1939 IN THE MANCHESTER AREA

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CHRIS E MAKEPEACE, B.A., F.S.A., A.L.A 1939 IN THE MANCHESTER AREA

This r esearch was commission b y Ms Pamel a Me n d ez on behalf of Mr K ~ o llet a nd l tt em ~ts to s how the ty e of life of and e vents attend e d by leading businessmen and of wealthy people in t he months l eading u ~t o the outbreak of war in Sep tember 1939.

'l'he main sources of informa tion hav e been The Manchester Ci ty News, t h e Alderlef Edge and Wil. s lov Advertiser and Cheshire Life. The ~erio d concentrated on has been the first eight months of 1939 , u~to the outbreak of war.

The Manchester City Nevs was a weekly pa per wh ich included longer articles as wel l as news items. Its circulation wa s wider tha n Mancheste r. Wh en i t eventually c e ased t o be pub lished in Lhe 1950s; it was ~art of the ';Count./ newspaper" series. It contains d verts as we ll as news items.

The Alderley Edge a nd Wilmslov Advertiser c o vered a l a r g e ~art of nortn Chesh ire around Wilmslow and Alderley Edge , but it also covered s ome Ma cclesfield news and some events in Stockport and the part o f Che s hire which had been absorbed into Manchester i n 1931 as the Wythenshawe Estate.

Cheshire Life started in the mid 1930s a nd d ea lt with t h e activities and interests o f those with what mig ht be described a s "time o n t h eir ha n ds" or wh o we re in a p os ition to enjoy themselves or were part of "societj" .

Re f erences in the Manc hester Ci Cf Ne ws

Deans ate Hotel advertised on 7th January claiming tha t it was t he IIbest businessmen's lunch in town. Table d 'hote from 2/- or a ll la carte menu. Restaurant within a hotel. Small tables • rEh e a d vert then we nt on to s tate "We solicit a trial". he Deansg ate Hotel stood o n Deansg ate close to the Cathedral, o verloo k ing t he River Irwell. It was severely da ma ged in a fire d uring the war which some ha ve argued was started deliberately by l ift h Columnists ll

Another important even t in " anches ter were t he Ha 11e concerts, he l d at the Free Trade Hal L rfhese usuall} took place on Thursdays and Sun d a ys a nd a ttracted udiences f rom a wide a rea. The programmes were trad i tiona1. For example on 18th February, there was a r e view of the performance o f the Dream of Ge rontious . The concert d eason end e d in May a n d usuall.! started i n mid ­ ... e ~t em ber.

In t h e i s s ue ot 18th Febr uary 1 93 9, there is an a c count of t h e Lord Ma yor' s rece p tion at Ma n chester attended b y over 1 20 0 peop le, i ncluding l ocal policitcal l e aders, leaders o f industr y a nd c o mme r c e in the city, many of wh om would have lived outside t he city bo undaries a n other no table local ~ e o p le. The rece~ti o n wa s hel d a t the Town Ha ll. En tertainment was ~rovidea by the Ma nchester City Po lic e ' t ring rchestra. Da ncing was to the Eljsian Dance Ba nd . The Great Ha ll was also used for a concert.

A e neral observation that is a p ~ arant from r e a d iny the p a ~ ers is that the leade r s of industrj and commerce we r e also involved i n or9anisations like t he YHA. For exa mp le E D Simon, head o f Simon En inee rin ] wa s the Re g ional President of t h e Manchester and District Grou o f t e YHA . ( thers a lso too k a c tive roles in thinkiw, a h ead to t h e effects of t h e outbreak o f war. For examp le, A E P i ggo t t , secretarj to the Manche ster Cr e matorium Compa ny, p rod uced pa per s o n th p. effec t of air-raids and the a c tion at should be t aken to deal with t he c a sulties. (Pi990tt wa s the head o f an e stab lished firm of accounta nts in the cit] a nd lived in Fallowfield.)

