Turn Right at Mottram Roundabout - Week 1
Tue 9th August 2016 | General | By Stewart Taylor
Last week under the title "Around the League in 40 weeks", we introduced a new feature for this season on the league website.
Picking up on the title of the travel book "Turn Right at Machu Picchu" by Mark Adams, we have to recognise that we have nothing quite as exotic as Machu Picchu here in the north west of England so Mottram Roundabout will have to do. So here we go with the first of the series.
This town has its own Metropolitan Borough Council (MBC) within the Metropolitan County of Greater Manchester and has, at least of recent times, become something of a commuter town serving the City of Manchester. However, such is the local pride in the town that they applied for city status in 2011 but were not successful.
Years ago, when many were the green pastures between major centres of population, this town had a clear identity with a number of industries finding their homes here influenced, at least in part, by the two rivers which join at this town to become one of the major rivers of this country. There is a well known football question which links this town to this river - you will know it!
One of the legends associated with this town involves a farmer, Jonathan Thatcher – who, so far as we can tell, did not have a sister called Margaret - who rode to market on an ox to demonstrate against a saddle tax on horses which had been introduced by William Pitt the Younger. (Pitt the Younger, as we may recall, was the slightly grown up version of Pitt the Twinkle in his Father’s Eye!). Not the first example and by no means the last of poorly drafted laws having unforeseen circumstances!
No 3 Waterloo Road in this town was the location of Strawberry Studios. Partly owned by the band 10cc, these studios were also used by some of the most iconic Manchester bands of the early 1980s including The Smiths, Joy Division and The Stone Roses.
On the sporting scene, much excitement, quite rightly, is generated by the performances of tennis player Andy Murray. As we know, this Scotsman has recently re-written the record books of British tennis following a long spell in the shadows of the achievements of British players from yesteryear.
One such was Fred Perry who, in the 1930s, was World Number One tennis player and led Britain to four consecutive Davis Cup victories. Fred Perry was born in this town.
Appropriately, as the 2016 Olympic Games are on right now, this town is home to a well know swimming club members of which have won over 50% of the medals won by British swimmers in the last three Olympic Games. Graham Smith and Steve Perry were prominent members of this club.
Football in this town, as in many, has seen its share of ups and downs. The major club within the MBC area is very well supported and boasts a fine stadium which was once also home to a top level Rugby Union side. This side set a record as recently as season 2006 – 07 when they won nine consecutive matches without conceding a goal.
The club we are looking for could be considered to be the second club in the town although relatively new. Having said that, the ground currently occupied was the most recent home of a now defunct club with which we will be familiar.
Quick Link - What links this town with a wonderful description of a pub called the Crown in early editions of the CAMRA Good Beer Guide as having “an awesome view of the viaduct from the outside gents”?
The answer to this week's mystery ground will be published next week.
Turn Right at Mottram Roundabout - Week 1
Tue 9th August 2016 | General
By Stewart Taylor
Last week under the title "Around the League in 40 weeks", we introduced a new feature for this season on the league website.
Picking up on the title of the travel book "Turn Right at Machu Picchu" by Mark Adams, we have to recognise that we have nothing quite as exotic as Machu Picchu here in the north west of England so Mottram Roundabout will have to do. So here we go with the first of the series.
This town has its own Metropolitan Borough Council (MBC) within the Metropolitan County of Greater Manchester and has, at least of recent times, become something of a commuter town serving the City of Manchester. However, such is the local pride in the town that they applied for city status in 2011 but were not successful.
Years ago, when many were the green pastures between major centres of population, this town had a clear identity with a number of industries finding their homes here influenced, at least in part, by the two rivers which join at this town to become one of the major rivers of this country. There is a well known football question which links this town to this river - you will know it!
One of the legends associated with this town involves a farmer, Jonathan Thatcher – who, so far as we can tell, did not have a sister called Margaret - who rode to market on an ox to demonstrate against a saddle tax on horses which had been introduced by William Pitt the Younger. (Pitt the Younger, as we may recall, was the slightly grown up version of Pitt the Twinkle in his Father’s Eye!). Not the first example and by no means the last of poorly drafted laws having unforeseen circumstances!
No 3 Waterloo Road in this town was the location of Strawberry Studios. Partly owned by the band 10cc, these studios were also used by some of the most iconic Manchester bands of the early 1980s including The Smiths, Joy Division and The Stone Roses.
On the sporting scene, much excitement, quite rightly, is generated by the performances of tennis player Andy Murray. As we know, this Scotsman has recently re-written the record books of British tennis following a long spell in the shadows of the achievements of British players from yesteryear.
One such was Fred Perry who, in the 1930s, was World Number One tennis player and led Britain to four consecutive Davis Cup victories. Fred Perry was born in this town.
Appropriately, as the 2016 Olympic Games are on right now, this town is home to a well know swimming club members of which have won over 50% of the medals won by British swimmers in the last three Olympic Games. Graham Smith and Steve Perry were prominent members of this club.
Football in this town, as in many, has seen its share of ups and downs. The major club within the MBC area is very well supported and boasts a fine stadium which was once also home to a top level Rugby Union side. This side set a record as recently as season 2006 – 07 when they won nine consecutive matches without conceding a goal.
The club we are looking for could be considered to be the second club in the town although relatively new. Having said that, the ground currently occupied was the most recent home of a now defunct club with which we will be familiar.
Quick Link - What links this town with a wonderful description of a pub called the Crown in early editions of the CAMRA Good Beer Guide as having “an awesome view of the viaduct from the outside gents”?
The answer to this week's mystery ground will be published next week.
