Henry Enfield Dowson

The following information is taken from "A History of Hyde Chapel" chiefly from the materials and reminiscences of John Thornley compiled by Thomas Middleton and published by Cartwright & Rattray Ltd, Manchester, 1908.

"What Hyde Chapel owes to Mr Dowson, the present generation can never know. It will only be when, after the passage of years, the historian of the future comes to sum up events ... that the true value of Mr. Dowson's ministry will be known and understood."

"Henry Enfield Dowson was born at Geldeston, Norfolk on the 23rd day of November, 1837, the son of Septimus Dowson." He was educated first at the school of his uncle, John Withers Dowson, at Norwich. Subsequently he studied at London University College School; Malleson's School, Hove House, Brighton; Higher Burgher School, Heidelberg. In 1857 he proceeded to University College, London gaining a first class B.A. with classical honours. After a theological course ar Manchester New College he was appointed co-pastor at the the Church of the Messiah, Birmingham. In 1867 he came to Gee Cross to take up ministry at Hyde Chapel.

He married Lucy Osler in Birmingham in 1866 and went on to sire four daughters and four sons.

"Outside his purely ministerial labours, his chief work in Hyde has been rendered on behalf of education. He has taken an active part in the management of British Schools ... Boston Mills School [became] an infants' school and old Hyde Lane School opened as a British School. He also had a part in the management of the George Street School, formerly the Methodist New Connexion School. ... the Gee Cross Undenominational School and the Wesleyan School were handed over to the Town Council after the passing of the Education Act of 1902."

He was a staunch supporter of the Liberal Party, was President of the Seal Club since its inauguration and also President of Hyde Cricket Club.

"A great feature of Mr. Dowson's ministry has been the happy relationshio between him and all churches and sects. ... No more striking testiomony to his popularity and the general respect in which he is held by all classes could be produced than the unanimous welcome which met the announcement that he, in conjunction with the Rev, F.A. Screeton, M.A., Vicar of St Thomas', Hyde, was to make an effort to bring about a settlement of the dispute which led to the long "strike" at Ashton Mills, in the early part of 1908."

"Mr. Dowson is commonly spoken of - not in irony, be it said, but in a spirit of admiration as - 'The Bishop of Gee Cross,' and 'The Grand Old Man of Hyde.'"

See also
D is for Dowson, Revd H.E. (1837-1925);
an account of Enfield School;
David Barlow's overview of his life in a YouTube video.

Fashion in the 1940s

At the recent Gee Cross Fete I was asked to photograph a newspaper cutting that included this photograph of a Mannequin Parade at Hyde Town Hall. I think it was a cutting from the North Cheshire Herald. There was a handwritten date of 1930 given but the text refers to clothing coupons and so it must in fact be from the 1940s.

There was no evidence of the battle for "the longer skirt", now said to be raging in the fashion houses of London and Paris, at the Mannequin Parade at the Town Hall Hyde, on Tuesday, presented by the Mayoress's Ladies' Committee and Clegg's, Newton Street, in aid of the Mayoress of Hyde's Hospital and Charity Fund. The models were all the current just-below-knee length. Gracfully displaying the wide range of styles were the Misses Doreen Tewson, Eva Hambleton, Pauline Norman, Mrs Cowling and Mrs Burgess, and they carried themselves with the poise of practised mannequins, though usually they are serving behind the counter at Clegg's .

Noticeable features were the pre-dominance of feathers as trimming, the popularity of the off-the-face hat and the tendency tcwards a one-sided outline by the skilful use of side draping in gowns and off-centre bows on hats. Colour combinations of note were: black and sage green, cherry and turquoise, and turquoise and brown.

As an added note of colour a large white cameo-type brooch was pinned to the lapel of the coat. For the fuller figure was a charming brown fur fabric coat with full swing back from a circular yoke. With this was one of the new hats figuring the east-to-west trend, and underneath was an ice-blue wool dress trimmed with self-coloured frilling. Having long sleeves with turn back reefer cuffs it should be a cosy style for the colder days.

The evening dresses were outstandingly smart, in particular a lemon crepe trimmed with black sequins on the pockets, and a full draped skirt, worn with a silver fax cape. Peploms were a noticeable feature of the evening wear, being either draped or pleated and longer than some months ago, when they were first introduced. The woollen indoor suits in fine jersey cloth were very attractive. but at 14 coupons they are out of reach of the woman who wants a winter coat out of her ration of 20 coupons.

Carrfield Mill

This old postcard shows the junction of Newton Street and Dukinfield Road circa 1920.

The tram in the foreground is one that was operated by SHMDJT - Stalybridge, Hyde, Mossley and Dukinfield Joint Tramways from the 1900s until the 1930s.

Behind the old tram is the Ashton Brothers' mill complex: Carrfield Mill, Bayleyfield Mill and Balaclava Mill. The latter two mills mere demolished in 2008.

