LifeTimes Link 32 - Salford Community Leisure

Harold Riley:
an interview with the artist
Filming Hobson’s Choice in Salford
Issue No 32 Winter 2012 £2.00
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Useful contacts
John Sculley,
Museums and Heritage
Services Manager
0161 778 0816
Peter Turner,
Lifetimes Officer
0161 778 0809
Amy Goodwin,
Exhibitions Officer
0161 778 0883
Peter Ogilvie,
Collections Manager
0161 778 0825
Ceri Horrocks,
Heritage Development
Officer (Learning)
0161 778 0820
Amy Whitehead,
Learning Officer
0161 686 7442
Naomi Lewis,
Outreach Officer
0161 778 0881
Liz McNabb,
Ordsall Hall Manager
0161 686 7446
Hazel Fenton,
Arts and Community Officer
Ordsall Hall
0161 686 7444
David Potts,
Volunteer and Training
Manager
0161 686 7445
Lindsay Berry,
Gardener and Outdoor
Trainer
0161 872 0251
Amy Senogles,
Merchandising Officer
0161 778 0818
Kellie Brown,
Marketing Officer
0161 778 0819
Michelle Flye,
Memories Matter Project
Support Worker
0161 778 0838
Duncan McCormick,
Salford Local History
Librarian
0161 778 0814
Salford Museum &
Art Gallery
0161 778 0800
Ordsall Hall Museum
0161 872 0251
Useful websites
www.salford.gov.uk/museums
– for all museum related topics
www.salford.gov.uk/whatson
– find out about concerts, walks,
talks and other events in Salford
www.wcml.org.uk – website for
Working Class Movement Library
www.visitsalford.info
– what to do, where to stay and
what to see in Salford
2
Editorial
Welcome to Lifetimes Link 32,
the magazine that celebrates
Salford’s rich heritage. As
always, we are grateful to
everyone who has taken the
time to send in contributions
and thank you to all our
readers for your continued
enthusiasm and support.
Salford Museum and Art Gallery
As outlined in the last issue of LifeTimes
Link, the advanced works at Salford
Museum and Art Gallery are currently
under way. They commenced in October,
later than initially anticipated, and they are
due for completion in February 2013.
The work focuses on the ground floor
of the building with improvements to
museum’s entrance. There will be a new
reception with retail sales area and a
relocation of the café from the first floor
to the ground floor gallery overlooking the
Peel Building.
Once this work has been completed
there will be additional work in the North
Gallery, removing the school room and
returning the gallery space to its original
splendour.
Whilst the works are in progress entry
to the museum will be through Lark Hill
Place on the other side of the building to
the usual entrance. We plan to stay open
and offer our usual services throughout
this period.
Our outreach team have taken this
opportunity to refresh and revitalise our
Memories Matter reminiscence resources
with a view to re-launching the service.
See pages 10 and 11 to learn more about
the service.
Salford Museum and Art Gallery’s popular
sporting exhibition, Salford’s Sporting
Stars continues in the LifeTimes Gallery
until April next year. It is then followed in
May 2013 by a retrospective exhibition of
Salford artist, Harold Riley. The exhibition
will feature oils, watercolours and
drawings by the artist, focusing on Salford
and some of the people important to him.
Harold Riley’s life, work and archive are
featured on pages 12 and 13 along with
photos of his works.
A project that the collections team have
been working on, in conjunction with the
Public Catalogue Foundation, is showcased
in Our Choice of Your Paintings from
December this year. The project’s aim
is to photograph and make available via
their ‘Your Paintings’ website the 200,000
paintings in public ownership in the
United Kingdom. Over 900 oil paintings
in Salford’s collections have now been
photographed and are accessible to all via
this website.
See Link Listings on pages 18-19 for
further details of our exciting programme
of exhibitions at Salford Museum and Art
Gallery, and page 20 for other things to do
at the two sites.
We continue to receive many letters,
photographs and articles from our readers
which we hope will be of interest to fellow
readers of this magazine. We are grateful
for these contributions – please keep them
coming!
We hope you enjoy reading this issue of
Link and will support the magazine in
the future. Please continue to send your
contributions and comments to LifeTimes.
Contact details on page 3.
Please note that anyone who does
contribute a feature or letter which we
publish will receive a complimentary copy
of the magazine.
If you’d like to subscribe to LifeTimes
Link, please call 0161 778 0818 or go
to www.salford.gov.uk/lifetimes for more
information.
Join the Friends of
Salford Museums
The 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 call John Sculley on
0161 778 0816

Share your
stories of
St. Augustine’s
Church and its
community
St. Augustine’s Church
Do you have stories or memories of St
Augustine’s Church, Pendlebury, and its
local community?
We want to hear from you, whether
you or your family attended the church,
worked at the local collieries, or have
other connections!
We are pupils, volunteers and staff at St
Augustine’s CE Primary School, and we
are collecting local people’s stories.
Your memories and stories will help us
tell families, volunteers and people in
Pendlebury and Salford more about St
Augustine’s church and its role in the
lives of the local community.
To share your memories please contact
Jocelyn Arschavir on 0161 794 4083
(school reception). St Augustine’s
CE Primary School, 380 Bolton Rd,
Pendlebury, M27 8UX
We may ask you to take part in an oral
history recording, which will be deposited
with the NorthWest Sound Archive
www.nwsoundarchive.co.uk/default.aspx
LifeTimes Link
subscriptions
Why not subscribe to LifeTimes Link
either for yourself or as a gift for a loved
one? UK subscriptions cost £6 for one
year and include two editions posted
direct to your door
If you require further information please go
to www.salford.gov.uk/lifetimes-link.htm or
call 0161 778 0818 for more details.
Find us on-line (plus all our back issues)
at www.salford.gov.uk/lifetimes-link
Basic large print versions of
this magazine are available
ring 0161 778 0809
Contributions
Send your letters, articles and copies of
photographs to:
LifeTimes Link, Salford Museum and Art
Gallery, Peel Park, Crescent,
Salford, M5 4WU
Tel: 0161 778 0809
Email: lifetimes@salford.gov.uk
The deadline for items for the next
issue (summer issue: May 2013 –
November 2013) is 4 March 2013.
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.
Cover photo:
One of our Local History Library’s many
mystery photographs (see page 22 for
more), possibly from the Irlam area. Do
you have any clues about this motley crew?
Please get in touch if you do.
Contents
Page 2
Useful contacts
Editorial
Join the Friends
Page 3
Contributions
St. Augustine’s Church project
Page 4 - 5
Collections Corner
Peter Ogilvie &
Peter Turner
Page 6 - 7
The filming of Hobson’s Choice
in Salford, 1953
Margaret Jones
Page 8-9
You Write
Page 10 - 11
Why do memories matter?
Michelle Flye
Page 12 -13
Harold Riley:
Salford 1947-2012
Amy Goodwin
Page 14
Community activities
at Ordsall Hall
Hazel Fenton
Page 15
Salford’s First World War
centenary celebrations
John Sculley
Page 16 - 17
Sharing photos
Page 18 -20
Link Listings
Page 21
Ordsall launderette
Ken Williamson
Worsley cottages oil painting
Page 22
Mystery Pix
Page 23
Local History Roundup
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Peter Ogilvie, Collections Manager &
Peter Turner, Collections Assistant
King Edward VII 1905 royal visit handkerchief
This issue features items that we have acquired
over the last year, which we have previously
not had the space to feature. This varied mix
from around the city includes a number of
commemorative items.
An ink drawing of Barton Old Viaduct and a print of Worsley Old
Hall have been donated by Anne Hood. Worsley Old Hall dates
from the fifteenth century and is still standing today. The drawings
previously belonged to the donor’s parents who lived on Worsley
Road, Westwood Park.
David Roughley has donated pencil drawings of Trinity
Congregational Church by Fred Mather. The church stood on
Swinton Hall Road (formerly Jane Lane), Swinton and held its first
service on 13 June 1882. The last service was on 27 March 1966 and
the building was demolished in 1973.
Celebrating the end of the First World War, a Salford Peace Medal
has been acquired from Albert Rooms. These medals from 1919
were likely to have been given to school children in Salford, this
example being received by Eunice Plumber. The obverse features
busts of George V and Queen Mary and the reverse the Salford Coat
of Arms with ‘E. Mather Mayor’ and ‘Council Borough of Salford’
above.
On 13 July 1905 King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra opened
No. 9 Dock of the Manchester Ship Canal. A handkerchief
commemorating this royal visit has been donated by Richard
Preston. Eighty-seven years later, in 1992, Salford City Council was
awarded two engraved glass bowls as a planning award for Salford
Quays. They were presented by the Royal Institute of Chartered
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Salford Hundred plates
Salford Peace Medal

