Turn Right At Mottram Roundabout - Episode 22
Thu 29th December 2016 | General | By Stewart Taylor
The NWCFL side we were looking for in Episode 21 was Maine Road FC.
The photo showed the small allotment inside the Brantingham Road ground from which two ladies picked some rather good looking corn cobs just moments before the photo was taken.
The quick link talked about a cricket bat manufacturer based in Leeds, West Yorkshire and a link to this club.
The cricket bat manufacturer is Kippax and the Kippax was the name of the popular stand at the former home of Manchester City FC – Maine Road.
Our latest journey takes us to a town which fits most of the criteria for the stereotypical description as outlined a few weeks ago – but not all.
We are again talking about a town which owes many of its current features to the Industrial Revolution and the height of the town in terms of population. Now boasting around 10,000 inhabitants, this represents a decline of some 50% since the population peak some 100 years ago.
But if this is taken as a town in overall decline then this would not be an accurate reflection of this place today. As with just about all of our towns, the decline of heavy industry meant that other opportunities had to be seized and we see today a town which has moved forward to embrace light engineering and the even more modern world of information technology.
Towns are often places defined by people and their legacy. Such individuals sometimes come from wealthy families living in the area and we have a fine example here. On the outskirts of this town we find a Grade I listed Elizabethan Country House which was home for many a long year to the Shuttleworth family but was gifted to the National Trust in 1970.
Members of the Shuttleworth (later Kay-Shuttleworth) family have served the area in a range of roles over many generations. Notable Members of Parliament who served mainly during the Victorian era in a number of key roles in the Government of the day. More local servants in the guise of Lord Lieutenant of the county all the way through to local works of philanthropy. These individuals put much back into the town and the area and their legacy remains an integral part of what defines the town today.
But back for a moment to Victorian times, and we find much in literature which is still considered to be popular today. Indeed, many of the classics of the Victorian era are set texts in public examinations in schools, so opening up the world of classic writing to new generations.
Many will find such texts difficult as the generations pass but for some the exposure to these works can spark off a lifetime’s fascination with not only the literature of the time but also literature in general.
Amongst the most studied of the Victorian novelists are a family of such who produced a number of novels which evoked at least part of the spirit of the area in which they were born and lived. The key date here is 1847 which is the publication date of three of the best known novels.
The relevance to where we are today is that many of the geographical features described in these novels can be found along a heritage trail, one end of which is the Elizabethan Country House mentioned above.
Moving on the current times and we find a town which has good links with the football club. As an example, the town has a local Archives Group which was established a decade or so ago thanks to the generosity of a local resident who donated a large collection of old photographs of the town and copies of the local newspaper. The first exhibition of the collection was held at the local football club but is now, along with many more donations, housed in the Town Hall.
Talking of the local football club we find a club founded as long ago as 1878 and within a very short space of time became considered to be one of the premier sides in England.
The original ground was leased from the Shuttleworth family, see above, but no trace of that ground, which hosted matches against the elite of local football who went on to play in the Football League, remains today. We talk these days about money in football and, to a point, it was little different back in those late Victorian times and this club was one of those who lost out to bigger, richer neighbours meaning that they plied their trade at local league level.
It is quite common to read of football clubs which shut down during the First World War and restarted in around 1920 but this club is somewhat different. Yes, it did cease playing in 1915 but didn’t start again until after the Second World War when the current ground was opened.
The club, founder members of the NWCFL in 1982, have played at a number levels during the years since reforming with the highest level being Step 4 in the National League System.
Quick link - Architecturally, what links this town with the Royal Exchange building in Central Manchester?
Turn Right At Mottram Roundabout - Episode 22
Thu 29th December 2016 | General
By Stewart Taylor
The NWCFL side we were looking for in Episode 21 was Maine Road FC.
The photo showed the small allotment inside the Brantingham Road ground from which two ladies picked some rather good looking corn cobs just moments before the photo was taken.
The quick link talked about a cricket bat manufacturer based in Leeds, West Yorkshire and a link to this club.
The cricket bat manufacturer is Kippax and the Kippax was the name of the popular stand at the former home of Manchester City FC – Maine Road.
Our latest journey takes us to a town which fits most of the criteria for the stereotypical description as outlined a few weeks ago – but not all.
We are again talking about a town which owes many of its current features to the Industrial Revolution and the height of the town in terms of population. Now boasting around 10,000 inhabitants, this represents a decline of some 50% since the population peak some 100 years ago.
But if this is taken as a town in overall decline then this would not be an accurate reflection of this place today. As with just about all of our towns, the decline of heavy industry meant that other opportunities had to be seized and we see today a town which has moved forward to embrace light engineering and the even more modern world of information technology.
Towns are often places defined by people and their legacy. Such individuals sometimes come from wealthy families living in the area and we have a fine example here. On the outskirts of this town we find a Grade I listed Elizabethan Country House which was home for many a long year to the Shuttleworth family but was gifted to the National Trust in 1970.
Members of the Shuttleworth (later Kay-Shuttleworth) family have served the area in a range of roles over many generations. Notable Members of Parliament who served mainly during the Victorian era in a number of key roles in the Government of the day. More local servants in the guise of Lord Lieutenant of the county all the way through to local works of philanthropy. These individuals put much back into the town and the area and their legacy remains an integral part of what defines the town today.
But back for a moment to Victorian times, and we find much in literature which is still considered to be popular today. Indeed, many of the classics of the Victorian era are set texts in public examinations in schools, so opening up the world of classic writing to new generations.
Many will find such texts difficult as the generations pass but for some the exposure to these works can spark off a lifetime’s fascination with not only the literature of the time but also literature in general.
Amongst the most studied of the Victorian novelists are a family of such who produced a number of novels which evoked at least part of the spirit of the area in which they were born and lived. The key date here is 1847 which is the publication date of three of the best known novels.
The relevance to where we are today is that many of the geographical features described in these novels can be found along a heritage trail, one end of which is the Elizabethan Country House mentioned above.
Moving on the current times and we find a town which has good links with the football club. As an example, the town has a local Archives Group which was established a decade or so ago thanks to the generosity of a local resident who donated a large collection of old photographs of the town and copies of the local newspaper. The first exhibition of the collection was held at the local football club but is now, along with many more donations, housed in the Town Hall.
Talking of the local football club we find a club founded as long ago as 1878 and within a very short space of time became considered to be one of the premier sides in England.
The original ground was leased from the Shuttleworth family, see above, but no trace of that ground, which hosted matches against the elite of local football who went on to play in the Football League, remains today. We talk these days about money in football and, to a point, it was little different back in those late Victorian times and this club was one of those who lost out to bigger, richer neighbours meaning that they plied their trade at local league level.
It is quite common to read of football clubs which shut down during the First World War and restarted in around 1920 but this club is somewhat different. Yes, it did cease playing in 1915 but didn’t start again until after the Second World War when the current ground was opened.
The club, founder members of the NWCFL in 1982, have played at a number levels during the years since reforming with the highest level being Step 4 in the National League System.
Quick link - Architecturally, what links this town with the Royal Exchange building in Central Manchester?
