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READER MESSAGES AUGUST 1999 Date: Tue, 10 Aug 1999 17:35:42 +1200
I particularly like your Denton tour photos, which is where I grew up in the 70's. One think I am pleased about is the sense of optimism and renovations that seems to be present in Greater Manchester, something that I found hard to find as a teenager in the late 1980's. The recent "Queer as Folk" programme has done much to put Manchester on the map over here, even though it is to be shown on TV shortly, lots of people have seen it on video. It has done much to reverse the stereotypical image New Zealanders and Australians can have about Manchester, which is the dull "Cornonation Street" ey-oop, whippets and mushy peas stereotype. Do you have any pictures of the Bloom St, Canal Street area on your photo archive? If not, more please, and how about a Stalybridge photo tour, preferably complete with a picture of West Hill High School which I went to? Keep up the excellent work. Nigel Windsor nwindsor@ihug.co.nz Yes, I'm planning a Stalybridge photo tour soon. Here's a photo of Canal St. Date: Tue, 24 Aug 1999 16:53:43 +1200 Dear Aidan, What a debt we expats. owe you! Visits to your pages are a constant delight though, as a former pupil of St. George's Elementary C. of E. School, I found it sad to learn that St. George's Church is to be converted into flats..I recall, over 70 years ago, kneeling "at prayer"..what we were really doing was rolling marbles from on end of the prayer-book shelf to t'other end..I cannot recall one single sermon, but I well remember the consternation caused when searching for dropped marbles.
A first quick look at the Werneth photo' amazed me as it downloaded..I saw what I thought was a grey elephant, two brown cows and two black cows and I bethought to myself..."They never had elephants wandering around the fields in my day..I say, they never had elephants........" Once again many thanks for the nostalgia. Phil Greenfield
Bit small for an elephant, don't you think? Still, next time I'll ask the cows to pose for the camera! Date: Tue, 10 Aug 1999 10:28:02 +0200 Regards Robert Amstutz Wuerenlingen / Switzerland OOPS you're right! I've corrected the error now - thanks - Aidan
Hello Adrian, I am enjoying all your pictures and news letters. Thanks a lot for an enjoyable site. Some American friends of mine are taking a trip to England next year and want to find "Winklebank" Cheshire which is where their ancestors came from. I lived in Sale, Cheshire but can't recall a Winklebank. Do you know it or have they got the name wrong. Any help would be apprediated. Thanks, Jill Eskeli Don't know it - it's probably a nickname. Does anyone "out there" have any idea? The only Bank I know is Jodrell Bank, seen in the picture right. From: "tomoko nakamura" <tomoko.n@m3.people.or.jp>
Hello Mr.Aidan, Sorry for my long silence. I've visited your site every week instead. It's been my habit since June. So, last week I've tried to see QVTR first. That's great! Tatton Park, Albert Square + Victoria fountain and Museum of Science & Industry... It seems to be real experience just like I'm in there. Though, actually, I was here in Tokyo. --After a while I felt "What's going on???"-- I was just able to try the new technique of on-line photograph and movie. That's it. I did not really come up there at the time. It's a little bit complicated for me though... Anyway, I'm not so pessimistic because it's the evidence QVTR has some potential that's more effective than ordinary pics. * Tokyo's as quite hot as ever in August but sometimes I feel cool wind from west lately. It's a first sign beginning of autumn... How about Manchester? Getting cool day by day --one of my friend living in Burnage reported last week. Take care in changing season. Looking forward to hearing your e-mail info before long. Tomoko It's warm now in September - just like last year. Here's the very latest QTVR panorama - of Piccadilly. From: "Ron McVey" <ronmcvey@globalserve.net> I was raised in Cadishead and didn't leave until I was 40 then emigrated to Ontario, Canada. I served my aprenticeship at the Lancashire Steelworks in Irlam, and I was also on Manchester Liners for several years and sailed up and down the M/CR Ship Canal many times. Your description of Irlam is excellent, and was sat with you in my mind by Irlam locks just as I did during the war years waiting for American ships to pass because the crew always threw us fruit and candy......Those were the days. Anyway congratulations on a great site. RonMcVey