Print of Worsley Old Hall
St. Ouen town twinning objects
Ladywell mug and plate
Surveyors for water quality
improvement and regeneration and
are now in our collections.
Gallery Oldham has transferred
some Salford Hundred plates,
made by Minton of Stoke-on-Trent,
to the museum’s collections. The
Salford Hundred was an ancient
division of the county of Lancashire
which had Salford as its judicial
centre. Also transferred from
Galley Oldham is a Burrow’s
Pointer Guide Map of Salford
which dates from the mid twentieth
century.
A selection of items has been
donated by a delegation from one
of Salford’s twin towns, St.Ouen,
during the 50th anniversary of town
twinning links. Items include a
bag, badge, pennant and booklet.
St.Ouen is an industrial suburb to
the north of Paris.
A Ladywell 100 plate has been
donated by Muriel Dunn. Her
father was Edwin Cole, Chairman of
the League of Friends for Ladywell
Hospital. We have assumed these
were produced to celebrate the
hospital centenary year in 1992;
can readers supply any further
information?
Muriel Dunn also donated
a Salford Charter Festival
mug which was produced to
commemorate the 750th year
anniversary of Salford gaining its
royal charter.
If readers have any comments
or further information on any of
the above objects please write to
LifeTimes Link – details on page 3
5

The filming of “Hobson’s
Choice” in Salford, 1953
by Margaret Jones
Maybe I can add some
information to that already
known but bear in mind that
some of this is what I was
told at the time and it was
years ago. I am interested
because in our house there
was much excitement for days
on end. Why? Because when
David Lean’s film crew arrived
in Salford they needed the
help of Salford Fire Station
and from then on we heard all
the surprises, set-backs and
solutions to their days filming
in Salford. Although a book
called “Salford: a city and its
past” says that filming the
outdoor scenes of this film all
took place on 7 September
1953 in Salford, I have my
doubts. Filming is always a
protracted affair of preparation,
problems, and re-shooting and
this crew had some problems
we found amusing.
The first problem that surprised
them was that instead of a
gloomy north-west drizzle giving
the right impression for filming
this story, it was dry and bright.
The fire brigade came to the
rescue hosing down streets,
buildings, and probably actors in
the process.
With the benefit of a new DVD I
can refresh my memory. Many
adults in Salford were co-opted
to be extras in the street scenes
and Peel Park. Suitably attired
they look perfectly at home in
their scenes. The children living
on Fire Station Square were coopted
to run about the streets in
various scenes, apart from me
because my mother refused to
let me miss school. I was quite
jealous and wanted to know
afterwards about their brush
with high life. However they were
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not at all impressed. Five of
them spent a whole day cooped
up in a caravan and were only
let out for a few minutes to run
about and do their scenes.
One serious delay was the
filming of a street, I think the one
with every house step occupied
by a seated poor soul wearing
a shawl, headscarf, long skirt
and boots, all-in-all an intended
“mean streets” impression. Each
householder (I mean female!)
was persuaded to swap their
pristine white net-curtains, clean
windows and weekly stoned
door-step for the wardrobe
department’s tatty grey curtains,
dirty step and windows. That is
each lady apart from one. She
absolutely refused and it seemed
that nothing would budge her.
The shot would be impossible.
Clever lady, she came to an
arrangement, conformed
and filming continued. On the
internet there is a comment
about Brussels Street filming.
It says that each householder
was paid £5 to change their front
doors to better reflect the period
of the film.
The biggest laugh we had was
the day they were to
film John Mills and
his intended walking
in Peel Park along
the path at the side
of the River Irwell.
Huge icebergs of
soapy foam were
flowing down the
river from, I think,
Cussons soap works
upstream. A not
unusual occurrence.
Filming stopped
and I was told they
then negotiated with
Cussons to stop
putting their suds into the river
on another day, when they did
complete this scene.
The website Reel Streets has a
mass of stills of filming Hobson’s
Choice. They think the scene
used on the film by the Irwell
was actually filmed “canal-side”
around the same area as that
used in A Taste of Honey. The
summer issue of this magazine
showed both photos (p7). The
still photo from Hobson’s Choice
I think looks exactly like the the
path we trod every day with our
dog and quite different from the
canal-side in A Taste of Honey.
My money is on it being shot in
Peel Park.
There are many families in
Salford who had one or more
members co-opted for filming in
1953. Example comments from
the internet are “my mam and
dad were extras in the scene at
the top of Peel Park steps, sitting
on a bench.” Another person
wrote that a relative was an
extra in the scene where a group
process with a Band of Hope
banner. Another, “I watched with
my mother at Chapel Street“.
Filming Hobson’s Choice in Peel Park

Some of the streets identified in
the film by the site Reel Streets,
still exist, like Cleminson Street,
Arlington Street, and Chapel
Street, whereas Brussels Street
has gone. The unmistakable
outline of Salford Cathedral
appears in some shots. Cleverly
sometimes they shot a bit of one
building and joined it up with
the outline and inside of another
building. This happened when
John Mills is standing on an
imposing forecourt of a church in
which he is about to be married.
The forecourt was Christ Church,
just to the left of our fire station
house and the film shots were
joined up with a wedding scene
shot in a Stockport church.
Christ Church was demolished
on 11 July 1958. My father took
the only photo of the spire in
the act of falling. So if these
memories jog those of other
readers, do write in with your, or
your family’s experience of film
companies in Salford, especially
filming “Hobson’s Choice“.
Scene from Hobson’s Choice
Filming Hobson’s Choice 1953
7

