Reflections
It is 50 years since the face of Manchester changed forever. In the 1960s, Bill Haley and his Band the Comets, had us rocking in isles in any cinema where the film Rock Around the Clock was being shown. The music they played prepared us for a musical revolution that would rock the world; at the same time another event was beginning to unfold in the heart of the city that would lead to an exodus of mind boggling proportions.
Over the next couple of decades, or so, whole long established inner city communities were destined to be destroyed and astonishingly over 80,000 people would be forced to leave the spiritual homes of their forefathers, as they were reduced to mounds of smoldering rubble and dust in the name of progress and slum clearance.
The city’s skyline across its most visible and historic inner city districts; notably Chorlton-On- Medlock, Hulme and Moss Side, would never be the same again.
But this was not just about the loss of thousands of houses and famous streets as the Swinging Sixties dawned; it was about the separation of families, relatives, friends and neighbors who had lived together in many instances for a lifetime. The ‘clearances’ inspired songs such as: The Times They Are A-Changing' by Bob Dylan and Days of Future Past the by the Moody Blues The words of these songs struck a heartfelt chord with those who were now disappearing to the outer limits of the City, many leaving behind them a myriad of happy and of course some unhappy memories along with unsanitary houses that still had outside lavatories, no bathrooms and only coal fires for warmth and no hot-running water.
Many of the people affected went on to build new lives for themselves on large corporation housing estates such as: Langley, Wythenshawe, Partington, Wilmslow and Hattersley, but it was impossible to forget a century of community living, not least in the area of Chorlton-On-Medlock where we as family lived, it was one of the first areas to be completely erased from the map. Many fine buildings still with many years of life left in them and whole streets such as those that were near to where we used to live; to name just a few: Morton Street, Middleton Street, Albert Street, Dalton Street and Clifford Street, New York Street and Rumford Street, disappeared completely never to be seen again. The above was the reason why we had to move to Moss Side in 1955, leading to us having to commence new phase in our history and our lives.
Following our forced expulsion from Chorlton-On-Medlock, we managed to re-establish ourselves in Moss Side, living on Graeme Street, which was located on the edge of Whalley Range close to Alexandra Park, in what we considered to be improved living conditions, not only was the house we lived in better the whole area from an environmental point of view was also better, but in 1970, we were shocked to be again notified by the then Manchester Corporation that we would have to move again as they planned to do to Moss Side what they had already done to the areas of Chorlton-On-Medlock and Hulme, which at the time we didn’t realize, Hulme in the not too distant future, would be the place where I with Mam & Dad, would finish up living, thus bringing to an end, except for the brief period of time dad and I lived on the Alexandra Park Estate, the cycle of events that had beset us and which we had no control over since we had arrived in Manchester from our homeland, Ireland in 1948.
Yes, the house we lived in, in Chorlton-On Medlock, may not of had modern amenities, but we didn’t feel deprived or ashamed because of where we lived. Rather, we felt proud to be part of a community where doors could be left open and where children could play safely out on the streets, where neighbors looked out for each other and where community spirit didn’t mean something out of a bottle.
In the time I had left before leaving Moss Side I treated each day with a special heightened awareness realizing that what I was looking at and going by what I had seen happen in Chorlton-On-Medlock, and Hulme would soon be destroyed. I found it very hard to believe that anyone in their right mind could consider destroying, on such an epic scale, what I was looking at. The houses most of which had many years of life still left in them especially the Victorian looking ones that existed on Alexandra Road and where we lived on Greame Street, along with the abundant number of shops and many other fine buildings and just as important as this the dispersal of the established, comparatively happy, diverse, community that existed in Moss Side at that time.
So, between 72 and 1976, the demolition contractors with their wrecking balls and bulldozers moved in and set and about the destruction of Moss Side. (see pictures on page 46) as was the case in Hulme and Chorlton-On-Medlock, whole streets and many thousands of houses and, architecturally pleasing buildings, disappeared never to be seen again.
In connection with the writing of this booklet, as I only live a half hours drive away I recently visited all the three areas that I have written about (see some of the pictures I took which can be seen on page 47 ): I am sorry to say I was saddened and shocked and ironically in some ways intrigued by what I saw: All the three areas I have written about are now completely different in appearance Chorlton-On Medlock was completely changed except for the listed buildings in Grosvenor Square and a row of Georgian type houses on Oxford Road which we used to be able to see when we looked up from Wilton Street towards Oxford Road. The whole area now resembles a massive University Campus, and poignantly in odd places where the road surface had worn away I could see a few of the cobbles which I had written about in the section of the booklet covering Chorlton-On-Medlock.