It s houl d b e noted that alt o ug h ma ny of t h e i md ustrial and comme rcial leade rs o f Manchester lived outside the city, in north Cheshire i n place s like Wilmslow a nd Alderley Ed g e , t h ere were som2 wh o continued to l iv _ the the traditional suburbs such a s Fallowf ield, Withington and Didsburj.

Me mntion should also b e made of organisations lik ~ the Northern Law n Tennis Club, b a sed in Didsburj, wh ich liked to think of itsel f as the "Wi mb l edo n of the North". Fred Perri started i s ~) I a yin care e r here. The r e wa s a 1 so a c r 0 ~ u etc 1 u b b a s e don t h e same. (See h otoco~j)

In F e bruarj 1939, the J e wish c o mm uni t y held 3 ba n quet to mark the centenary o f Manches ter a s a b orouy h (1 9 38) and t h e ~ l a n t iny o f a 1000 t rees, d onated by t h e Ma nchester Jewish Communitj, a t Nazareth - called the Ma nchester Grove.

e i s sue of t h e li th ~l a rch 1 ~39 reported the annual d inner of the Ma n c , e ster Societj of Architects. h is was attend e d b y all the I e diny architects in Ma nches ter and the surround iny area. Th e architects would have taken guests with t hem, usuall] clients.

At the e nd of March (31st), an advert in the Ma nchester City News r efers to t h e sale of hou s e s at Parrs Wo od, o n th8 e d g e o f Ma ncheste r, ne ar t h e Capi tol .inema. r h ese we r e bo th semi­ d eta che d and d e tached houses a . the price wa s be t we en £55 0 and £1000 each. his area wa s becoming availab le f o r d eve l o fJ lnent with t he construction o f Kingswa y, a main road avoiding Di d s b ury.

In April 1 9 3 9 , ther e was an a d vert f o r t he S i bby Line t o r holiday cruise s fr om Li v e r 0 01 t o London vin Antwe r , ~ o tter d am a n d Ha b urg on teSS; xford s hire (de a rting 2 7th June) a nd t he MV Worcestershir p. (de a rting 10th ,J une). Fare: 1 0 -1 guineas including 3rd clas s return rail fare.

22 A r il 1939 include ~ a report on th " T le Magic of the Builder" e xhibition at City Ha ll. ,This wa s also me ntioned in the Alderley Edge and wilmslow Ad vertiser.

Houses being built i n Tim e rley at this time c ost from £427

2 includiny 3 beds , kitch e n, s eparate wc, bathroom, g arage and lar e ~ arden. Said t o be close to shops and on bus route into Ma nchester.

Manchester Airt?ort (Rin way) had 1 6 scheduled f liyhts 8ach day d urin~ June and July. Destinations included Glasgow, London, 3 ristol, Southampton and Am sterdam

In July 1939, the Duke and Duchess of Kent visited Whallej Range Hi gh School and Wy thenshawe , which was be ing d e velo~ e d a s a new town although with in the bounda ries o f Manchester, so that pe ople from the slums of Hulme, Ar d wick etc, could be rehoused and their old Victorian dwelling s demolished. during· t.he last week of August, t h e re wa s t he Buxton Drama festival.

References i.n t~ , e Alderley ~ at d Wl1mslow Ad vertiser

I n January 1939; Sandbach Conservative Association held its annual dance at Sandbach Town jaIl. Attended by a large crowd . A "Be lle o f t he Ball" was elected and dancing wa s the New Lyrical Band.

The we din ot the month i n January wa s t.hat of t he d a u gh ter (?) o f Christie-Miller, a major hat manufacturer in Stockport, at Acton. At?~eared t o have b e en very much of a s ociety wedding for the "Cheshire set".

~ h e Cheshire Conservatives at? ear to have been actively involved in the Cheshir _ National Service Committee and encouraged its members to join.