If you’d like to tell a story, ask “where are they now?” or share your memories then please send your letters in
to: The Editor, LifeTimes Link, Salford Museum & Art Gallery, Peel Park, Crescent, Salford, M5 4WU.
email: lifetimes@salford.gov.uk. Tel: 0161 778 0809. Due to space limitations we reserve the right to edit any
letters that we do include. Please get in touch with us if you have any responses to our ‘You Write’ page.
Dear Editor
Do any of your readers, I wonder, remember music teacher Mrs.
Lily Dick who lived in Westwood Crescent, Winton, many years ago?
Like many others I started to have piano lessons at the tender age
of seven in Mrs. Dick’s front room which she used as her music
room. It was simply furnished, with a lovely upright piano, table and
chairs and a ‘Magicoal’ electric fire that was used in cold weather.
Every Thursday from 6.45 to 7.30pm I took my music case
along accompanied by my mother and spent those 45 minutes
struggling with my tutor book (‘On the Farm’, not the more popular
Smallwoods tutor) to play the simple tunes, eventually progressing
towards my first and only concert recital in Pendlebury.
Mrs. Dick invited mother and me to her house one evening to hear
her star pupil, Max, play. He was a curly haired boy of around 14,
with flashing eyes and flashing fingers. He was a very gifted pianist
and was already composing melodies. His first was inspired by
the fire irons in Mrs. Dick’s living room and he called it, I believe,
‘Hammer & Tongs’.
Some months later he and I and a few of Mrs. Dick’s other
pupils travelled on the bus to Manchester to sit our respective
music exams, mine the Preliminary stage which I passed quite
comfortably with kind comments from the examiner.
Eventually we moved house and that was the end of my piano
lessons. But Max went on to great things and is now known as Sir
Peter Maxwell Davies, Master of the Queen’s Music. I shall always
remember that impromptu recital in the front room of a council
house in Winton and feel privileged to have known the early days of
that young boy’s career.
My one and only concert experience was playing piano on two
nights during a show at the Blue Ribbon Hall, in Pendlebury. The
show consisted of songs, dances, sketches and music and was
produced by my cousin, John Tweed, who produced several shows
for the same hall. He also wrote and produced a pantomime,
‘Rumplestiltskin’ and I remember my mother typing out scripts for
the panto on our old Oliver typewriter.
Incidentally, I still have the beautiful little bible that Mrs. Dick gave
me as a birthday present. She was a kind person who gave a love of
music to so many.
Julie Nichols
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Dear Editor
As a young teenager in the late 1950s
I was really looking forward to my
main Christmas present from my
mother. Dad had died from the effects
of the war so as you can imagine,
there wasn’t a lot of money to spare.
The present was one of those big
boxes with a beautiful picture on the
front and lots of lovely chocolates
inside (older people will remember
them). They don’t seem to be around
much anymore.
Mum put it under the tree before
we went out to take midnight
communion at the Church of the
Ascension, Lower Broughton (our
normal start to Christmas).
We lived alone, but on our return
home the box of chocolates was
open. Many of the chocolates were
missing, only the coffee creams
remained. Our dog didn’t like coffee
creams!
Freda Lear
Montpon-Menesterol
France
Freda attended Barr Hill Open Air
School and is interested in anybody’s
recollections and memories of the school
from around 1955.
She is also looking for news of the Bellis
family (George, Barbara, Alan, Janice,
Anne and Brendan) of Raglan Street off
Lower Broughton Road who moved to
Coniston Avenue, Little Hulton.
Please write to us at LifeTimes Link if
you can help her with either of these.

Park Lodge Frederick Road 1977.
Dear Editor
I took the opportunity to visit your
recent “Sports Exhibition” and was
particularly taken by one of your first
displays of “Naked Foot Running” on
Kersal Moor, frowned upon by Oliver
Heywood in 1760. My interest was
kindled on this occasion not by the
‘scantily clad ladies’, but by an equally
intriguing anecdote.
Barbara Nabb, widow, I believe, of
Sir Nicholas Mosley of Manchester
and endowed, it seems, with a large
portion of the land at Chorlton Row,
(Chorlton-On-Medlock), was so
impressed by the naked figure of
Roger Aytoun sprinting on Kersal
Moor, that she fell in love with
him and promptly married him.
Lady Mosley was in her eighties
at that time, Roger Aytoun in his
mid twenties; the marriage was
the scandal of polite society in
Manchester in the late eighteenth
century. However, your identification
of gymnastic running on Kersal Moor
lends an extra dimension to this
story.
Charles Walker
Drawing by William Morton of the Manchester Race Course at Kersal Moor, 1760.
Dear Editor
I was very interested to read two of the letters in the recent
edition of LifeTimes Link (issue no. 31) from Frances Soanes (nee
Henshaw) regarding evacuation from her home, and the second,
sent by Stan Andrews, regarding the Old Salfordian’s Association.
Our family, led by Jack Whitehead, who was Head Gardener at Peel
Park, lived in the Park Lodge, at Frederick Road, Salford, during
the Blitz. When a land mine landed on a works building diagonally
opposite the lodge it caused considerable damage when it exploded
to both the building and the lodge. Also an unexploded bomb was
deposited outside the park gates, close to the lodge, so we had to
evacuate, father, mother, sister, brother and I. We all went to stay
with my three aunts, who lived at No. 2 Eades Street, off Broad
Street, Salford 6.
Prior to this I had obtained a scholarship to attend the Salford
Grammar School in Leaf Square, commencing in the September
1939. To ensure my attendance I was regularly accompanied by
the then headmaster, Mr. Althom, when he walked up from Lower
Broughton, past the tram depot which was opposite the lodge, so
ensuring that we arrived at the school in good time each school day.
From then on I remained on the register, becoming a prefect, and
playing for the school football team, until at the age of sixteen, I was
transferred to Trinity College, Carmarthen, South Wales, where I
took up similar duties, plus membership of the Scout group.
I believe that I can be seen on one of the many photographs in the
present Grammar School. When I completed my training at college
I was posted to the Hampshire Regiment, based at Burford Camp,
and from there to the Education Corps, based at Saighton Camp,
Chester, where I was a Sergeant Instructor to twenty new recruits
teaching them how to read and write and often writing or answering
letters for them, to or from their homes.
Following upon this experience I began my education lifetime at
Lostock Junior School, Stretford, under the headship of a certain
Miss Horridge who was a good leader. I gained transfer to Seymour
Grove School, Stretford, and from there to St.Hilda’s School, under
the headship of Mr. Palmer, and finally in 1971, became deputy head
teacher, and then acting head, at Gorse Hill Primary School, until I
took early retirement in 1983.
Perhaps whoever now dwells in the Lodge, down Frederick Road,
could contact me.
R. Whitehead Dip. Ed.
9

