Sharing Salford’s fantastic story

Issue No 26 November 2009 - May 2010 FREE

LifeTimesLink

Useful contacts Phone

John Sculley, museums and heritage

services manager 0161 778 0816

Heather McAlpine, lifetimes officer 0161 778 0885Amy Goodwin,

lifetimes officer 0161 778 0885

Charlotte Derry, exhibitions officer

0161 778 0819Peter Ogilvie,

collections manager 0161 778 0825Ceri Horrocks, acting heritage

development officer 0161 778 0820

Luisa Neal, acting learning officer

0161 778 0821Naomi Lewis,

outreach officer0161 778 0881Jenny Roberts,

reminiscence resources 0161 778 0838Hazel Fenton,

arts and community officer Ordsall Hall

0161 778 0837Tim Ashworth,

librarian, Local History Library

0161 778 0814Caroline Storr,

heritage development officer 0161 778 0817

Amy Senogles, merchandising officer

0161 778 0827 Roseanne McLaughlin,

archivist 0161 778 0810

Maryam Patala, Embrace officer

0161 778 0848

Salford Museum & Art Gallery 0161 778 0800

Ordsall Hall Museum closed - see back page

Useful contacts Websites

2

www.salford.gov.uk/museums - for all museum related topicswww.salford.gov.uk/whatson find out about concerts, walks,

talks and other events in Salfordwww.wcml.org.uk

- website for the Working Class Movement Library

Welcome to LifeTimes Link 26, the magazine that celebrates Salford’s rich heritage. Our thanks once again go to our friends, contributors and readers for your enthusiasm and support.

Basic large print versions of this magazine are available - ring 0161 778 0885Find us on-line (plus all of our back issues) at www.salford.gov.uk/lifetimes-links

10 years of LifeTimes LinkThe first ever Link was published in the Autumn of 1999. It started as a four page newsletter and over the ten years has developed into the publication you are reading now! We hope you still enjoy reading it and can come to the new LifeTimes exhibition, due to open in February 2010, which will celebrate some of the stories Link has uncovered.

Ordsall Hall Since Ordsall Hall closed in February 2009, the conservation contractors have made steady progress. The floors are up, the windows are out and the roof tiles are off, leaving a timber-framed skeleton that is completely tented, so that work can be carried out throughout the winter. Ordsall's staff have been busy working in schools and the local community to ensure that the service and audiences are both prepared for the Hall's reopening in Spring 2011.

Salford Museum and Art GalleryDevelopment plans have been steadily moving forward with the help of the Research Assistants. You can read more about some of the stories that they have uncovered in this issue. The annual Local History and Family Fun Day broke visitor records with 1,500 people in attendance. The change of date from November to September to be a part of the Salford Heritage month didn’t seem to put people off. Thank you to all those who helped the event to be such a success, from stall holders to visitors. See some of the pictures from the day on page 12. We have set a date for next year’s Local History Day and this will be Sunday 19 September. Play Out! -the family play street exhibition has been really popular over the summer holidays. With a real play street, archive film, photographs and memories it has attracted a wide audience. It even featured on BBC Breakfast news! Due to popular demand, our music exhibition Quiffs, Riffs and Tiffs has been extended. It is now due to close in January 2010. If you have not visited to find out about Salford music over the last six decades, then now is your chance! For information on all our current and forthcoming exhibitions and events please see Link Listings on pages 20 and 21.

Staff newsCaroline Storr (née Mean) Heritage Development Officer, is back from her maternity leave with a new name. Baby Indira is doing really well and Caroline is now looking forward to getting back into her work. Amy Senogles started as the new Merchandising Officer for Salford Heritage Services in June. Amy graduated from university last July and has had several exhibitions of her own textile work. She is looking forward to bringing in new products and working with local artists and designers to stock their work. Roseanne McLaughlin joined us in July as the Archivist for Salford Museum and Art Gallery. Roseanne studied History at The University of Central Lancashire where she also worked as a Research Assistant. She has worked at the Lancashire Record Office as a Search Room Assistant. Roseanne is currently working towards a master’s degree in Archive Administration. Maryam Patala started in September as the new Embrace Project Outreach Officer. Previously she was a freelance artist working in Salford, Manchester and Oldham. Maryam will be working with refugees, asylum seekers and new communities to involve them in the museum, exploring different cultures and heritage. She is looking forward to starting new projects with community groups in Salford.

Mailing ListThank you to all our readers who sent their forms back to tell us they would like to stay on our mailing list. We needed to update all of our records and are grateful for your help. We have assumed that anyone who did not contact us no longer wishes to be on the mailing list. If you did want to stay on the list and have not let us know, then please get in touch and we will update your details.

We hope you enjoy reading this issue of LifeTimes Link. As always, please send us your stories, letters and comments by email or by post for inclusion in a future edition.

Amy & Heather

ContentsComing soon ...

ContributionsSend your letters, articles and copies of photographs to: LifeTimes Link, Salford Museum and Art Gallery, Peel Park, Crescent, Salford, M5 4WUTel: 0161 778 0885 Email: lifetimes@salford.gov.ukThe deadline for items for the next issue (May - November 2010) is 5 March 2010 Please note: we cannot accept any responsibility for the loss or damage to contributor’s material in the post. We cannot guarantee publication of your material and we reserve the right to edit any contributions we do use.

3

Editorial 2UsefulContacts 2

ComingSoon… 3Contributions 3JointheFriends 3

CollectionsCorner 4

LifeintheGrubber 5

WinsomeWinnie 6

MemoriesofSmethurstandHolden 7

LocalHistoryHappenings 8-9

CharlesEwart 10

WhenaManComestoTown 11

LocalHistoryDay 12

MOSIAppeal 13Geoff’sWar 14

TheSadPassingofaGreatInstitution 15

YouWrite 16-18

DreamsinRed 19

LinkListings 20-21

MysteryPix 22

LocalHistoryRoundup 23

Cover photo: Charles Howard and daughter Martha on horseback and Fred holding a calf, Walkden, c.1900. Part of the Mullineux Collection.

Join the Friends of Salford MuseumsThe Friends remain at the heart of support for Salford Museum and Ordsall Hall. They are always keen to welcome new members. For further information on joining the Friends, ask at Salford Museum and Art Gallery or call0161 736 2336.

Basic large print versions of this magazine are available - ring 0161 778 0885

Christmas Family Fun DayJoin the Monton Voices as they sing us into the Christmas festivities. The Ordsall Hall staff will show us how the Tudors celebrated Christmas and help you have a go at some Tudor crafts. Sunday 6 December, 2.00-4.00pm. Free.Salford Museum and Art Gallery

Life Through the Lens: Snapshots of Salford’s PastThe new LifeTimes exhibition is due to open in February 2010. It will celebrate 10 years of LifeTimes Link by showing a selection of the photographic and oral history archive material held at the museum. It will tell some of the stories of Salford life through imagery. As always there will be family fun as part of the exhibition too.Open 20 February. Free. Salford Museum and Art Gallery.

Above: Christmas Family Fun with the Tudors Below: Life Through the Lens

4

Collections CornerPeter Turner, collections assistant for Salford Museum and Art Gallery writes ...

Recent additions to Salford’s collections include some interesting donations associated with local personalities.

Nina and Annalyn Bhanji, the sisters of Oscar winning actor Sir Ben Kingsley, recently donated several objects including theatre tickets, a playbill and programme, papers from Manchester Grammar School, daily programmes for the QE2 and invitations to the 29th International Film Festival and the 40th Annual Golden Globe Awards.

