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England (Counties as in 1851-1901) => England => Cheshire => Topic started by: yelkcub on Sunday 07 November 10 19:54 GMT (UK)
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I wonder whether anyone familiar with old Stockport can identify where this picture was taken. The tram's indicator reads Reddish, and the church tower is quite distinctive. Grateful for ideas Ian
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Great pic yelkcub, just love the old ones.
Thanks for your pic yelkcub, regards Spatts.
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Hi, Ian,
I'm pretty certain that the shelter on the right is the tram terminus at Reddish on Gorton Rd just north of the Bull's Head hotel. The church building was a Wesleyan Methodist chapel.
Bill
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Hello Bill -
Thanks for that. It's not a part of Stockport I know at all (my knowledge of Reddish used to end at Houldsworth Square), and I've not been back to Stockport for many years, but this photograph was among my Dad's papers. Next job - to try and work out why the picture was important enough for him to have kept!
Many thanks IAN
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If it's where Bill says - and I think it is - its not actually in Stockport. That side of the road is in Manchester (or possibly even Tameside) the boundary is a bit complicated round there so you need to check.
Ray
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Have you considered sending your photo to the Local Studies Library in Stockport (Wellington Rd South) They should be able to help you identify it. I used to live in Stockport and this does look like Reddish, from memory.
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As I said, I thought Bill was right - although whether its actually in Stockport, I have my doubts. The boundaries of Stockport, Manchester and Tameside come together at this junction.
Ray
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Thanks to both for these recent replies - I think the photograph you posted proves the location beyond doubt - looking at the upper storeys of the houses. Presumably the church/ chapel has been demolished.
Best wishes IAN
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Also look at the 2 storey flat roofed building beyond the shops. All buildings to the right of the shops were demolished a number of years ago - including the grey concrete building - and the junction widened.
Ray
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Hi
I used to live quite close to where this photo was taken. It is the tram terminus for the Stockport to North Reddish tram the stop was always referred to as the "Bulls Head" the name of the pub, which was almost opposite the tram. the reason I can be positive about this, is that the white building behind the tram shelter was a police box The little blue door can be seen to the left which housed a telephone for emergency calls only and was linked directly to the police station in those days. Just behind the buildings to left as a short road which led to one of the two cinemas in Reddish This one was called the "Rota" a rather imposing Art Deco style building the other was in South Reddish and called the "County Cinema" The trams from Stockport terminated here as this was the Stockport Borough boundary, North of the tram stop was known as Denton, which was in Lancashire I think in those days, I haven't lived there since the 1950's so would have no idea of what the area looks like nowadays.
Hope this info is of interest.
Keith Torbay
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From memory, the 17 bus went as far (from Mersey Square) as the bulls Head from where you could get the 33 into the centre of Manchester. The Bulls head was still there the last time I looked.
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I was under the impression that this sites main purpose was for finding family? Not identifying places etc.
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That's why nobody has shown any interest in the thread - you are not compelled to read it and if you have cause for complaint please free to do do through the usual channels.
Personally, I believe that genealogical research (of which "finding family" is something of a naive over-simplification) can be aided by knowledge of local history; much of which is not written down or published. I, for one, am prepared to share any relevant knowledge I may have to whoever may be prepared to listen to it.
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Working out where old photos were taken is very much part of family history research - and something that happens a lot on Rootschat - in fact we pride ourselves on our ability to identify even the most obscure pictures. It is one of the things that makes Rootschat so fabulous - you would be surprised at the variety of things the wonderful rootschatters are able to help with ;D ;D ;D
There is even a special board on the forum called Photograph Recognition - although some people choose to put their question on the relevant area board instead to tap into specific local knowledge.
Milly :)
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For anyone interested - here is Houldsworth Square area now (well a couple of years ago). It's pretty much the same except there is a huge supermarket behind where the picture was taken.
The other views are of the road going up from the square, past the Catholic Church towards Gorton Road where the tram picture was taken. As you can see they all have the same black and white strip bit under the eaves.
Milly :)
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The shop on the left with the red shutter (which stand just to the other side of the Church) is where my grandparents used to have a little grocers shop in the 1960s and 70s
Milly :)
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In giving a sincere thankyou to all those who have recently posted responses to my original query, I would like to endorse what has been said about the importance of place in family history research. Getting to understand where ancestors lived adds immeasurably to our understanding of their lives. For most of us genealogy is more than simply lists of names and dates (in the birdwatching world this is 'twitching'). Rather, we seek to enter imaginatively into the world our forebears inhabited. Happily, many RootsChat members are generous in their sharing of local knowledge.
Ian
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Totally agree. I have taken the opportunity, wherever possible, to visit the places my forebears lived and it's added immeasurably to the understanding of economic and religious factors that had such an impact on lives in the past.
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I just want to agree with the 2 previous posts. I also like to look at old photos and see how the areas have changed. Cheshire is my adopted county, none of my rellies come from this area but it holds much affection for me. Thanks for sharing the photos and keep them coming!
sallysmum
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Hi. The reply you had saying that your photo is at the Bulls head is spot on. I was born and bred just down the road from here the church in the distance is Aspinal church, where i was married in 1960 also went to cubs and scouts there lot of happy memories.
Yes the cinema behind the phone box was the rota, that was on thornley lane, the top end of thornley was where Mike Doyle was born the City legend sadly passed away last year.