Why do
Memories Matter?
by Michelle Flye, Memories Matter Project Support Worker
The ‘Memories Matter’ service has been in operation at Salford Museum & Art
Gallery for over six years loaning free reminiscence resources, including objects
from our handling collection and picture packs of areas of Salford, to local day
centres, care homes, charities and community groups to support reminiscence
activities for older people.
The service continues to go from strength to
strength, offering ‘Introduction to Reminiscence
Training’ to any staff or volunteers who work
with older people, consultancy for reminiscence
development and specialised reminiscence tours of
Lark Hill Place. Our next exciting phase during 2012
is to redevelop all of the resources, as some of our
well loved and used handling boxes have become a
little tired!
Over the years that Memories Matter has continued
to develop and grow, its ethos of the importance of
reminiscence and how easy it is to do has remained.
We do it every day and at every age without even
realising it, whether it’s talking about a holiday
we’ve been on, a special event we attended such as
a birthday or wedding, or even something as simple
as a day at the park in the sunshine! Most people
enjoy talking to friends and family recalling these
memories. As a result their mood is lifted and they
feel valued by being listened to; this is because our
memories and personal history are what shapes us
as a person. The following quote describes this:
Reminiscence work – and a philosophy based on
it – is applicable to all age ranges and all conditions;
in short to everyone. We all feel better and function
better when we are being respected and valued.
(Bender, Bauckham and Norris, 1999)
Reminiscence, at its heart can be nothing more
than an enjoyable, fun, social activity to take part
in; however there are further benefits to taking part
in reminiscence activity that can help improve a
persons well being. During reminiscence sessions
that the Memories Matter team have run, we have
often found that reminiscence has helped to open
up new relationships with people who realised that
they both grew up in the same area, only living a few
streets away! Great Clowes Street nursery, Broughton, 1938
10
It can also help people identify with who they are
as a person by reflecting on their previous life
achievements and gaining a stronger sense of
identity in the present. It can also help to transmit
cultural heritage and family history, passing on
important information about people, places and
events, and can be a valuable source for local and
family historians.
Within a care setting, reminiscence has also helped
care staff better understand the people they care for;
by learning more about their past history they can
learn how their past experiences have shaped them
as a person today, improving the care they receive.

To evidence the benefits of reminiscence is often
problematic as it’s based on how a person feels
rather than on any outcomes that can be tested.
However there have been studies undertaken by
researchers at Exeter University which have recently
discovered that just six half hour chats boosted recall
of people with dementia by 12%. This simple act of
swapping stories, experiences and past adventures
makes use of parts of the brain which otherwise
might lie dormant.
Handling objects
Rag rugging
A recent group session ran by the Memories Matter
team explored the theme of Childhood Holidays
for an exhibition held at the Museum last year. The
participants’ memories and stories were included
within the exhibition and below we share with you a
few snippets of these:
“The holiday camp in Prestatyn was famous – we
called it Jam Butty Camp! There was a play area
outside that was supposed to be haunted because
you could hear the swings creaking. The girls and
boys stayed in different areas, and all the rebels
were put together. Before you went, you had to
go to a clinic on Regent Road and get your head
examined to see if you had nits!”
Flo.
“When the knitted costumes filled with water, they
sagged, well more than sagged. I was learning to
knit and so I knitted one, as you couldn’t normally
afford a one, but a knitted one, well, it just fell to the
floor. You’d get rather embarrassed!”
Hilda.
“I ran away from home when I was 8, and got all the
way to Blackpool by hanging off the back of lorries!
I was there one night; I was put up in a convent
and brought back by the police the next day. I got in
loads of trouble”
Ernie.
If you would like further information on Memories
Matter, please contact either Naomi Lewis or Michelle
Flye (contact details on page 2)
Participants getting involved in a reminiscence session
11

Harold Riley:
Salford 1947 to 2012
by Amy Goodwin, Exhibitions Officer
Harold Riley has dedicated much of his career to
capturing the everyday street life of Salford. A
mini retrospective of these works including oils,
watercolours and drawings are going to be brought
together for a major exhibition at Salford Museum
and Art Gallery in spring 2013.
Harold was born in Salford in 1934. His relationship with Salford
Museum and Art Gallery started at an early age when he sold his
first painting to the gallery aged 11. He went to Salford Grammar
School and at 17 won a scholarship to the Slade School of Fine Art,
University College, London. He then went on to study at the British
School in Rome and Madrid University. For the next two years he
served as an officer in the army.
In the 1960s he returned to Salford where his connections with
Salford Museum and Art Gallery grew strong. He exhibited
numerous times and held art classes for children and young people
at what was then Buile Hill Park Museum. Salford Museum and Art
Gallery now holds the largest retrospective collection of his work.
One of his most famous relationships was the friendship he built
up with L.S Lowry, who he first met in his student days. Both artists
took inspiration directly from their surroundings, the industrial
northern landscape. In the 1960s they worked together on a project
called ‘the streets’ where they recorded everyday working life in
Salford at that time. Some of the drawings from this project can be
seen in the exhibition.
Riley is also a very successful portrait artist. He has created many
famous portraits including Nelson Mandela and Sir Matt Busby.
His more recent work has expanded to other major interests of
his including golf and football. His love of football started at an
early age when he played for Manchester United junior team. His
other love, apart from his painting, is photography. His father was a
photographer so Riley was introduced to it at an early age.
Just across the road from Salford Museum and Art Gallery is
Riley’s studio and headquarters of the ‘Riley Archive’. This holds
his drawings, paintings and photographs of the city along with his
sporting studies and portrait work. The principal body of his life’s
work will be left to the city, housed in this archive studio refurbished
by the city in 2002, the architect working to designs made from
Riley’s drawings.
12
Broad Street 1964

The archive also holds an extensive
library with numerous first edition
books that Harold has collected over
the years, including Shelagh Delaney,
Walter Greenwood; photographic books
and sport books on golf and football. He
also collects memorabilia from sporting
events, coal mines, cotton mills, the
ship canal and the railways.
At the studio along with the
archive collection of his works is a
painting room for Riley to work in, a
photographic print room, a collection of
catalogues from each of his exhibitions
and a huge collection of over 1000 of his
sketchbooks. Harold and his wife have
transformed the outside space into a
green haven, with many unusual plants
from around the world including gifts
from Picasso, a palm tree from Nelson
Mandela and an acer tree from Henry
Moore.
Currently Harold and his small team
are digitising the whole archive
to enable access for everyone to
everything. His photographs, drawings,
graphics, paintings and sketchbooks
will all be available online next year as
part of a new dedicated website.
The Riley Foundation is also run
from his archive premises. This is a
charitable foundation set up to promote
and preserve his work to keep it here
in Salford, benefit local schools and
colleges by contributing educationally,
provide artwork to hospitals and to
benefit the people of Salford. It is self
generating through the sales of prints,
reproductions, books and original
artworks.
The exhibition ‘Harold Riley: Salford 1947
to 2012’ opens on Saturday 4 May 2013.
The Man 1962
Chimney Pot Park 1963
13