On 2 7th January, t here wa s a r e por t o n the Presi d e nt'~ night o f Cheadle Rotary Club, attended by over 200. Held at StockLort Masonic Ha ll

Mobberley Conservative Association o rganise d a meeting a t h e Victor Hall i n mobbe.Lrey, whic1l wa s well attended. I t wa s a ddr essed by Sir Wa 1 ter Bromley-Da ven ort, f Ca pe s thorne Ha 11, who encouraged everyone present to join in National Service.

The issue of 3 rd February contained an artic le on t he residents of Prestbury obj e cting to chan es prop osed for Swanick Ho use. Chairman of the Parish Council was Sir Robert Burrows , Chairman of LMSR who lived at Bonis Hall. (Prestbury is a typ ica l pretti villa~e where there _~ re many very wealthy r e sidents a nd", veri select area.)

Th e i s s ue 17th Februa ri c o ntained a report o f h e - nnual d inner of the Britsh Felt atters association at the Midland Hotel i n Manchester

e issue for the 24th Februarj 1939, there was a report that the Lil j of the Forest Lodge o f the Manchester Unit] of uddfellows

3 held its centenary celebrations at the Conservative Hall in Wilmslow.

The issue for the 3rd Ma rch 1939 included a r e port t hat Brigadier Ge neral Si r Ernes t Makin; MP for Al derley Edge, attended the annual soci 1 occasion o f t h e Al d e r ley Ed g e Co n serv atives, an event h e hali regularl y attended . He spo ke t o t h e assemb led gathering on the current situation in Euro~e. (He a p pears to have atten e d other constituency events during the s~rin g and summer a t w ich he took t he o pportunitt to talk bout t h e po litica l situation in E uro~e.

There was also a re~ort on the first da nce of Ma cclesfield Pr ess. I t wa s held a t the Stnaley Hall (Conservative Party he adquarters in Ma ccle s field ) . Attended b t 260. Both o ld ~ n n e w d a nces we re included to cater for all tastes. Floral decorations we re ~ r ovi de by t he g ard e ner from Capesth orne Ha ll. The event wa s attended bi the Lord Lieutenant for ~heshire.

Durin Apr il, Georg e VI v isited the Fairey Aviation Wo rks in Stock~ort.

'r h rou y h out the s p r ing and s um me r v arious c onser vatio n a s s o ciations hel d events. For exa mp le ; Wo me n Unionists As ociation o f t he Ma ccles field no 2 a rd .eld t he i r annual dinne r i n the anne x of the S t anley Hall. This was attended b .f Mr s C C Bruce, Cha irma n o f t h e Ma nchester Division of t he As s ociation, who was accomp anied by Mrs Victor Bruce, the renowned motor racin~ d r iver a nd d viator. Mr s Bruce lived a t Adlington Ha ll, between Poynton and Prestbury in North cheshire. s t G e orge'~ Day Para de at Al derlei Edg e wa s a t ten ded by those involved in Nationa l Service a well a well a s t h e Re el Cross , The parade wa s under t he command of Sir Kenneth Stewart.

5th Mat 1939 r e~orted the o pe ning of Alderley Edge Civic Centre, an e ve n t wh ich was attende d b t all ".Local" wo rthies.

Mat/June wa s the Alderlef Edge Music Festival

Chief billetting officer for evacuees in Ea s t Cheshire wa s Lad j Burrows.

ADD I'rIO AL NO E

During the int e r-war ye ars, several of t he lar e e s t a t e s in t he e dg e of M anc h e ste ~ sol d off t heir land. For exam~ l the Ve rnon estates in Poynton were c o m ~letelt dis o s e d o ff. In Dislet, Lord ewton sold land outsid e t he i mme i date vicinity of Lyme Pa rk on a freehold basis. U ~ to 1 914, s a les ha d be en lea sehol d . Th is me a nt t h t buil d ings a n d plot ~ of la n ~ could be urc h as e d f or de vel ~ m ent, usuall] as housin .