Moss Side, might have of been a slum in the government's eyes, but the people who lived there made it their home. I miss the friends I made there, the streets and ambience of the area that used to exist in Moss Side. Following the wanton destruction and clearance that took place, as was the case also in Hulme, the whole area had been turned into boring uninspiring little boxed courts now with the odd patches of grass, hear and there, and people who busily go about their business making it obvious they wanted to keep themselves to themselves. I could see no evidence of community spirit or children playing outside on the streets. Great Western Street and one or two others are still there, although modernised, but the drastic changes that have taken place means it will never be same or as good as I remember it when I and my family lived there all those years ago.
A particular vivid memory I have of Graeme Street, Moss Side Manchester, it shortly before the house we had lived was demolished 1973. All these houses were empty and ready for demolition, but basically they were sound and perfectly serviceable. The cost of renovation would surely have been much less than the cost of replacement. But then, nobody would have made money out of it. No lucrative contracts for construction firms, architects, property developers, hauliers, waste disposal companies, demolition contractors and people in the building trades. And, who can doubt, no sweeteners and back-handers for the people in local government who awarded the contracts. In the meantime the townscapes of the City had been ruined. In Hulme I lived among all of this and was directly affected by one of the greatest social disasters of my lifetime; perpetrated by those we had voted into power to look after our interest our history and our heritage. “what a joke”.
What would they know or understand trapped in their mind-sets of arrogance and indifference; when we talk about the familiarity of the pubs, the corner shops, the schools, the churches, cinemas and the parks but most of all the people? These all combined to give us a sense of belonging, security, well being, and identity. Perhaps one of the reasons why those of us who left the areas that were destroyed now look back with such nostalgia is that our lifetime memories were encapsulated on the day we left to live elsewhere, we carried with us our memories in our minds; a reassuring nostalgia for our intact streets, childhood memories, friends and neighbors – many of whom we will never see again. I have have treasured these links to my past for 60 years and more. We have our memories enshrined in our minds the same way they are captured in family photo albums with treasured images.
Many changes have taken place across the time span of my life. The world’s population has nearly doubled, and I have witnessed many wonderful and not so wonderful things e.g. in 1953 the coronation of Queen Elizabeth 11. And also tragic events such as assassination of President Kennedy in 1963. Mans conquest of space which led to the moon landing in 1969. And many senseless and destructive wars and on September 11 2001, the act of terrorism which destroyed the twin towers in New York, which killed over 3,000 people. And on happier note, England winning the world cup in 1966. And many more which could easily take another couple pages at least to mention / list them all.
As I have not given out any information on the subject of what I did for living during the time period covered by this Booklet, this is a brief summary of the career path I followed: After leaving school in 1958, I served a five year apprenticeship in Plumbing & heating. Beginning in 1963 I spent ten years working for a number large plumbing & heating and firms, employed on major contract, such as schools, hospitals, and multi rise buildings; during this time I worked for three years in the Petro- chemical industry as a pipe fitter. In 1973, I commenced work with Manchester City Council’s Direct Works Department, working mainly on new schools. In 1975, I was promoted to the position of “on site craft instructor” covering plumbing & heating. In 1980, I was promoted to the position of training officer, which involved attending to all the recruitment and administrative requirements of apprentices and trainees covering 14 different trades /occupations. In 1992, due to a downturn manpower requirements within Local Authorities I was forced to change from the above position to that of Project Officer with Manchester City Council’s, Housing Department, covering all the main aspect to do with the up-grading of run down Local Authority housing estates, other wise known as, “sink estates” In 1998, due to a decline in my health, I took early retirement. During these years I worked as a part- time teacher for three years at Manchester College of Building, as it was then known, teaching plumbing & heating technology and industrial studies.
As I bring the writing of this second Booklet to an end, I would like to take the opportunity to add these few final thoughts: I will consider the two booklets I have written on the history of Lawlor Family to be a success if they revive happy memories and kind thoughts of mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers and friends who may no longer be with us, but who we will never forget.”
And finally, I offer my sincere thanks to all the people, who up to now, have been a part of my life experiences. Where have the past seventy one years gone, I ask myself, knowing that the clock of life keeps ticking and until the day it stops, I know I will find the answers in the form memories which all began when I joined the race of time when I took those first breathes of life in that small cottage in Virginia, County Cavan on a Saturday at 6.pm on the 24 of October 1942.
Let’s just hope for peace in the world and a better future for our children, as no doubt our parents whished for us and their parents did for them.
Over the next couple of decades, or so, whole long established inner city communities were destined to be destroyed and astonishingly over 80,000 people would be forced to leave the spiritual homes of their forefathers, as they were reduced to mounds of smoldering rubble and dust in the name of progress and slum clearance.