Thanks very much. Here's Ron's photo & mine side by side. Two m ore on the Irlam feature. Date: Tue, 24 Aug 1999 01:49:11 -0700 Hi Aidan,
You know, it's funny, I never got onto the continent when I was back
in the UK, although I traveled all over Britain, it just wasn't in the
cards I guess. But now I'm thousands of miles further away I find I
want to visit some of the places that were just next door when measured
by Canadian standards of distance. I know my mother for example was
quite on in years before she even went to London. In the mid sixties, while working for Olivetti, I was contemplating moving to Netherton, a small town above Huddersfield. I was going to take charge of the company branch in Leeds and felt this would keep me midway between Manchester and Leeds. We put a deposit on a semi-detached house in a new sub-division that gave us an unobstructed view from our rear yard over the Pennines towards Huddersfield. Unfortunately, I had a serious car accident shortly afterwards that eventually led to me emigrating to Canada. We never did move into the house. I remember telling my mother I was
moving and you would have thought I was going to Mongolia or somewhere
equally exotic, she thought she would never see us very often, especially
her grandchildren. I tried to assure her that it was only about 19 miles
away and that I would still probably spend some time in my local pub,
but I couldn't convince her. This latter memory was triggered by your latest newsletter, talking
about Tameside. I really enjoy the 'Frost" series, based in Denton,
and watch it whenever it's on. Anyway, I used to travel all over Britain
in my position with Olivetti and whenever I travelled into Yorkshire,
I invariably took the Holmfirth Road, going through Stalybridge, across
the moor and cutting left if I was going to Huddersfield, Leeds or some
other location in South Yorkshire, going through the quaint village
that was the home of Browns tractor works, that's how I originally found If I was going to Sheffield, I would carry on along the Holmfirth road
and turn south down some 1-6 downgrades that were dynamite in winter.
The road became famous in the case concerning the children and young
adults buried there, the one that included graphic audio tapes of the
brutal events. It gave me goose bumps to realize that I had driven past
these spots constantly. In the July Reader Messages, the first one
is from Peter Foy. He e-mailed me not too long ago as a result of seeing
some of the letters I wrote to you. He is a former Manchester City Policeman
who came to Canada many many moons ago. The funny thing is that he always
had the feeling that he knew my name from somewhere each time he saw
it, and it turns out that he knew of me from the year I spent in Kitchener,
Ontario in the mid-70's, it even turns out we have mutual acquaintances
in the form of the family of a boy I coached in football during my stay
there. I wonder how many other folks have had similar experiences as
a result of your excellent publication. Another letter to you is from Anne Walker, actually, it turns out her
name is Anne Fletcher. She e-mailed me as a result of the letter I sent
to you about my time in Audenshaw. It turns out she lived on Audenshaw
Road, Audenshaw, about a block from where we lived on Edward Street, It turns out Anne lives her in Vancouver, just down the road from my Abbotsford, BC, location. She is living in a retirement home and as we now have her address, we will drop in and visit the next time we are in Vancouver. The trouble is we don't go into the big city too often, there really isn't a need to do so, other than to visit June's sister or brother. Anne however, does have a sharp memory and recalls watching Manchester City parading the FA Cup in 1934, from when she worked near London Road (Piccadilly) station.
She remembers the sharp difference in the festivities surrounding United's
1999 return to Manchester in an open topped double-decker, City were
on the back of a nondescript truck. I remember Ashton-under-Lyne very
well too, I used to hold a Saturday job in a radio/TV store on the main
drag. There used to be a deli a few doors down where they did up fresh,
stuffed beef heart. I used to go there before catching the bus to my
Audenshaw home and we would eat our It really is a small world these days, when an online publication such
as yours can bring so many people together, albeit electronically, but
the nice thing about the last one I met online, we will get to see her
in person quite soon. Once again, welcome back and keep up the good George What can I say? Thanks! |
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