Carrfield Mill was founded by the Ashton Brothers, Samuel, Thomas, James and John. Erected in 1817, Carrfield Mill was intended as a combined spinning and weaving mill from the start and 200 powerlooms weavers were being employed there in 1819. The partnership known as Samuel Ashton & Brothers was dissolved in 1821 when Samuel left and the remaining three brothers traded as T.J. & J. Ashton. In September 1823 this partnership too was dissolved, John and James forming another partnership with Robert Ashton, a younger brother, at Newton Moor Mill and Greencroft Mill. This left Thomas Ashton in sole control of the Carrfield Mill site.

Originally known for manufacturing Zorbit terry nappies, it became the home of "Christy Towels". The brand was founded in 1851. Christy is the world's oldest towel manufacturer and is the UK's leading towel brand. Christy invented the first loom to mechanically weave what remains today the basis of the modern towel and is the exclusive supplier of the towels to the world famous Wimbledon Tennis Championship. The 1 billion USD Welspun Group acquired an 85% interest in Christy for a business valuation of GBP 15.6 m, in July 2006. In 2008 they closed the dyehouse and making-up departments at Hyde and transferred the machinery to a specially designed site at Welspun's Anjar facility in India.

Their UK HQ and sales office remained at Carrfield Mill until 2012 when they took over 12,000 sq ft of offices and showroom facilities at Orbit Developments' Park Square complex in Cheadle.

The last remaining mill was demolished in 2013 although the office building wasn't finally raised to the ground until 2015. The 7 acre industrial and office development site is now for sale.

See how Newton Street looks now on Hyde Xtra and take a peek at the demolished mill site on Hyde Daily Photo.

Hyde Carnival 1923?

This photograph was sent to me by Sheila Metcalfe who writes:

This photo is believed to be of the Hyde Carnival Parade and my grannparents belonged to an acting company taking part in the parade. My grandfather is the "Queen" at the front on the right. I see the "King" is holding a large key which must be symbolic of something.

According to my aunt, my grandparents were in Hyde for six months doing repertory theatre at the New Theatre Royal. They were most probably with Langley Howard’s Company. My aunt was born in January 1923 and the family (Godfrey, Winifred and Joan Ward) lodged with John and Jane Mattin and their adult daughters. In the 1911 census John Mattin had a grocer's shop at 77 Commercial Street, Newton, Hyde. When Jane died in 1932 they had moved to 75 Mottram Road, Hyde. I'm not sure which address my grandparents were at. Their adult daughters were a school teacher and a tailoress.

I think they were probably there from about June 1923 for 30 weeks, as they were in Hull in May, but it could have been later. Memories fade over time so the year and theatre could be wrong. I haven't managed to find any direct reference to the company performing repertory at the Theatre Royal in Hyde. The only mention I have found of Langley Howard repertory in Hyde in 1923 was in the Hull Daily Mail the following year when the company took repertory theatre to Hull, and only in passing. Apparently "The Silver Crucifix" was their most popular play. I see from the Manchester Guardian that the Langley Howard Players were performing repertory at the Little Theatre, Rusholme in 1926, but neither my grandparents nor Langley Howard are listed as being involved, so I think this is too late.

I would be very grateful if someone could tell me more about the photograph and if anyone knows of Langley Howard's company performing at the Theatre Royal, Hyde or could point me in the right direction. My grandparents performed under the stage names Godfrey Ward and Winifred James.

Please contact Sheila directly at metcalfe012@btinternet.com.

I am also posting this on the Facebrook Groups:
Friends of Theatre Royal Hyde;
Hyde Memories.

Hyde Library and Technical School

Hyde Library was originally Hyde Technical School and Free Library. It opened in 1897 replacing the former Mechanics Institute.

This Architects drawing was found in an old book at St George's Church.

PROPOSED NEW TECHNICAL SCHOOLS

"It is proposed to build, at a no-distant date, new TECHNICAL SCHOOLS near to the Public Baths in Union Street. The probable cost, including furnishing, will be £12,000. Towards this expenditure, subscriptions have been promised to the extent of £3,500, a grant has been offered by the County Council, while a further grant has been made by the Science and Art Department in London. The deficit, £5,000, is being raised by a Loan on Corporation Security, to be repaid out of a rate at one pebby in the pound. Plans of an elaborate building have been prepared. Above we give an illustration of the exterior of the Schools, from which it will be inferred that, to Hyde at any rate, the edifice will be a thing of beauty.

The need of these Schools has arisen through the impetus given to Technical Instruction by the Technical Institution Acts of 1889-91. At present there is an insufficiency of accommodation for the several classes held, while there is a demand for other classes that cannot be met. Classes, for example, meet in the Mechanics' Institute, the British Schools, and the Town Hall, in rooms by no means adapted for the purpose. When the new Schools are completed this defect will be remidied, and additional instruction given in Cookery, Laundry, Manual Instruction, &c."