The tram number use to be the 17 i remember the last tram leaving there before the bus came into operation, that was the terminus the bus would go to Mersey square.
Great picture brought back a lot of treasured memories for me...thanks for posting, would you mind if i took a copy of it.
Regards.
David Mills.
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I have really enjoyed this thread. I havent lived in Stockport for 20 years and only looked at the cheshire thread by chance. I used to work at the 'Boots' which was in Reddish south and would have been on these photos 30 years ago. I remember well the pub = houldsworth - waiting for a bus home to Heaton Moor. How nice to remember as well as do research.
Maria M
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Loved the old photo of the tram. Good luck with discovering its significance for being in your father's papers.
I agree with many of the comments on this thread. The joy of geneology is discovering your ancestors in the formal records and then trying to piece together a more fuller picture of the lives that they led, the conditions they knew when working, the places they lived in and the history of that time/place. When I talk to my family about our ancestors, what interests the listener (if they are interested at all!!! ;)) is the context i.e. what they did for a living, the street they lived in, where they worshipped, their political leanings, their travels etc. Reeling off dates of birth, marriage and death is not going to interest anyone in my family.... ::)
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I have really enjoyed this thread. I havent lived in Stockport for 20 years and only looked at the cheshire thread by chance. I used to work at the 'Boots' which was in Reddish south and would have been on these photos 30 years ago. I remember well the pub = houldsworth - waiting for a bus home to Heaton Moor. How nice to remember as well as do research.
Maria M
I think you'll find that Boots (possibly now gone) and the Houldsworth pub (big dirty yellow tiled building - still there) are technically in what is known as mid-Reddish. South Reddish is the area from the top of Lancashire Hill heading North past Willow Grove cemetery. North Reddish is the bit from the Gorton boundary, where the originally posted picture was taken, South to somewhere around the Fir Tree pub.
The 17 bus (originally tram) ran from Mersey Square as far as the Bulls Head (just off the picture to the left) from where you could change to the 33 which ran into the centre of Manchester past Belle Vue Zoo. A bus from the Houldsworth pub to Heaton Moor would have taken you down Broadstone Road, across the (by then filled in) Stockport branch of the Manchester & Ashton-under-Lyne canal, through Heaton Chapel to Heaton Moor.
That particular area was, and probably still, is home to the headquarters of that auspicious organisation the "National Federation of Master Window-cleaners".
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Hi All here is another pic of the bulls head i would think late fifties. And the shop you can see in the distance is Gees green groceries, the son Donald Gee became a actor and appeared in many parts on TV. I can remember as a young lad seeing him delivering groceries on his bike the ones with a large basket on the front. I lived further down from there Turnbull road i have quite a few pics of this area will root them out and post....happy days.
David.
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Great pic and happy memories of that area in the distance on the right is Aspinal church where i was married..
I will post another pic of the bulls head showing the pub opposite side to the pic above.
David.
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One thing I should possibly have said - back in 2012 - is that this particular place is the spot where Stockport, Manchester and Tameside meet.
Referring to David's photo, the area to the left is in Stockport, that to the right in Tameside and that in the distance Gorton (Manchester).
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Yes spot on Ray, first pic looking up towards the bulls head. second pic showing the bulls head on the right. and another oldie taken over 100 years ago showing Aspinal church now demolished.
David
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Interesting photos David although a bit before my time. I didn't realise that there was (or what looks like) an art-deco cinema on the Tameside side on the first photo.
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Yes Ray, it was the Rota cinema and just came into Denton area like you say Tameside and was one of the only art deco designs around at the time, sadly demolished in 1960, i think well before its time. Will post a couple of pics of it.
David.
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This is the auditoriums of the Rota, many happy memories was like my second home as a young lad, and the Saturday matinees ..
David
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Actually, I was looking at the first photo with reply No.26. The block of shops behind the "Mobil" sign has a small entrance in the middle which, as well as upstairs, looks as if it gives access to the large shed to the rear which I'm assuming is some sort of down-market cinema.
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Forget it - Just checked on the 1934 25" map and its a "billiard hall". There was a cinema on the opposite side next door to the Bulls Head.
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Yes Ray you right it was a billiard hall and later where i worked when i left school Raymond Electric, TV's radios and radiograms....served my apprentice there. Was an American company with the uk head office in London. The building was pulled down and a new Asda site was built there 4 years ago. It came under Gorton Manchester by about 10 yards, this was facing where you can see the boundary post.
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Hi, I realize this is now on old thread (in internet terms) but I can confirm that it is Reddish, Stockport. How do I know? Well I have recently come across a print off which that original art work, must of been produced from this photograph
From what I can tell, the art work was made is 1993 by a 'Peter Cunningham' by using the 1948 photograph
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Hello Mr Butterfish,
Although the topic was posted a few years ago, the member is still active and was online a few weeks ago :)
Regards
Sarah
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Hello Mr B, and many thanks for your posting. To be honest, I'd forgotten about this thread, and have been spending very little time recently on family history, but certainly retain an interest in old images of Stockport where I grew up and worked up to my late twenties: I even spent four years working in Reddish. So ... thanks for the positive identification, and best wishes to you.
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No problem at all, glad I could help a little, I'm not sure if you would be interested but I'm currently building a website for pre-owned books and have some about "Stockport" that I'm due to list over the coming weeks.
Many thanks C