The Terraces of Ardwick

[PaulJC]

Hello All,
Can anyone point me in the direction regarding information about the building of the back to back terraced streets of Ardwick and Beswick in the late 19th Century. I believe the extensive building began around 1890 in the area of an old lime works. That would be the area bordered by Ashton Old and New Road with the main streets being Hillkirk, Viaduct and  Lime Bank. 
Streets such as Spire, Coalbrook, Rowen, Palmerston, Roy, Devon and Nash all were part of my childhood with Birley Street School, the Red "Wreck" and the shops on the corner of Hillkirk and Palmerston Street local landmarks.
Any maps of the area before the development and then in the 50s or 60s would be really useful.
Best wishes
Paul

[HOWMUCH]

Hello Paul
My family history is very much centred around the streets of Ardwick and Beswick . My research shows that most branches on my dad's side can be found on all of the census records but more towards Chancellor Lane . Most of the streets have long gone but I have found many on the Manchester Local images website .
Churches used by them for baptisms and marriages being St . SILAS , Ashton Road , others being slightly out of the area being St ANDREWS , Travis Street and All Souls , Every Street .

Closer to your stamping ground is St Jeromes , Baden Street where my parents were married in the late thirties and my grandma on my mothers side had a shop on Blackthorn Street . My mother recollected the Roy picture house on Ashton Old Road and also made references to
the Bradford pit and the terrible noise of the sirens when there was an accident .

I have found a useful map of the area in 1857 can be found on www.artus-familyhistory.com/source/Early%20Maps.html.
Regards
Eric

[alpinecottage]

Alan Godfrey Maps produce fantastic reproduction maps of most cities from 1880 - 1910 ish, including Manchester and they cost a very reasonable £2.50 or so and they offer a very speedy internet order service.  Highly recommended!  Just Google Alan Godfrey.

A really good read is a book called Mary Barton written by Elizabeth Gaskell in 1850's.  It's set in Ardwick, Chorlton on Medlock, Ancoats and gives a real flavour of the area in mid 19th century.  If you're feeling really academic, read the Penguin Classics edition for loads of background info.

[uk2003]

Try here for some street photos

http://www.images.manchester.gov.uk/

[PaulJC]

Thanks for the responses.
I had already managed to obtain the pictures from Manchester Images. What I really would like to know is about the development of the numerous back to backs in the area. I have seen photos of their construction in the 1890s but who put up the money to build them? We all paid rent so who were the owners?
Best wishes from overseas.
Paul

[alpinecottage]

I think small local building companies built them speculatively.  Builders could buy pattern books of different styles of houses, which explains why the same style of houses could be found all over say Manchester and probably also in Leeds, Sheffield etc.  It doesn't mean the same firm of builders built them all.

Try Googling "victorian housing" for loads of websites, or www.aboutbritain.com/articles/victorian-housing.asp

[uk2003]

Dead Link 

http://www.aboutbritain.com/articles/victorian-housing.asp

[alpinecottage]

Sorry,try this : Google about britain and click on aboutbritain.com.  On left hand side, click on articles;  run down list til you get to Victorian housing and click on that.  You should get interesting article.

Sorry about faulty link, I'm also trying to cook Christmas Dinner!  Women can multi task, but this is extreme multi-tasking!

[Viktoria]

Dear Paul, are you sure you mean "back to back"houses? True b-to-b houses had only one door because the back  of these houses were joined to the back of the ones behind, there was no passage seperating them. If you look at the "Add BBC tags" boxes at the top of the reply box  above the Santas you will see the typical layout of a row of b-to-bs. By 1890 I don`t think they were being built anymore which makes me think you might mean  terrace or terraced houses.This mistake is frequently made.You will see that there were no sanitary facilities at all, only a communal "privy" at the end of the street.These houses were only one room deep because there could only be windows at the front elevation so t here were cellars and attics. They were condemned in the 1930`s and were gradually demolished. I `m not sure when the last ones went. best of luck with your search Viktoria.