Sir Ben won the best actor - drama award for his role as Ghandi at the latter in 1982, a category in which fellow Salford actor Albert Finney was also nominated. Kingsley grew up in Pendlebury and studied at Pendleton College and Salford University.

Salford swimmer Charles Eric Forsyth was a member of the British water polo team who won gold at the 1908 London Olympics, where he scored a hat trick in the final against Belgium. He played water polo for Hyde Seals and Salford, before a long association with Wigan. As well as being one of the greatest water polo players of his day, he was also a race swimmer who held several British records and a world record. John Magrath recently donated several items associated with Forsyth, who was his great uncle. These include a 1908 Olympic cap, badge, and oak leaf presented by the king, four international caps, newspaper articles and a photograph.

David Evans donated a model of a Salford no. 42 tram with an indicator board showing it on the Worsley via Cross Lane route. The model was made in 1986 by local model maker Peter F. Gavin who lived in Boothstown at the time.

Earlier in the year Salford Museum and Art Gallery received a painting by local artist Tom Brown from the estate of Salford resident James Grimshaw. Although untitled it possibly shows a scene in the Buile Hill Park area. If any readers can identify this view or have any comments or further information on any of the objects featured here, please write to LifeTimes Link – details on page 3.

5

A Life in the ‘Grubber’Research assistant Jennifer Roberts has been looking at Salford workhouses and shares one of her discoveries.

Sitting neatly on wooden benches, each one dressed in an identical smock, tatty but clean, the late nineteenth century children of the Salford Union Workhouse, on Eccles New Road, look cheerily at the camera. On the left is their probationary nurse, Mrs Emma Orrett, the most senior nurse on the children’s ward and a prominent figure in the early lives of these pauper children.

Interestingly, Emma started out in the workhouse as an inmate, working hard and living meagrely on the female ward. After the death of her husband John, in the summer of 1872, Emma and her son Thomas found themselves on the steps of the Salford Union workhouse, evidently too poor to afford their home at 13 Hace Street in St Stephen’s Ward. According to the 1871 census, she had no occupation and this would explain why she believed her only choice was to go the workhouse, affectionately known as ‘the Grubber’. Life in the workhouse was not easy. According to Robert Roberts, the writer of The Classic Slum, it was, “…the last resort of the pauper…the hardest taskmaster and the worst paymaster the idle and dissolute can apply to.”

Like all families who entered the workhouse, Emma and her son had to suffer the heart-break of being split up. Emma was sent to the able-bodied female ward and Thomas to the children’s probationary ward. Despite having a young child, visiting rules permitted that they could see each other only once a week. During these early years in the workhouse, Emma was made to work on monotonous and tiring tasks, such as the stocking machine, laundry, hawking firewood and oakum picking. She was fed on the most basic of diets consisting of bread, water and gruel, locally known as ‘skilly’. An anonymous contemporary of Emma’s described the routine,

“The strong ‘uns were sent off to the wash-house. Now, that was slavery, if you like. Real hard, back-breaking work it was. And I’ve seen young women, packed off to bed at night, straight out of

EmmaOrrettandtheSalfordWorkhouse

the wash-house, wringing, dripping wet, some of ‘em could hardly drag one foot after the other…”

However, by 1890 it is clear that she had worked her way out of this drab situation by first becoming a charwoman and then a nurse in the children’s probationary ward. She could expect a decent wage of around £20.00 per annum to attend upon the children for all matters concerning their health and well-being, to inform the Medical Officer of any incidents of sickness and to keep a lamp lighted at night. Indeed, she offered advice to the Union Committee in July 1890: “Mrs Orrett the nurse appeared before the Committee and stated that the discoloration on the child’s back had disappeared.”

She devoted her whole life to working on the children’s ward and continued at the workhouse for the remainder of her life in this capacity. She died in 1928 and a letter was sent to her son William detailing the death and how much the burial and funeral would cost; £1.8s.6d for the opening of the grave, 4s.6d for the minister’s fee and 1s for the registrar’s notification fee. As her hearse passed through the streets, the sounds of children chanting may have been heard, “Rattle his bones, over the stones, he’s only a pauper, who nobody owns.” How wrong that would seem for a woman who devoted her whole life to caring for the poor children of Salford.

If you have any memories or photographs of the Salford Union Workhouse or the Barton-Upon-Irwell Workhouse (Green Lane, Patricroft) please get in touch.

Above: The children’s day ward in 1900. The lady on the left is Emma Orrett.

The final finish was at Newcastle, by which time she’d run away with the lead. There was a dramatic finish when Winifred spotted a large aircraft behind them. Believing it to be a competitor and determined not to be beaten to the finish line, the Avian was pushed to speeds of 160 miles per hour! Afterwards a mechanic told the Salford Reporter that this speed ‘was courting disaster’. By pushing her Avian to the limits Winifred beat her male contemporaries, including Flight Lieutenant Waghorn, winner of the prestigious Schneider Cup.

As the first woman to win the King’s Cup, Winifred became an instant star across the world, especially in her home city of Salford. Invited to the 1930 Historical Pageant at Buile Hill Park shortly after the race, crowds chanted for a speech to be made. Winifred said “This is really wonderful of you all, I am very glad to belong to Salford” which prompted one audience member to start a sing along of ‘for she’s a jolly good flyer’. The Mayor of Salford, Samuel Finburgh, congratulated Winifred on behalf of the people, and joked “No man begrudges you your honour and you have put us all back in our place” (Salford Reporter 11 July 1930).

Winifred’s later adventures in the 1930s went beyond Britain, this time sailing rather than flying from North Wales to Spitsbergen in her 45-foot yawl Perula. During the Second World War, Winifred worked as Chief Coxswain in the Marine Department of Saunders Roe, the flying boat constructors in Beaumaris. Winifred worked with a fleet of R.A.F. craft with all-male crews, she met Catalinas from Bermuda, landed and embarked crews and towed aircraft. In 1940 she gave birth to a son, Anthony Sawley Adams, after it was revealed she had secretly married her long time adventure companion Ron Adams.

With thanks to John B. Coxon and Tony Adams.

6

Winifred Brown was born 1899 in Brooklands, Cheshire. She moved to Salford at an early age and went on to attend ‘Bella Vista’, Broughton High School for Girls. Winifred’s father, Mr Sawley Brown, was director of Messrs. James S. Brown & Sons, a firm of butchers. Winifred was a natural sportswoman, and achieved great success in flying when she became the first woman to join the Lancashire Aero Club in 1926 and the first woman in the region to qualify for a pilot’s licence in April 1927. By March 1928 Winifred was recruited to the rank of a private owner member, and that same year she won the club’s Rodman Trophy.

By the 1930 King’s Cup Air Race, a 750 mile race around England, Winifred Brown was an experienced pilot, although she had never flown such a long distance. In the pre-race articles that appeared in Flight magazine, on June 13 1930, Winifred’s entry was not taken seriously, mentioned with six other pilots of the ‘fairer sex’ only briefly. Winifred flew an Avro Avian with a Cirrus III engine with her co-pilot, and later husband, John Ron Adams. The Air Race was full of excitement, after starting the race at Hanworth, London. By the time she reached Barton Aerodrome, Winifred was in third position and the large crowds roared with excitement.

‘Winsome Winnie’Research assistant Erin Beeston writes about the Salford lass who wowed the crowds at Barton Aerodrome and won the King’s Cup Air Race, 1930

Winifred Brown, image courtesy of Flight International.