The city’s skyline across its most visible and historic inner city districts; notably Chorlton-On- Medlock, Hulme and Moss Side, would never be the same again.
But this was not just about the loss of thousands of houses and famous streets as the Swinging Sixties dawned; it was about the separation of families, relatives, friends and neighbors who had lived together in many instances for a lifetime. The ‘clearances’ inspired songs such as: The Times They Are A-Changing' by Bob Dylan and Days of Future Past the by the Moody Blues The words of these songs struck a heartfelt chord with those who were now disappearing to the outer limits of the City, many leaving behind them a myriad of happy and of course some unhappy memories along with unsanitary houses that still had outside lavatories, no bathrooms and only coal fires for warmth and no hot-running water.
Many of the people affected went on to build new lives for themselves on large corporation housing estates such as: Langley, Wythenshawe, Partington, Wilmslow and Hattersley, but it was impossible to forget a century of community living, not least in the area of Chorlton-On-Medlock where we as family lived, it was one of the first areas to be completely erased from the map. Many fine buildings still with many years of life left in them and whole streets such as those that were near to where we used to live; to name just a few: Morton Street, Middleton Street, Albert Street, Dalton Street and Clifford Street, New York Street and Rumford Street, disappeared completely never to be seen again. The above was the reason why we had to move to Moss Side in 1955, leading to us having to commence new phase in our history and our lives.
Following our forced expulsion from Chorlton-On-Medlock, we managed to re-establish ourselves in Moss Side, living on Graeme Street, which was located on the edge of Whalley Range close to Alexandra Park, in what we considered to be improved living conditions, not only was the house we lived in better the whole area from an environmental point of view was also better, but in 1970, we were shocked to be again notified by the then Manchester Corporation that we would have to move again as they planned to do to Moss Side what they had already done to the areas of Chorlton-On-Medlock and Hulme, which at the time we didn’t realize, Hulme in the not too distant future, would be the place where I with Mam & Dad, would finish up living, thus bringing to an end, except for the brief period of time dad and I lived on the Alexandra Park Estate, the cycle of events that had beset us and which we had no control over since we had arrived in Manchester from our homeland, Ireland in 1948.
Yes, the house we lived in, in Chorlton-On Medlock, may not of had modern amenities, but we didn’t feel deprived or ashamed because of where we lived. Rather, we felt proud to be part of a community where doors could be left open and where children could play safely out on the streets, where neighbors looked out for each other and where community spirit didn’t mean something out of a bottle.
In the time I had left before leaving Moss Side I treated each day with a special heightened awareness realizing that what I was looking at and going by what I had seen happen in Chorlton-On-Medlock, and Hulme would soon be destroyed. I found it very hard to believe that anyone in their right mind could consider destroying, on such an epic scale, what I was looking at. The houses most of which had many years of life still left in them especially the Victorian looking ones that existed on Alexandra Road and where we lived on Greame Street, along with the abundant number of shops and many other fine buildings and just as important as this the dispersal of the established, comparatively happy, diverse, community that existed in Moss Side at that time.
So, between 72 and 1976, the demolition contractors with their wrecking balls and bulldozers moved in and set and about the destruction of Moss Side. (see pictures on page 46) as was the case in Hulme and Chorlton-On-Medlock, whole streets and many thousands of houses and, architecturally pleasing buildings, disappeared never to be seen again.
In connection with the writing of this booklet, as I only live a half hours drive away I recently visited all the three areas that I have written about (see some of the pictures I took which can be seen on page 47 ): I am sorry to say I was saddened and shocked and ironically in some ways intrigued by what I saw: All the three areas I have written about are now completely different in appearance Chorlton-On Medlock was completely changed except for the listed buildings in Grosvenor Square and a row of Georgian type houses on Oxford Road which we used to be able to see when we looked up from Wilton Street towards Oxford Road. The whole area now resembles a massive University Campus, and poignantly in odd places where the road surface had worn away I could see a few of the cobbles which I had written about in the section of the booklet covering Chorlton-On-Medlock.
Moss Side, might have of been a slum in the government's eyes, but the people who lived there made it their home. I miss the friends I made there, the streets and ambience of the area that used to exist in Moss Side. Following the wanton destruction and clearance that took place, as was the case also in Hulme, the whole area had been turned into boring uninspiring little boxed courts now with the odd patches of grass, hear and there, and people who busily go about their business making it obvious they wanted to keep themselves to themselves. I could see no evidence of community spirit or children playing outside on the streets. Great Western Street and one or two others are still there, although modernised, but the drastic changes that have taken place means it will never be same or as good as I remember it when I and my family lived there all those years ago.
