottram Road was quite “elegant” even in those post war years with Victorian terraces, huge houses and rows of cottage style dwellings. John Oldham’s, Grocers, was just down the road and between the shop and the Bankfield Hotel were what we called “the dolls houses” as they looked so small and neat. Past Grange Road you came to Sober Row, so remembered because of the stone plaque in the middle terrace house bearing the words “Be sober, be industrious, be economical”. Then I might cross the road to avoid the temptations of Proctors Chip Shop, buy stamps at the sub post office and then hurry past the Co-op at the corner of Lumn Road with its crepe paper window decorations and ginger cat! After a passing the tram shed on Lewis Street and Smith’s The Butchers I would eye all the cars and take in the whiff of unburnt petrol at the garage before Ridling Lane and Clarendon Street.

Co-op on Lumn Road corner

There was a lovely fruit pie outlet just below the road that led to the Hyde Lads Club and The Ritz!

When I was about 7 or 8, Mum took me to meet Mrs Young at the National Savings Shop and to buy Savings Stamps. These bore the portrait of Prince Charles with blonde hair aged about 3! It was the start of saving money for the future. Round the corner was Lever’s, the Gents’ Hairdresser where I would deliberately attend for the short back and sides at the busiest time of the week so as to study the Dandy and Beano comics in detail. In those days, Mr Lever, chain smoking and coughing, would sterilise the shaving heads and briefly use the cut throat razor above the ears and below the hairline. That implement frightened me to death especially when being “stropped” for shaving the older gentlemen 

The Reform Club Building reminded me, like many more lads of my age, of the lady dentist from the school dental clinic on the first floor. “Keep still, this is going to hurt…what’s the red tie for… are you a communist?” She brooked no nonsense and was downright rude. Pleasanter moments were spent in Warburton’s Pork Butchers with the huge Kelvinator Fridges and blue tiled images of pigs on the walls, a scrupulously clean environment, smelling of butchers’ mace as the pork and pies were served out to the huge queues. Then perhaps across the road for a saunter round Woolworth’s. The manageress was usually found in one of those glass screened shoulder level offices and had a tremendous hooked nose which fascinated me. Not so the goods on offer as I always thought of them as too cheap and nasty and everything at a penny or a halfpenny short of a round number: I never cared for Woolworths but thousands did!

Woolworths, with Abbey National which was the site of the UCP cafe

The UCP( translated “United Cattle Products” for foreigners..) across Hamnett Street and the Shaw Hall bus stop was a favourite haunt for an “illicit” plate of faggots and peas or a savoury duck. It was always full and smelt wonderful. All those cubicles where people met to eat and chatter and meet friends and family. You would think I never got fed at home!

As I remember it, Hyde Market was held every Tuesday and Saturday. The square was packed jam full of stalls and people and buses were off-loading at every street corner. I am pleased to see that the elegant Tram Stops have been preserved and The Town Hall makes an excellent backdrop even now. What no longer seem to exist are Meschias and Levaggi’s Ice Cream Kiosks where I would squander pocket money, always leaving some for the horehound candy in the Market Hall. The smell of that candy filled the place. Summer months would see me rushing home with dripping bags of wimberries(bilberries) for deep plate pies with custard!   

Meschias Van on Hyde Market

Early teenage years would find me in Market Street gawping at the lovely new “rexine” record players at 15 guineas in Callers window – something I desperately wanted but was way beyond my income. No so the suet puddings, gravy and chips at Ibbotsons Café which were always wonderful for a growing lad’s appetite. Thence to Cooke Brothers for cheese off the slab and butter from the barrel and perhaps a swig of sarsaparilla or dandelion and burdock at the Herbalist’s fascinating premises. I never cared for liquorice sticks but loved pink “kalai”(is that how it is spelt?) that came in spills of paper where a wet finger would enable me to lick the glorious taste. When sweets came off ration I didn’t go mad for them. I still don’t!

These days, you can eat or drink anything you want and the huge choice doesn’t excite me at all. The times of shortages after the war made me really appreciate and enjoy absolutely anything that was on offer. Hyde could offer plenty enough even in those hard times. It was a wonderful place for me!

Thanks so much for your wonderful memories, Roger.
They are a delight to read.

Adverts from The Hyde Guide

How many of these businesses are still operating today?

Sent to us by Marjorie Robinson.
Many Thanks, Marjorie!

Hyde Co-op Horse Brass

The recent post about the Hyde Cooperative Society, in particular the photograph  of the horses drawing the laundry carts caused me to think about these items I have in my possession. These two horse brasses were left to me by my surrogate grandparents who lived in one if the cottages on Railway Street.