Community activities
at Ordsall Hall
by Hazel Fenton, Arts and Communities Officer
Ordsall Hall’s history and heritage has long inspired and engaged
the communities of Salford and this year has been no different.
We have been working on two particular projects, ‘The Art of
Celebration’, and ‘Homing In’, both of which celebrate the people
of Salford, their creativity and stories.
Ordsall Hall was granted the Inspire mark by the London 2012
Inspire programme for its project ‘The Art of Celebration’. The
London 2012 Inspire programme recognised innovative and
exceptional projects that were directly inspired by the 2012 Olympic
and Paralympic Games.
‘The Art of Celebration’ was inspired by the integration of arts
and culture into the London 2012 Games to foster a shared
sense of community and ownership. By doing so, the Olympic
ethos of understanding and friendship amongst all peoples was
simultaneously celebrated.
Throughout the summer, Ordsall Hall and ceramic artist Rosanna
Martin worked with visitors and communities across the city to
celebrate the 500th anniversary of the Great Hall being built.
This was done using the media of clay and visual storytelling.
Participants created 500 oak leaves and decorated them with
images inspired by the Hall and their lives in Salford. The oak leaf
was chosen due to the use of oak wood in the Hall’s structure and
its traditional symbolism of unity, strength and power.
The culmination of the project saw the unveiling of the communities’
work at Ordsall Hall on 9th September, with visitors invited to
take a leaf away with them, disseminating this special artwork
far and wide. As a thank you to all those who created work for the
exhibition, artist Rosanna Martin gifted individuals a limited edition
ceramic acorn.
Participants feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with many
surprised by their own creativity; one family commented that the
making process was like ‘magic’. One group of women commented
on how playing with the clay was reminiscent of playing with mud
and reminded them of their childhoods in Pakistan.
Throughout their work participants shared the people, places
and stories that are meaningful to them. These included family
and friends, traditional remedies and local architecture, cultural
traditions and cooking.
In August the Hall began working in partnership with Salford Young
Carers on the development of an exhibition that will open at the Hall
in December. The young people have been inspired by the theme
of Ordsall Hall as a home to explore their own lives and homes in
Salford. During the five month project they have also shared and
reflected upon their own experiences and those of older carers.
The exhibition ‘Homing In’ will showcase their work documenting
places, people and objects that are meaningful to them.
14
Homing In - Untitled
The young people have taken
responsibility for all aspects of the
exhibition; from creating work and
writing labels to installation. They
undertook training in photography
and have employed their creative
skills to share their personal stories.
The resulting exhibition will reflect a
real celebration of the young people
and the valuable contribution they
make to their families and city. We
hope you enjoy the showcase of
their work which will run from 2nd
December until 3rd March at the
Hall.
As we move towards a new year
Ordsall Hall continues to develop
its ever growing community
programmes and looks forward
to building upon current work
throughout 2013.
Both projects have been generously supported
by the Friends of Salford Museums’ Association.
The Art of Celebration © Nick Harrison

Salford’s First World War
Centenary Commemorations
by John Sculley, Museums and Heritage Services Manager
2014 marks the centenary of the start of the First
World War. Imperial War Museums (IWM) are leading
Britain’s commemorations through a national partnership
programme that, amongst other benefits, offers
resources as well as branding opportunities to groups
and societies that are planning linked events.
More information about the national partnership and how
to sign up can be found at www.1914.org/partners
Salford is already developing ideas, partnerships and
projects of its own to link with IWM and help commemorate
the centenary across the city. The Friends of Salford
Museums are taking the lead in coordinating the city’s
contributions. Salford Museum and Art Gallery has
programmed its Lifetimes Gallery for a major 2014, First
World War exhibition. The museum’s learning service has
worked with colleagues across Greater Manchester to build
an on-line teacher’s resource and the Friends of Salford
Museums have dedicated time and resources to ensure the
city’s contribution and sacrifice is properly acknowledged.
We are keen to ensure that all organisations, groups
and individuals have every opportunity to participate in
what will be the most important and moving centenary
commemoration in recent history. The first meeting, held
at Salford Museum and Art Gallery in early September,
introduced the centenary to representatives of local groups
in order to encourage as much involvement as possible.
There were introductory presentations by IWM and Salford
Museum and Art Gallery, followed by an open discussion
to help generate ideas that we can build on over the next
couple of years.
As well as the Friends of Salford Museums and Salford
local history societies, other groups represented included
SWARM (Salford War Memorials) and the Billy Unsworth
Project. Billy Unsworth was an Ordsall soldier, killed at
Gallipoli in 1915. To hear the full song you can Google
the Ballad of Billy Unsworth at www.youtube.com/
watch?v=KbZm5J33Oxo. Salford’s Working Class Movement
Library and Salford and Trafford Councils were also
represented.
There will be other public meetings arranged during the
lead up to the commemorations as well as opportunities
for groups and individuals to contribute to wider activities.
Women doing war work 1914-18
Pte. John Warburton 15th Lancashire Fusiliers
If you have any ideas, or family stories, or
objects and memorabilia from the First World
War, please let us know. In the first instance,
you can contact John Sculley at Salford Museum
and Art Gallery, Peel Park, Crescent, Salford M5
4WU or email john.sculley@salford.gov.uk
15

16
If you would like to share your photos with us in future
issues of Link, please get in touch with us.
We do recommend you only send us copies of your photos and we will return
any photos sent in.
Carol Eckersley sent us three photographs
relating to her mother’s childhood in
1930s Salford.
Frampton Street, 1937
This photograph was taken by Carol’s
mother, Mary Adams (nee Lee) then
aged 14 at the coronation of George VI.
She remembers all the names of her old
neighbours, and what number houses they
lived at.
Front to back, right-hand side of table: Tom Jolly,
No.3; Adelaide Jolly, No.3; Annie Fletcher, No.8;
Mary Elizabeth Lee, No.2; Mary Glynn, No.2; Mrs.
Barnett, No.10; Louie Lee, No.4; Mrs. Baines,
No.14; Ralph James, No.12.
Top of table: Sitting: Mrs. Shoebottom, No.5.
Standing: Mrs. Haslam, No.16
Front to back, left-hand side of table: Ethel
Haslam, No.16; Mrs. West, No.7; Mary Ann Lee
(Pope), No.17; Fanny Barnes, No.10; Ted Barnes,
No.10; Betty Redfern
New Windsor School, 1933
Mary Adams (nee Lee) recalls the
names of her classmates in this
photograph of her New Windsor
School class from 1933.
Front row: One of the Leonard twins, Irene
Jenkins, Edith Thompson, Edna Rutherford,
Elsie Garner, Pauline Fishwick
Second row: The other Leonard twin, Noreen
Fitzsimmons, Ivy Poole, Edna Ogden, Dorothy
Spencer, Elsie Haworth, Lily Brow, Doris
Wood, Elsie Wheeler Third row: Joyce Dray,
unknown, Marjorie Valentine, May Moores,
Edna West, Mary Lee, Irene Shoebottom
Back row: Miss Ford (Cocky Ford), Marion
Cheadle, Doris Mycock, Margaret Fitzgerald,
Hilda Whittaker, Mary Swindells, May Brooks