Although the library as built was not quite as grand as the architect's drawing it wasn't far short.

The old public baths building has been long gone and now with library services been removed to the Town Hall the building is under threat from a council now based in Ashton which has a wide "programme to reduce the number and costs of Council-owned buildings. Tameside Council's priority is to save services over buildings in its challenge to meet £142m Government funding cuts to its budget." They have already done it in Denton, now they want to do it in Hyde.

Update: Hyde Library closed on Monday 12th January 2015. The library service in the Town Hall opens in February,

See also Hyde Daily Photo.

Listed buildings: Apethorn Farm

Apethorn Farm is a Grade II listed building.

Originally 15th century but with external walls and other features of the C17 to C19. Cruck-framed with brick and squared rubble walls and a graduated stone slate roof. Originally a 4-bay cruck-framed open-hall house (probably a long-house) but with a floor inserted in the C17 and other alterations during conversion to cottages.

The elevation consists of a small gabled wing in bay 1, and a second bay both of which are in stone. The other 3 bays are in brick and have 3 doors relating to their use as a shippon. One ridge chimney. The east elevation, again with 3 bays in brick and the remainder in stone has 3 dormer windows rising from the eaves, one of them gabled. The gable onto the road has one ground floor window and a sash window above.

It is an important example of an early house-type few of which remain in Greater Manchester.


This picture by Frank Bennett, taken in May 2008, and reproduced here with his permission, first appeared on the Images of England site.

In 1831 it was the scene of a murder. In 1928 it was divided into cottages and then in 1993 a fire reduced to it to just the original cruck frame. In recent years it has been wrapped in order to prevent/reduce further damage. It is privately owned and there appears to be little will for renovation/restoration.

Recent photographs of the farm can be found on Hyde DP Xtra.

A photograph of the barn can be found on Hyde Daily Photo.

A contribution to Rubbish Tuesday.

A brief history of Hyde Grammar School

The original Hyde Grammar School was founded in 1877 on the corner of Henry Street and Edna Street.

It is now a sheet-metal factory.

A new building on Clarendon Road costing £12,000 was opened as the "New County School" on September 17th 1912 by Sir George Dixon, chairman of the County Council. Large extensions to the building were made and opened in 1929 and at that time the name was changed to "Hyde Grammar School".

It closed its doors to 11 year olds in 1979. When the last intake had progressed to the Sixth Form, it became Hyde Sixth Form College. It later merged with Ashton Sixth Form college to form Tameside College after which it was known as Hyde Clarendon Sixth Form College.

Photographs of the current building can be found on Hyde Daily Photo and Hyde DP Xtra.

Videos on YouTube that feature Hyde Grammar School include:
Hyde Grammar School Football Team 1946 by George Wain.
Hyde Grammer School Sports Day 1946 by George Wain.
Hyde Grammar School, Nunc Amici, The School Song by Sefton Wallet.
Hyde Grammar School: Boys of '57 Reunion by Sefton Wallet.
Hyde Grammar School: More boys from '57 by Sefton Wallet.
Hyde Grammar School Photo July 1959 by Sefton Wallet.
Hyde Grammar School: The Staff of 1959 by Sefton Wallet.

Current plans for Tameside College are to transfer all services to a new centre in Ashton under Lyne and then sell the site to a developer for demolition. An e-petition has been launched - Save Hyde Clarendon College from demolition.

History of St George's Bells

When St. George's Church was opened for public worship in the year 1832, it possessed only one bell. In 1853 it was replaced by a full peal of eight bells. The new bells, purchased by the proceeds of a public subscription begun which realised £831 9s. 3d. were cast by Messrs. C. and G. Mears, at the Whitechapel Bell Foundry, London; they were then brought to Hyde, along the Peak Forest Canal, and landed at the Wharf in Canal Street. A parade was organised, and on the 3rd of February, 1853, the bells were conveyed up the town on a lorry from the Printworks, which was drawn by a number of splendid horses, and accompanied by the Printworks Brass Band, playing lively music.

The first peal was rung on Palm Sunday, March 20th, 1853, by the Society of Change Ringers from the Parish Church, Mottram. During the ringing of the first peal it was discovered that the bells were placed too low in the tower; it was accordingly decided to re-hang them in a higher position. During the re-hanging, on August 10th, 1853, a serious accident occurred. The sixth bell fell, breaking the leg of Mr. Wilson, the contractor, and crashing through the floor of the tower until it reached the stone floor of the main entrance porch of the church, where it broke into the vault of Captain Clarke, which is situated under the tower; and but for the presence of a second covering stone in the vault it would, in all probability, have fallen upon and broken the coffins lying there. The bell was smashed to pieces, but a new one was cast without delay, and the full peal were then re-hung in a suitable position.

