Greame Street, Moss Side
The next set of photographs show the home and area of Moss Side where we lived from 1955 up until moving to Hulme in 1969.
In 1955, as the clearance programme for Chorlton-On- Medlock was about to commence, the City Council offered my Mother and Father alternative accommodation at 62 Graeme, Street, Moss Side. At this time the Lawlor family had increased in size to a total of ten consisting of: Jackie, Carmel, Patrick, (self) Danny, Bernadette, Kathleen, Philomena, James and Mam & Dad; I am glad they accepted this offer, because it brought with it a chance for us as a family to make a fresh start and the opportunity to enjoy far better living conditions and a generally improved environment / surroundings. When we first visited what was to be our new home, it was, immediately and pleasingly noticeable to us as children that there was a very large, well maintained, public park, (Alexandra Park), located very close to us and an excellent shopping facility on (Alexandra Road). Although the house offered to us was an older type Victorian terrace, it had been substantially improved by the Council. I remember us in the early days while settling into Graeme Street, being fascinated by the electric lights and the bath room which to our delight could provide plentiful amounts of hot water for general washing and bathing, when we wanted them, even if it was only once a week. I remember the good sized bedrooms and kitchen with its homely and efficient black cast iron fire range and oven. Adjacent to the kitchen was what we used to call a scullery which was very small and housed only a small white Belfast sink and gas stove. To our great appreciation the sink had hot and cold water available on tap.
It would be wrong to record that my life and that of my family was blissfully happy during the long period of time we lived at Graeme Street, on the contrary we still had occasional instances of racial bigotry and personal challenges to contend with and over this period of our history we found ourselves having to cope with many events which I feel are best left in the memory banks of myself and my brothers and sisters who are still living today. However, there were many happy times and it these which I prefer to give most thought to. For example, the closeness of Alexandra Park afforded us the opportunity for the first time, while living in England, to experience the joys of large open green spaces to play and the many other facilities the park had to offer. It was a joy to shop on Alexandra Road with its hustle and bustle, especially on Saturday mornings.
There was many cinemas within easy reach: The Wycliffe on Princess Road, the Odeon and Imperial on Withington Road the Claremont on Claremont Road. and a little further away the Poplar and Crescent in Hulme and if you were really desperate and short of money the Bug Hut on Cornbrook Street, and dare I mention it for low cost live entertainment the Hippodrome in Hulme. We soon made friends. Some of the names I remember are: Keith Wiley who lived opposite who thought he was Gods gift to the girls and George Goulden who thought the same, Gerry Lennon, the Mac Dermott family, and the Smalls and the two very good Italian friends I made in my teens Gabriel and Vincent
The above is a brief record of some of the things we gained when we moved from Wilton Street in 1955, but we also lost valuable things such as the feeling of belonging to an established community, the friends we had made, the familiar places such as the cinemas, the museum which was conveniently located nearby on Oxford Road and the convenience of living very close to the centre of Manchester and not forgetting the awe inspiring beauty of the interior of the Holy Name Church on Oxford Road, which I am delighted and pleased to say is still standing today and looking as splendid as ever it did in the 50s.
In 1955, as the clearance programme for Chorlton-On- Medlock was about to commence, the City Council offered my Mother and Father alternative accommodation at 62 Graeme, Street, Moss Side. At this time the Lawlor family had increased in size to a total of ten consisting of: Jackie, Carmel, Patrick, (self) Danny, Bernadette, Kathleen, Philomena, James and Mam & Dad; I am glad they accepted this offer, because it brought with it a chance for us as a family to make a fresh start and the opportunity to enjoy far better living conditions and a generally improved environment / surroundings. When we first visited what was to be our new home, it was, immediately and pleasingly noticeable to us as children that there was a very large, well maintained, public park, (Alexandra Park), located very close to us and an excellent shopping facility on (Alexandra Road). Although the house offered to us was an older type Victorian terrace, it had been substantially improved by the Council. I remember us in the early days while settling into Graeme Street, being fascinated by the electric lights and the bath room which to our delight could provide plentiful amounts of hot water for general washing and bathing, when we wanted them, even if it was only once a week. I remember the good sized bedrooms and kitchen with its homely and efficient black cast iron fire range and oven. Adjacent to the kitchen was what we used to call a scullery which was very small and housed only a small white Belfast sink and gas stove. To our great appreciation the sink had hot and cold water available on tap.