7

My name is Norma Thomas, née Hughes. I was born on 10 November 1929. I lived in Salford, off Trafford Road near to Regent Road. I always found that Salford people were very helpful and happy, even though nobody had much money, especially in those days.

I went to Trafford Road Girls Infant School and then the ‘Big’ Girls School, as we called it. When I was 14, I went to work at a shirt factory called ‘Smethurst and Holden’ at 45 Chapel Street. It was near the Telephone House and the bus station.

All of my friends went to work at the factory, mostly Salford girls, and I loved it! If we decided not to go to lunch, we would clear the baskets and tables to one side and dance. At Christmas we would decorate the areas that we worked in with inexpensive decorations like homemade streamers. Photo one is of me stood near my machine at Christmas and you can see the decorations. Photo two shows the whole workforce of Smethurst and Holden. There were cutters, mechanics, office staff and machinists. One lady, Mrs Dolby, seen in the picture at the left hand end of the front row, did not want to give up work. She was 70 when this photo was taken in about 1944.

Photo three is of me and my friends atBlackpool. We also used to go to Wales for a week-long holiday. Photo five shows eleven of us stood in a line outside Smethurst and Holden. We were all very good friends. In fact all of the photos show very good friends of mine from that time. By now we are all quite old!

Photo four shows seven of us outside the houses and was taken near Regent Road

Memories of Smethurst and Holden Shirt Factory

on the same side as the Academy. We liked to go to Madam Jones’ to dance where lots of jiving would take place. Boys and girls paid for themselves to get in, as there wasn’t enough money to pay your ‘date’ in. Sometimes our crowd used to go into the ladies room and swap tops with each other so that people thought we had lots of clothes. One night Madam Jones’ had boxes of made up cotton wool snowballs so we could have a snowball ‘fight’. It was a good way of making friends with people. One of the boys there was known as the ‘best jiver’ and I went weak at the knees when I saw him! I loved it all!

One of our friends went to Australia to live. She was a good friend to lots of us who worked at Smethurst and Holden. She is the third from the right on photo five. Once she moved, nobody heard anything from her.

Norma Thomas, née Hughes.

Ed. Did you work at Smethurst and Holden or recognise anyone in the photographs? If so, please get in touch with LifeTimes Link.

1

2

4

5

3

Local History Happenings

8

Buried at Weaste Cemetery

The Friends of Salford Cemeteries Trust has embarked on a project to produce a heritage trail of the cemetery. A 20 page illustrated booklet with over 40 biographies was published in September 2008. Now over 60 additional biographies have been posted on the Friends’ website at www.weasteheritagetrail.co.uk . Over 100 people buried at Weaste Cemetery have been researched and biographical details are available.

Salford note-worthies such as the Salford hero, Mark Addy; mill owner Sir Elkanah Armitage; musician, Sir Charles Halle; and Salford’s first MP, Joseph Brotherton are included in the booklet. Perhaps the less well known, but equally fascinating people are included in the website including politicians, doctors, policemen, ministers, shop-keepers and murder victims.

Incidents in Salford’s history have resulted in burials at Weaste. Read about the Clifton Hall Colliery Disaster of 1885, the Pendleton Mystery of 1885, the terrible Lamp Explosion of 1894 which killed three little girls, the Young Lovers Suicide of 1897, the Salford Poisoned Beer Scandal of 1900, the outbreak of typhus fever in 1902, and the River Irwell Tragedy of 1906.

People killed at work include Jonathan Preston, crushed by a mill engine; William Green, killed in a colliery explosion; 13-year-old Elizabeth Thompson, trapped in a spinning mule; four men crushed by a huge casting box at George Leek and Sons, Weaste; and Thomas Carefull who was run over by a lorry at Salford Docks.

For more information visit their website at www.weasteheritagetrail.co.uk or email info@weasteheritagetrail.co.uk

Find out about what’s going on in your area. If you have any projects or events planned then let LifeTimes know.

Memories Matter Reminiscence Resources: New Handling Boxes Go Live!

Memories Matter is a collection of reminiscence resources available for loan to day centres, care settings and organisations working with older people. We currently have a range of handling boxes, picture packs and travelling exhibitions in our collection. We are proud to announce that thanks to feedback from users, we have added to our range of handling boxes, to include the following four boxes:

• Teenage Kicks: 1950s and 1960s Youth Culture• The 1950s and 1960s• Celebrations• Working Lives

Our existing collection of resources includes handling boxes on themes such as Shopping, Childhood, Washday and Glitz & Glamour, and picture packs on most areas of Salford. We also welcome any suggestions for new resources.

For more information contact Naomi Lewis, Outreach Officer on 0161 778 0881 or email naomi.lewis@salford.gov.uk

Weaste Cemetery in the 1950s

9

Age Concern Salford New Radio Show Age Concern Salford and Salford City Radio have teamed up to offer a weekly radio programme aimed at older people in Salford. The weekly radio show offers a mix of information, advice, news and events and upbeat music for the over 60s and their families.

Presented by Age Concern’s Intergenerational Worker, Mandy Sellars, who has previous experience working in radio, she said “I am delighted that this opportunity has arisen and that Salford City Radio have welcomed us on board. We play a mix of upbeat music from the 50s, 60s and 70s and each week tell the community about events , groups and services on offer. It really is a great mix”. Steve Suttie, station manager at Salford City Radio commented: “The Age Concern Show is a wonderful addition to our schedule. Salford City Radio is a community radio station and we strive to provide a relevant, interesting and entertaining service to all members of the community.” The Age Concern Show is broadcast live from the studio in Swinton every Wednesday morning 10.00-11.00am. You can listen to the show on your radio on 94.4FM or online at www.salfordcityradio.org If you require any further information on the services and advice Age Concern Salford can offer, they can be contacted on 0161 788 7300, or you can drop in at their offices at 108 Church Street in Eccles.

A pick and mix of mystery objects

Memories Matter reminiscence boxes create a wonderful way into older people’s memories, but you might be surprised by how we have been using them at Salford City College.

Salford is home to people from all over the world from Angola to Zimbabwe, and at our City Campus we work with around 250 learners in our courses in English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL). These courses aim to teach the language skills you need to live in the UK, but what could be more important than bringing the culture and the story of Salford into class to get to know the city which is now home?

Opening up a reminiscence box, particularly the two that contain a mix of what seem to be random objects (Pick and Mix and Mystery Objects), offers a wealth of captivating objects that our learners have never seen before. What about a penny lick, for example, a toffee hammer or a button stick? Who used them? What did they use them for? Who made them? How much did they cost? What stories do the objects have to tell us?

Handling real objects has brought all of these questions to life in such an active, engaging and memorable way that has motivated our learners to find out more about life in Salford in the past. We’ve visited the museum and worked on projects. One class even created a comic book called Surprising Salford!

For more information on the project contact Bev Davies, ESOL teacher at Salford City College, email beverley.davies@salfordcc.ac.uk

Memories Matter: Teenage Kicks handling box

10

Charles Ewart Charles Ewart was a Sergeant in the Scots Greys, who captured a French Eagle at Waterloo. After the war he moved to Salford, married, and taught fencing and swordsmanship to the local community. He is remembered as a hero, and various pubs in Edinburgh are named after him or his actions.

He was born at Biddles Farm, near Kilmarnock, Scotland in 1769 and joined the 2nd Royal North British Dragoons (The Scots Greys) in 1789 at the age of 20. He joined in the ranks, not being from the wealthiest of families. He was a giant of a man, at somewhere between 6 foot 4 inches and 7 foot. Yet, despite his height, he was an extremely accomplished rider and swordsman.

