A collection of video clips of Stockport in days gone by. One small area has been muted due to copyright
Stockport was granted a market Charter in 1260 by the then Prince Edward Earl of Chester later to be Edward I to Robert D Stockport the market became the center of Stockport vigorous retail business and Commercial life this film is believed to have been shot in 1913 shortly before World War
I naturally the camera attracted most people’s attention including this rather curious polite little boy where did you get that magnificent summer Hat the film shot by an unknown cameraman may be one of the first films taken in the town it was a natural place for a film camera full of vibrant life Vigor and movement apart from the people the clothes the street furniture and the range of goods
On sale it has not changed so much and many of the buildings seen here still exist Today our next look at the marketplace is some 50 years later on the 17th of September 1960 as the town celebrates the 700th anniversary of the granting of the market Charter the festivities were attended by several dignitaries and once again a camera was on hand to record the passing
Scene it simply proves the old saying everything changes and everything Remains the Same in spite of the development of Mery way supermarkets and other changes in the retail trade the market remained a popular part of the Stockport scene in the 60s and70s These shots show how it retained its Fascination for the visitor Shopper and Bargain Hunter today it still gives an identity and focus to the town The group of buildings which make up the marketplace are like a sort of collective memory of the Town Stockport has had its share of Royal visits and on the 21st of June 1977 the Majesty the queen and the Duke of Edinburgh visited Stockport as part of the Silver Jubilee celebrations the Royal party were visiting the Northwest as part of a two-day tour whilst in Stockport they
Were driven to Edgley Park the home of Stockport County football club yeah the royal couple were treated to a school sports festival where some 2,000 young people provided a dazzling demonstration of sporting activities a quarter of a century earlier on the 2nd of June 1953 the people of Stockport were given an
Opportunity to celebrate another Royal event when Princess Elizabeth was crowned in Westminster At Later a tree planting ceremony was performed by Alderman George padmore on the lawn in front of Didsbury Road School Stockport like many other towns and cities throughout the country had to begin to rebuild after World War II in the two decades that followed large Council housing Estates were built on
Greenfield locations to House people dispersed from clearance sites in the Town Center brington neighborhood unit was one of these new housing developments and building began after May 1951 the success building program provided 2,000 new dwellings by 1956 providing housing for 7,000 people on the new estate the cost of the project was £2 Million these shops show various Town centers Street scenes in the 60s lower Hillgate the road bridge to the marketplace from St Peter’s Gate and and Winter’s jewelry shop with its famous clock the development of the Mery way shopping Precinct changed stock for’s town center and for the first time United the two halves of a town which had been divided by the gorge of the river Mery from the start it was an
Imaginative project and became a unique piece of civil engineering Between 1934 and 1940 a road was built over the river MSY and was open to traffic in September 1940 between 1963 and 1970 a pedestrian only shopping Precinct was planned and built on and around this site the original Road was finally closed to vehicles on the 4th of January 19 1968 casualties of the Redevelopment were the fire station and the tram Depot which had to be demolished to make way for the new skeme in this piece of film we can see the building works and the new shops which were to occupy the new Precinct Because of the scarcity of cine film very little amateur footage was shot during the second world war when film was available it was also very expensive so these unique shots of the local Home Guard taken in 1941 by a for 14-year-old enthusiasts are very precious Indeed the hom guard company has shown parading complete with with well-lit pipes through various local streets exhibiting skills Beyond his years the cameraman managed to catch the many faces in the company and perhaps you’re able to identify some of Them the company then marched along Didsbury Road and when you look at this film you can see that Dad’s Army was not so much a joke but something near the Truth one event captured on film on a wet and cheerless day in November was an armor Day Parade the March proceeded along Heaton Mo road to the senap in St John’s Place Heaton Mery recognized anyone Yet as the soldiers march by you can see how people put tape over the windows this was done to prevent injuries from flying glass subsequent to Bomb Blast shattering Windows leading the service was the director the Reverend T Ellis Davis of St John’s Church La St John’s Place Didsbury Road and all areas over Stockport were decorated with Bunting and throughout the town many Street parties were held For 150 years hats made in Stockport kept the cold wind sun and Rain off people’s heads all over the world here we see the basic components of hats rabbit’s fur being fed into a machine which cleans loosens and separates the Fibers the amount for each hat is then Weighed the fur is then blown and steamed onto a conical mold which produces rough woodlike shapes Further down the production line we can see that the hats begin to resemble their final form the brims are sewn the hatbands and inner leather lining are added here we see a general view of the ladies in the trimming department hat boxes were also made at the Factory the hats are packed for shipment all over the world they even produced their own packaging Battersby hats of London made in Stockport nothing was left to Chance the wooden blocks for shaping the hats as you can see here were all made at the factory finally we see the workers leaving the