The ringers in connection with St. George's have repeatedly distinguished themselves, and on the walls of the ringing room are three Mural Tablets recording noteworthy feats. The first reads:
The
St Georges
SOCIETY OF CHANGE RINGERS
Hyde
ON THE 24th DAY OF MARCH 1856, EIGHT
MEMBERS OF THE ABOVE SOCIETY, RANG
ON THESE BELLS A PEAL OF GRANDSHIRE MAJOR
CONSISTING OF 9,600 CHANGES,
IN 5 HOURS & 43 MINUTES.
THE BAND WAS STATIONED AS FOLLOWS.
ROBERT BRIERLEY TREBLE
HENRY ROSTRON 2nd
RICHARD AINSWORTH 3rd
EDMUND HOYLE 4th
WILLIAM HARRISON 5th
JAMES WILDE 6th
REUBEN CRAWSAHW 7th
JOHN POTTS TENOR.
COMPOSED BY WILLIAM HARRISON.
CONDUCTED BY RICHARD AINSWORTH.

The second tablet contains the inscription:
The
St Georges
SOCIETY OF CHANGE RINGERS
Hyde
ON THE 29th DAY OF MARCH 1858, SEVEN
MEMBERS OF THE ABOVE SOCIETY, WITH MR
JAMES ADAMS OF ASHTON, RANG ON THESE
BELLS A PEAL OF STEADMAN TRIPLES CONSISTING
OF 5,040 CHANGES IN 3 HOURS & 6 MINUTES
THE BAND WAS STATIONED AS FOLLOWS.
RICHARD AINSWORTH TREBLE
HENRY ROSTRON 2nd
THOMAS SALE 3rd
JAMES ADAMS 4th
JAMES WILDE 5th
WILLIAM BEELEY 6th
WILLIAM HARRISON 7th
JOHN POTTS TENOR.
COMPOSED BY T. THURSTON OF BIRMINGHAM.
CONDUCTED BY WILLIAM HARRISON.
During the summer of 1920 the bells were taken down and a new steel framework was erected and the bells recast. At this time the weights were increased (the Tenor bell weighs 919kg) but the tuning remained the same.

The third Mural Tablet is inscribed:
The
Chester
DIOCESAN GUILD.
MAY 10th 1930. IN 3 HOURS & 5 MINUTES.
A PEAL OF DOUBLE NORWICH COURT
BOB MAJOR 5024 CHANGES.
WILLIAM SHAW. TREBLE.
ARTHUR HAUGHTON. 2nd
JOHN H. BRIERLEY. 3rd
HARRY NORGROVE. 4th
JAMES SHAW. 5th
SAMUEL BOWKER. 6th
TOM WILDE. 7th
ALBERT HOUGH. TENOR.
COMPOSED AND CONDUCTED BY TOM WILDE.
RUNG TO COMMEMORATE THE 20th ANNIVERSARY
OF THE ACCESSION OF HIS MAJESTRY KING GEORGE V
ALSO AS A COMPLIMENT TO MR JAMES SHAW, WHO
HAS BEEN A RINGER AT THIS CHURCH
FOR 55 YEARS.
REV. H.J. GRAHAM.M.A.VICAR.
J.M.SIMON. A. BANCROFT. WARDENS.
Full details of the bells can be found on Dove's Guide for Church Bell Ringers.

The Felstead Database lists 263 special peals rung between 1853 and 2012.

See a photograph of the ladder in the ringing room on Hyde Daily Photo.

Joseph Artingstoll

This photograph of Joseph Artingstoll is scanned from Thomas Middleton's book on the history of St George's Church. The book gives the following account of him:

Joseph Artingstoll died on February 8th, 1864, at the early age of 25 years, but he had crowded into his short life a record of labour which distinguishes him as one of the most prominent of the bye-gone worthies of St. George's. His funeral sermon was published in booklet form, under the title of "A Sermon preached in St. George's Church, Hyde, on the occasion of the death of Mr. Joseph Artingsioll, on Sunday, Feb. 14th, 1864, by the Rev. Alexander Read B.A. Incumbent." In the publication, Mr. Read states--

"He was, from his earliest days, orderly, serious and fond of reading. He had read the whole Bible through, chapter by chapter, in his family circle, when quite in early boyhood. And when engaged ln his usual work, the Bible, or in later years, the Greek Testament, was a regular companion. He was a young man of strong natural powers , and had practised self-culture with marked diligence and success. ... Though daily engaged in labours demanding constant attention, so continually did he turn every moment to account. that his literary attainments were very considerable, and in such circumstances, wonderful. ... He was placed in charge of the Young Men's Class in St. George's Sunday School and was judged eminently fitted for the important duty. ... ln the course of his sickness I spoke to him of experimental religion and having expressed a fear that I had wearied him in his excessive weakness he at once replied that, "it was his greatest delight to speak on this subject; it was always edifying." And when shortly before his death, I mentioned his approaching end, and reminded him of the Christians' support in that solemn moment-- "Christ," said he, "is my rock, I have no other trust but Christ." He seemed more able to give comfort and instruction at that solemn hour than to need it."