He fought in the French Revolutionary Wars and was taken prisoner in Spain, but escaped and rejoined the Greys, earning the rank of Sergeant by 1815.

June 1815 saw the Battle of Waterloo. Sergeant Ewart, along with the rest of the 5th Division, moved to the crest of a hill to hold the line. In the ensuing fight, Sergeant Ewart found a French officer, who he was about to cut down when a Ensign, the lowest ranking officer, stopped him. Ewart turned to continue the fight elsewhere, and heard a shot ring out. The Ensign was dead. He charged at the officer, filled with rage, and cut him down. As his horse continued the charging run, Ewart found himself in the middle of the French column, close to a French Eagle.

A French Eagle is a staff, about ten feet high, with an eagle clutching it, made from bronze. The symbol was designed to inspire men, much like the flags of the British Army. To capture one would bring the regiment great honour, to lose one, great shame. Sergeant Ewart fought an intense skirmish with several Frenchmen, as well as the Eagle Bearer, and eventually grabbed the staff and made off with his prize.

The Sergeant returned to Britain a hero, and was honoured by being promoted to Ensign by the Prince Regent, into the 5th Veteran Battalion. This was rare in British Military History; at this time, promotion to officer-class through the ranks was near impossible.

In late 1816, Ewart received the Waterloo medal, the first medal of its kind, awarded to all combatants at the Battle. This was new because it was given to Officers and men alike.

Ewart left the army in 1821, when the regiment was disbanded. He retired with full Ensign’s pay. He married Margaret Geddes, from Stockport, and moved to Hampson Street, Salford. He used his

skills from the battlefield to teach fencing and swordsmanship in Salford.

He died in 1846 at the age of 77 and was buried beside the New Jerusalem Church in Salford. The church, located on Bolton Street near what is now Salford Central Station, was demolished years later and the graves paved over. His body was then removed to Edinburgh Castle where it now lies buried beneath a granite memorial.

Research assistant Dominic Butler looks at a Scottish Salford hero

Lieutenant Ewart of the Scots Greys capturing the French Standard at the Battle of Waterloo. From Paterson, James (1871) Autobiographical reminiscences.Pub. Maurice Ogle & Co. Facing page P. 205.

11

There have been many notable contributors to the making of Salford. One such contributor was a businessman, politician and active supporter of the development of Salford Museum and Library. He was a man of great generous spirit, and of great interest, Edward Ryley Langworthy.

Originally from London, he was born in 1797. When Edward was barely old enough he took a position working for C. Taylor and Sons & Co. Edward remained at this company for many years and was their representative in South America and Mexico for 12 years. The trade experience in foreign lands was to prove very influential, not only in meeting all kinds of people from a variety of backgrounds and nationalities but also in his financial success. This would later benefit Salford in the many bequests he made to organisations within the city.

In 1837, at the age of 40, Edward set up business as a foreign merchant in London and three years later, in the year Queen Victoria married Albert, he moved to Salford. Edward joined his brother, George, in the cotton industry, in their new firm Langworthy Brothers & Co based at Greengate, Salford.

On moving to Salford, Langworthy was incredibly busy. His business flourished with a warehouse full of stock constantly on the move. He was chosen as the first Alderman for Trinity Ward in 1844, became a member of three council committees, and in 1848 was elected the fifth mayor of Salford. Despite all of this, he managed to contribute considerably to the establishment of the country’s first free municipal public museum and library. And, in 1850, Salford Museum and Library was finally opened to people from all walks of life.

The Museum and Library was accessible to the general public in a way no other building had been before. It was available to everyone and open at regular times.

The Museum and Library’s purpose was expressed by the founder’s commitment to the values of ‘civilising’ the people through culture. However, theindividual was expected to walkquietly through the museum, experiencing each work of art,or object of curiosity, in isolation.

Langworthy’s speech at the opening of the Museum and Library expressed his hopes for such a venture where he concluded:

“I trust that we can see the dawn of better things and that the library will become a thing of national importance.”

His tireless efforts in helping establish the Museum and Library highlight his dedication to Salford, as his adopted home town, ensuring it received national recognition.

Langworthy died on 7 April 1874 from paralysis of the lungs. He had no children but left a wife, Sarah. His funeral, at Sale Cemetery, illustrates how greatly he was admired. Langworthy had requested it be as private as possible, but Mr. F. W. Walker, High Master of Manchester Grammar School, felt compelled to attend, as Langworthy had been a great friend to the school. He attended the funeral with not only all the Masters, but also 450 Grammar School boys.

With all that Langworthy did for Salford it certainly is a good job that this man came to town.

When a man comes to town ...Research assistant Hester Hughes takes a look at a well known Salford character

Portrait of Edward Riley Langworthy, by P. Westcott Salford Museum and Art Gallery collection

1212

Local History and Family Fun Day 2009Thanks to all those who helped make this year’s Local History and Family Fun Day a success. A record number of visitors came to the event on Sunday 20 September at Salford Museum and Art Gallery. Take a look at some of the pictures from the day ...

13

Local History and Family Fun Day 2009

MOSI is currently running an oral history project entitled ‘Connecting with people’s histories’. The aim of this project is to collect stories relating to Manchester and Salford’s food-processing and entertainment industries. Stories collected so far include those relating to jam production, milk distribution, beer brewing, Kellogg’s packaging, stop motion animation and the BBC’s move to MediaCity.

We would really like to hear from people who have worked in Greater Manchester’s food-processing industries. We would especially love to hear from people who used to work at the CWS Tea Warehouse on Ordsall Lane. The factory is of particular interest to us as it features on a pack of CWS 1940s playing cards which the Museum holds in its collection. The playing cards show the production of tea through pictures, starting at the cultivation of the tea plants and finishing with an image of a family drinking tea around a table.

MOSI is also really interested in the food-processing industries of Trafford Park including the CWS flour mill, the Brooke-Bond (PG Tips) tea factory, Kellogg’s and Kilvert’s Lard. The project aims to gather over 100 recordings which will be used to help interpret the museum collections. They will also be available to the public and researchers and will help us ensure that these stories are not lost forever.

Do you have memories of working in Greater Manchester’s food-processing industries? If so, then the Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI) wants to hear from you.

Sallyann Browning, Oral History Officer for the project says “It is really important for us to collect these stories before they are lost. These industries have played an important part in Manchester’s history and it is really important that they are documented for future generations”.

‘Connecting with people’s histories’ is a one year project that runs until the end of January 2010. If you have a story to tell about working in the food-processing or entertainment industries of Greater Manchester, or you would like more information, contact the Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI) on 0161 606 0211/0128 or emails.browning@mosi.org.uk or a.rhodes@mosi.org.uk, or visit our website at

http://www.mosi.org.uk/collections/ explore-the-collections/oral-histories-online

Front bottom left:CWS tea family CWS Snap playing card backCWS cardCWS warehouseCWS Salford Snap playing card front

14

Research assistant, Kathryn Rogerson, tells Geoff Stott’s remarkable story.

Like a lot of brave young men during the Second World War, Geoff Stott was eager to do his part for his country. In 1939, at the age of 15, he volunteered for the Royal Navy as a Boy Entry. By November of that year Geoff was placed with the H.M.S. St. George at Cunningham’s Holiday Camp for 14 months of training as an Ordinary Seaman. He continued his training on the 18 May 1940 at the Devonport Barracks on the H.M.S. Drake.