It would be wrong to record that my life and that of my family was blissfully happy during the long period of time we lived at Graeme Street, on the contrary we still had occasional instances of racial bigotry and personal challenges to contend with and over this period of our history we found ourselves having to cope with many events which I feel are best left in the memory banks of myself and my brothers and sisters who are still living today. However, there were many happy times and it these which I prefer to give most thought to. For example, the closeness of Alexandra Park afforded us the opportunity for the first time, while living in England, to experience the joys of large open green spaces to play and the many other facilities the park had to offer. It was a joy to shop on Alexandra Road with its hustle and bustle, especially on Saturday mornings.
There was many cinemas within easy reach: The Wycliffe on Princess Road, the Odeon and Imperial on Withington Road the Claremont on Claremont Road. and a little further away the Poplar and Crescent in Hulme and if you were really desperate and short of money the Bug Hut on Cornbrook Street, and dare I mention it for low cost live entertainment the Hippodrome in Hulme. We soon made friends. Some of the names I remember are: Keith Wiley who lived opposite who thought he was Gods gift to the girls and George Goulden who thought the same, Gerry Lennon, the Mac Dermott family, and the Smalls and the two very good Italian friends I made in my teens Gabriel and Vincent
The above is a brief record of some of the things we gained when we moved from Wilton Street in 1955, but we also lost valuable things such as the feeling of belonging to an established community, the friends we had made, the familiar places such as the cinemas, the museum which was conveniently located nearby on Oxford Road and the convenience of living very close to the centre of Manchester and not forgetting the awe inspiring beauty of the interior of the Holy Name Church on Oxford Road, which I am delighted and pleased to say is still standing today and looking as splendid as ever it did in the 50s.
A Brief History of Moss Side
Moss Side, as the name suggests, was originally at the edge of a "moss" or peat bog or moorland. Moss side has been occupied since medieval times; it was incorporated into the City of Manchester in 1904. By the 20th century its population had risen to 27,000. New houses were built which were laid out in rows that formed grid patterns – this being the most efficient use of space by which the greatest number of dwellings could be squeezed into the available area; as was the case in Chorlton-On-Medlock, houses were generally unregulated back-to-back terraces with very basic amenities. In 1876 Alexandra Park was opened as a public amenity in. It was over 60 acres in size; it had a boating lake, a bandstand for Sunday afternoon concerts and a path that Ladies and Gentlemen could use to take a leisurely 2 mile stroll around the park. Later on Moss Side had its own council offices, fire station and a library and a brewery. In 1909 a tram depot was opened on Princess Road and eventually would garage 300 trams.
From 1923 Manchester City Football Club, graced the area with its stadium before moving to a new ground called the Etiad Stadium in North East Manchester in 2003. The old stadium was sadly, left derelict and then demolished, leaving a large swathe of flat bulldozed land amid the rows of the older terraced houses, awaiting some further development. Through the 50s, 60s & 70s migrants from Ireland, Poland, Italy and from the Indian subcontinent and Caribbean settled in the locality; during the 1950s and 1960s, and by the 1980s Moss Side became the hub of Manchester's Afro-Caribbean community.
Sadly, In 1981, Moss Side was affected by a series of riots. Analysts traced the origins of these riots and surging gang crime to poverty and social deprivation in various parts of the city. Turf drug wars" broke out between rival 'gangs', which resulted in a high number of fatal shootings. Most notorious were the Gooch Close gang in Moss Side and the Doddington Gang in Cheetham Hill. Due to the combined efforts of Greater Manchester Police's task force, founded in 2004, and the multiagency Gang Management Unit, gang related shootings and crime in the area have fallen by about 90% in recent years. The last gang related gun fatality in Moss Side was in 2006.
From 1923 Manchester City Football Club, graced the area with its stadium before moving to a new ground called the Etiad Stadium in North East Manchester in 2003. The old stadium was sadly, left derelict and then demolished, leaving a large swathe of flat bulldozed land amid the rows of the older terraced houses, awaiting some further development. Through the 50s, 60s & 70s migrants from Ireland, Poland, Italy and from the Indian subcontinent and Caribbean settled in the locality; during the 1950s and 1960s, and by the 1980s Moss Side became the hub of Manchester's Afro-Caribbean community.