Factory and walking onto hemp Shore Lane at the end of a hard day the 1950s and 60s saw the introduction of Television into many homes and rapidly the small screen became an essential part of domestic Leisure and free time occasionally the tube went this was a major financial crisis for the family
Costing around 20 to replace in the early 50s New Life Electronics was established to recondition cathode ray Tubes Here we see the phosphor screen being Renewed Careful the electron gun was replaced to give the tube a new lease of Life 1926 was considered to be a fateful year in the life of the Stockport fire brigade shortly before 4:00 a.m. on a cold dark morning of December the 29th 1926 a young man named Edward Bry on his way to work saw smoke and Flames issuing from a building on the corner of
Wellington Street he dashed to AEL Haywood’s news agents where he worked and raised the alarm the fire brigade swiftly responded the engine Mary dalil left the fire station which was then in Mery Square quickly made its way across the square towards Wellington Road South and started up the hill over Wellington Road
Bridge however as it approached the steps that led down to chestergate the fire engine went out of control veered to the right across the road and crashed through the bridge parid ripping out a gap of 20 ft in the brick work the fire engine plunged over the edge of the
Bridge dropping 30 ft onto ground near tolet Street today the area is part of the bus station the crew of the fire engin suffered one fatality superintendent Howard Beckwith several other firemen suffered serious injuries superintendent Beck’s funeral was held on Saturday the 1st of January 1927 morning replaced New Year’s Day
Celebrations it seemed as if the whole population of Stockport had turned out to pay their respects At 11:00 in Mery Square the assembled Mass bands played the dead March the huge procession started at 11:15 and included 11 fire engines and crew contingents from the Boy Scouts St John Ambulance Brigade Corporation officials bur police British Legion and Tramway employees 20,000 people witnessed the procession as it started from Mery Square making its way down Wellington
Road South passing the scene of the fire and along bu road to St George’s Church where the funeral service was held then finally to the Stockport burough Cemetery the coffin was carried on another fire engine named James Fernley the procession included a number of carriages to take family mourners and included in the number of vehicles making up the procession was the car carrying the mayor and his part At the cemetery members of the fire brigade local Army units and Scouts file in to make their way to the graveside The coffin was finally brought to rest shouldered in by firemen and followed by a steady stream of Mourners Witson tide sees the combined Roman Catholic parishes at St winfords and St Mary’s celebrating with a procession of the Blessed Sacrament the procession took place in the grounds of St wier’s Convent High School in Didsbury Road and was usually well attended it was an opportunity for an assembly of families
Children nuns and clergy to make the occasion a memorable One In this film taken at wison tide in 1941 there were several additions to the proceedings as soldiers from the 125th anti-tank regiment who abil on Heaton Mo Road took the opportunity to join the procession and Service I the clergymen conducting the proceedings are probably the Reverend Humphrey Lynch of St winfords and the Reverend Aiden Jackson Stockport is no stranger to the carnival and the first Stockport Carnival was held in 1896 in Aid of the Lifeboat institution a year later in 1897 a second one was held the benefiting course that year was either in Aid of the infirmary or an Indian famine latest op carnivals continued the
Trend in supporting a worthy cause and between 191 and 19002 the funds raised by the carnival supported the South African War Relief Fund whose support early years came from the cycle enthusiasts of the Stockport wheelers club and the bicycle Train from 1911 the charity proceeds from the carnival were directed away from the more exotic to entirely being devoted to supporting the local Infirm These carnivals like the later ones shown here were composed of processions of decorated floats trade floats and Bands a fun fair concluded the CLE and on this occasion in the 60s was held on Heaton Norris Recreation Ground naturally there was a carnival Queen the people of Stockport are very resourceful when it comes to finding ways of having fun and what better way than a funun marathon in 1959 the enterprising Publican at the golden line in Middle hillgate organized a Fun Run and these amusing pictures show some of the contestants finishing the Race And free beer for the Victor some of the contestants showed more than they intended as they approached the Finishing Line Didsbury Road Junior School affectionately known as drjs was completed and opened in 1951 the school was principally built to relieve overcrowding at the nearby heat Moore Council School in this clip compared to the previous one the sports of the day were the more conventional and more sober form of running and athletic events missed sir I Won Stockport was the seed of a bizar event to seen in this film from March 1960 a temporary artificial ski slope of scaffolding was built in reddish Veil near the railway Viaduct with the mild weather in Stockport snow for the slope was brought from Scotland in Containers for two days the ski slope was a crowd pulling sensation as thousands of people flocked to reddish Veil it was a highly precarious two-day Wonder organized by two Norwegians lar a and Eric Hoff who were both students at Manchester University entertainment for the huge crowds was provided by a brass band and visitor needs were provided for by a catering van in attendance such was the attraction many Olympic standard skiers
Came to Manchester from Norway to take part in the competition staged on the ski slopes Further snow supplies were required before the event finished and an additional 20 tons of artificial snow was obtained from a factory in Chester The scaffolding was 35 ft high and 55 ft long and in today’s safety conscious world it would probably never have been given permission to be Built whoops I left my stomach at the top admission to the site was 2 and6 and no less than 16,000 people were reported as visitors if this film didn’t exist it would be difficult to believe that there was ever a ski run in redish however it is true and was probably the Forerunner