There is a tablet to Mr. Artingstoll's memory on the south wall of the church.

The memorial no longer exists. I traced this information after hearing from Alison Hunt who had written to me saying:

"I am researching my family history. The family were called Artingstoll and had premises in Hyde Lane and Chapel Street. I understand that William Artingstoll 1836-1908 donated money to the building of St George's church and that there is/was a memorial to his brother Joseph in the church school."

Whilst I didn't discover the lost memorial I did find, after thumbing through a programme for a bazaar held in 1896, an advertisement for Artingstoll's High-class decorators, established in 1835.

See a photograph of the inside of St George's church on Hyde Daily Photo.

A contribution to Inspired Sundays.

WWI Memorial in St George's Church, Hyde

The inscription reads:TO THE GLORY OF GOD AND IN GRATEFUL MEMORY OF THE
MEN OF THIS PARISH WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES FOR US ALL
IN THE GREAT WAR 1914 - 1918

OSWALD ADSHEAD
HARRY ARCHER
HENRY ARMITAGE
JAMES ARMITAGE
W STANLEY BARRY
HAROLD BANCROFT
HARRY BANCROFT
WILLIAM B BARDSLEY
HAROLD BRIDGE
HARRY BROADBENT
JOSEPH BROADBENT
JAMES E BROOMHEAD
FRED CROWLEY
HARRY CULLEN
ROLAND CULLEN
HARRY DUCKWORTH
JOHN DUCKWORTH
ALFRED ELLIS
ARTHUR FAULKNER
CHARLES FOLEY

JOHN FOX
HARRY H GREEN
JAMES H HALKYARD
ROBERT HAMPSON
HAROLD HARDY
JOHN HARDY
JOE HARRISON
HAROLD HILL
JOHN HAUGHTON
ALFRED JACKSON
WILLIAM JONES
BERTIE KIRTON
ERNEST KNOWLES
JOHN KNOWLES
WILLIAM KNOWLES
ERNEST LAWTON
SAMUEL LEE
JOSEPH LEIGH
WILLIAM E LEWIS
HARRY LUNN

HERBERT E MAKIN
THOMAS H METCALFE
PERCY MORLEY
FRED MOSS
FRED MOTTRAM
WILLIAM NAYLOR
FRED OLDFIELD
CHARLES OLDHAM
DAVID ORFORD
WILLIAM OSBORNE
HAROLD PARR
GEORGE PURSSGLOVE
ARTHUR ROBINSON
WALTER ROBINSON
EDWIN SHERWIN
SAMUEL SMALLEY
JAMES SMITH
ERNEST SPENCER
JOHN W STOTT
HERBERT SWINDELLS

ALBERT TAYLOR
J EDWARD TOLSON
JOHN WADDINGTON
WILLIAM WALLBANK
E WORSLEY WESTBROOK
ALAN H WHARAM
FRANK WHARAM
HARRY WHARAM
WALTER WHITEHEAD
WILFRED WHITEHEAD
ARNOLD WILDE
ERNEST WILLIAMSON
HARRY WILSON
JOSEPH WILSON
WILLIAM WILSON
ERNEST WOOD
FRED WOOD
There are two more memorials relating to the Second World War and these can be viewed on Hyde Daily Photo.

Flowers outside Abbey National 1999

The Abbey National on the corner of Market Place and Hamnett Street in 1999.

The antecedents of the Abbey National are the National Permanent Mutual Benefit Building Society established in 1849 and the Abbey Road & St. John's Wood Permanent Benefit Building Society, founded in 1874, based in a Baptist church on Abbey Road in Kilburn. In 1932 the society moved into new headquarters, Abbey House, at 219–229 Baker Street, London, which it occupied until 2002. The site was thought to include 221B Baker Street, the fictional home of Sherlock Holmes and for many years Abbey employed a secretary charged with answering mail sent to Holmes at that address. The two soicieties merged in 1944 to form the Abbey National Building Society.

1n 1989 it became the first of the UK building societies to demutualise, and become a public limited company. In 2003 it rebranded itself as simply the Abbey. In November 2004 it become part of the Santander Group.

Santander had also acquired Bradford & Bingley's retail branches and savings business in September 2008.

In January 2010, Abbey and the branch network of Bradford & Bingley were rebranded as Santander and for the next four years both branches continued to operate at the opposite ends of the Market Place.

In 2014 the former Bradford & Bingley branch was closed down and its business merged with the former Abbey branch which is now the sole Santander branch in town.

See how this same scene looks in July 2014 on Hyde Daily Photo.

Gee Cross Methodist Memorials

Gee Cross Methodists Church stands on land which was once part of Ralph Fold. Originally, Stockport Road Wesleyan Methodist Church and founded in 1882, when the Primitive Methodist Chapel on Joel Lane closed in 1969 the two congregations merged as Gee Cross Methodists Church.