Sadly, In 1981, Moss Side was affected by a series of riots. Analysts traced the origins of these riots and surging gang crime to poverty and social deprivation in various parts of the city. Turf drug wars" broke out between rival 'gangs', which resulted in a high number of fatal shootings. Most notorious were the Gooch Close gang in Moss Side and the Doddington Gang in Cheetham Hill. Due to the combined efforts of Greater Manchester Police's task force, founded in 2004, and the multiagency Gang Management Unit, gang related shootings and crime in the area have fallen by about 90% in recent years. The last gang related gun fatality in Moss Side was in 2006.
These wonderful clear images bring back cherished memories, because they show the street and house that we moved to from Wilton Street, Chorlton-On-Medlock, in 1955 to our new address at 62 Graeme Street, Moss Side, Manchester. The houses marked with an arrow show exactly the house we lived in. Greame Street was one of three principle streets in the area; the others were: Great Western Street, Raby Street and Bold Street. Greame Street and Great Western Street both ran in a straight line from East to West for nearly a mile from Withinton Road.
All of the houses shown in these images were demolished between 1972 and 1976.
In the first image, Turners off Licence can be seen at the junction of Alexandra Road and Greame Street. In the image immediately below this can be seen Stephenson’s corner shop where we regularly shopped. The images below are of close by houses and streets.
All of the houses shown in these images were demolished between 1972 and 1976.
In the first image, Turners off Licence can be seen at the junction of Alexandra Road and Greame Street. In the image immediately below this can be seen Stephenson’s corner shop where we regularly shopped. The images below are of close by houses and streets.
The top two images are of a fine big family house, which was located on the end of the block where we lived. The corner house in the image second row down left is where Gerry Lennon a very good friend of mine and his family lived. In the image to the right of this, the end house shows where another good friend of mine Keith Wiley and his family lived. The image to the left of the third row is of the junction of Greame Street and Heywood Street. Thee final two images are of Stanley Street where George Goulden, another very good friend of mine, and his family lived.
The streets shown in the images below were close to where we lived at No 62 Greame Street. All the houses and shops shown in these images were demolished between 1972 & 1975.
Images of the Junction of Withington Road and Yarburg Street
The news agents shown is on the corner of Yarburg Street and Withington road is where at the age of thirteen I first gained work experience as a newspaper delivery boy. For a very small wage I had to be at the shop at 7.0 am every morning to delivery a round of newspaper to about 40 addresses in the area of Whalley Range and be there again in the evenings from 5.0pm to 6.pm. The shop is still there now looking more or less as it did all those years ago. 2014
The image is of a shop called Seymour Meads. This shop was also located on Withington Road close to the junction with Yarburgh Street. After working at the news agents for a year it was at this shop that I got a job at the age of fourteen delivering groceries to houses in Whalley Range using a bike provided by the shop. The bike had a basket at the front that held the boxes of groceries. This was a better job as there was no early morning attendance involved in it, but I had to work all day on Saturdays either in the shop or out delivering. The shop is still there now looking more or less as it did all those years ago but it is now a launderette. 2014
Alexandra Park
Proposals to create Alexandra Park were drawn up in 1869, but it was not completed and officially opened until 1876 as there was a number of legal and boundary difficulties to overcome. The park which cost £60,000, a fortune in those days, to design and layout.. The park had 3,300 yards of paths and 3,700 yards of carriage drives in addition to a central pavilion and a large boating lake. The path through the park was 20 yards wide and was planted with a beautiful avenue of trees. The photograph below shows the Alexandra Road entrance which was just yards away from our house, which allowed us to play in it nearly every day.
This lovely image is a view of the avenue of trees that ran the full length of the park. It is also particularly poignant because it indicates where Dad died in 1987, at a spot just a few yards to the right of the children in the picture.
This wonderful large Cactus House was open to the public it held hundreds of lovingly cared for cactus plants from all over the world.
This is a picture of the well cared for Rose & Rockery garden. Imagine this in colour.