By 10 March 1941 Geoff was finally put in the thick of things, joining the H.M.S. Exeter for active convoy duties in the Far East, showing the flag and visiting Columbia and other places. Geoff’s station was in Lazy Y magazine with P.O. Jan Paddon. His role was to load the ship’s guns, with either full charge (two sleeves) or half charge (one sleeve). The sleeves were 8 inches by 24 inches in size, consisting of cordite ammunition, contained in steel. These turned through the wall into turret working space, which took the sleeves up three decks to the guns above.

The H.M.S. Exeter’s luck ended in battle on 1 March 1942 at 11.00 am, losing 54 men in action and eventually sunk by the Japanese. After three hours in the sea Geoff was picked up by the Japanese destroyer and taken to Makassar in the Dutch East Indies. There he was forced to clear bomb damage at the dock yard as a prisoner of war. Geoff was issued with overalls, an identity number and a newly-shaven head.

After six months at Makassar, Geoff and 800 men were chosen to join the prisoner of war camp on a small island 3.5 miles from Nagasaki. He was treated like a slave, forced to do manual labour such as carrying concrete. The living conditions were cramped, housing 56 men to a room, with only a straw mat as a bed. Geoff became malnourished after three years of only eating a small sardine can sized portion of rice a day, with the occasional dried fish and green vegetables. The men faced cruel treatment from the prison guards if they did not follow orders and continually got ‘egged on with a rifle butt’ if they did not bow to a guard. Geoff recollected one incident where he and three other men were beaten with a baseball bat for not heading to bed quick enough.

In this camp 164 men died through illness, disease and malnutrition. Geoff was one of the lucky survivors.

Three years after Geoff’s imprisonment his luck began to change. In August 1945 Geoff saw strange flashes in the sky and enormous mushroom clouds coming from Nagasaki. The Americans had arrived bringing with them the Atomic Bomb. Three days after the bomb was dropped, oil drums were sent on parachutes containing American Army food supplies and clothes; Geoff and his fellow comrades gorged themselves on the new treats. Soon after, 20 American Landing Crafts came to Nagasaki’s harbour, ready to rescue the prisoners of war. Geoff was given a shower, a quick medical and some clean clothes to prepare him for the six week journey back home to England, via Okinawa, Manila and Vancouver. He eventually arrived in Southampton in October, where his family had travelled to see him, taking him home on the 1 November. Geoff finally received all the home comforts he had missed for three years and was introduced to rationing and the new routine of life on the Home Front.

Geoff’s terrible ordeal in the camp did not allow him any special treatment within the navy. After only three months of being rescued he had to return to complete his eight year contract. Once again Geoff had to build up his career from scratch. He began to think of his future outside of the navy, choosing a store job to gain basic skills that were relevant to work as a civilian. Geoff was discharged on 6 January 1954, moving back to Salford where he still resides with his wife in Swinton.

From top left: Geoff in 1939.Photograph of the HMS Exeter sinking. In 2008 the BBC made a programme of the recovery of the ship’s wreckage. Geoff’s identification number and photograph whilst he was in the prison camp.Photograph of Geoff soon after leaving the prisoner of war camp. He noted that the previous glint in his eye had gone after his experience there.Geoff at the end of his career.Top right: Geoff at home in Salford.

Geoff’s WarMemories from a Naval Prisoner of War

15

The sad passing of a great institution

Following my late father’s appointment as head gardener in 1932, the family moved to live in the Lodge at the main gate entrance to the hospital. I was a mere two years old.

In those now distant days, the hospital was run by a small board of governors who would no doubt have been called upon to put their hands in their pockets from time to time.

Without question the leader of the whole organisation was a very strict lady Matron. She was strong on discipline and dress standard. A daily morning visit to each ward ensured a sound relationship with the ward sister. Matron also kept a watching brief on all the maintenance staff including engineers, joiners, plumbers, boiler men, splint makers, kitchen and laundry staff, and of course the very important aspect of the hospital, the lawns and gardens. For all her strictness, Matron was well respected by all staff.

With the hospital being built within a vast open area, the governors were insistent on having large areas of lawns and flower beds with trees and shrubs to give a backdrop of openness. Indeed they believed that children from the poorer districts had never seen such openness, and being in a healthy clean environment speeded up their recovery.

In 1936 the Thackery Merton Convalescence Home was built with the facility of an open veranda the full length of the building to enable all the beds to be turned around to face the spaciousness of the grounds.

As well as the maintenance of the lawns and gardens, they produced most of the greens for the salads in three large greenhouses including tomatoes, mushrooms and of course the never failing rhubarb.

So this was life I grew up with until 1939 when the Second World War began. Two large areas were turned into market gardens. By 1941 the first Italian prisoners arrived, brought in daily by just one guard. They seemed more than happy to be there planting and harvesting the vegetables.

Soon after the war my father took ill and eventually retired on health grounds in 1948, leaving the Lodge after sixteen years.

For nostalgia I returned in June this year to witness the closure. I was deeply saddened to see the transformation that had taken place. The gardens were now marked car spaces, the lawned areas were covered with decaying prefabricated wooden buildings, vast air conditioning trunking units defaced each ward. It was untidy and well beyond restoration.

The new hospital will be ‘par excellence’ equipped with all the latest technology. But I wonder what the Governors would be saying? “In the centre of Manchester? Where will the open spaces and fresh air be?”

Wm E Crackle

Many tears would have been shed by the staff of yesteryear who as doctors, nurses and all ancillary staff had served the needs of the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital in Pendlebury. This sadness would have been felt too by the hundreds of children who had been patients there.

Photo top: Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital in Pendleburyshowing some of the gardens.Photo right: Ward and nurses in the 1930s.

Geoff’s War

16

You Write

Rose Hooley 1917-2006

My mother Rose Hooley (née Brannan) was born in the heart of Salford in Gertrude Street, or Tealeaf Alley, in what is now Salford housing estate. She lived in Gloucester Street and worked at Richard Howarth’s Cotton Mill. At around 57 years old she and my dad moved all over the place and finally settled at Peterloo Court, St. Luke’s Road in about 1980. My dad Allen died in 1993. She stayed at Peterloo and, at the age of 82, decided to try her hand at writing poetry. She was very proud of this and penned a poem for every occasion. I attach a piece she wrote about herself and her

Another poem came in from one of our readers that we thought we would share with you:

A Salford Champion

Foster and Pyatt beneath bright Nynex lightsTraded red leather in the ‘fight of all fights’.Two old pros with respect for each otherFoster in shorts that were made by his mother.They’d both said goodbye to that distant jogThen Foster came out like a Belle Vue dog.Punching and punching in search for the jawFrom the very first bell both men went to war.Pyatt with class… He could be the teacherFoster with courage and trained by ‘The Preacher’.The contest was thrilling, a terrific fightThe fans were delighted that Saturday night.McCrory had Pyatt in front at the eleventh gongBut ‘The Vikings’ knew his arithmetic was wrong.In the last round, before celebratingBoth men embraced……Their beer was waitingThen for three minutes through tiredness and painPyatt’s eyes seemed to say…Oh no…He’s attacking againThen the final bell in ‘the fight of all fights’The end of ‘the hooks’, ‘the jabs’ and ‘the straight rights’.The announcer spoke, the cheering was loudSteve Foster was champ…..and Salford was proud.