Of the many ski slopes now seen in this Country Naturally the St John Ambulance Brigade was there and in spite of the falls there were reported only a few minor Injuries Some took it Seriously and some not so Seriously some Painfully And some didn’t make it at all The 196 witnessed the end of the steam age however a few steam engines survived on British Railways until 1968 and this view taken on Heaton Chapel railway station depicts a steam engine a crab 260 running towards Heaton Norris Junction and Stockport these Steam and coal monsters which had reigned Supreme Over Britain’s
Railway system for over 150 years were replaced by diesel locomotives diesel rail cars and electrical multiple units these shots clearly show the changing face of Britain’s Railway system this fascinating shot of the cab of a diesel rail car was taken when the unit was traveling on the buckton line I
Bet the driver thought that it was much easier than shoveling coal into the Firebox of a steam Engine The rail crash at cheel Hume railway station on the 28th of May 1964 was particularly sad because the coaches were carrying a school Excursion party on a trip to York the reports of the crash stated that the train jumped a temporary bridge and slew over the track
Two children and one adult were killed in the crash and here you see the Workman clearing up the wreckage in the aftermath of the accident although Stockport locomotive sheds were close forever to steam engines in 1968 the occasional steam engine on a rail tour visited the
Town one of these was the celebrated Ln 4472 Flying Scotsman on Sunday the 17th of March 19 68 in the 1960s people were less inclined to wait for the train when Motorcars were easily available and like this man on the platform the population went in ever increasing numbers to their
Local car showroom and bought a new mode of transport this film shot in the 1960s is a journey into the past the camera was mounted behind the windscreen and the journey down the A6 from Manchester to Stockport was filmed it was a wonderful idea but the cameraman
Forgot the long Focus lens on the cine camera after driving through long site and Lum we passed Belmont bridge in Heaton Norris and approach Mery Square on the way there is a glimpse of Christ Church the lnwr railway Goods Warehouse the Touchstone in site of demam store and the George Public House
Opposite compared today the roads are virtually empty of Traffic at the Town Hall the driver turns left into Edward Street pass the nearly completed ponsonby house and drives towards hillgate of course as every driver knows cars sometimes go wrong and in the case of this vehicle spectacularly so this car fired disrupted traffic on the A6 near the boundary of Heaton
Norris and Levens and almost opposite mcvi and Price’s biscuit works on this occasion Stockport fire brigade came to the Rescue In those far off days pleasures holidays and day trips were simpler Affairs one of the most enjoyable was a summer day trip to New Brighton from tiot Dale railway station which was closed in 1967 and demolished the following Year for 7 Shillings and 10 that’s 39p the day ticket included the return fair to Liverpool and the ferry Crossing from Liverpool Landing stage This film of enthusiastic day Trippers was probably taken about 1961 nearer to Stockport and only a bus ticket away was Bell View now for a peaceful time rowing on the Boating Lake prepare to have your stomach churned this is better a ride on a traditional roundabout with rocking horses bellw was a popular venue for Stockport people of all ages sadly it
Closed in 1977 and the site cleared for housing but the ghosts remain and they bring back memories of Happy Days marks and Spencer was one of the chain stores that moved into the new Mery way and during the winter of 19596 the store organized a fashion show
In the large Hall at the Town Hall Do you remember duffel Bags In this film you’re given an idea of what the well-dressed woman was wearing in Stockport during the early 1960s House Coats and baby doll Nties I think the clothes were were more attractive then what about the Ladies Stockport has witnessed many highs and lows but perhaps the greatest disaster occurred on Sunday the 4th of June 1967 at 9:09 a.m. British summertime when a British Midland DC4 Argonauts ghg crashed into Hope’s car opposite yates’s garage and near the junction with water Road the flight was carrying returning
Holiday passengers from Palma mayorca to Manchester Airport and the impact explosion on crashing was heard all over the District shortly after impact the wreckage caught fire resulting in 69 people dead and 10 surviving with varying degrees of injury Huge crowds of sightseers flocked to the area to view the wreckage within half an hour of the crash a local man was on hand with his cine camera to record the disaster For Huge crowds turned out for another spectacular event but this one was both safe and advertised well in advance the countdown to destruction began at 10:00 a.m. the occasion was the demolition of the Portwood cooling tower on the 23rd of August 1981 the tower was 265 ft high and was
Constructed from 3,000 tons of concrete it was built in 1943 but had been disused since 1976 when Stockport Power Station had closed down streets and homes were evacuated from 7: a.m. and many roads in the area were Closed How are the mighty Fallen this film was taken from a point somewhere near the top of New Zealand Road large numbers of sightseers dispersed toward turn cross Lane in some ways the demolition of this monster which dominated the skyline of Stockport for 40 years is a fitting conclusion to A Century of Rapid
Change change continues but it is smaller and more peac Meal byon Stockport was brought to you in conjunction with stain Busters the world’s leading deep down dry cleaning system for carpets curtains upholstery leather and mattresses for both domestic and Commercial customers everyone’s