Bishop Bilsborrow Memorial School
These images on the next page are of Bishop Bilsborrow Memorial School, which was located on Princess Road, Moss Side, Manchester, I believe the school was founded in 1920, and it was termed then as an "Elementary School where children from 5 to 14 received their education there. After leaving Wilton Street in 1955, this is the Catholic school that I was required to continue to attend from 1955 up until I left school all together in 1958. I am finding it difficult to write anything positive about this school because if write anything at all I will be repeating what I had to say about the Holy Name School. I attribute my continuing feelings of hatred and revulsion about the continuing compulsory time I had to attend this school to the antics and behaviour of a particular teacher by the name of a Mr Booth; who was a pompous absolute tyrant, with a face that looked like a Bull Frog wearing glasses and he had terrible bad breath, his distorted idea of education was to instil fear and to intimidate the young people he was supposed to be teaching through his overbearing and bullying manner? He seemed to relish the role of a sadistic brute by dishing out daily beatings with a thick leather strap; other wise known as a Tawse that had three separate tails to it that left angry looking weal’s that didn’t heal or fade away for days or sometimes even weeks on end. I on one occasion for lapse of behaviour was subjected to six lashes; we all have some memories that never fade, no matter the length of time after the event, for me this was one of them; the acute pain and shock I experienced from these six full blooded lashes delivered by a full grown strong adult male on my not yet fully developed adolescent hands was indescribable. I ascribe to this teacher the honour of being the only teacher over the ten years I attended school the achievement of reducing me to tears. The other honour I attribute to him is he taught me how to hate not only him but whole Catholic School educational system and ethos.
Mercifully my general unhappiness at this school and the abuse I endured at the hands of this teacher came to an unexpected and sudden end. At a point during the final two years of my attendance at school we were all informed that the remainder of our school days would be spent away from the main building on Princess Road; we were to be relocated to a tempory classroom which was effectively a large brick and wooden hut at the back of the English Martyrs Church located on Alexandra Road South, in Whalley Range. And also, to our great relieve we were told the teacher who would be teaching us for the remainder of our school days was going to be a Mr Dillon. Due to the fact that it was well known Mr. Dillon was an excellent teacher who had the ability to teach and inspire learning across a range of mixed ability groups. He was also kind and fair in his manner towards those in his charge. However, if anyone thought they could take advantage of his good-nature he could quickly morph into the role a strict Royal Air Force officer and deliver a withering verbal barrage as if he was reprimanding someone on the parade ground; prior to entering the teaching profession he was an officer in Royal Air Force. I remember the interesting stories and pictures he would show us about his exploits during the War carrying out bombing raids on German cities.
In my opinion, Mr Dillon was brilliant teacher, the only one I learned to like and respect throughout the whole of the ten years I spent at school; due to his kind manner and fair approach to discipline. Mr Dillon, was a positive role model and he had us boys eating out of his hand. He never used corporal punishment to discipline. When I think back I am particularly grateful to him for this and for his inspirational approach he had towards the teaching of young men, because of this, he succeeded in not only making my final days at school bearable but also in some respects enjoyable. The last I heard of Mr Dillon was that he was still alive and well into his eighties and he had returned to live in a cottage in a Welsh village; a couple school friends I met recently in Urmston told me they drove out to see him; a testament of how much we appreciated and thought of him.
Mercifully my general unhappiness at this school and the abuse I endured at the hands of this teacher came to an unexpected and sudden end. At a point during the final two years of my attendance at school we were all informed that the remainder of our school days would be spent away from the main building on Princess Road; we were to be relocated to a tempory classroom which was effectively a large brick and wooden hut at the back of the English Martyrs Church located on Alexandra Road South, in Whalley Range. And also, to our great relieve we were told the teacher who would be teaching us for the remainder of our school days was going to be a Mr Dillon. Due to the fact that it was well known Mr. Dillon was an excellent teacher who had the ability to teach and inspire learning across a range of mixed ability groups. He was also kind and fair in his manner towards those in his charge. However, if anyone thought they could take advantage of his good-nature he could quickly morph into the role a strict Royal Air Force officer and deliver a withering verbal barrage as if he was reprimanding someone on the parade ground; prior to entering the teaching profession he was an officer in Royal Air Force. I remember the interesting stories and pictures he would show us about his exploits during the War carrying out bombing raids on German cities.