Fred B Doherty

Ed: A very descriptive piece about the Commonwealth light middleweight fight between Chris Pyatt and Steve Foster in July 1997.

husband, maybe it would be of interest to your readers. E. Castledine (daughter)

My name is RoseA bit faded of course83 years oldBut still in the fold

I worked in the millIt helped pay the billsThere I met my ‘Al’A husband and pal

Saw me through thickSaw me through thinDidn’t realise how muchTill I lost him

But memories are goldAnd as I grow oldIt helps me seeHow lucky I’ve been

If you’d like to tell a story, ask ‘where are they now?’, or share your memories - send your letters in to: The Editor, LifeTimes Link, Salford Museum and Art Gallery, Peel Park, Crescent, Salford, M5 4WU. email: lifetimes@salford.gov.uk Tel: 0161 778 0885 Due to space limitations we reserve the right to edit any letters that we do include.

My father: Fred Bullen 1911-1948

The photo (left) shows the butcher’s shop Nields on Lower Broughton Road where my father was a butcher’s boy whilst he was a student at the art school on the Crescent (where he was dared to climb out of the upper floor windows and walk along the ledge!). I guess this would have been in the 1920s. Later Dad worked for a Mrs. Ross who had a large house in The Polygon off the Cliff off Lower Broughton Road. Before the Second World War, Dad signed up for the fire brigade based at the Crescent, Salford. During the war he was on fire boats on the Manchester Ship Canal. He ended his days at Hillson and Wallace on Frederick Road. I wonder if anyone remembers this Salford family?

As you can see (above) my father had a wonderful smile. My son, born in 1980, many years after my dad died, has inherited his looks and smile. Both beautiful people!

Freda Lear (née Bullen), France

17

Fred Bullen is on the left

Left: Nield’s Butchers on Lower Broughton Road

Bridge Master at Barton Bridge

William Richard Robinson born on the 24 July 1863 at East Retford Nottinghamshire was my great grandfather. He had obviously been told stories about the sea and sailing ships by his Grandfather William Wilkins (his mother’s father) who was a Mariner born in Exmouth, Devon, in 1810. At about the age of 13 years William ran away to sea, or that is how it was romantically passed down through family history. A cousin, Frank Robinson, has shared with me a number of great grandfather’s seaman’s papers which show extensive travel between 21 February 1885 and what was believed to have been his last voyage on the 5 November 1898. They list exotic locations such as Valparaiso in Chile, China, San Francisco and numerous Canadian Ports. It was sometime after 1898 after working for a short while on the railways in York, that he moved to Manchester and lived for a while in a cottage that was near to Gaythorn Gasometers. It is not known when he became Bridge Master at Barton Bridge, but he was certainly employed in that position on 17 August 1903 when my grandfather Richard William Robinson was born. He was living at this time at 175 Peel Green Road which my mother told me was a thatched cottage. The photo (above) shows him in 1910, or thereabouts. William is in his uniform with two local policemen. The two children disappearing behind the hut are my grandfather Richard William and his brother Frank who was born on the 26 March 1905. The photograph (right) is of my great grandfather William Richard and his wife, Annie, who married in York in 1892. My connection with the bridge does not end there. I was born in Barton upon Irwell in 1949 and my early childhood memories of my grandfather were from visits to him at work. He was employed in turning the Barton Aqueduct. Turning the Aqueduct was done from a small wooden shed which appeared to be stuck on the side of the aqueduct where the controls were. Access to the shed was via a narrow walkway on the side of the Aqueduct and over the Manchester Ship Canal, a perilous journey when you are young. I have had rides on the aqueduct when it was turned to allow shipping up the canal to Manchester Docks. This would no doubt be contrary to thousands of Health and Safety Regulations today.

John Hadfield, Bournemouth Ed: If you want to have a go at tracing your family history, why not visit Salford Local History library where staff will be able to help.

Sharing photos with Joan Hamer

Top right: this was Weaste Congregational Church Rose Queen Ethel Haslam, possible date 1949. I was one of her attendants and wonder if any readers recognise themselves? The church has now been demolished, but when I lived in that area our social life came from the church and Sunday School. There were Brownies, Boy’s Brigade, dances, fêtes and of course a great men’s club in the basement. My dad loved to play snooker there and then have a cuppa in the kitchen with the caretaker Pa Eaton. Our anniversary was celebrated by the scholars walking around the district and a service in the church afterwards. The Rose Queen and her attendants would also walk the procession. I do hope some readers will remember Weaste ‘Cong’ (as we called it!).

Second right: this is Tootal Drive School,1947, our last year with teacher Miss Hancock. I wonder if any pupils recognise themselves and of course the great Salford actor, Albert Finney. The school still looks good as I drive past there. I wonder if the partition walls are still opened on a sunny day. Sometimes we were even given lessons on the lawns. I expect the air raid shelters in the playground were demolished decades ago. Many a day we would have to go in when the sirens sounded and we would sit and sing!

Third right: my late father Jack Millward worked for Worrals Velvet Company, Ordsall Lane for many years from the age of 14. He was a shearer and a grinder as well as being in the company’s own fire brigade. I do remember the annual fire brigade sports day which they held at Mobberley. There would be a drill display and families would compete in the sack and egg and spoon races. Dad would quite often come home from work with burns on his head from the steam pipes which ran across the room.

Bottom right: does anybody know this Salford football team from many years ago? Our late father Jack Millward is on the front row and he would have been about 16 or 17 years old. He went to Langworthy Road School but would have left at 14, so I don’t think it was at his school. One of the players on the back row could be Harold Riley, a close friend of my father.

18

Dreams in Red

19

When I was little I remember unwrapping the Christmas present- the red and white United shirt. No badges, no adverts, no sponsors. Just a red shirt with round white collar and cuffs. Simple and iconic. I got my mam to sew a number ten on the back so I could be Denis Law. That was my first step to Old Trafford.

In the summer holidays it was off to Buile Hill Park every day. Jackets and jumpers for goalposts, anything from two to twenty a-side and games that seemed to go on for hours … unless someone upset the lad who’d brought the ball. If that happened he’d just pick it up and take it home. His ball … his game. His decision was final as well, a sort of unofficial referee. And I was good. Beating players, avoiding trees, scoring goals. I could even play in goal. That was my second step to Old Trafford.

I played for the school team, Langworthy Road Primary School Football Team. And I wasn’t bad. I was never dropped, scored a few goals … and never stopped running. We even won the Subsidiary Cup in 1966 – the first time the school had won anything in over 20 years. I got a medal for that and my dad got it engraved:

Paul Football

66

It wasn’t a big medal and you had to pay the engraver by the letter.

That was my third step to Old Trafford.

Then I moved up to the Grammar School. 11 years old and still dreaming of United – and training sessions at The Cliff. The second week at school they had the trials for the football team. There must have been forty or fifty lads turned up and the teachers started sorting the good from the bad ….

That was when I decided to take my first step to the Willows and play rugby for Salford.

Paul Wright, Swinton.

Ed: Paul is a member of the Words in Edgeways writing group based in Boothstown. If you are a member of a writing group and would like to submit a piece to LifeTimes Link, then please get in touch.

Photo: Salford RLFC playing at the Willows Rugby Ground

What I always wanted to do was play football for Manchester United. I wanted to play alongside real sportsmen like Denis Law, Bobby Charlton, Bill Foulkes. Legends. They don’t have players like them any more. Real characters who could kick or head a real leather football, even when it was clogged full of mud. They played for the love of the game … not the fame.

Exhibitions

Main galleries

Quiffs, Riffs & Tiffs - until January 2010 This exhibition explores and celebrates the history of popular music in Salford over the past fifty years right up to the present day. Salford musicians, bands, managers, producers, fans and music people recount their personal stories for this exhibition, and show the unique musical character of this city and its influence on the local, national and international music scene.

