Wadsworth and Co, Manor rd Droylsden Manchester

[galore]

From early '64 till around Easter 1965 I worked at an engineering place called Devoge & co the actual building was an old converted church it was just off the main rd I think its most definetely gone now does anyone remember the name of this church or does anyone have a photo? They made jacquard machines used in textiles, I was moved from Wadsworth and co  manor road Droylsden to this place and I used to cycle everyday from my home down the new rd past Johnsons wire works, and Philips park to get to Oldham road,....and I hated it but it was work. I used to work in the joiners shop with a guy called Harold and another guy called Paddy who had a limp leg he used to look after me. Did any one out there work at this place or even remembers me ? I was a moody little so an  so, but I was 17 and didnt have any guys there my age so I didnt speak much, course I was very shy...ah.

[stanmapstone]

Devoge & Co were at 1 Sycamore Street, off Oldham Road in 1841. If they were in a converted church then the church must have been before that date.

Stan

[galore]

Thanks for that all I can remember is I used to come off the main road and this old building which was Devoges was definetly a church  at one time, and inside, the balcony went right round to the other side of the building this was the joiners floor which one was able to look down into the engineering floor below.

[Barbara.H]

If you go on Manchester council's Image Collection and search Devoge, there is a photo dated 1961 that shows a sign for Devoges and the church building (presume that is the one) to one side

http://images.manchester.gov.uk/index.php?session=pass

Is that the one you remember?

Have been looking for a name - thought it was St John's but according to Genuki that one didn't close until 1972. 

  Barbara

[emmsthheight]

Hi

1953 Kelly's has a few churches on Oldham Rd but St John is half a dozen addresses up from Sycamore St and Devorge a the end of Sycamore St unnumbered.

Looks as ifif it really had been a church, there had been an older one too.

I wonder how the land lay in the nineteen twenties directories - unless we can find a v large scale map!

Emms

[stanmapstone]

Hi

Devorge a the end of Sycamore St unnumbered.


Emms

Devoge & Co were at 1 Sycamore Street

Stan

[galore]

Thanks everybody ,found the picture from 1961,yeah that was the place I have always thought that it was an old church but there is another church across the street from it yep thats the place I worked  at all those years ago,every time we go to Asda I always think good God did I cycle all that way to where Asda is now then even go on even further, it would take about 25 minutes in a car so it probably took me about the same...if I peddled fast I was always late anyway, and I eventually jacked it in, before I was booted out !,

[Viktoria]

The Church to one side of Devoge`s building was St John`s the Evangelist.My family worshipped there for many years until it closed down. It was never converted to other usage.
It was on the corner of Fir St and Oldham Road. The next street down was Ash street then Sycamore st.

It was a beautiful building, Italianate in style and with wonderful examples of S`graffito designs scratched in wet plaster to reveal different coloured plaster underneath . It had a balcony all round
at first floor height.
My grandmother`s memorial-- a hanging oil  lamp of red glass suspended from the ceiling by a long chain  and kept always burning was there until its closure.  I can only hope family members who still attended salvaged it .I was living abroad at the time and have no idea what happened to it. Famly enquiries have come to nought.
Glad you found what you were looking for galore but Devoge`s was a little way down from St John`s and on maps of 1831 there was no  building marked as a Church on their site. There is a solid block which would suggest a fair sized building of some sort.There was a pub on the corner on later maps.The photo gives a rather false sense of distance. Viktoria.

[galore]

Hello Viktoria,
I think I was mistaken a little it may have been Hulme Hall Lane just a short distance from Oldham rd looking on the map and google earth there is now a Sycamore court, is this the same area where Sycamore st was or is Sycamore st still there minus the church and Devoges Building ?, the place I worked then could not have been a church  which I understand now, I found the image of Devoges with St Johns in the background .