A particular vivid memory I have of Graeme Street, Moss Side Manchester, it shortly before the house we had lived was demolished 1973. All these houses were empty and ready for demolition, but basically they were sound and perfectly serviceable. The cost of renovation would surely have been much less than the cost of replacement. But then, nobody would have made money out of it. No lucrative contracts for construction firms, architects, property developers, hauliers, waste disposal companies, demolition contractors and people in the building trades. And, who can doubt, no sweeteners and back-handers for the people in local government who awarded the contracts. In the meantime the townscapes of the City had been ruined. In Hulme I lived among all of this and was directly affected by one of the greatest social disasters of my lifetime; perpetrated by those we had voted into power to look after our interest our history and our heritage. “what a joke”.
What would they know or understand trapped in their mind-sets of arrogance and indifference; when we talk about the familiarity of the pubs, the corner shops, the schools, the churches, cinemas and the parks but most of all the people? These all combined to give us a sense of belonging, security, well being, and identity. Perhaps one of the reasons why those of us who left the areas that were destroyed now look back with such nostalgia is that our lifetime memories were encapsulated on the day we left to live elsewhere, we carried with us our memories in our minds; a reassuring nostalgia for our intact streets, childhood memories, friends and neighbors – many of whom we will never see again. I have have treasured these links to my past for 60 years and more. We have our memories enshrined in our minds the same way they are captured in family photo albums with treasured images.
Many changes have taken place across the time span of my life. The world’s population has nearly doubled, and I have witnessed many wonderful and not so wonderful things e.g. in 1953 the coronation of Queen Elizabeth 11. And also tragic events such as assassination of President Kennedy in 1963. Mans conquest of space which led to the moon landing in 1969. And many senseless and destructive wars and on September 11 2001, the act of terrorism which destroyed the twin towers in New York, which killed over 3,000 people. And on happier note, England winning the world cup in 1966. And many more which could easily take another couple pages at least to mention / list them all.
As I have not given out any information on the subject of what I did for living during the time period covered by this Booklet, this is a brief summary of the career path I followed: After leaving school in 1958, I served a five year apprenticeship in Plumbing & heating. Beginning in 1963 I spent ten years working for a number large plumbing & heating and firms, employed on major contract, such as schools, hospitals, and multi rise buildings; during this time I worked for three years in the Petro- chemical industry as a pipe fitter. In 1973, I commenced work with Manchester City Council’s Direct Works Department, working mainly on new schools. In 1975, I was promoted to the position of “on site craft instructor” covering plumbing & heating. In 1980, I was promoted to the position of training officer, which involved attending to all the recruitment and administrative requirements of apprentices and trainees covering 14 different trades /occupations. In 1992, due to a downturn manpower requirements within Local Authorities I was forced to change from the above position to that of Project Officer with Manchester City Council’s, Housing Department, covering all the main aspect to do with the up-grading of run down Local Authority housing estates, other wise known as, “sink estates” In 1998, due to a decline in my health, I took early retirement. During these years I worked as a part- time teacher for three years at Manchester College of Building, as it was then known, teaching plumbing & heating technology and industrial studies.
As I bring the writing of this second Booklet to an end, I would like to take the opportunity to add these few final thoughts: I will consider the two booklets I have written on the history of Lawlor Family to be a success if they revive happy memories and kind thoughts of mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers and friends who may no longer be with us, but who we will never forget.”
And finally, I offer my sincere thanks to all the people, who up to now, have been a part of my life experiences. Where have the past seventy one years gone, I ask myself, knowing that the clock of life keeps ticking and until the day it stops, I know I will find the answers in the form memories which all began when I joined the race of time when I took those first breathes of life in that small cottage in Virginia, County Cavan on a Saturday at 6.pm on the 24 of October 1942.
Let’s just hope for peace in the world and a better future for our children, as no doubt our parents whished for us and their parents did for them.
The city By C P Cavafy
You said: I’ll go to another country, go to another shore,
find another city better than this one.
Whatever I try to do is fated to turn out wrong
and in my heart lies - something dead – lies buried.
How long can I let my mind moulder in this place?
Wherever I turn, wherever I look, I see the black ruins of my life there,
where I’ve spent so many years, wasted them, destroyed them totally.
You won’t find a new country, won’t find another shore
This city will always pursue you.
You’ll walk the same streets, grow old in the same neighborhood,
Turn grey in the same houses.
You’ll always end up in this city. Don’t hope for better things elsewhere:
There is no ship for you, there’s no road.
Now that you have wasted your life here, in this small corner,
You’ve destroyed it everywhere in the world.
Patrick Lawlor. April 2014