Thomas Paine: Voice of the Common People 15 August to 22 November An exhibition to mark the death in 1809 of the revolutionary and writer Thomas Paine. His radical ideas about freedom, justice and equality were a source of inspiration to ordinary people across two continents two hundred years ago, and are still in print today.

Salford Art Club Annual exhibition: The Changing Face of Salford14 November 2009 to 21 February 2010This show by Salford’s Art Club will document recent change in the city through watercolours, oils, drawings, prints and sculpture. This selection of the very best work by art club members made during the past year will also include audience favourites including landscapes, still life and life-drawing.

Worsley in Winter, Steff Lorenz, Salford Art Club.

Find out much more about events and activities at www.visitsalford.info20

A taste of forthcoming heritage events

A full programme of events and exhibitions can be found in our twice yearly (approx January and July) Events and Activities publication. Pick up a copy from Salford Museum or any Salford library.

ON, the magazine for what’s on in Salford is published bi-monthly and carries full listings for events and activities in the city.

You can also find much more to see and do (as well as find the most up to date venue or event details) at www.visitsalford.infoRemember - internet access is FREE at all Salford libraries and help is always available.

Link Listings

At Salford Museum and Art Gallery

ACTIVITIES & EVENTS

At Ordsall Hall Museum

SATURDAY AFTERNOON FILM CLUB

On Saturday 28 November at 2.30pm we will be showing a selection of children’s cartoons and animations. Please ring 0161 778 0821 for more details about screenings. This is a free drop in event but places will be given on a first come, first served basis.

Activity AfternoonJoin us for an afternoon of arts and crafts activities with fun for all the family on Sunday 29 November, 2.00-4.00pm. This is a free drop in session.

Christmas events

Musical ChristmasJoin Monton Voices on Sunday 6 December as they sing us into the Christmasfestivities. There will also be Tudor themed arts and crafts from the Ordsall Hall team, 2.00-4.00pm.This is a free drop in event.

School holiday activities

As always we will be running a packed programme of activities during all of the school holidays running alongside the current exhibitions.

We will be offering activities in February half term, during the Easter holidays and Whit half term.

Please call 0161 778 0821 for more information about events in the school holidays.

21

Ray Lowry Retrospective5 December 2009 to 7 March 2010 Salford-born Ray Lowry became famous in the 70s and 80s for his cartoons in the New Musical Express (NME) and Punch Magazine, and for designing the iconic London Calling album cover for The Clash. Showing for the first time in Salford will be his large-scale urban landscapes of his Cadishead birthplace and his abstract works, displayed alongside the cartoons and album art work that made his name.

A Father’s Fears: Paintings by Alan Hawkins27 February to 20 June These exceptional oil paintings showthe artist’s very real concerns as afather about young people in contemporary society. Using his own family and friends as his subject matter he creates detailed and lifelike oil studies which both tell stories about everyday situations of life out on the town and on the streets, and which portray a father’s sensitive perspective which may otherwise remain hidden in everyday family life.

Roger Hampson Retrospective20 March to 27 JuneThis is a touring exhibition from Gallery Oldham During the years of post-war industrial decline in the north-west, painter and printmaker Roger Hampson (1925-1996) was motivated to paint a landscape and way of life that he knew was fast disappearing. This retrospective shows how his work captures the bleakness of the northern landscape, as well as the warmth and humour of its people.Alongside this work will be pieces from Salford’s own collection, which reflect and contrast with Hampson’s own interests.

LifeTimes Gallery

Life through the Lens: Snapshots of Salford’s PastFrom 20 February To celebrate 10 years of LifeTimes, this exhibition shows the very best photographs held in the LifeTimes and Local History Library collections. Focussing on the themes of dress and fashion, local characters, the changing environment and Salfordians home and away, these photographs tell Salford’s story from the perspective of local people.Families will be able to enjoy the photographers studio in the exhibition and capture their very own family snaps.

Pilkington's Pottery Collection - ongoing Key pieces from the collection and new acquisitions are now on permanent display.

In the Community Gallery

Inside:Outside A photographic journey along Chapel Street and inside Salford Museum by Richard Heeps28 November 2009 to 28 February 2010In 1985 Richard photographed Chapel Street as was, and in this exhibition he investigates the same route today - documenting people and places about to change for good. As part of his journey he will also delve into the depths of Salford Museum, unveiling the intriguing aspects of the Museum and its collections.

Swinton and District Amateur Photography Society6 March to 13 June The very best of this year’s work from the Swinton and District Amateur Photography Society members, including portraits, landscapes, human life and local history.

Dreamfest by Constance Fearne19 June to 26 September Constance uses the architecture of Salford and Manchester as her inspiration to generate expressive and spontaneous rapidly drawn poster paint sketches, which breathe and move. Her colour work transforms the stunning but drab looking cityscape into vibrant and textured panoramas which reflect the iridescence of Eastern and Mediterranean art, which she uses as inspiration.Constance lives in Salford and is a volunteer at the Start In Salford Arts Project and is currently working towards a BA in Fine Art.

Heritage Walks

Our heritage walks programme was a great success over the spring and summer period, and lots of you got out and about and learned more about our city’s fascinating heritage. Thanks to our friendly and experienced team of volunteer guides who led the walks.

We are currently working on a new programme of walks for Spring 2010, so if you want to find out more contact Naomi Lewis on 0161 778 0881 (daytime) or email naomi.lewis@salford.gov.uk

Images top - from left: Old Tom, Roger Hampson;Manchester No1, Ray Lowry; Dawn (detail), Swinton & District Amateur Photography Society

22

Mystery PixSalford Local History Library has over 65,000 photos in their collection. Unfortunately we can’t identify all of them. Drop us a line or pop into the Local History Library if you can help! (Open Tuesday to Friday 10am to 5pm, with a late night opening on Wednesdays until 8pm).

Mystery Pix 1: Is this a Salford Park? Do you recognise any of the children playing?

Mystery Pix 2: Is this somewhere in the Monton area?

Mystery Pix 3: Do you recognise anyone in this Salford school? Could it possibly be in the Liverpool Street area?

Last issue’s cover photoMrs Waddington has been in touch to say there were a few familiar faces for her on the cover of the last issue of LifeTimes Link. The boy on the far right in the jersey was her eldest brother Alfred Ward. Unfortunately Alfred passed away three years ago. Her other brother, Norman, features in the photo on his bike, just to the left of the boy walking in his school uniform. Norman was five when the picture was taken in about 1930. Mrs Waddington’s family lived just around the corner in Church Street behind the Town Hall at the time.

Issue 24 cover photo Chris Pennington got in touch about the cover photo of issue 24 and said, “the three ladies in the picture are photographed behind the bar at The Ship on Cross Lane. In order from left to right are Villa, my mum Kath Pendergest and Edna. I’m not sure of the other ladies second names.”Thanks Chris for responding to Margaret Wolstencroft’s letter. She recognised her mum behind the bar too.

