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Swinton
Swinton maps
Historic maps of Swinton and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Swinton maps
Swinton area books
Displaying 1 of 4 books about Swinton and the local area. View all books for this area
You can read extracts and browse photos from these books.
Memories of Swinton
Displaying a selection of personal
memories of Swinton.
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Visiting Victoria House in The Park For Clinic Visits
Once I had started school, I had to pay regular visits to the clinic housed within Victoria House which is sited within the park bearing the same name. This building had been the Town Hall for the township of Swinton prior to its being united with Pendlebury to form a new Borough in 1934. I had to attend the clinic for eye tests and on the completion of the visits to the clinic, my mother would walk me over to the playground area of the park so that I could enjoy using the swings there. After that activity, she would walk me through the park to say a prayer in Saint Mary's Church either to give thanks if the news was good or to seek comfort from the Lord if it was not so good.
My Wedding Day
I was married in St. Peter's Parish Church, Swinton on September 7th, 1957 - one of the happiest days of my life. It was a lovely sunny day and my best friend May Timperley was my bridesmaid. My husband and I had a honeymoon in St. Ann's on Sea and travelled there by train from Moorside Station.
I was christened at St. Peter's in 1935 and attended Sunday School from age 4. When I was confirmed there by the then Bishop of Manchester, Bishop Greer, I carried on attending church to become a Sunday School teacher myself until I was 18.
Lancashire memories
St Joseph's Home, Worsley Road
I was at St Joseph's Home from November 1947 to july 1953, and had many happy times.
Patricroft Shops
There was an ironmonger's shop on Patricroft Bridge ( the Eccles side) owned by a man called Richmond, whose daughter May attended Eccles Grammar School - though she was too nice a girl to have anything to do with a yob like me! Over the other side of the bridge was the Majestic Cinema (later the "Talk of the North" club). St. Joseph's Home was not always the happy place your correspondent remembers - my mother used to threaten to "...have you kids put away in there" if we misbehaved, so we were much in awe of that big green front door with the big brass knocker.
Patricroft , Liverpool Road
There was a fish shop named Tommy Cockers' I think and old Tommy used to come out and chase us with a wet, slimy fish.
Tommy Cocker
Yes, I remember Tommy Cocker, I was born in Patricroft in 1941 and lived in Mellor Street. After school I used to go to Tommy's shop to do odd jobs for spending money. One of the jobs I did was to pluck chickens, he used to keep them live in his cellar, he would take me down there where the chickens were running around, he would then screw their necks and give them to me to pluck whilst they were still warm, apart from the little cash I received I also finished covered in fowl lice. Some job. I now live in Australia. Just interested, do any of you who remember a Barry Wilson from 1940/50?
St. Joseph's Patricroft.
I also have memories of St. Joseph's I, along with my sister & brother were placed there. We had an aunt at the convent she was Mother Hilary. Sr Cecilia was in charge of the girls and I love her to this day. She was a very creative artistic nun. While everything was not like a typical home, we were well fed, well educated and well looked after. Can't speak for the boys though. I remember being in the Gilbert & Sullivan operettas + Pearl the fishermaiden, I was also in choir. I remember going to the movies on Tuesday nights, and to the Seminary in Freshfield every year for our holidays. What fun we had! Also walking to Elocution class in Eccles on Monday nights. I left there and went to live with my Dad in Salford.