4 and wakes

; the '/fAh was YOIl, Ah'd IGk Ihal " H 0' Iilille i/ l\'UY all U A committee representing first class scasvn ticket holiday. Me alldy' ma'd olli l " 11<, il/ us lil'es, blll il holders had been established it!' 1895 to negotiate with were worth il . .. ' the Lancashire & Yorkshire for the provision of Walter Greenwolld. ' _UI 'l' (J II Ihe [)olt:, IYJ3 sp~cial accommodation for members of the club. The LYR did nut take to the idea too enthusiastically at le line first, but eventually' it agreed to provide two ,solute Manchester's railways could havl: presented few 'handsome specially built saloon carriages' in which sand greater contrasts than the Club train and the Wakes the members oCthe club might travel. Thcse carriages lning). Week special; between th":l11 they stood for the were to be attached to a morning train from Blackpool jince it extremes in rail travel, <:pn()lTIising two distinctive to Manchester, where they would wait until the return special ways of life. One of the im titutions of the city's rail journey in the evening. The club had to guarantee a ion of services, the Club train wa s the mode of daily tra vel minimum of forty members, who would pay an extra events for a select class of pru-. perous merchants and charge for their privileged travel in addition to their ed and businessmen who worked in Manchester but could first class season ticket. Initially a single saloon was fication afford the time and the mo ney to make their home fai­ attached to each of two morning trains from Black ­ al train away from the industry that Li'catcd their wealth. pool. whik the two together were put on to the 5. lOpm daily, The idea of the Club trai n scems to have orginated from Manchester Victoria. taking during the 1890s among ~ u m e of the long-distance Furnishings and facilities of the Club coaches were )ns and commuters from the Fyldc oast. They disliked the obviously designed to appeal to the tastes of their idea of sharing their daily Ju urn..:y with thl' commun cxclusiw occupants. The saloon was provided with ng was herd, or of struggling to fin d a scat during the holid ay easy chairs and tables, there was a special com­ ~therton season when the multitude were seeking their pleasure partment for smokers, and the walls of the saloon were .in, later by the sea at Blackpool. Because they 'wished to be decorated with 'pictures of exceptional artistic merit'. 4-2 tank spared the obtrusiveness of the cheap tripper', they Members generally had their own particular seats driver's were accused of 'priggery, snobbishness and which they occupied morning and evening, while strict trol was exclusiveness', in the words of a contemporary; never­ rules were imposed - windows, for example, were not ilar two­ theless, they pursued their scheme and accordingly the to be opened. To minister to their needs, the L YR ach train 'Lytham, St Anne's and £llackpool Travelling Club' supplied an attendant to' travel in each carriage, his was established. duties including 'seeing to the creature comforts of I ... members, and manipulating the ventilation and illuminant'. Refreshments were also made available. again being served by the attendant. Such was the success of the scheme that soon a third saloon was put on, while other Club Trains wcre also introduced to cater for residents in Southport, Llandudno and the Lake District. The new Llandudno Club Train introduced by the LNWR in 1907, for example, was described as 'the last word in railway • comfort and all that can be desired'. Its interior appears to have reached new heights of opulence, to judge by a contemporary account in The Railway Magazine:

Left: How the first class Manchester commuter travelled in Edwardian days: the luxurious interior of one of the 'Club' coaches run between Manchester and Blackpool. 31 The panelling is of fumed mahogany, bound with Above: After the day's work: a Lancashire & Yor,kshire green ebony, beading and cross-beading in tulip wood Railway 'Highflier' 4-4-2 pulls out of Manchester with the inlay. Black American walnut framing, carved mould­ 5.10pm Blackpool 'Cluh' train. Ian Allan Library ings, and seats of Australian bentwood, together with Above right: Unimpressive its exterior may have been, electric lighting and special lockers for the club but to many Manchester Victoria station was the members, all combine to make the coaches an idc;!1 gateway to the world of seaside and country. club train. Right: 'The most vivid impression of a lancashire crowd A glance at the typical schedule of one of the club is to be obtained on the platform of the Lancashire & trains gives us an insight into the life style of its Yorkshire company's station'. wrote John Pendleton in fortunate patrons. A morning train left Blackpool Our Railways 11896). Maybe he had observed scenes Central at 8.10, calling at Lytham at 8.31. Salford. such as this at Manchester Victoria as the holiday crowds where many alighted for the central business district. awaited their trains to BIi1ckpool and other resorts. was reached at 9.36 and Victoria 9.40. On the rcturn in the evening, the 5.10 from Victoria covered the SO miles to Blackpool in about I hr 20min. For the com­ muter from Windermere the 1J10rning train departed at Blackpool first class wns £31 12s (.£31.60) annually, in 8.30 and reached Manchester at 10.30, returning also addition to which of course you had to pay your mem­ at 5.10 in the evening to arrive back at Windermere at bership fee if you wanted to travel in the special Club 7.20. From L1andudno the morning departure was at saloons. Club trains continued up to World War 2, by 8.10, with a two-hour journey to Manchester, but with which lime the former ornate saloons of the old com­ an earlier evening departure at 4.55 and an arrival panies had given way to more standard LMS vehicles, home at 7.03 after the 88 miles. In all cases these times evcn if some ciahol';J!inll was applied to uphold their suggest shorter office hours than those enjoyed by dignificd tradition. humbler members of the staff. For the less aff1ul' Ill. whose everyday life was And the cost of this daily marathon? A typical pre­ bounded by M:lnche. t 'r's, city streets, the unassuming 1914 season ticket rate between Manchester and entrance to Viclori~ '1 ;llion W:lS the gateway to a 32 ( .\, '

NORTHERN LAWN TENNIS NORTHERN LAWN TENNIS \ mood of Didsbury days when "cro·kay" was still the pastime illicit game on the sacred turf (Croquet I) and we had to fortify of the presiJemial encla ve, her afterwards with a double whisky in the cloakroom when Some years before joining the Northern she was among the the presidential wrath had duly subsided. school parties which invaded the august and grassy precincts "From dawn to sunset the game pursued its leisurely course, for the Tournament and for the inter·schools finals . . . silent, dedicated and stately as a pavane. Far removed from the II On'the last occasion I wore a floppy black lace hat with domestic backlawn variety with its occasional affinity to the lemon trim, My mother thought it a mistake at the time but vociferous and wilder reaches of hockey and golf. Those not gave in. It was purchased in West Didsbury specially for the actually addressing the ball retired into a small strategically great day in an endeavour to live up to my glamorous and placed hut, to emerge refreshed aeons later when their turn precocious schoolgirl companion (we were both 14). Subse­ arrived. quently we were accosted by, or teamed up with, two elderly /I Another hierarchy we encountered lequally powerful in its young men sporting rackets, long fLinnels and fancy blazers. own way), was composed of a number of leisured senior ladies, They had not been introduceti. Thenceforth, joining this strong on tradition. In business-like, long, well-cut tennis traditionally exclusive but obviously exciting club became my wear, they played good, solid tennis land of course cro-kay) and ambition-not to be fulfilled until several years later when an invitation to make up the former was a royal command. marriage and then a war (my friends say which war?) had They deprecated the rash of short shorts appearing on younger intervened. male and female players, and at half-time between sets some of liThe form was to secure some thoroughly illustrious the very senior ladies fortified themselves from a flask and sponsors, then produce evidence of membership of other less partook of a lady-like snack of Ryvita. prestigious but adequate clubs, satisfy as to respectable "In time a somewhat younger and more hardy group of our character, and finally state considerable ability to hit the ball own crystallised, referred to rather doubtfuHy (we thought) as and/or win tournaments. All this took time, and was oversha­ "Les Sylphides". We admired from afar a very elevated group of uowed by direful rumours of unlucky aspirants who had failed county and near-county players-the elite. Ladies of great in sight of the winning post and been blac~balled. At last talent and sophistication. Some of these even stopped between clearing all these hurdles, in some trepidation, three of us, all sets, but it seemed they only needed to restore their comple­ girls together for mutual support, braved this male preserve xion from elegant beauty boxes arranged on the sideline. and haunt of ancient privilege. "Finally, there was the ardent bridge-playing group. More in li The shock of our first tentative appearances having some­ the nature of elder stateswomen or senior citizens, they started what abated, we took stock, and came to the conclusion that early in the afternoon, preferably outside on a summer's the club consisted of an unusual series of g rOl~ p s and hierar· du y---of which theJe seemed to be plenty. Undeterred by ca rds chies. At the top came our president, his family and supporters, fluttering in the breeze, the outdoor enthusiasts, as befitted monarch of all he surveyed, including two superlative croquet keen ex-tennis and croquet players, soldiered on, except for a lawns, the first of which was sternly reserved for the exclusive half-time break to indulge in a gargantuan cream tea provided presidential tread . lavi~hly by the stewardesses, as were all the famous Northern . "Any ambition to join the presidential enclave involved teas of those halcyon days. prowess at cro-kay as well as a reasonable ability to clear the "In those days too, there was a strictly taboo, non-group­ net. Our president was an ex-county star as well as a clever children and dogs, the latter understandably barred from our croquet-playing tycoon, and after playing an indifferent game it sacred turf, but our present day club would be a much duller was difficult to slink past his vantage point on the sunny seat place without the former," outside our historic old clubhouse without invoking a stream of critical and somewhat uninhibited comment. A fairly tough Scots friend of mine was once blown sky-high for snatching an