This Memorial Stone was laid by Mrs John Blackwell of Godley July 28th 1888. This is six years after the church was founded and is by the entrance to the Sunday School.

These tablets were rescued from Joel Lane and re-erected here.
1914. THE GREAT WAR 1919.

This Tablet
IS ERECTED AS A MEMORIAL
TO THE YOUNG MEN OF THIS CHURCH AND SUNDAY
SCHOOL, WHO RESPONDED TO BRITAIN'S CALL AT
THE CRISIS OF A GREAT NATIONAL PERIL

THE FOLLOWING PAID THE SUPREME SACRIFICE
THOMAS SAMPSON | HERBERT BRELSFORD
FRED ROBBINS. | HAROLD W WARDLE
JOSEPH J WARDLE | JOHN H WALSH
1939. 1945
ALBERT RICHARDSON

***

THESE FLOWER VASES
WERE ERECTED BY THE
FAMILY AND CONGREGATION
IN GRATEFUL MEMORY OF
ALBERT C. WILSON

BORN 25th DEC. 1874,
DIED 29th DEC. 1947,
WHO FAITHFULLY SERVED THIS CHAPEL
AND SCHOOL FOR 60 YEARS.

This tablet commemorates men from Stockport Road Wesleyan Methodist Church. It reads:
TO THE GLORY OF GOD
IN HONOUR OF THE MEN OF THIS CHURCH,
WHO SERVED IN THE GREAT WAR, 1914-1918.
AND IN EVER ABIDING MEMORY OF THE UNDERMENTIONED WHO FELL
---
HARRY COLLINSON | NORMAN H STAFFORD
GEORGE SHELMERDINE | WILLIAM HILL
FRED BARTON | TOM TWEEDALE
SAMUEL SOUTER | JOHN H BRADDOCK
"GREATER LOVE HATH NO MAN THAN THIS"

IN MEMORY OF
Pte NORMAN H STAFFORD
7th ROYAL WELSH FUSILIERS
WHO DIED AT PORT SAID
25th OCTOBER 1919.
---
RAISED BY OFFICERS AND MEN OF HIS REGIMENT

Sacred to the Memory of
- JOHN BUCKLAND -
WHOSE SERVICE IN CONNECTION WITH THIS CHURCH
AND SUNDAY SCHOOL EXTENDED OVER A PERIOD OF
40 YEARS. DIED AUGUST 4th 1917.
- AGED 73 YEARS -
A GOOD NAME IS RATHER TO BE CHOSEN THAN GREAT RICHES.

WILLOUGHBY WILDE. HYDE.

IN MEMORY OF
ABEL STAFFORD
WHO WENT TO THE HOMELAND - FEB 21st 1910
AGED 58 YEARS
---
THIS TABLET IS A LOVING EXPRESSION OF THE FAMILY AND
FRIENDS OF THE HIGH APPRECIATION OF HIS
UNTIRING DEVOTION TO THE BEST INTERESTS OF THIS CHURCH.
HE HELD FOR MANY YEARS THE POSITION OF SUNDAY
SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT SOCIETY STEWARD AND SEVERAL
OTHER OFFICES: AND AT THE TIME OF HIS TRANSLATION WAS
STEWARD OF THE WOODLEY CIRCUIT
-----
"He being dead yet speaketh."

Views of the outside of the church can be a found on Hyde DP Xtra.

A view of the inside of the church and its organ can be found on Hyde Daily Photo.

A contribution to Inspired Sundays.

Hyde Library

The foundation stone at Hyde Library reads:
THIS STONE
WAS LAID BY ELIZABETH WIFE OF
THOMAS ASHTON OF HYDE
ON THE 3rd DAY OF JULY
1897

It was built on the site of the former Mechanics Institute

A second stone reads:
THIS BUILDING WAS OPENED BY
LETITIA MARY
WIDOW OF WILLIAM MARK ASHTON
OF HYDE
FEBRUARY 18TH 1899

A view of the side of the library can be found on Hyde Daily Photo.

Current council plans involve moving the contents of the library to the Town Hall and then selling off the building.

An e-petition opposed to those plans can be found at http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/62460.

A contribution to Ruby Tuesday;
Our World Tuesday;
signs, signs and
Weekend Reflections.

Norfolk Arms Disaster Plague

A plaque in Clarendon Square Shopping Centre close to the site of the former Norfolk Arms recalls a disaster that occured on 1st April 1829.

In the summer of 1828, the cotton trade was in such a bad state that the masters announced a reduction of wages. The reduction was firmly opposed by the operatives and a great strike commenced which rapidly spread throughout the district. At Stockport the struggle was extremely bitter, neither side showing any desire to give way. In Hyde a better spirit prevailed and soon the mills in Hyde were all working full-time. However, the harmony did not continue. The operatives of Hyde were contributing each week from their wages towards the support of the people who were out on strike in Stockport, as a result of which their employers issued a notice on 24th March 1829 that the manufacturers, whose mills were working, intended to reduced their wages by 10 per cent every 14 days until the Stockport hands returned to work.

