Edition Winter 2013/14 Winter Edition 2 nd Things about Historical facts, trivia and other things of interest Alexandra Park Manley Hall Primitive Methodist College The blitz 1 9 Wealthy textile merchant 12 Renamed Hartley Victoria College after its 16 The bombs started dropping on The beginning: Designed Samuel Mendel built a 50 benefactor Sir William P Hartley, was opened in Manchester during Christmas 1940 with by Alexander Hennell and the Range room mansion in the 1879 to train men to be religious ministers. homes in the Manley Park area taking opened in 1870, the fully + MORE + | CLUBS SPORTS | PARKS | SCHOOLS | HISTORY | LISTINGS | TRIVIA 1860s, with extensive Now known as Hartley Hall, it is an several direct hits. Terraced houses in public park (named after gardens running beyond independent school. Cromwell Avenue were destroyed and are Princess Alexandra) was an Bury Avenue and as far as noticeable by the different architecture. During oasis away from the smog PC Nicholas Cock, a murder Clarendon Road (pictured air raids people would make their way to a of the city and “served to 13 In the 1870s a policeman was fatally wounded left). Mendel’s business shelter, one of which was (and still is!) 2.5m deter the working men whilst investigating a disturbance at a house collapsed when the Suez under Manley Park and held up to 500 people. of Manchester from the near to what was once the Seymour Hotel. The Origins: Whalley Range was one of Manchester’s, and in fact Canal opened and he was The entrance was at the corner of York Avenue alehouses on their day off”. fatal bullet lodged in a boundary wall. William the world’s, first suburbs, with land purchased in the Moss forced to sell the property in and Clarendon Road. Habron, a local farm labourer, was convicted but Side area in 1836 by Manchester banker Samuel Brooks. A different kind of 1875. It enjoyed a short spell as Charles Peace, a notorious burglar and murderer The ‘rec’ His vision was for “a desirable estate for gentlemen and their Victorian Park: Its multi- pleasure gardens, with extensive art War memorial and St Edmund’s from Sheffield, later confessed to the killing just 17 In October 1882 founder members of The families” to escape the congestion of the city. The land, functional nature, with eastern works and occasional events including Buffalo 20 A memorial to the casualties of war is located in before his execution and Habron was released. Manchester Golf Club played a first round of golf known then as Jackson’s Moss, was swampy and it cost Wildlife: influenced curves and abundant Bill’s Wild West Show. The Hall was demolished the ground of the original St Edmund’s Church Peace is mentioned in a Sherlock Holmes story, over a small nine-hole course at Manley Park. Brooks £12,000 to drain it. Brooks is thought to have named There is sports facilities, was innovative at the time, around 1905. (pictured left), recently converted to flats. The Adventure of the Illustrious Client, and in They shared the land with the farmer’s cattle and Whalley Range after his place of birth, Whalley in Lancashire. plenty of wildlife in and contrasted with the rigid formal styles often Calfaria -The Welsh Chapel Nello James Centre & Walton Mark Twain’s Captain Stormfield’s Visit sheep but later moved to Trafford Park to make Whalley House Whalley Range. Foxes are associated with the era. Chorlton Lodge, the The rise and fall and rise again: After 4 In 1880 Welsh immigrants built the chapel, the 10 Cottage to Heaven. way for homes. Manley Park (pictured right) was 21 The home of Samuel Brooks, the founder of commonplace, as are bats and a ornamental lake, and other landmarks added to its prosperous beginnings, by the small building next to Manley Park Methodist The buildings have a long history connected to locally referred to as ‘the rec’ into the 1980s. Whalley Range, until his death in 1864. The variety of birds. New visitors in autumn include the waxwing, its charm. St Bede’s College and Aquarium 1960s Whalley Range started to Church, for £1,000. The building has been used the Broadhurst family, Vanessa Redgrave and Woodlawn Court development of flats now distinguished by its strong colouring and crest, which loves the for church and community-related activities ever 14 The building that St Bede’s College now suffer a bit of name calling, usually Politics and activism: On 1st May 1892, CLR James, a Trinidadian socialist intellectual. occupies the land. rowan tree berries. WR 4 Wildlife is a group of local people occupies was originally built in 1872 by linked to the high density of bedsits 60,000 people marched to the park in support since