Mr. J.R. Rowlett wrote to us about and shares two photos of his father, John
Rowlett.
My father John Rowlett was born at Cork Barracks, County Cork Ireland.
John went to St. Cyprians School and Ordsall Board School before leaving
at the age of 14 years. He spent 2 years working at W. H. Baileys Oldfield
Road, Salford Engineers and then joined Warrel Waites Lever Street Towel
Manufacturers before starting as a dock worker on the Manchester Ship
Canal.
John married Beatrice Rowlett, nee Massey at St. Clements Church, Salford
on 2nd August 1930 and was living at 6 Sand Street Salford at the time of his
marriage.
Dad recalled the hard times in the 1930s and 1940s when men had to stand
in line hoping to be selected for work or to be given work at another port. It
was difficult to make ends meet and at one particular low point he recalled
walking along Eccles New Road to his mother’s without a penny to his name
and vowed that would never happen again.
After Mum died in 1984, Dad moved to Hereford to be closer to his family and
enjoyed gardening. He was very fit and active until the time of his death on
18th October 1995.
Above: A National Dock Labour
Board reunion. John Rowlett is 6th
from the front on the left hand side
of the long table.
Above: John Rowlett with his
grandchildren, Stephen and
Audrey in 1970.
17

Link Listings
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 our museum
or any Salford library, or
check www.salford.gov.uk/
museums for full events
listings.
You can also find much
more to see and do (as well
as find out the most up to
date venue or event details)
at www.visitsalford.info
Remember- internet
access is free at all Salford
libraries and help is always
available.
Manchester and Salford
Boundary Line, Bridge Street
by Nigel Walker
18
Exhibitions
Salford Museum & Art Gallery
Salford’s Sporting Stars
Until 7 April 2013
A taste of sport in Salford! Discover some
of the sports and sporting stars that have
a connection to Salford from the past and
present. From running and rugby to boxing
and water polo, this exhibition brings
together stories, objects and images from
the museums collections.
Lost Salford Streets
21 July to 2 December 2012
An installation of family snaps, oral histories,
home videos and street signs from the people
that lived in some of Salford’s lost streets and
communities demolished over the past 50
years. These are brought together with other
unseen parts of the Re-Tracing Salford project
archive. The project is an on-going collection
engaging people with their heritage, reconnecting
people in the present with former
neighbours, friends and relations through
exhibitions and the on-line archive. For more
information visit www.streetsmuseum.co.uk
Did you or someone you know live on a lost
Salford street? Or do you want to know more
about the project? Lawrence Cassidy, project
coordinator, will be in the gallery to collect
your memories and photographs to add to the
Re-Tracing Salford archive. You can also use
the large scale maps to trace former homes
and districts. Please visit our website for
dates.
A Tourist in Your Own City: the paintings of
Nigel Walker
17 November 2012 to 10 March 2013
Salford born artist Nigel Walker devotes
his life to painting, capturing the people
and essence of street life in Salford and
Manchester. His paintings take the viewer on
a journey, revealing stories of the characters
met along the way, instead of focusing on the
landmark buildings that form a backdrop to
his work.
After distancing himself from his home city he
travelled the world to discover himself as an
artist. This took him into isolation in the Alps,
following the footsteps of Picasso and Matisse
on the French Riviera, and to a remote
island in the middle of the North Sea. In
2007 he embarked on a solo 5000 mile
mountain bike journey to China and South
East Asia constantly observing the people
and places around him. On his return to
Salford in 2009 he found his true style,
with the fresh eyes of a traveller, a tourist
in his own city.
This is the first major solo exhibition of
Nigel Walker’s work and an unmissable
opportunity to see the talent of this upand-coming
artist.
Our Choice of Your Paintings
8 December 2012 to 17 February 2013
The Public Catalogue Foundation is
revealing the United Kingdom’s collection
of 200, 000 oil paintings. By photographing
collections held in public ownership,
the registered charity is enabling digital
access to these via their website ‘Your
Paintings’, in partnership with the BBC.
To celebrate this project and mark their
involvement, different members of staff
at Salford Museum and Art Gallery have
chosen their favourite paintings from the
collections that have contributed, many of
which have not been on public display for
a number of years.
The Ligurian Shepherdess by Henry Herbert
La Thangue
Journeys, Narratives and Land Marking:
A celebration of the Irwell Sculpture Trail
23 February to 19 May 2013
Winding its way from Bacup to Salford
Quays, the Irwell Sculpture Trail features
over 70 artworks by locally, nationally
and internationally renowned artists. This
exhibition showcases the artistic work

produced at
re-launch
events for the
trail and pop-up
arts projects,
delivered by
local artists and
organisations
and the All
About Us
project which
has engaged
young people
Seed – Irwell Sculpture Trail
and families
in Ordsall in arts and digital technology
activities. This exciting exhibition
includes photographs, films,
geocaches, tree canvases, audio stories,
performance and creative writing, all
inspired by the trail and its sculptures.
There’s a Rainbow in the Road:
Caroline Johnson
23 March to 7 July 2013
This is Caroline’s first solo show in
a public gallery. Her highly graphic,
graceful paintings and drawings reflect
both the vibrancy of recent changes, and
the history of Salford and Manchester.
Caroline’s contemporary urban artworks
investigate the hidden charm of
overlooked corners, as well as
giving a fresh interpretation to
architectural icons.
Caroline lives in the north-west where
she was brought up on a post-war
housing estate and drew from an early
age. She attended art schools in Preston
and Falmouth and the Central College of
Art and Design, London.
Police house by Caroline Johnson
Caroline is the official Urban Sketcher for
Manchester and carries her sketchbook
with her at all times. She’ll be making
sketches in the area in the months
leading up to the exhibition and these
will be on show alongside her larger
works. There’ll be workshops with the
artist, too, and opportunities to meet her
informally in the gallery.
Harold Riley: Salford 1947 to 2012
4 May 2013 to 23 February 2014
Harold Riley has dedicated much of his
career to capturing the everyday street
life in Salford. This exhibition is a mini
retrospective of these works including
oils, watercolours and drawings. Growing
up in Salford, Riley has seen many
changes within the city. He and LS Lowry
recorded the
lives of working
people during the
1960s. Some of
these drawings
will feature in
the show. This
exhibition places
Riley’s works of his
home city next
to a selection of
portraits of some
of the people
important to him.
Ordsall Hall
Golden Eagle (courtesy
of Kate Plumtree)
Worn to be Wild
30th September to 25th November 2012
An exhibition of costume inspired by the
wildlife of Britain, designed and created
by costume maker and textile artist Kate
Plumtree
Each outfit in this vibrant exhibition has
been inspired by a British bird or
mammal combined with a specific era of
fashion. Ordsall Hall provides the ideal
historic location for the Tudor inspired
badger and Elizabethan inspired grebe!
Many of the animals represented are
frequent visitors to the grounds, such
as the fox, heron and bat. The outfits
are displayed on mannequins alongside
the artist’s location photography, fabric
sample touch boards and step by step
construction portfolios showing in
photographs how each costume was
made. There is even an extra rail of
costumes for children and adults to try on!
“Worn to be Wild aims to enlighten and
inspire through the beauty and diversity of
nature, the evolution of fashion, the craft
of costume making and the art of creative
textiles”, Kate Plumtree - costume maker
and textile artist
Homing In
2 December 2012 to 3
March 2013
Salford Young Carers have
been inspired by the theme
of Ordsall Hall as a home to
explore their own lives and
homes in Salford. During the
five month project they have
also shared and reflected
on their own experiences
and those of older carers.
This exhibition showcases
their work which documents
places, people, and objects
that are meaningful to them.
Ten Plus Textiles @ Ordsall
Hall:
A New Exhibition
10 March to 9 June 2013
This exhibition showcases
new work created by Ten
Plus Textiles over the last
year. Based in the North
West, Ten Plus are a
group of 18 fully qualified
textile artists who have
recently celebrated 20
years of working with
fibres and fabric to create
contemporary textile
art from a wide range of
techniques. Using fine hand
and machine embroidery,
patchwork, quilting and
beadwork, weaving, collage
and mixed media, their work
includes framed pieces and
hangings, 3-D items, fashion
accessories and jewellery,
all of which will be featured
at Ordsall Hall.
Like a flame by Michelle Barnard – Ten Plus Textiles
19