To discuss the threat, a meeting of operatives was held in The Norfolk Arms on 1st April 1829. In its day The Norfolk Arms was the principal hotel in the area and said to be the oldest commercial hotel. The room in which the meeting took place was fifteen yards long and seven yards wide. It was only expected to hold approximately 300 people, but there were nearer 700 present when the accident occurred.

John Dawson, one of Hyde's principal operative orators, was the chairman and was seated in a large chair belonging to a lodge of Oddfellows, placed near the middle of one of the side walls of the room. A man named Tobias Wood then began to speak, insisting on the working classes having a fair remuneration for their work. He had just cried out "It is bread we want and bread we must have," when an awkward crush took place, caused by new arrivals trying to crowd into the room. The chairman was appealing for order when part of the floor gave way and numbers of the audience fell into the gaping gulf which appeared. The weight of the people who fell with the floor broke through the floor of the rooms beneath and the unfortunate victims crashed into the cellar, amongst beer barrels and stillages, heaped one upon another in a distorted state. The portion of the floor which collapsed was only six yards square and the fact that over 200 persons were precipitated down the hole is evidence of the extreme closeness with which the occupants of the room were packed. Many who were standing upon the unbroken part of the floor were actually propelled into the gulf by the thrust of the living mass around them. The chairman narrowly escaped; barely more than a foot of sound flooring separated his chair from the edge of the hole. Seven young women were seated on a bench fastened to the wall and when the floor gave way they found their feet and legs suspended over the gulf, but they managed to hold on to the seat until they were rescued.

The scene in the cellar was dreadful - 29 persons were killed and many injured. When the cellar was searched, after all the bodies had been extricated, over 120 hats and 50 bonnets, shawls and cloaks were found.

The verdict at the inquest was "Accidental Death", but the belief for many years, persistently held by a large number of operatives, was that the disaster was the result of foul play.

The Norfolk Arms closed in 1960 for the redevelopment of the market centre.

Further information can be found on the Tameside MBC website.

See Hyde Daily Photo for a view down Norfolk Street today.

A contribution to ABC Wednesday.

St George's 1927

The front of this Whit Friday programme from 1927 shows how St George's churchyard use to look before the railings around several graves were removed.

See how it looks from a similar viewpoint now on Hyde Daily Photo.

Details of the early history of St George's can be found at The Annals of Hyde: St George's Church

A contribution to Inspired Sundays.

Newtonhurst from the air, 1922, 1935.

This image from 1935 is © English Heritage from Britain from the air.

In the foreground is the former Newton Hurst cricket ground around which are five blocks of terraced houses built in 1920.

A front view of the two blocks facing Victoria Road can be seen on Hyde Daily Photo and on Hyde DP Xtra.

Victoria avenue runs across the middle of the photograph with Cartwight Street leading off at a sharp angle to meet Talbot Road which runs across the top of the photograph.

Most of the open space between Victoria Street and Talbot Road continues to be a recreation ground for the area.

This image from the Roots chat forum shows the ground in 1922.

According to the play-cricket website

Newtonhurst began life in the early part of the twentieth century as the Newton Mill works team, and played in a variety of leagues, including the Hyde & District League, the Glossop & District League, the High Peak League, and for a short period in the 1950s they even competed in the heady heights of the North Western League.

In 1972, the cricket team metamorphosed from Newton Mill into Newtonhurst, and similar to their forebears, competed in the Glossop & District League for a short period. This was followed by an even shorter exodus to the Denton & District League, before joining the Ashton Cricket League in 1980. The Ashton Cricket League merged to form the Ashton & Oldham Cricket Alliance in 2005, though sadly folded following the completion of the 2011 season. Thus, Newtonhurst are now currently members of the Saturday section of the Greater Manchester Amateur League (GMAL).

I'm not certain where they play their matches now. New houses were built on the site of the former ground in about the early 1980s with the roads bearing sporting names including Charlton Avenue, Perry Avenue, Stathom Fold and Mallory Road so retaining a reminder of yesteryear.

A contribution to ABC Wednesday.

Hyde Lads Club

On display for the Heritage Open Day at St Thomas the Apostle were some memorabilia collected by Harold Greenhalgh, Honorary Secretary (1972-92) of Hyde Lads Club.

The club was founded in 1928 by the then Chief Constable of Hyde, J W Danby. The club first started in Hyde Town Hall in a room over the adjoining Police Station yard but quickly moved into Water Street Sunday School. A public appeal for funds allowed Mr Danby to purchase the premises on Beeley Street which had previously been the local Police Station and Courthouse. A plaque outside the club commemorated the fact that Judge Thomas Hughes, author of Tom Brown's Schooldays used to preside there as a Circuit Judge.