and is currently home to Youth on Solid Since the 1960s it has been a communicty of all ages interested in nature and finding out about wildlife the Manchester Aquarium Company to 101 Dalmatians and a reputation as a red-light of a shorter working week and as part of a Ground. education centre but has latterly fallen into and how to support it. There are several species in Whalley display sea creatures. It had 60+ 22 The novelist Dodie Smith wrote this famous story district. Morrissey (The Smiths) who worldwide movement. A ‘speaker’s corner’ and disrepair though efforts are being made to Range that need special protection including hedgehogs, Cosgrove Hall tanks containing sea water brought in 1956. She lived for part of her life in Whalley briefly resided here, included “What other political acts in the park were banned rejuventate the site. soprano pipistrelle bats, song thrushes, hedge sparrows and 5 Established in 1969 by art students Brian in barrels from Blackpool, and was Range, as she recalls in her autobiography Look do we get for our trouble and pain? from time to time, and later in the 20th century common toads. Visit http://wr4wildlife.wordpress.com. Cosgrove and Mark Hall, Cosgrove Hall Films Old culverts thought to be the largest of its Back With Love. ...Whalley Range!” in his Miserable Lie carnivals such as ‘Rock against Racism’ and produced numerous animations that are famous 11 A footbridge used to cross over a stream, close kind in the country. It wasn’t a lyric, adding to his, and the area’s, woes. Estate Religion: In Victorian times, religion played an important role the Caribbean Carnival tackled modern ills and worldwide. These included Chorlton and the to the junction of Egerton Road North and successful enterprise and was agents (and residents) started referring to Whalley Range as and although Brooks was a High Church Anglican, he allowed brightened up the scene. Wheelies, Danger Mouse and Count Duckula. Brantingham Road and, apparently, it is still closed in 1886. St Bede’s is now ‘Chorlton Borders’, and the Council apparently attempted to Catholics, Nonconformists and Methodists to build places of The Wind in the Willows was worked on by The Suffragettes: In 1906, 5,000 suffragettes possible to hear a stream flowing under the road an independent college. rename it East Chorlton! Whalley Range worship along the outskirts. St Margaret’s and St Edmund’s Stone Roses guitarist John Squire. The original rallied in the park for women’s rights. They if you put your ear to the ground. is now a great place to live, play and are both of Anglican origin and grand in design. Many other building was demolished in December 2011 and The Bee Gees may well have bombed the cactus house in 15 work, with a leafy and bohemian religions now add to the variety and architecture of the area. flats now occupy the site. The Bee Gees lived at 51 Keppel 1913 too. Road for several years before moving to and Around and feel and its own unique identity. No pubs allowed: The unique nature of Whalley Range Eric comes to the Range Australia, and the street lent its name to a Political boundaries: gave rise to a myth - that there could be no pubs or Alexandra Park Aerodrome 6 During 2008 the SW Manchester Cricket Club documentary on the group in 1997. 2 A purpose built airfield selected by the War Before 2009 Whalley Range alcohol sold within the boundaries due to Quaker was the base and set for the Ken Loach film origins. This has no basis in fact, on religious or other Department in 1917 because of the agricultural ward was part of Manchester Looking for Eric starring Eric Cantona, who The showbiz hotel grounds, but maybe Samuel Brooks whispered the nature of the nearby land. The aerodrome Central but was moved to played for Manchester United 1992-97. The Biz, officially named the Clifton Range Hotel, Whalley Range Range Whalley rumour in an attempt to keep up appearances. is commemorated on a plaque in the sports the Gorton Constituency for was run by Phil Lynott’s (Thin Lizzy) mother the 2010 general election. pavilion at Hough End Playing Fields. Guinness World Record for… 18 Some statistics: The population of Whalley Range is 7 In 2008 the SW Manchester Cricket Club’s Philomena. The clientele were exclusively Alexandra Park Station People: Much of the terraced housing around 15,000. Private residences account for 83.6% of all bowling green was the site of a Guinness world entertainers and celebrities, including George 3 Opened in 1892, the station (later renamed around Clarendon Road was built by Welsh property in the ward, a lot higher than record for bowling 24 hours a day for 7 days.