In my opinion, Mr Dillon was brilliant teacher, the only one I learned to like and respect throughout the whole of the ten years I spent at school; due to his kind manner and fair approach to discipline. Mr Dillon, was a positive role model and he had us boys eating out of his hand. He never used corporal punishment to discipline. When I think back I am particularly grateful to him for this and for his inspirational approach he had towards the teaching of young men, because of this, he succeeded in not only making my final days at school bearable but also in some respects enjoyable. The last I heard of Mr Dillon was that he was still alive and well into his eighties and he had returned to live in a cottage in a Welsh village; a couple school friends I met recently in Urmston told me they drove out to see him; a testament of how much we appreciated and thought of him.
Pictures of junction of Alexandra Road with Greame Street
All the images below are of the junction of Graeme Street & Alexandra Road and of Alexandra Park main gates, all of which were just a few yards away from where we lived at 62 Greame Street. All of the houses & shops shown in these images were demolished around 1972/5.
Alexandra Road
Alexandra Road, was within yards of where we lived, was to us the “Market Street” of Moss Side. As well as the friendly bustling atmosphere we experienced when shopping there, it was an excellent traditional shopping facility providing a personal service to customers, right on our doorstep, and as can be seen in the photographs below; there was a large variety and number of small shops supplying the needs of the local community. In particular, I remember: Frost, the excellent butchers, Duckworth’s grocery shop where Carmel and I worked for a period of time, in 1958, John Blunt, for cloths you could get on an “easy payment scheme” they ran. There was also a Woolworths Store, Timpsons shoe shop and many others.
Above is a picture of what was then our local Butcher. We used to play with David the owners Son. They moved to Chorlton in 1970. They are still there now, 2014.
This was our local Post Office. This and Frost the Butchers were just around the corner from us.
Thw above picture is showing the junction of Alexandra Road & Great Western Street. To the left can be seen Duckworths, the shop where Camel and I worked 1958
Pubs of Moss Side
These six images are of the pubs I used to go to for a well deserved pint in Moss Side; usually in the evenings after having completed a hands day’s work on a building site. I was by today’s standards a moderate drinker; besides appreciating a good pint or two of traditionally brewed beer, for me, the main reason for visiting a pub, and it still is, was to chill out and socialise. Out of the six pubs shown below the one I visited most, usually in the company of a friend or a member of my family, was the Big Western, as it was only a short walk away from where we lived on Greame Street. The Big Western, thankfully escaped the demolition and erasing of the old Moss Side, and I believe it is still in use today. There was music and a sing along in some of these pubs at weekends, and the atmosphere in most of them, was usually friendly, and civilised. Besides, occasionally joining me for a drink at the Big Western Mam & Dad were regulars at Talbot Hotel; Guinness was Dad’s preferred brew and I occasional frequented the Great Western Inn and very occasionally the Big Alex and the Little Alex and the Claremont Hotel. These are shown below and they are still there and in use today, 2014.
Cinemas in Moss Side
These images blow are of four of the many cinemas I attended while living in Moss Side from 1955 to 1970. These cinemas or Picture Houses as we to call them were located within walking distance of our house on Greame Street.
In the decade 1960 to 1970, music and the cinema played a big part in people’s lives. This was due to the fact that television had not yet become the main preferred form of entertainment for the masses, because, Television was still in its infancy; it had not been developed to provide anywhere near the standard or variety of programmes that are available to almost everyone today. Most Television sets owned by people then had small 12”screens and Black & White programmes only were transmitted, there was just two stations to choose from: BBC1 and BBC2, until ITV was introduced in 1955. Colour TV was not widely available to any significant extent until the early 70s. During the time I lived at Greame Street, especially during the period of time from 1960 to 1970 many wonderful films were produced. These are just a few of my favourites that bring back memories: Doctor Zhivago, Midnight Cowboy, Lawrence of Arabia, The Manchurian Candidate, West Side Story, Rosemary's Baby, Repulsion, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf and Cape Fear, 2001: A Space Odyssey, One Day In The Life Ivan Denisovich, the Graduate. And Psycho. and in the 70s Clockwork Orange, Straw Dogs, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Deliverance, Enter the Dragon and Alien. The cinemas of this era were generally well managed and represented an inexpensive form of leisure / entertainment they were appreciated by courting couples who found it was somewhere warm they could go and have a cuddle on the back row. All of these except the Imperial building were demolished between 1972 & 1975.