Link Listings
Things to do
A brilliant scene in a box
- made during our junk
modelling workshops
School holidays
at Salford
Heritage
Services
We always enjoy the school
holidays at Ordsall Hall
and Salford Museum & Art
Gallery. During summer
we had fun on National
Playday, and made hats,
puppets and lots of junk
art!
To find out what we’ve got
coming up visit our website:
Salford Museum & Art
Gallery
www.salford.gov.uk/
schoolholidayactivities
Ordsall Hall
www.visitsalford.info/ohschool-holidays
20
Some amazing junk art
Workshops and classes
As well as activities for children we also have a range of
workshops and classes for adults – a great chance to learn a
new skill in a relaxed and informal atmosphere.
Workshops at Salford
Museum & Art Gallery
‘Agatha Christie and Art Deco’ –
presentation by History Wardrobe
Sunday 10th March, 11:30 am.
Seductive, sensational and chic, this
stunning new presentation celebrates the
life and times of the Queen of Crime...with
the added twist of a mystery to solve.
Characters from Christie’s era are brought
to life through dramatic readings and
dazzling Deco fashions from the 20s & 30s -
dainty day dresses, beaded ‘flapper’ frocks
and sweeping evening gowns.
Places must be booked, contact 0161 778
0800 to reserve your place.
To find out more visit our website:
Salford Museum and Art Gallery
Playing with some Victorian toys
at Playday 2012
At Ordsall Hall
www.salford.gov.uk/workshops
Ordsall Hall
www.salford.gov.uk/oh-workshops
Christmas is coming…
And Salford Heritage Services has
festive events to celebrate the season
Christmas Festival Weekend at Salford
Museum and Art Gallery
Saturday 1st and Sunday 2nd
December 2012, 1:00pm – 4:45pm
Festive music, craft fair, family activities
and Father Christmas. Free entry, £3.50
per child to visit Father Christmas. No
need to book.
Tudor Christmas Live!
Sunday 2nd December
1:00pm – 4:00pm
Have a go at some Tudor Christmas
Activities! Come and make a child
friendly stained glass Christmas window
(using child safe Perspex) in our special
workshop.
£4 per person. For ages 8. Booking is
essential for the workshop.
Call 0161 872 0251. The rest of Tudors
Live is free, and there is no need to
book.
Christmas Wreath Workshop
Tuesday 11th and Wednesday 12th
December 1:30pm – 4:30pm
Come and make a festive wreath to take
home using natural materials such
as chillies, oranges and pine cones.
The price includes a mince pie! All
materials provided.
£20 per person. For ages 14 + places
must be booked on 0161 872 0251

Ordsall launderette memories
by Ken Williamson
One memory that lingers was when I got a job at a launderette shop which
was in West Park Street, about five houses down from where I lived. It was run
by two sisters, Mabel and Mary. The system at the shop was simple. People
would bring their dirty bedding, etc., the two sisters would wash it, and then the
customer would pick it up. It sounds easy, but nothing was easy in those days, it
was all elbow grease and people did not have the facilities in their own homes.
My duties were to take clean washing
to different addresses then collect dirty
washing on the way back. To enable me
to do this I had to wheel a home made
wooden cart. Actually, it was a large
wooden crate on wheels, with two pieces
of wood sticking out for handles! Every
day after school, I had to wheel this
contraption over Ordsall Park and back
again. Not a pleasant job for a pintsized
school kid, although it did have its
compensations, it doubled my porridge
rations.
One day, on about my third week, Mary
filled my cart up with clean linen and
told me to take it to their house which
was over Ordsall Park and just behind
the Salisbury Hotel on Trafford Road. On
arriving, and having off-loaded my cargo,
Mabel offered me a cup of tea and a
bun decorated with icing which I quickly
engulfed.
“You’d best get back now” she said after
I drank my tea, “Mary’ll be wondering
where you’ve got to.”
I wiped the sticky icing from my face, then
inspected the floor in the area where I was
sat in case I had dropped any crumbs.
“Thanks for the cup of tea and cake
Mabel” I said, as I got to my feet and
walked towards the exit, then gasped in
horror when I realised that somebody had
pinched my cart.
“Mabel…Mabel” I shouted, “My cart’s
gone”
Mabel ran from the house, “What do you
mean…it’s gone?”
“Someone’s nicked it!”
She stood there with her hands on her
hips, “Well don’t just stand there, go ‘n
find it.”
Off I went like greased lightning. I looked
high and low, but to no avail. When I
returned Mabel was standing on the croft.
“Did you not find it then?”
“No!” I replied
“You’d best go ‘n tell Mary then. Have a
look for it on your way back.”
Off I went like a scalded cat, my eyes
scanning the area over and over again.
The suddenly I spotted it halfway down
the slope in the park passage minus one
of its wheels! Somebody must have been
using it for a chariot, or something? I
found the wheel some twenty yards away,
and quickly picked it up, then balanced
the cart on one wheel and returned to the
shop.
“What have you done to the cart?”
demanded Mary when I returned.
“Someone stole it and broke the wheel” I
explained.
She made a tutting noise and then shook
her head. “I don’t know! Pass me that
hammer and get some nails out of the
drawer.”
I looked on as she started to hammer
away at the broken down cart, cursing
with every stroke. That was my first
encounter
with Mary
and I was
determined
that it was
going to be
my last.
Needless to
say I kept a
clean sheet
after that…!
Do you recognise this view?
Worsley
cottages oil
painting
- can you
help?
Susan Bearder has
written to LifeTimes
Link asking whether
we can help us
identify a painting in
her possession. She
writes:
I wonder if your magazine
could help me identify
the view of a painting I
have had for a number
of years? I didn’t actually
know where Worsley is
but the www.salford.gov.
uk website has been very
informative. It explains to
me the body of water in
the picture which I think
is the canal.
I hope that somebody will
recognise the picture,
there seems to be a
footbridge across the
water, any help would
be much appreciated.
(Please contact LifeTimes
Link, details on page 2 if
you are able to).
The painting is dated
April 1972 and the artists
signature on the reverse
is possibly either C.B.
Missome or Miscombe.
21