As a small child in the early 1960's, I lived next door to them. John 'Jack' Braddock, one half of that wonderful couple, a Croix de Guerre holder from the First War, worked with the Co-op Horses for many years up until their demise. The stables were situated at the rear of the Railway Street cottages (I don't know if there were others elsewhere) in what I knew as the 'Co-op Yard'. The only access being through large iron gates situated next to where the Spiritualist Church now stands on Great Norbury Street. These brasses were presented to him in recognition of the regard and consideration he had for his charges.

Hyde Co-operative Premises

As previously stated in other blogs on this site, Hyde's Co-operative movement was established in 1862. A few of the shops and premises have been shown before. The full extent of the co-op shops and premises in the Hyde area is shown in the following photo's. Most of the addresses are known, but there area few I'm not quite sure on the precise location, listed below, again any help would be appreciated. Co-operative Laundry Newton Wood Grocery Newton Cottages Central Drapery & tailoring Gee Cross Grocery & Cottage Newton Branch Grocery & Butchering

Hyde Co-op

 Here is a picture of the Co-op shop on the corner of Mottram Road and Lumn Road.

They were such useful,convenient shops. Unfortunately, the dawn of supermarkets heralded the end of them as they could not longer compete with floor space or prices..

A recent view courtesy of Google maps

Co-op Advert.

This is an advert from the North Cheshire Herald aka The Reporter dated October 1958.



What a shame that you can't get clothes at this price now!

Thanks to Helen Hodkinson for use of this advert..

CO-OP

Flowery Field Branch No.8

 

Flowery Field Branch of The Hyde Equitable Co-operative Society Limited
Grocery, Provision and Butchering

I recently asked for any pictures of the Flowery Field area and was sent these two of the CO -OP..... The shop was on Furnace Street... but to be honest I'm not sure where... at a guess I'd have said across from the Flowery Field pub... but please correct me on this if you know different.

Hydes Co-operative Society.

The origins of the Co-operative Movement date back to the start of the 19th century and the ideals of the Welsh industrialist Robert Owen. He developed a model factory complex at New Lanark which included a store which sold at cost prices.

In 1838, Owen lectured in Hyde where co-op stores known as union or Brighton shops were already in existence. Hyde, Mottram and Mossley had opened in 1830, followed by Broadbottom in 1831 and Ashton in 1838.(Thanks to TMBC website)

Surplus money from the non-profit making businesses was distributed among the members of the co-operative and they were encouraged to save by leaving their dividend in the businesses as shares on which interest would be paid.

Hyde's Greenfield Street store in centre of photo..

Hyde’s own Co-operative Society was established in 1862 as a result of the Cotton Famine caused by the US Civil War. At the time, out of 51,600 people in the Hyde, Staley and Longdendale district, only 3,782 were in full-time employment.

The people of Hyde found the trip to the Dukinfield stores too long so, in local parlance, they decided not to wait for the Co-op but to fetch it. The new society quickly expanded and the Corner of Queen Street and Market Street, Hyde branches were opened on Market Street, Stockport Road, Commercial Street, Furnace Street and Queen Street.

Alongside these there were stables, a laundry, warehouses, an abattoir, houses and even a farm. By 1912, yearly trade was valued at £87,000 and membership had increased to 3,700.

A prestige store was opened at the corner of Greenfield Street and Market Street in the 1930s but it is now run by Wilkinsons.

Queen Street Cooperative society in the 1930's.
The building hasn't changed much over the years!

A great view of the "Co-op" from the mid 1970's taken from the bottom of Dowson Road.
Thanks to my very good friend, Nick, for this great photo!

Nancy I'll add these to above here of the busy Dowson Road junction, I've seen these before somewhere but was sent them by an old Hydonian from Sweden who really enjoys the blog.

Talbot Road / Ashton Road Co-Op

Built as a 3 Story Building

Dropped down to 2 Story's

Now just the 1 Story

When you think just how many Co-ops there were in and around Hyde.... it must have been an important part of everyones daily life.

My mum used to say this a lot...

"

If she fell off the Co-op roof, she’d land in the Divvy "

The origins of the Co-operative Movement date back to the start of the 19th century and the ideals of the Welsh industrialist Robert Owen. He developed a model factory complex at New Lanark which included a store which sold at cost prices.

In 1838, Owen lectured in HYDE where co-op stores known as union or Brighton shops were already in existence. Hyde, Mottram and Mossley had opened in 1830, followed by Broadbottom in 1831 and Ashton in 1838. (Thanks to TMBC website)