West Gorton Memories

A Memory of Gorton.

I remember as a child moving into my parents 1st bought house it was 71 Lynn street west gorton heading onto redgate lane (which is still there today) and stoodley car auctions was built on this area and also there is a scrap yard which was there when I was a kid and still there now and I remember slack @ Cox also on redgate lane I have fond memories of playing on the croft on redgate lane near the longsight railway bridge and my mam walking over to the croft shouting my name to go home (but I would ignore her ) it would get to the point where she would come looking for me but I would hide and she would go home me and Edward made a swing of a old tyre and play on it for hours as it was appoaching dark we would go home we walked down the dirty dark entry and I would climb over the gate and jump onto the coal shed and sit talk and laugh with Edward till it was late I sneaked into our kitchen and make toast on the coal fire and spread it with jam my parents would be sitting watching the news and my mam boiled the 2 kettles for my bath over and over again every Sunday was the worse night for bath night the dreadful nit comb but it had to be done every Monday morning I was late for school queueing at the post office for my child benefit and I would go to the toffee shop (Norma she was called) and she had a big Dalmatian dog but I couldn't wait till it was Friday as it was chippy night and bingo night at the Cosmo bingo hall I would sit with my mam drinking coke and eating sweets if she won it was a treat to go to the chippy again on a Saturday night she went to the travellers call on Hyde road gorton and I would sit in and watch the tv Sunday was roast dinner day with lamb and all the trimmings the lamb bought off longsight market then my mam would say go to bills shop (on Ashmore street ) and get me oxo cubes for gravy but I have good memories of my school holidays and my dad asking me to go into the transport cafe corner of my street for 2 meat pies and then we would go for a walk to gorton baths in 1980 my parents decided to modernize our home with new decor carpets and gas fires throughout we even had new Windows fitted and internal doors we had a shower fitted no more tin baths then shortly after we got a letter saying demolitions were taking place omg why our street why us we were the last occupants to leave it was like a ghost town with all the houses boarded and no freinds to play with life was miserable it was cold dark and horrible no sound to be heard and not many shops open on Hyde road no chippy or cafe on redgate lane and only a few pubs one by one the area was going then one day we left and I cried but the memories are always with me WEST GORTON manchester was the place to be....