WE ARE ON STOCKPORT ROAD, the A6 in the centre of Levenshulme, looking north towards Manchester. The spire of Levenshulme Unitarian Church is visible about a quarter of a mile up Stockport Road. As part of the upgrading of the A6, the building on the right is covered in scaffolding and undergoing renovation. The traffic lights mark the junction with Albert Road on the left.

Rich says: "We use quite a few of the facilities here - Lloyds Bank, We get things like brushes, cake tins, Christmas lights, batteries from Bobby Dazzlers, it's a good shop, I'd recommend it. It's just next to Iceland. We give to the charity shops and I often get a veggie roll from Greggs. We don't tend to drink in Levenshulme, though we went there last St Patrick's day. That's a good day to go out in Levenshulme."
Maria says: "The facades of those buildings are beautiful."

THIS IS STOCKPORT ROAD, the A6 looking south from the centre of Levenshulme towards Stockport. A 192 bus operated by Magic Bus is coming towards us. On the left is the roof of the former Levenshulme Town Hall, now Antiques Village. It's November 2001, and the plain grey-painted street lights installed by the City of Manchester in the early 1970's will soon be replaced by new ones, as part of the upgrading of the A6 corridor. Off to the right is the supermarket Iceland.

Joyce talks about the 50's: "We used to go to the skating rink to do roller skating on a Saturday afternoon. They had professional skaters there to teach you how to do certain moves. You took your own skates and paid your entrance and pay for hire of skates. Girls had white ones. We used to do all sorts of things, it was a fun time. The skating rink became a supermarket, and was knocked down and rebuilt. It's now Iceland on Stockport Road."

THIS FORMER CINEMA was used as a church for many years. Today it's a the A6 Showroom, selling branded discount beds and matresses. Like many cinemas of the early 20th century era, the architecture tries to recreate the sumptousness of a palace, with its ionic columns, balustrade and balcony.

Joyce says: The Grand cinema - that's the beds place with the grand facade, though they've taken the steps away. The cinemas were very grand, they were all lit up, with an extension piece on the front.

EWM says: There are some who say that buildings like this are tacky and tasteless and should be torn down. I think it's precious precisely because it's unusual and wonderfully kitschy. It ought to be fully restored.

THE RAILWAY BRIDGE OVER ALMA ROAD dates from the 1840's, and is constructed in attractive honey-colourd stone. Through the arch we can see the former Grand cinema on Stockport Road. The recently added triangular warning signs give the height of the bridge - 3.4 metres or 11 feet 3 inches - too low to allow a double decker bus through. The area close to Alma Road is named Alma Park. It's January 2002 and it's a clear day with bright blue skies. A dusting of snow lines on the road surface.

Rich says: "Last year on a Sunday morning, there was a Luton van parked here. The van was totally mashed at the top, as the driver appeared to have forgotten he was driving a high vehicle. It was very easily done - it was a hire van.

It's an aesthetically nice structure. Seeing it framed as an object to look at makes you look at it and appreciate it. When it's in real life, and you have a railway line, you might not notice it. Seeing it in the photo brings something to your attention you might not have perceived."

May talks about walking home in the 20's: "It was a long walk from St Marks to Old Hall Lane where I lived. We were never mugged, but my mother warned me about someone who had their handbag pinched on Rushford Avenue. It was all quiet, private property - under two railway arches with my brother, through private property. Nobody bothered you."

ALMA ROAD MEETS MARSHALL ROAD at this point. Looking straight ahead is Preston Road, very typical of the streets of Levenshulme with rows of late Victorian terraced houses. Preston Road and neighbouring Arliss Avenue and Victoria Avenue end in a brick wall which separates them from a Victorian housing suburb on the other side.

Rich says: "That's near where we live, it looks nice. These roads all end in a dead end, there's a wall at the end of the street. Beyond it is Grange Crescent, and it's a conservation area and there are lots of trees. This is Preston Road, Marshall Road is on the right and left. Forest Range is half way down on the right."

A NEWSAGENTS, NOW CLOSED DOWN, ON STOCKPORT ROAD, the A6, opposite Alma Road. The run-down appearance provides evidence of the economic problems of the area. Metal shutters pulled down, and scrawled with graffiti, the Manchester Evening News logo and boards are shabby and out of date.

EWM says: Regeneration of Levenshulme in progress - I expect that driving down the A6 from mid-2002 this scene will have changed.

NEAR THE JUNCTION OF ALMA ROAD AND STOCKPORT ROAD, THE A6, the Grand cinema is on the right, the empty newsagents just a couple of doors down. The left arrow painted on the left hand lane points into Alma Road. Nowadays most traffic light junctions have a green area at the front reserved for cyclists. A single decker 192 bus operated by Stagecoach is on its way to Mersey Square Stockport.

Rich says: "This is the Grand cinema. Joyce said it used to be all lit up. Today it's just a shadow of what it used to be it's quite deliapidated. These new crossings are a godsend. It's just so much easier to get across a busy road."

THESE SHOPS ON STOCKPORT ROAD LEVENSHULME are downmarket with large letters hastily put up, and attention-grabbing names: 'Kidz Clobber good as new' 'DISCOUNT BOOZE' and 'FASTFOODPARADISE'.

EWM says: 'Paradise' isn't exactly an appropriate word for this location. The trend towards downmarket shopnames began in the depressed 1980's. You'll see many of them on main streets and in housing estates all over Manchester. I wonder if the suburban snob and 'Lady of the House' Hyacinth Bucket of the BBC comedy 'Keeping Up Appearances' would shop here? Ah yes, for all our grocery requirements, we go round the corner to 'Booze Mags 'n' Fag's'. Does anyone have any more juicy downmarket shop names?

Rich says: "You might think this is representative of Levenshulme but it's not the Levenshulme we know. It's just a nationwide or global trend to have tacky shop names and signs. I think it's a really nice photograph."

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