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HAT does Manchester mean to the Southerner who bas never been there? Rain, Cotton, Free Trade? Well­ • the awful memory of this year's Test .IIa that never happcned--it doesn't; ifyou go

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. . : ~ '. . . . ' Where the' Business of Manchester is Carried On . lruids Manc.hater~s cormrwrcial heart-:-dle Royal Exchange which is the great ~UonUchangc 0/ Manchester and Brifain. ""Ii: , Change,'· DII Tuadays and Friday!; draws d particularly large crowd.. .Each oJ-the agents /0'" the big mills has his ou'Jt pillar...... '. \

not· "in oonon" at all , . ,. . Where the Business of Manchester is Carried On . . InsUlt M4rlChestn's commerci4l heart~the Royal Exchange which is the great cotton exchange of Manchester and Britain.' "High • Change;: O!'l ' Tuesdays an4Fridays, ,draws a particularly large crowd. &ch. oft~agentsfor the big mills has his own pillar. r - ! ', j f' , . j(~~- , $.. , 'r -.. ' ' ~;~~'-1 not "in cotton" at' aU. Mancbes= lit .:i . 1 grown, while the old staple of the city t:I6 Wd~~. f ~I It is now a colossal centre of engioccc and a universal provider. Your madictw is probably Manchester-made, and '!" newspaper too, if you live up north. nr chance acquaintance in a Manchester tJP.::I ! V" or tram is just as likely to be a journalil t i a printer as "in cotton." I Most young and promising jourm!:e seem to have had a spell in Manchota' one time. It used to be said that r. Street was a Scots colony. "Thoup i I came from County Cork Le had worUo~. I Fleet ,Street .so long, that he ciied 1I'd. \ . good Glasgow accent," was the o~ of a newspaper man. Now that man n have passed through Manchester. ,M.anchester never did make amoa.' cotton goods itself, at least on a Iargt sal It organised, bargained o\"er and disbl1-a' cotton goods. When the eastern cnt dwind1~, it was ruin for many w. Manchester families • .The queer cosmopolitan medley fl. nlm~ .on the offices in mid-

