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Then and Now: Harpurhey

THEN: Harpurhey in 1959

Today, our Then and Now series goes back to 1959 - when the blighted district of north Manchester enjoyed better days - and captured the true Mancunian spirit of pride and determination.

Just one look at Conran Street, pictured, in the heart of the community, reveals an area bursting with shops of every description, from a bicycle shop and sweet shop, to fish and chips, family butchers, and cinema.

In the days when the streets were the playground for local children, the image of Harpurhey in the late 1950's, the area still holds childhood memories for many of places to visit.

NOW: A shadow of its former self

Today, Conran Street looks a shadow of its former self and the updated image of Harpurhey is an unhappier one.

Boarded up shop fronts and a missing sparkle sadly hint at the deprivation referred to in the government report.

The archive photograph is part of a collection chronicling the changing face of Manchester during the past 250 years on a computer at Manchester Central Library.

What are your memories of Harpurhey? Have your say.

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