In the decade 1960 to 1970, music and the cinema played a big part in people’s lives. This was due to the fact that television had not yet become the main preferred form of entertainment for the masses, because, Television was still in its infancy; it had not been developed to provide anywhere near the standard or variety of programmes that are available to almost everyone today. Most Television sets owned by people then had small 12”screens and Black & White programmes only were transmitted, there was just two stations to choose from: BBC1 and BBC2, until ITV was introduced in 1955. Colour TV was not widely available to any significant extent until the early 70s. During the time I lived at Greame Street, especially during the period of time from 1960 to 1970 many wonderful films were produced. These are just a few of my favourites that bring back memories: Doctor Zhivago, Midnight Cowboy, Lawrence of Arabia, The Manchurian Candidate, West Side Story, Rosemary's Baby, Repulsion, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf and Cape Fear, 2001: A Space Odyssey, One Day In The Life Ivan Denisovich, the Graduate. And Psycho. and in the 70s Clockwork Orange, Straw Dogs, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Deliverance, Enter the Dragon and Alien. The cinemas of this era were generally well managed and represented an inexpensive form of leisure / entertainment they were appreciated by courting couples who found it was somewhere warm they could go and have a cuddle on the back row. All of these except the Imperial building were demolished between 1972 & 1975.
The Clubbing & Dance Scene while Living in Moss Side
During the 60s & 70s, while living in Moss Side; my main social interest and means of relaxing after work were those of most normal young men of that era, which was to take a keen interest in the following activities: Sport, music, dancing, watching television and going to the cinema. Also during this time, I was a regular and active member of YMCA located in Manchester City Centre, which offered the opportunity to make friends, and to take part in sports of all kinds; it was here that my lifelong interest in the sport of Judo got started.
I am now 71, a bit Arthritic and slightly overweight, but generally I am not in bad shape. I have good range of hobbies and I continue to like music, I have maintained a broad interest in it covering many different genres going back over five decades of my life. Over the years I have built up a good collection CDs ranging from light classical, easy listening, light opera, Irish traditional and country and western and I have a good collection of 60s stuff. While in my den (my study) working on the various projects I get involved in, I find I can concentrate better by listening to some music played quietly; I particularly enjoy playing tracks from the 60s which bring back happy memories about the many enjoyable times I spent with friends in my single days out on the town in Manchester enjoying ourselves at the many discos and dancehalls in Manchester of which these are just a few I feel are worth mentioning: Plaza Ball Room, Ritz Ballroom, Oasis, Twisted Wheel, Rowntrees, Mr Smiths. Top Ten Club, Tiffany’s, Time and Place, Blue Room, Piccadilly Club and the Sands. Only the Ritz remains. I also used to occasionally visit one or two of the Irish clubs in Manchester.
I am now 71, a bit Arthritic and slightly overweight, but generally I am not in bad shape. I have good range of hobbies and I continue to like music, I have maintained a broad interest in it covering many different genres going back over five decades of my life. Over the years I have built up a good collection CDs ranging from light classical, easy listening, light opera, Irish traditional and country and western and I have a good collection of 60s stuff. While in my den (my study) working on the various projects I get involved in, I find I can concentrate better by listening to some music played quietly; I particularly enjoy playing tracks from the 60s which bring back happy memories about the many enjoyable times I spent with friends in my single days out on the town in Manchester enjoying ourselves at the many discos and dancehalls in Manchester of which these are just a few I feel are worth mentioning: Plaza Ball Room, Ritz Ballroom, Oasis, Twisted Wheel, Rowntrees, Mr Smiths. Top Ten Club, Tiffany’s, Time and Place, Blue Room, Piccadilly Club and the Sands. Only the Ritz remains. I also used to occasionally visit one or two of the Irish clubs in Manchester.