The club was officially opened in 1930 by the HRH The Duke of Gloucester. Catering for boys from the ages of 13 to 21, it contained a large gymnasium used for gymnastics, boxing, five-a-side football and basketball, a snooker room with three tables and a canteen area on the ground floor. On the first floor was an assembly room used for table tennis, a smaller table tennis room, a library where chess and board games were played, a darts room and two small rooms used for hobby activities such as photography and leather work. Located at the rear of the club over a garage which had once been used as the town's mortuary was a woodwork room.

At its peak the club, a voluntary organisation, ran four football teams, a gymnastic team which gave displays throughout the area, a boxing section, a champion winning table tennis team and a "Black & White Minstrel Troop" who travelled around local towns giving shows. In later year girls were allowed to join a judo section with some members taking part in international competitions.

In 1992 the building was declared electrically unsafe and with no funds available for the necessary repair it was forced to close and was demolished.

Only the signage and plaque to Thomas Hughes were saved and are on display in Beeley Street car park as can be seen on Hyde Daily Photo.

St Thomas The Apostle (1920)

This painting, dated 1920, of St Thomas the Apostle on Lumn Road was on show at the recent Heritage Open Day.

St Thomas' church was built in 1868. The architect, Medland Taylor was a Manchester architect who produced a number of fine if quirkish buildings. Locally, he designed St. Anne's, Denton, St. Mar'’s, Haughton Green, Holy Trinity, Hyde and the Library and the Post Office in Stalybridge. At the time when many architects were designing churches in a style they believed to be a copy of Gothic Architecture, Medland was producing an inventive mixture of architectural styles and motifs. For example, St. Thomas' has brick buttresses and window surrounds with stone infilling. Most would have followed the convention and used stone with brick infilling. According to Pevsner, the roof is an example of his humour, having a quirky additional pitch to it. The proportions of the church are such that St. Thomas' appears to be quite a small building, whereas it is fairly large.

Also on show were this piece of crockery celebrating the 125th anniversary of the church in 1993.

See Hyde Daily Photo for a current view of the church.

Visit the church website.

A contribution to Inspired Sundays.

Turntable at Godley Junction

Photograph © John Philips and used here with permission.
Cheshire Lines tracks to Woodley and Stockport Tiviot Dale are on the immediate left, the G.C./L.N.E.R to Guide Bridge and Manchester beyond. This was the changeover point for trains from and to the C.L., to electric power. Hence the turntable in use. (Only one C.L. line passenger daily: the overnight from Marylebone divided here, with its Liverpool portion headed off down the C.L.)

Here is where trains heading for Fiddler's Ferry power station via Warrington Arpley would exchange locomotives. The whole point of the railway was to carry Yorkshire coal to Lancashire for burning in one way or another. Originally the trains were steam hauled but after electrification of the Woodhead line in the 1950s the class 76 electric locos would draw the train onto the branch and un-couple before running around and departing; subsequently, a diesel loco would appear and hook-on for the remainder of the trip. Freight services over Woodhead ended in 1981 and this line became redundant.

This photograph by Joe Lloyd is from the Hyde Cheshire blog. Here the Hattersley estate is visible in the background.

See how the remains of the turntable looked in 2007 on Hyde Daily Photo Volume 1 and in 2010 on Hyde DP Xtra.

Photographs of the overgrown turntable as it looks now can be found on Hyde Daily Photo and Hyde DP Xtra.

The Queens

The Queens always seems to have steady trade. It has been one of the more popular pubs in the town centre. It has links to the Moors Murders. In 1965 Superintendent Bob Talbot of the Cheshire Police used the pub as a base for all the officers when the search of the moors was taking place. Some policemen were housed here in a make shift dorm in the function room. The pub was used as the police station as the town hall was not big enough to hold all the staff the investigation needed.

The Queens was at one time a coaching house. There were provisions at the back for horses and it was only recently that the saddle hooks and feeding baskets were removed when alterations were done. Tom Wigley writing on the Hyde, Cheshire blog says "I know they were there in the 1980s when Brian & Joyce Hunter were the landlord and lady. I worked on the door here for a while, which was fun, and I also did the bar for two other landlords, but for me when I see or hear the Queens mentioned I am reminded of the fun and laughter shared with good friends when Brian and Joyce were the hosts."


Located in Clarendon Place it is now a Joseph Holt pub - according to the brewery website in the early 1900s it was known as "The Pineapple". Confusingly the gallery of photos on the site shows two images that are actually of the Queens Hotel in Macclesfield.

Note it is NOT the Queen's Hotel (with an apostrophe) but the Queens - the pub sign which can be seen on Hyde Daily Photo - features the six wives of Henry VIII.

See current photographs of the Queens on Hyde DP Xtra.

A contribution to ABC Wednesday.