The Terraces of Ardwick

[menwuk]

Sorry,
that search wont translate to a URL

try this and type Grey Mare lane in the cearch box
http://images.manchester.gov.uk/

[LizzieW]

Thank you for the link.  I've looked at the photos, although most of them are from the 1960s.  As I have no idea of the geography of the area, I don't know whether 161 was east, west, north or south of Grey Mare Lane, I do know my m.i.l was so "superior" she would hate to think I knew where she'd been brought up.

She was 35 when she married and very set in her ways.  I often wonder why she married a widower with 2 small children, who had, only a year before,  not only lost his wife, but a baby daughter.  In her case, she was a civil servant so not in need of someone to care for her, in the monetary sense.

Lizzie

Lizzie

[menwuk]

I have found that google maps is usually a good indicator - many councils tried to maintain numbering systems at the request of the post office.

if you type 161 grey mare lane in it shows it as being at the junction of hopedale close which is just over Ashton New road from where I was brought up (now under the city of manchester stadium).

The area in the 30s was a very industrialised one, just over Ashton new Road was johnsons wire works, the foundary was over one sider of the road (right hand side if travelling away from Hopedale close) and the rolling mill was on the left. Even in the 80's when I was travelling to and from work in Chadderton I remember huge trucks with couldrens of white hot metal on them holding up the traffic - in the 80s it was rubber wheeled trucks, but the old rail tracks were still visible with the cobbles crossing Grey Mare lane from the foundry to the rolling mill.
Just near the junction of Grey Mare land and Ashton New road there was the Bradford pit - which will explain why Johnsons wire mill was there in the first place probably - so it was probably a rather dirty smelly area.

[Mr. MIGKY]

Richard, Johnson & nephew was on Forge lane and not Grey mare lane.
Befor what you seen as trucks crossing from one side to the other with wire to a the chain link fencing side of the company. These were known as shuntters by the way. All traffic use to go via an under ground road and was still there till they pulled what was commonly know as "Johnson's " down.  Another reason that the wire works/and none ferrouse rolling mile ( the copper rolling mill)  was there was because of the canal that was built to move coal from the pit, this also ran under ground at Johnson's. The copper rolling mill was sold twice to South African companies, first i think in the 1950 and the second just befor it closed for good. Manchester steel took over part of the site in the 1970's but did not last long and Johnson's out lived that Swedish company.
I know this to be a fact as i worked there in the mid 1970's and 90 years to the day my grandfather worked there doing the exact same job as me there, befor he joined the army ww1. As for the area been dirty, that comes with all the heavy industry that was in the area at the time. Plenty of work for men back then and i loved the place and smell.

If you put " Bradford, Forge Lane " into the Manchester image web site, many photos of Johnson's pop up. Grey mare lane was on the other side of Ashton new road.

Johnson's offices in it's hey day

Migky

[Mr. MIGKY]

A little of the history of that pit & of the area around there.


           Bradford Coliery Manchester

          Around Phillips park/Johnson's and the pit

Migky 

[Viktoria]

Hulme Hall Lane  ran from  Oldham Rd. to just past the top of Bradford Rd. After that at Cemetery Rd.  it split and the left fork was Mll St and the right fork was Forge Lane. After Ashton new Rd. it became Grey Mare Lane. Bradford pit on the left and Johnson`s on the right were between Philip`s Park Rd  and  Beaumont St.
on Forge Lane .
There was a sweet shop on the corner of Bradford Rd. and Hulme Hall Lane opposite Clifton St corner and facing the big railway bridge which crossed Hulme Hall Lane which was just before the cemetery gates, at     Cemetery Rd.There was a gasometer opposite, still is I think.I used to get the 53 bus to get to school there.
                                                                                    Viktoria.

[LizzieW]

Thank you menwuk, Mr. MIGKY and Viktoria, I'm going to make a note of what you have all said and add it to my family history.

Lizzie

[Mr. MIGKY]

Hi Lizzie, you should be able to work out where every thing was and is now if you use Eric's maps and google earth street view.


                                 Hulme hall lane &  Eric's Maps
                   Combined with Manchester image web site photos

On Google earth street view, you will see that the city of Manchester stadium now sits on the site that use to be Johnsons's


Migky

[LizzieW]

Thank you Migky, I've worked out where Grey Mare Lane is, in relation to parts of Manchester I do know (I should say used to know).  I'm sure if I ever went back, everything would have changed, with all the new roads, motorways etc.

Lizzie