Mystery Pix 1
This shop front, from around the time of the
Queen’s coronation in 1953, is possibly in Hanky
Park. Can anybody remember it and its location?
Mystery Pix 2
Does anybody know where this dinner is being
held? Or what the building or organisation,
possibly in the Eccles area, hosting it is?
22
Salford Local History Library has over 70,000 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 4.45pm, with a late night
opening on Wednesdays until 8pm).
Responses from last issue...
Mystery Pix 1
We had several responses to this picture which is of St.
Paul’s Schoolrooms, on the corner of Liverpool Road
and Chapel Lane, Irlam. Originally a Methodist chapel
built in 1853, it is still standing and is now a medical
centre as can be seen in the photo showing it today
sent in by M. Cullen. Thanks also to Deirdre Owen, Pat
from Irlam Library, Christine Hall and Debbie Yates
who all confirm this.
St. Paul’s
Schoolrooms
The building as it is today,
a medical centre
Mystery Pix 3
Jenny from Irlam Library
e-mailed to tell us that
this picture is of Buille
Hill animal park which
was near the entrance at
Weaste Lane. She used to
go regularly as she lived
nearby and the man that
worked there let them go in and hold a baby lamb just
after it was born.
Response from Issue
29
Mystery Pix 2
Clive Davidson contacted
us to tell us that the
players are Swinton RFC
and the player on the
right is Tom Preston, who was his father-in-law. Tom’s
brother Stan was also on Swinton’s books at the time.
Tom’s son Don played for Swinton and became a well
known youth coach, coaching England schoolboys, and
was a popular celebrity in rugby circles.

This calendar of local history and heritage activities is based on information
supplied by the individual organisations, and is believed to be correct at
the time of going to press. It may be advisable to confirm details with the
organisation 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 page 3.
Please note that some societies have their own websites.
Boothstown & District Local History Group
The informal meetings are held in the main hall of
Boothstown Community Centre, Stansfield Drive,
on the third Wednesday of the month.
Further dates to be announced
Talks start at 7.45pm
Cost - £1.50; yearly membership £7.50
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 at
www.chalkhistory.colsal.org.uk or email:
chalkhistory@yahoo.co.uk
Further dates to be announced
Eccles & District History Society
Meet at Alexandra House, Peel Green on the
second Wednesday of the month
Contact Andrew Cross 0161 788 7263
Website: www.edhs.colsal.org.uk
14 November 2012
The Cheshire Canal Ring
David Firth
12 December 2012
Christmas meal
9 January 2013
Gilbert and Sullivan
Richard W. Hall
13 February 2013
Alderley Edge copper mines
Stephen Mills
13 March 2013
The Mersey and Irwell Navigation
David George
10 April 2013
Viking boat burial
8 May 2013
Annual General Meeting followed
by slides of old Eccles
Talks start at 7.30pm
Irlam, Cadishead & District
Local History Society
Meet at St. Paul’s Church, Liverpool Road, Irlam
Contact Deborah Yates 0161 775 8708
www.icdlhs.colsal.org.uk
21 November 2012
A girl with no name
Tony Foster
7 December 2012
No meeting: Christmas party
at Boysnope Golf Club
Pre-booking essential
15 January 2012
Preston Guild
Deborah Yates
20 February 2013
Manchester oddities
Keith Warrender
20 March 2013
The Irwell Valley Mining Project
Paul Kelly
17 April 2013
How our ancestor lived
Bernard Champness
15 May 2013
Stranger than fiction
Peter Watson
Talks start at 7.30 pm
Visitors welcome: £1.00
Salford Local History Society
Meet at Salford Museum & Art Gallery
Contact Roy Bullock 0161 736 7306
www.salfordlocalhistorysociety.colsal.org.uk
28 November 2012
The history of brass bands in
the north of England
Stephen Etheridge
December 2012
No meeting
30 January 2013
The lore of birth, death and the household
Peter Watson
27 February 2013
A Taste of Honey
Naomi Lewis
27 March 2013
More photographic reminiscences
Don Rainger
24 April 2013
Annual General Meeting
Talks start at 6.00pm
Visitors welcome: £2
Swinton & Pendlebury Local History Society
Meet at Swinton Library, Chorley Road, Swinton
Contact Jean Appleby 0161 7944570 or Marjory
Williams 0161 7937847
www.splhs.colsal.org.uk
19 November 2012
Friends of Salford Cemeteries
Jean Coward
3 December 2012
Christmas quiz
7 January 2013
Reminiscence session
21 January 2013
Christmas luncheon
4 February 2013
Down forget-me-not lane
Brian Hallworth
18 February 2013
Joseph Evans
John Aldred
4 March 2013
Toast master
Stephen Saunders
18 March 2013
Salford in the First World War
B.A. Lightfoot
8 April 2013
The other Black Beauty
Mr. Jack Morris
22 April 2013
Coach trip – to be advised
13 May 2013
Abandon hope
Peter Watson
3 June 2013
Annual General Meeting
Talks start at 10am
Cost £2.00 (£1.00 for reminiscence sessions)
WCML talks
A continuation of a series of talks at the Working
Class Movement Library.
Working Class Movement Library, Jubilee House,
51 The Crescent, Salford, M5 4WX.
Please note: Walkden Local History
Group and Worsley Methodist Church
& Community Association have
unfortunately disbanded and will no
longer meet.
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Salford Museum and Art Gallery
Peel Park, Crescent, Salford M5 4WU
Tel: 0161 778 0800 • Fax: 0161 745 9490
Email: salford.museum@salford.gov.uk
Open: Mon-Fri 10.00am-4.45pm and Sat-Sun 1.00-5.00pm
Disabled access, gift shop, cafe.
Parking charges - £2.00 for up to 3 hrs; £5.00 for 3 to 6 hrs; £8.00 for 6 to 12 hrs
Salford Local History Library
at Salford Museum and Art Gallery:
Tel: 0161 778 0814
Open: Tues, Thurs and Fri 10.00am-4.45pm and Weds 10.00am-8.00pm
Closed weekends and Mondays
Ordsall Hall Museum
322 Ordsall Lane, Salford M5 3AN
Tel: 0161 872 0251 • Fax: 0161 872 4951
Email: ordsall.hall@salford.gov.uk
Open: Mon-Fri 10.00am-4.00pm and Sunday 1.00-4.00pm. Closed Saturday
Parking charges - £2.00 for up to 3 hrs; £5.00 for 3 hrs or more
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