Send your information or comments to:

LifeTimes Link, Salford Museum and Art Gallery, Peel Park, Crescent, Salford, M5 4WU

Tel: 0161 778 0885lifetimes@salford.gov.uk

Swinton & Pendlebury Local History SocietyMeet at Swinton Library, Chorley Road, Swinton. Contact John Cook 0161 736 6191Website: www.splhs.colsal.org.uk• Monday 16 November Lancashire in old Maps - a slide talk Diana Winterbotham • Monday 30 November Stranger Than Fiction Peter A Watson • Monday 14 December ‘A Christmas Quiz’ with fantastic prizes • Monday 11 January Bolton History in Tokens Cliff Stockton • Monday 25 January Christmas Luncheon• Monday 8 February Reminiscence session • Monday 22 February A Search for the Under-dwellers Dr Sandra Hayton • Monday 8 March Buffalo Bill comes to Salford John Aldred • Monday 22 March Details to follow • Monday 12 April ‘Crime Watch’ - otherwise known as ‘Candid Camera’ • Monday 26 April Coach Trip - details to follow• Monday 10 May Reminiscence Session Talks start at 10.00am • Cost £1.00

Walkden Local History GroupMeet in the Guild Hall, Guild AvenueContact David George on 0161 790 9904. Meet on the second Wednesday of the month• Wednesday 11 NovemberThe Story of Walkden’s biggest mill Glen Atkinson• Wednesday 9 DecemberBeer and Skittles John Aldred• Wednesday 13 January To be announced• Wednesday 10 FebruaryBolton Textile Mills David George• Wednesday 10 MarchRed Rose Steam Society Geoff Jones• Wednesday 14 AprilConcert Halls of Bolton Cliff Stockton• Wednesday 12 MayVisit to Museum of Transport, Cheetham Hill. Meet at Museum, concession admission £2.00Talks start at 2.00pm • Cost £1.50

Worsley Methodist Church & Community AssociationMeet at Worsley Methodist Church, Barton Road. Contact Kathryn or Charles Ogden on 0161 790 2125Talks start 7.30pm • Cost £3.00 including tea and biscuits (proceeds in aid of the church)

STOP PRESS: NEW GROUPLittle Hulton Local History Group has recently reformed. Meet at Little Hulton Library fortnightly, on Mondays at 2.00 pm, for reminiscence on various themes. New members are welcome to join - contact Angela on 0161 790 4201

2323

Boothstown & District Local History Group - informal meetings are held in the main hall of Boothstown Community Centre, Stansfield Drive, on the third Wednesday of the month. Contact - Ann Monaghan 0161 799 6091 • Wednesday 21 OctoberSlideshow featuring more newly digitised images from the Mullineux CollectionAnn Monaghan• Wednesday 18 NovemberSlideshow on Astley Green Pit and the Red Rose Steam Society Geoff Jones• Wednesday 16 DecemberLocal history quiz and other seasonal bits Seasonal Refreshments will be served• Wednesday 20 JanuaryThe Bells David Forsyth• Wednesday 17 FebruaryThe Concert Halls of Bolton Cliff Stockton• Wednesday 17 MarchA Celebration of Kersal Moor and its remarkable history Alice Searle• Wednesday 21 AprilJohn Gilbert – not just a pub John Aldred• Wednesday 19 MayNoted for Fresh Air and Fun John DoughtyTalks start at 7.45pm •Cost - £1.50

Chalk History Group, Charlestown and Lower Kersal - meet at St. Sebastian’s Community Hall, Douglas Green, fortnightly every other Friday at 12.30 pm. For further details for forthcoming meetings check their website, www.chalkhistory.colsal.org.uk or email: chalkhistory@yahoo.co.uk

Eccles & District History Society - meet at Alexandra House, Peel Green on the second Wednesday of the month. Contact Andrew Cross 0161 788 7263Website: www.edhs.colsal.org.uk• Wednesday 11 November MECCANO - the story of Frank Hornby’s invention Don Palmer • Wednesday 9 December to be confirmed • Wednesday 13 January Salford in Love on the Dole Chris Carson • Wednesday 10 FebruaryThe Story of a Local Mill Glen Atkinson • Wednesday 10 March North Country Folklore Peter Watson • Wednesday 14 April The History of Comedy – roots and routes - from Music Hall to TV SitcomDr C P Lee [to be held at The Lancastrian Theatre Organ Trust Heritage Centre, Alexandra Road, Eccles M30 7HJ]

• Wednesday 12 May Eccles and Worsley slide show The Annual General Meeting will precede the slide showTalks start at 7.30pm

Irlam, Cadishead & District Local History Society - meet at St. Paul’s Church, Liverpool Road, Irlam. Contact Deborah Yates 0161 775 8708Website: www.icdlhs.colsal.org.uk• Wednesday 18 NovemberManchester Theatres Chris Makepeace • Friday 4 December No Meeting Christmas Party at Boysnope Golf Club Pre Booking Essential • Wednesday 20 January River Irwell and the Salford Junction Canal David George • Wednesday 17 February Ellen Tooley, Eccles First Woman Councillor Veronica Trick • Wednesday 17 March Stone Age Man Ray Jeffreys • Wednesday 21 April The de Traffords and the sale of Trafford park Mrs Carole O Reilly • Wednesday 28 April Local History Walk A Stroll Around Jenny Green with Deborah Yates • Wednesday 19 May Curiouser and Curiouser Miss Margaret CurryTalks start at 7.30 pmVisitors welcome: £1.00

Salford Local History SocietyMeet at Salford Museum & Art Gallery. Contact Roy Bullock 0161 736 7306 www.salfordlocalhistorysociety.colsal.org.uk• Wednesday 25 November The Battle of Bexley Square Veronica Trick• December 2009 - No Meeting. • Wednesday 27 January Abandon Hope - Life in the Workhouse Peter Watson • Wednesday 24 February Engineering Around Manchester David George • Wednesday 31 March Lancashire Landscapes Terry Perkins• April 2010 - A.G.M.Talks start at 7.30pmVisitors welcome: £1.00

This calendar of local history/heritage activities is based on information supplied by the individual organisations and is believed to be correct at the time of going to press. Please confirm details in advance of attending an event. Note to programme secretaries: for your group’s talks to be included in this listing please send your programme to us before the deadline as shown on p3.

Some societies have their own websites and details of all talks supplied to us are also listed on our web page at www.salford.gov.uk/museum-talks

Local History Round Up

Salford Museum & Art GalleryPeel Park, Crescent, Salford M5 4WUTel: 0161 778 0800 • Fax: 0161 745 9490Email: salford.museum@salford.gov.ukOpen: Mon-Fri 10.00am-4.45pm and Sat-Sun 1.00-5.00pmChristmas opening times:24-28 December - closed29 December – open 10.00am – 4.45pm30 December – open 10.00am – 4.45pm31 December – closed1 January – closed2 January – open 1.00-5.00pm3 January – open 1.00-5.00pmThesetimesaresubjecttochangesopleasecontactthegalleryon0161 778 0800beforeyouvisit.Free parking, disabled access, gift shop, café.

Salford Local History Library at Salford Museum & Art Gallery:Open: Tues, Thurs and Fri 10.00am-5.00pm and Weds 10.00am-8.00pmClosed weekends and Mondays

Ordsall Hall MuseumOrdsall Hall is now closed for an exciting and extensive refurbishment programme and will reopen in 2011. Go to www.visitsalford.info/ordsallhall for the latest information and updates.

Salford Quays

Salford Crescent Station

RiverIrwell

To Manchester >

A6

M602

A57

A576 Eccles Old Road

A57 Regent Road

A580 East Lancs Road

A5063 Trafford R

oad

A5066 Ordsall Lane

Salford Museum & Art Gallery

OrdsallHallMuseum

Designedby Creative Services (01617933761)Ref7-3281

55%This magazine is printed on 55% recycled paperWhen you have finished with it please recycle

Designed by Creative Services (0161 793 3761) Ref 7-3166