Rainwear Manufacturers Ancoats, Manchester in the 1960s

[Maiden Stone]

My mum worked at Baracuta in Manchester and made raincoats - think it was on Beswick St.

I've just looked at their website. It says Manchester ("Rainy City") was the rainwear capital of the world in the 1930s.

[Viktoria]

Yes that was the result of very industrious Jewish immigrants coming to this country from the pogroms in Europe.
Settling not far from Victoria station ,they started the process of making the cloth waterproof.
“ Schmeeren “ or something like that .
Spreading the very strong smelling substance on the cloth and then the seams of finished coats .
There is an enormous Synagogue  there ,”The Great Synagogue ‘ at the bottom of Cheetham Hill Road ,reflecting the size of the Jewish population.
Looking like a Greek Temple with Doric columns .
The Jewish people gave work to the poorest of the poor ,from Angel Meadow.
Doing the tasks on The Sabbath which were forbidden to Orthodox,Ashkenazi
Jews.
Lighting the fire etc.

A lovely book by a Jewish  writer ,Louis Golding ,about that area .
Magnolia Street, looked it up.
Shiela Hancock and Giles Brandreth travelling to Manchester via that canal.
Viktoria.

[ThrelfallYorky]

I was also thinking of the many early Jewish immigrants who ended up in rainwear manufacture. There was a sort of family saga of several books set starting in that Manchester industry by Maisie Mosco - I seem to recall the first one, dealing with the earliest hardships of the "Shmeeerer" and others, was called "Almonds and Raisins"?
TY

[Runner55]

Hi Viktoria, Maiden Stone and ThrelfallYorky,

Many thanks for your most recent replies.  More great stuff to follow up on and I do remember reading those Maisie Mosco books many years ago - I recall they were set around the Old Trafford/Stretford areas where I grew up, so very relevant to me. 

I shall revisit them!

Thank you all again.

Runner55

[Viktoria]

Yes thanks ,I had forgotten Maisie Mosco’s books.
There is a lovely Jewish Museum up Cheetham Hill Road, lovely building, in style somewhat like the Alhambra Palace,The Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue .
The immigrants got off the trains at Victoria station ,found accommodation in the nearby  Cheetham areas.
As they prospered  ,that can be traced up Cheetham Hill Road to Whitefield and Prestwich, better areas.
It is a fascinating story, and true to say the  less expensive clothing which was all very poor people could buy ,was made by the Jewish sewing factory owners.
Many girls at my Grammar school were Jewish ,so clever and I liked them very much.
One got me into trouble though !
We arranged to meet outside a venue on Cross Street Manchester .
The Bodega.At seven one Saturday evening .
We were seventeen ,underage but we did not know anything about licensing laws.This was 1954.
Manchester’s Traditional Dixieland Jazz Band The Saints were playing.
I waited outside , had a bit of trouble from a couple of men ,so went inside.
No sign of her there.
Again a bit of trouble.

Could not see my friend so asked a member of the band ,Alan Ratcliffe the clarinetist to ask if there was anyone from ——— School there expecting to meet a friend .
“ SCHOOL!”
How old are you .?
Said I ought to leave but at that  time in the evening ,by now not far off eight O’Clock - it was not safe for me to walk up Market St and the end of Piccadilly
as there would be lots of men needing some sewing doing — 
My bus stop was in Oldham St, near C&A ,opposite Yates Wine Lodge.
He had family there that evening so delegated a nice young man,his nephew to escort me to my bus stop.
And yes ,it would have been dangerous!
At school on Monday my friend (whose family were not very Orthodox ),explained  they  had forbidden her to go as her very orthodox grandparents did observeThe Sabbath and she would have had to leave before sun down ie before the Sabbath ended.
So that was a close shave.
I might have been sold!
But I do think how bold I was ,and daft.
I blamed my boy friend ,he was doing the last two weeks of Z Training ,didn’t like Jazz so I took the chance  whilst he was away.
Told him everything ,always did.
All water under the bridge isn’t it.
But I still go  hot  and cold when I think of it then I end up laughing .
Got a tape of “ T he Saints”play it often.
So my lovely Jewish friend almost got me started on a career in sewing!
 
Viktoria.

[Maiden Stone]

Then there was Silvanas warehouse on Piercy St - I remember getting winter coats for school from there in the 70’s.

My grammar school gaberdine had to be bought from Henry Barrie's. It cost a week's wages. When I eventually grew out of it I didn't get a replacement.

[Viktoria]

Mine too, and ours was not navy blue but Oxford blue,a lighter navy .
So we were stuck to that shop ,StAnne’s Square.
Very expensive as you say.
It puzzled me as Manchester Grammar School for Girls had an outlet in Lewis’s yet ours was in Peter Barrie’s at twice  the price.
Perhaps because it had originally been a private school ,but many girls from ordinary families were there including me, who could not really afford the prices.
Viktiria.

[Jool]

So my lovely Jewish friend almost got me started on a career in sewing!
 
Viktoria.

Apologies Runner55 for going "off topic" on your thread, but....

Viktoria, you never fail to give me a good laugh reading your stories.  So many lovely memories of years gone by mixed with your wicked sense of humour, I love 'em 

[heywood]

Our uniform came from there too but we were measured at school and it was delivered there too. 
I remember going to a factory in Ancoats occasionally for clothes - Butler Street, I think and worked on Store Street off Ancoats Lane in my teens