, . mealrian, Papapoulos, and the like, stiD • :J . ,I of the Levantine trade. But thai ­ national Manchester of the GermaII • . the Jews, the Argentines and the Gra:ta ' . ' l WheTe Manchester Enjoys Itself ... "'l.," ~ :-:" which gave the city its high reputatitoo it At Manchester's Ritz, off Oxford Street, there is a nightl, dance. ' Young Manchester men . music, w greatly and sadly djmini~ , arul"women do the Palais Gli~ and Lambeth Walk as well as any LondoneTs.. .Who then is this Manchester Man, if. ! "f .'. ... ,,~ fl. ~ \ I~ -;'1,,'l'! ,

46 PICTURE POST 'f' ' ." , " , ~" ~ .J

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is not one of those' cottoD~brokers, who ~ such arduous days playing dominoes - .\. _ ~ .... _ . _ I" _, r __ .J ...... -::, . . ...

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MancheSter' Men Working , , ':Manchester 'M~ Waitipg to Work ()!I ,he fl«rr 0/ the Royal Excfu!nge. Only members of the firm 0/ "Is there a job to-clay 1" ; Outside the Employment Exchange in James Pillworth & Sons still ~aT top-hats. ' " Manchester,'s warehouSe district.'

fIG( ODe of those ;cotton-brokers, who . ~ IUch arduous days playing dominoes • abc smoky twemcnts of the Cafes round . die acbaogc? He might be a docker, for ~ter and Salford make up a harbour . " ~l size and importance; it is odd,to dIi.U of the Navy, ~teaming up a canalinto cbc middle of LanCishire. But it often does. The Ship Canal "can take it." . . Or be might be a coal-miner who has (IIOJC in from Pendleton or thereabouts, ' to ~'C a bit of a "do." Manchester is odd that ..•.. - . ny. Its places of entertainment are full" of " " :.:~ ~....'-. IICIl-lOWD people, while its own folk go away I ' , .

tar r.hcir fun. The rich are off every evening ."~. , .. D lhdr homes and golf courses in Cheshire . cd Derbyshire; the poor travel away north . i :0 Bbckpool ana Morecambe, or west to -I . Rb)i and Llandudno, when there's a chance .....; ci a breather, in Whit Week, for. example, , .. ~ the whole town is on holiday. But there is plenty o(sport at,home. Does ". ', lbe Southerner still think of Manchester as JUdica1, Free Trade, Chapel, grim and godly ·1ZId "Gradgrindish" in nature? Wrong again.. This average Manchester Man, whom yOu . IDly meet in the train or on the road, is not ia COUOD, is probabJy a' Conservative,. has 6qoneu whalever his Whcr may have toid bim about Free Trade, writes c. ofE. ifhe " ,10 dcdue his &ith, andis cmeme1y'fond fl. pme IDd '. gamble. . . Radial Nooamformity has always been far monger on the Yorkshire side of the ' .

PIOURE POST J, PicfIR'. l'osL, N~ IQ. 19J8

.Manchester is Not All New ' Outside an old public-house in Bwl's Head Yard, Charles Stuart slept hen on his mreatfrom Derlry.. The Warehouse District 'ne district TOlmd P,irt/and St. is (me ,if .. warehouses, lc!ss b,jsy thlln they used to be.

Character The old' lady with the pipe. Anne Gunn. is c1 well-knOlL" ,\Jancltester character:

Pennines than in Lancashire, whicb • has more tradition of Churcb, / State, and Sport, than most people . imagine. In 1745, it was a Jacobite town and gave the Pretender warm suppOrt. Manchester has ceased 10 be a political pioneer. It was, ho\1" ever, ftrst in the field with dog· · racing. The Bright-CObden Jegaq . has long ago been overlooked. Tbc . statues of Wbig leaders are only . " , , Storey Street: In a Poor Quarter of Salford Manchester ghosts. , Poverty in Lancashire's cities is no ["IMer th ~ ln ds..-where, hut the 51'111)ke and gloom make it seem less rnrlurable , This .\\anchcster Man of oun

