Old Hyde

Old Hyde
Pole Bank 1910 ----------------------------------------------------------Town Hall 1937 --------------------------------------------- Cenotaph 1990

Tuesday 23 October 2012

Daniel Adamson: Uncle and Nephew

DANIEL ADAMSON 1820 -1890


photo from Transport Archive attributed to Elliot & Fry (circa 1880).

Daniel Adamson was born in Shildon, Co. Durham.

In 1852 he set up the Newton Moor Iron Works at the junction of Talbot Road and Ashton Road. In 1874 due to lack of space he re-established his business on a new site about a quarter mile to the north west, at Johnsonbrook Rd.

He specialised in engine and boiler making, initially following designs created by Hackworth, making and exporting the renowned "Manchester Boilers". Adamson was able to experiment with the new found wealth from the worldwide export of these boilers and due to his remarkable capability in engineering was able to design the collapsible valve known as the Adamson Flange Seal. He was also one of the pioneers of explosive forming used in the foundry process.

He lived at various address in Hyde, including
  • Goodier House, Back Lane (now Victoria Street), Newton - see Hyde Cheshire.
  • Newton Hall, Muslin Street (now Talbot Road), Newton
  • Oakland Hall, Godley - see Hyde Daily Photo.

Adamson was a champion of the Manchester Ship Canal project. He arranged a meeting The Towers, his Didsbury home, on 27 June 1882, attended by 68 people including the mayors of Manchester and surrounding towns, leaders of commerce and industry, bankers and financiers. Adamson was elected chairman of the provisional committee promoting the Ship Canal, and was at the forefront in pushing the scheme through Parliament in the face of intense opposition from railway companies and port interests in Liverpool. The requisite Act of Parliament enabling the canal was finally passed on 6 August 1885, after which Adamson became the first chairman of the board of directors of the Manchester Ship Canal Company – a post he held until February 1887 when he resigned due to his disagreement with the financial restructuring of the company, although he still ardently maintained his support for the project throughout the rest of his life.

Daniel Adamson died at his home, the Towers, Didsbury, on the 13th January 1890. He left his wife Mary and two daughters, Alice Ann and Lavinia. Newton Moor Iron Works was passed to his daughter Lavinia who had married William Parkyn, an engineer, in April 1873.

A portrait of Daniel Adamson by Philip Richard Morris can be viewed at Manchester City Art Gallery.

For a timeline of events in his life see Geoff Royle's website.

DR DANIEL ADAMSON (1869-1930)

© 2010 Institution of Mechanical Engineers and used here with permission.

The town of Hyde had the benefit of another firm of boilermakers, Joseph Adamson & Co. Ltd. Joseph also grew up in Shildon and was the son of Daniel's elder brother John, an N.E.R. engine driver. Joseph's son Dr. Daniel Adamson, became a President of the Institute of Mechanical Engineers.

Dr Daniel Adamson was born in Hyde in 1869. He began an apprenticeship at the age of 16, attending evening classes at the Manchester School of Technology at the same time. His apprenticeship was divided between the works of Scott and Hodgson of Guide Bridge and Joseph Adamson and Company of Hyde, which had been founded by his father in 1874.

In 1893 he was promoted to works manager, and in 1904 he and his brother Harold entered into partnership with their father. In 1925 Daniel became sole proprietor of the firm.

Adamson was a pioneer in the development of the electric crane. After a visit to the United States in 1893, the firm commenced the building of electric cranes by constructing one of the first three-motor overhead cranes in the country.

He was President of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers in 1929. He died in 1930.

Tuesday 7 August 2012

Sign for the New Inn

(Click on image to view full-size version)
Photographed in October 2008.

This former Robinson's Inn stood by the side of the A57 road from Liverpool to Lincoln.

There may have been an inn on the site since the 1600s and it was known as a highwayman's inn. There are tales of it being haunted by a ghost named Mary.

However the New Inn was first licensed around 1856 with Robert Turner being the first Innkeeper.

William F Gratton was the landlord in the 1930s. Between 1927 and 1930 there were sixteen serious accidents on this stretch of road that were attributed to a "Phantom Lorry". Read the story. This is probably why a lorry features in the Inn sign.

It was the local of the Moors Murderers, Brady & Hindley whose house on Wardlebrook Avenue was behind the Inn. The house was demolished many years ago.

A later landlord was the father of boxer Ricky Hatton who was brought up in the New Inn. Part of the celler was used as a gymnasium.

The pub was demolished in August 2012 and current plans are for new houses to be built on the site.

See a photograph of the Inn as it looked in 2008 on Sithenah and as it looked a week ago on Hyde DP Xtra.

Wednesday 25 July 2012

Martins Bank 1965

Image © Barclays Ref 30/1399 Courtesy Martins Bank Archive.
(Click on image to view full-size version)

The Adelphi Bank opened at 38 Market Street in 1892. It became the Lancashire and Yorkshire Bank in 1899 and Martins Bank in 1928. By the mid 1960s the building had become inadequate and this new building was built in 1965.

The re-opening was heralded by local newspaper advertisements, informing customers that now the new branch is open for business, the temporary premises at 25 Market Street are closed.


