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.

Archaeological Finds at Newton Hall

Newton Hall, a Grade II listed building and one of Britain's earliest cruck-framed buildings, stands on the corner of Dukinfield Road and Dunkirk Lane in Hyde, Cheshire. It eventually became used as a barn for the farm that occupied part of the site. It was encased in a brick building having a blue slate roof. When the farm buildings were being demolished in the 1960s, to make way for industrial buildings, the contractor saw the ancient cruck-framed construction and, realising it was an important ancient building, stopped demolition immediately. The other farm buildings were later demolished but the original medieval hall was preserved. Sir George Kenyon, the Chairman of William Kenyon & Sons Ltd of Dukinfield, rescued it. Browns of Wilmslow undertook the restoration work and this was completed in 1970.

During the restoration work, a large glass panel was inserted into one side the purpose of this being twofold. It allows sufficient light into the hall so that it can be used for modern purposes such as holding conferences, seminars and meetings and it also allows the construction of the building to be viewed from the outside. It now has a stone flag floor with under-floor heating, whereas originally it would have had an earthen floor.

More information at http://www.pittdixon.go-plus.net/newton-hall/newton-hall.htm

In April 2012 Tameside History Forum in conjunction with Salford University undertook an archaeological dig at the site. Over 500 photographs of the excavation can be found on their Photobucket gallery.

These photographs were taken at one of the open days at the end of the dig when Edward Montagu's Regiment of Foote were performing at Newton Hall together with their Civil War Cannon.

More photographa of the dig can be seen on Hyde Daily Photo and Hyde DP Xtra.

Inside Hallbottom Gate Inn 1990

Last week I brought you some photographs taken by Alan Young of the Dukinfield Arms 1990.

A guitarist with the classic rock band, Par Avion from Charleston, WV, he came over in June 1990, together with Tim Thompson (manager & bass guitarist), Brian Young (drummer), Tena Hall (vocalist and now his wife) and Dennis Loudermilk (sound technician). They stayed with Harry Anderson the landlord of the Dukinfield Arms, and performed gigs there, at the Hallbottom Gate Inn in Newton and somewhere called Richmond's (?).


These photographs are from their gigs at the Hallbottom Gate Inn. It looks as though their music was extremely well recieved.


I wonder what has happened to the juke-box pictured here and that fireplace. One thing that you won't see inside a pub these days are those huge heavy ash-trays since smoking in pubs was banned a few years ago.

I was intending to get up and photograph the pub as it is now before posting these photographs but I understand it has recently closed and is due to be demolished. For information and other photos of the outside of the inn see Tom and Nancy's new blog Hyde Cheshire

Some of Tom Wigley's photographs of the Hallbottom Gate Inn can be found on Hyde DP Xtra.

Newton for Hyde 1989

Photograph © 1989 Peter Whatley

Last week I showed you the ways in and out of Newton for Hyde station.

The picture day shows the platforms and is taken looking towards the Victoria Street bridge. The houses on Danby Road are clearly visible.

Twenty years on and they are hidden from view by tall trees as you can see in the recent photograph on Hyde Daily Photo.

In and Out at Newton for Hyde

These photographs from 1989 are © Peter Whatley.

The first shows the way out from the Manchester bound platform at Newton for Hyde station.


The second shows the old booking office on Castle Street.

To see how it looks 20 years on, visit Hyde Daily Photo.

Newton Bank Printworks

I recently posted here a picture of the Damage at James North Works caused by the flash flood which hit Hyde in May 1906.

A violent thunderstorm struck on May 8th and five inches of rain fell in five hours. Here we see the destruction caused around Newton Bank Printworks.

My other ABC Wednesday N posts this week are ~~ Newton Hall from the Rear at Hyde Daily Photo ~~ No Smoking at Ackworth born, gone West ~~ No Through Road at Sithenah

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

A 30-year old map

This copy of the Ordnance Survey 1:50000 map was sent to us by a correspondent in Canada. It is dated 1975.

Comparing it with my own OS map dated 1974, one major difference is that mine has the M67 Due to open summer 1976. According to the CRBD Motorway Database the Hyde bypass opened in 1978 and the Denton Relief Road in 1981. The M60 didn't arrive until 2000.

The other road changes are too detailed to go into here, but the railway changes are quite significant. Godley Junction was renamed Godley East for a while, before being closed.

New stations were built on the Glossop line:

• Hattersley - at the point where the yellow road lies close to the railway.
• Godley - on the North side of the A57.
• Flowery Field - South of Hyde North which is on the line to Romily just below its junction with the Glossop line.

The line from Godley Junction to Woodley is now a footpath and part of the TransPennine Trail.

A couple of cyclists have publised an account of a journey along the old railway, together with photographs, on their Bike Rides around Greater Manchester website.

Bennett Street War Memorial

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

The photograph of the War Memorial on Bennett Street dates from August 1999.

Stone with iron railings. Tall square-shaped shaft with cross motifs at the top and carved panels at the bottom. Stands on a square base which bears the inscription

"In affectionate memory of the men of Newton who gave their lives for their country and the cause of liberty 1914-1919".

and rolls of honour.

The railings have decorative top and bottom rails and spikes along the top.