48 ' PICTURE POST ~ < , ")

Music in Oxford Street . 'Flower-sellers in Piccadilly ",'Midnight in Oxfcrrd 'Street MII1ICMster U1dS1arrJOUS for its love of music In London's Piccadilly you find a couple of Manchester was built mainly in the last · -in tM days when the city was international. flower girls, in MandJester's Piccadilly a row. antury. It stiU has many cobbled streets. Young- Worker ;.... girl in the cotton-mi11 was ~ 5Durce of Manchester's wealth ....',' :, and greatness _

l:Iy he musical, with a keen inrerest c brass bands and oratorios. . He iWibJy keeps a champion canary • racing pigeons. Ifhe is middle­ ~ he likes a game of bowls on · 211: of die Jovely greens that may be m~g~dawn~smbmb~ ~lic house. He goes to Old rnlford for ·aic:ker, to the race­ :tune on -the IrweJJ, and backs "l'oiled" or "City.n If he is a 10WIgster he is pretty certain to be Night ·Time in PicCadilly . . I keen Satmday cricketer, or a Manchester is not a great centre frrr night-life. A large part of its better-off population lives outsidt.· . " '.

PIOURE POST ) I . .

. Pic"". POIt, .N-w f9. 1938 \ .. "hiker," or, maybe, a ''biker.'' hall comedians arc ' singing for Thousands of young' MaD­ their supper. With big London chester men and women go off names, the big Opera House into the Derbyshire hills at the will bo filled, and the picture­ week-end. There is a constant houses will have their queucs. row about trespassing on grouse But its all very quiet in the JD.oors, and "access to moun-. evenings, considering the mass tains" is hotly demanded. of population. • . Of course they do well to get The Manchester Man, you out and about. It is not Man­ discover, does not live in Man­ chester's fault that it was built chester at all. He pays rates in in what . Earl Baldwin ' called Cheshire : . they are so much "TheAge ofAnyhow." It was lower. He takes the air in never planned. Its parks are Derbyshire: it is so much afterthoughts, surrounding a cleaner. He looks in at Man­ central muddle of business, chester, does a bit of business, f industrial, and slum elements. complains because there is not The natural tendency of all more and goes home for a game. f who can, is to live away from His women-folk come and shop .• ! this ugly, congested middle, round St. Ann's Square, and j and modern transport makes hurry away too. i that healthy spread of popula­ Manchester must be good tion continually easier. for the motor-trade. It used to Manchester is the centre of have a solid suburban civilisa­ several millions of people. Yet tion, but that has become in­ at night it is strangely empty creasingly fluid and dispe~ed and deserted. In one of the thanks to the new cheap ho~e­ central taverns you may chance power. Even more than in to find a free-and-easy smoking London, life seeIllll to be all concert where embryo music- coming and going. IVOR IlROW~

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After Office Hours-Waiting for the tram in St. Peter's Square. Lacrosse--A - . - . . . r, , ._ ___'._ .. .& __ , _ _ L:_I" J.. ..;''';''n~-i"rl u tlin'' Lacrosse is Tlgt a SChoOI1S~~"'c; '" J\'lUnplC~'"!'sn_'' ''' t ...... S'$ :':, . ~ . .,:. ,

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-After Office HOUTS-Waiting for the tram in St. Peter's Square. Lacrosse--A Man's Game in Manchester St. Peter's Square contains some of Manchester's chief buildings-including Lacrosse is not a schoolgirl's game in Manchester. TI!e University its imposing new Public Library. runs a first-class team. There are many others nearby

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Manchester's Outlet to the Sea Manchester Commuters , The farrwus Manchester S~ip Canal connects Manchester, 30 miles All who can, get out of ManchesteT every night. Most of the inland, with the great port of Liverpool, carrying big ships into the rest get out at least at the week-ends. ManciJester peaple are , ' - " city's heaTt. great walkers, cyclists, mountain-Ioven. . '

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