Whit Walks: United Methodists

Last year on Whit Friday I brought you a photograph of the walkers outside St George's Church and I also posted a view of walkers in Gee Cross.

This year I am bringing you the United Methodist Sunday School, George Street.

I don't know the age of the photograph, and I wasn't sure of the whereabouts of George Street which is not marked on modern A-Z atlases.

According to The Annals of Hyde

In the year 1830 the (Methodist New) Connexion commenced work in Hyde, a small room in Cross Street being used for religious worship. In 1833, the Church had grown sufficiently to warrant the erection of a small chapel in George Street. The leading spirit in the movement about that time seems to have been a Mr. John Leech. A Sunday school was formed and this appears to have strengthened the church. Progress continuing, the large George Street Chapel was erected in 1858. The old schools were replaced in 1885 by the present spacious building adjoining the chapel.

I've recently learnt that George Street was completely obliterated by the building of the M67 motorway.

Wakes Week

This 1950s picture shows Hyde during Wakes Week.

Wakes Weeks were a tradition across the industrial North of England, especially Lancashire, Yorkshire and Cheshire. Each town had its own Wakes Weeks in June, July or August. Whole towns would virtually close down for one or two weeks. For large mills and factories it made more sense to close completely rather than allow workers to take their holidays at staggered times.

Many people went away to Blackpool, Morecambe, Southport and other destinations. For those that remained at home, there was usually a local fair to attend.

The tradition lived on well into the 1980s but has now largely been abandoned.

My other ABC Wednesday W posts this week are ~~ Well on Wych Fold at Hyde Daily Photo ~~ Wreck of the Riverdance at Ackworth born, gone West ~~ Windsurfer at Sithenah

To visit more ABC-Wednesday W posts go to Mrs. Nesbitt's Place.

Hyde Town Hall Xmas 1998

This is a composite picture from 1998.

A Happy Christmas to all our readers.

Gee Cross Motors

This picture was sent to us by Lizzy.

She wrote

The man who used to own Gee Cross Motors only ever had two coaches and he was called Mr Utley. He used to live in the cottagey type house on School Lane by the triangle bit and he used to keep the coaches in a yard that was sort of behind the house but you had to get to it from Rowbotham Street. The livery was green and yellow; this was the bigger one, the other one had only about 20 seats.

He made a lot of money at Hyde Wakes Week when the coaches would all be lined up outside the Queen Addy to take the workers away. His was the only company who had a private hire license for Hyde, and the Joint Board (SHMD) could not use their buses and so they had to loan them to him and advertise that they were on loan to GX Motors. There used to be about 20-30 coaches lined up to take people on holiday; you wouldn't think that there were that many folks in GX in those days.