Image courtesy of Jonathan Snowden from the Martins Bank archive.
(Click on image to view full-size version)

Note the opening hours in 1965: Mon to Fri 1000-1500, Saturday 0900-1130.

By 1969 Martins had merged with Barclays and lost their independent name above the branches. For more information about the banks see the Martins Bank archive.

For a look at the temporary premises at 25 Market Street see Hyde DP Xtra.

For a look at the current bank at 38 Market Street see Hyde Daily Photo.


Sunday 1 July 2012

The Lumn


This image is from The Annals of Hyde according to which
Probably the oldest house in Hyde is "The Lumn" homestead of the Shepleys. Purchased in 1612 from Sir Uryan Legh, of Adlington, "The Lumn" estate became the property of Richard Shepley, whose direct descendants continue to hold it. This estate is said to have received its somewhat uncommon cognomen from the fact that the homestead erected thereon was then the only house near that boasted a chimney. On that account it was named "The Lumn."

The Lumn was located in front St Thomas Church bordered by Tom Shepley St, Orchard St and Lumn Road.

A contribution to the CDPB theme day, Chimneys.

Sunday 17 June 2012

Warburton, Plant and Nash Memorials



(Click on photos to view full size)

These photographs were taken over two years ago by Tom Wigley close to Captain Clarke's Bridge and near the site of the former St George's Sunday School Rowing Club.

Nothing now remains of a War Memorial that was erected to commemorate rowing club members who were killed in the First World War.

This memorial stone shown was added to commemorate the three club members who died in the Second World War. It is understood that the original memorial was destroyed by vandalism and the Second World War memorial was fished out of the canal at some point and set into the ground along with the one commemorating that the ground had been given by the parents of Harry Warburton.


THIS LAND WAS GIVEN
BY
MR AND MRS N WARBURTON
AS A MEMORIAL TO THEIR SON
HARRY HURST WARBURTON
KILLED IN ITALY
FEBRUARY 23RD 1946
WHILST ON ACTIVE SERVICE
WITH H.M.FORCES

ALSO TO THOSE WHO FELL
IN THE SECOND WORLD WAR
1939-1945
FLIGHT SGT R.H.NASH
FLYING OFFICER F.PLANT
TROOPER H.H.WARBURTON


More information about the men involved can be found on the Hyde Cheshire blog.

Tom Wigley's photograph of Captain Clarke's Bridge taken at the same time can be found on Hyde Daily Photo.





Wednesday 23 May 2012

Archaeological Finds at Newton Hall


Newton Hall, a Grade II listed building and one of Britain's earliest cruck-framed buildings, stands on the corner of Dukinfield Road and Dunkirk Lane in Hyde, Cheshire. It eventually became used as a barn for the farm that occupied part of the site. It was encased in a brick building having a blue slate roof. When the farm buildings were being demolished in the 1960s, to make way for industrial buildings, the contractor saw the ancient cruck-framed construction and, realising it was an important ancient building, stopped demolition immediately. The other farm buildings were later demolished but the original medieval hall was preserved. Sir George Kenyon, the Chairman of William Kenyon & Sons Ltd of Dukinfield, rescued it. Browns of Wilmslow undertook the restoration work and this was completed in 1970.

During the restoration work, a large glass panel was inserted into one side the purpose of this being twofold. It allows sufficient light into the hall so that it can be used for modern purposes such as holding conferences, seminars and meetings and it also allows the construction of the building to be viewed from the outside. It now has a stone flag floor with under-floor heating, whereas originally it would have had an earthen floor.

More information at http://www.pittdixon.go-plus.net/newton-hall/newton-hall.htm


In April 2012 Tameside History Forum in conjunction with Salford University undertook an archaeological dig at the site. Over 500 photographs of the excavation can be found on their Photobucket gallery.

These photographs were taken at one of the open days at the end of the dig when Edward Montagu's Regiment of Foote were performing at Newton Hall together with their Civil War Cannon.

More photographa of the dig can be seen on Hyde Daily Photo and Hyde DP Xtra.

Thursday 1 March 2012

New website for the Theatre Royal


There is a new website now for Hyde Theatre Royal Onward, the trust set up to save this historic theatre for the town.


My own photographs, mainly from the Heritage Open Days can be found at http://www.geraldengland.co.uk/gx/royal.htm

Tuesday 7 February 2012

The Crown Pole


The "Crown Pole" is not a conventional signpost. The top eight fingers in descending order point to Audenshaw, Stalybridge, Dukinfield, Denton, Ashton-under-Lyne, Mossley, Longdendale (almost invisible here as it points directly at the camera) and Droylsden. The bottom finger, presumably added to give balance, merely points "South".


It was erected in 2002, along with others in Tameside, to commemorate the golden jubilee of HM Queen Elizabeth II.


On the market ground opposite Corporation Street, it replaced former flower tubs.

In January 2012 it was uprooted to be moved to an undisclosed site as Hyde Market underwent extensive renovations.

See the photographs on Hyde Daily Photo (Vol.2) and Hyde DP Xtra.
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