You are here:
Harpurhey
Harpurhey maps
Historic maps of Harpurhey and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Harpurhey maps
Harpurhey photos
We have no photos of Harpurhey, although we do have photos of these nearby places:
Prestwich| Salford| Chadderton| Manchester| Fallowfield| Oldham| Swinton| Denton| Heywood| Stretford| Brinnington| Patricroft| Castleton| Eccles| Barton Upon Irwell| Shaw| Bury| Hyde| Sale
Harpurhey area books
Displaying 1 of 17 books about Harpurhey and the local area. View all books for this area
You can read extracts and browse photos from these books.
Memories of Harpurhey
Displaying a selection of personal
memories of Harpurhey.
Add your memory of Harpurhey
or of a photo of Harpurhey.
Harpurhey Childhood 1942/1950
When I was born in William St in 1942, Harpurhey was very different from today. Horses and carts delivered the milk and coal, the horses following the carters down the st, knowing where to stop for the next drop. Mam would let us give the horse a crust covered in jam, as it waited at the step. The rag and bone man was a regular sight, with his cry echoing the surrounding streets. Out we'd run with a few old clothes or some jam jars to be rewarded with a balloon, or if you took something really good a goldfish, that's if mam didn't want any donkey stones for cleaning the steps. He recycled all our rubbish. On May Day the horses were all dressed up with shiny leather and brasses, ribbon and braid in their plaited manes and tails, such big shirehorses but such gentle giants, so resigned to their working lot. There were no cars in our st so it was safe to play out, which all we... Read more
Turkey Lane Hip
It was around this time the old Hippodrome closed. Well everyone thought it had, us children knew better, we could just open the loading door slightly and squeeze in, many costumes had been left, but we never tried them on, just looked at them and said how nice they were, but we knew all about the ghost that walked the stage and we talked in whispers in case they heard us.
Someone must have realised what was going on, because a new lock went on this door and we could not get in. Mind, we then found an air vent and many of us could crawl through this, so our trips continued, until this was found out and closed off. Wonderful, innocent, fun loving days.
Mrs Jemmison
How we must have given this lady a headache. She lived at the bottom of the lane and we children used to go to the side of her house and play ball. Many times she came out, not to complain, just to ask us to move further up the wall away from the room they were sitting in. What a lovely lady, and a belated sorry for the noise. Another time we were playing on Rileys wall, and the windows were covered in wire netting. I ran under my friends arms and the netting went into my head. On a bus to Booth Hall hospital for two stitches. My family I fear must had despaired of me.
My First Memories of Harpurhey
Let me amend my memories of Harpurhey, after looking at some old photos of Manchester I can now remember and recollect other things, like for example holding on to the rails outside St Edmund's Junior School on the first day and my poor mother having to take me home, only to bring me back one week later, I think that was 1951. My first clear memory of Harpurhey was the Coronation in 1953. I expected the Queen to walk down the very street I lived in which was Mitford Street, just off Conran Street, it had a greengrocer's on one corner and an ironmonger's on the other. I remember that the street was concrete because it had to take heavy loads on oit during the war years, transport etc, it was excellent for roller skating on as most other streets were cobblestones, and we had a large Back Street which had no traffic on it, this was where all the children played in safety. Dewhurst's the meat factory was situated... Read more
Lancashire memories
Love my Roots
I was born in 11 Higher Duke to Alice & Fred Musgrave in 1939. My early memories are being rushed out to the back entry into the shelter when the bombs were dropping, I don't remember being that scared it must have been the good humour and attitude of all the neighbours sharing the shelter, I remember lots of singing. Dad worked at West Gas I think, or it could have been AVRO. I went to Corpus Christie School until I was 8 then moved to the Crumpsall Open Air after one of those medicals where the doctors came round the school. I remember my life in Hr Duke St as very happy with lots of friends Ray Blears, the Kendal family Joan & Louise Hayles the Ashbrooks, the Sunderland girls, Maureen & Tommy Hitchen, I often wonder where they are now. Right at the top of our street accessed by the back entry near the Hitchens was Morans the bookies. My Dad bought... Read more
SCHOOL DAYS
I REMEMBER GOING TO HAUGE STREET SCHOOL AND LIVING IN ROBERT STREET JUST A STREET AWAY AND ONE MORNING I HAD FORGOTTEN TO TAKE MY LUNCH SO I STOOD AT THE SCHOOL GATES AND WATCHED FOR MR MERGAROIDE WHO WAS THE LANDLORD OF THE GREYHOUND PUB AFACING OU R HOUSE AND WHEN I SEEN HIM I ASKED HIM WOULD HE GET MY MOTHER TO BRING MY SCHOOL LUNCH FOR ME AND HE DID I WAS WELL CHUFFED
Newtonheath Loco Football CCub
I remember sneaking into the match by going past the lodging house on Warden Lane and going by the railwayside and through a hole in the fence that the railway men had made so that they could watch the match on their break. If the football was boring, me and my brothers would watch the trains and the freight wagons being shunted back and forth.
