Clowes Street, West Gorton
A Memory of Gorton.
Having been born and raised on Clowes Street, West Gorton and having lived there between 1947 and 1960 before moving to Cambert Lane, Gorton, I still feel sad whenever I travel from Lincolnshire to see the "old" area again.
The houses and shops that replaced those demolished between 1968 and 1970 are themselves now due to be demolished completely, and a third generation of houses and flats are now being built along the line of the "old" original Clowes Street, lately called Gortonvilla Walk.
The Conway Cinema near to Hyde Road was demolished in June 2013, and new houses are almost completed on the site.
It's to be hoped that the area loses it's poor image that was highlighted by the "Shameless" series a few years ago?
I was born at 124 Clowes Street, (the same side as St Marks' Church) and have spent years plotting on old and newer maps of the area exactly where the terraced house stood in relation to the Church and the shops that remain on Gortonvilla Walk.
The house was on the Hyde Road side of William Street, and across Clowes Street at an angle from the Union Chapel at Kelsall Street, for those that remember the area in those days.
Today, the row of dilapidated shops occupies the site of the former Gorton Labour Club that stood opposite St Marks' entrance door on William Street, and the paved area at the front of those shops was occupied by (from William Street at its junction with Clowes Street) the Beswick Co-op Grocers at number 130, the Beswick Co-op Butchers at number 128, the old Tripe Shop, where I lived from being one year old, at number 126 and then the house of my grandparents, where I was born, at number 124 Clowes Street, and the row culminates at what was Mrs Parry's Pawn Shop on the corner of Clowes Street and Elizabeth Street.
The site of St Marks' Church, which fronted Clowes Street and which lay between William Street and Robert Street cuts through the "new" (ready for demolition) Gorton Labour Club at Gortonvilla Walk and Begonia Walk.
The club has been empty and boarded-up for at least two years now.
There is an excellent site called old Manchester Maps (Overlay) with which you can search old maps of the area and overlay the "new" Clowes Street area with that of a map from (say) 1900, and you can adjust the shading to reveal what used to occupy the current locations.
It's good to see the area before its gone forever.
Best wishes to all those associated with West Gorton and Gorton.
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http://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/sidebyside.cfm#zoom=16&lat=53.4683&lon=-2.2003&layers=6&right=BingHyb
To Elaine
My name is Bill Cullen and I too lived on Wellesley Street, West Gorton at the same time that you did. I remember you and your brother Ian who was in my year at Thomas Street School.
There must be some people who are still around who lived on Wellesley Street although apart from my Sister I have never met or come across any of them. I lost touch with everyone when we moved away except for one family, from Clowes Street, who were relocated to the same area. The move away meant new employment or schools, new friends/gangs, new activities etc and a new way of life and so Wellesley Street was more or less forgotten. I came across your message when I was looking for info on the Gorton Lane Monastery.
I/m not sure if you are trying to get in touch with people you once knew or just recalling times gone by. I can only remember a few of the families that lived in the Street, these being:-
No1. The Massey family. Melvin and Terence. They had an older brother and sister (Alma?)
No 3. Latham/Thompson – related to someone in the street
No 5. Alan and Ann Wraxhall plus I think they had a relative a couple of doors down on the odd side of the street.
No 9. Blinstone family
No 11. Me… Bill and my sister May Cullen
No 15. The Stathams. Betty and her Mum.
No 21. Your Gran
No 23. Ian and yourself
No 27. Edna Betts and her siblings
No 29. The Peevers
On the even side:-
No2. The Ballards
No 6 Mavis and (H)Ellen Horridge
No 10. Frank, Alan, Connie and Jack Peak
No 12. Mrs Duckett?
No 14. Miss Lamb
No 20. Lilian and Joan(?) Quigley
No 26. Eddie and Brenda Leary.
No 30. Herbert Walker and younger brother.
There are some blanks because either the families that lived on the Street did not have children my age or I never knew their family names anyway.
Wellesley Street was dissected by two other Streets and therefore there was two other blocks with houses numbered 31 onwards.
Hope this jogs a few memories.
Keep well.
You mentioned the Massey's above. I'm Alma's son (David). Unfortunately she passed away in 2003. My grandparents still have 3 surviving children though. Terence, Melvin and Norman. It was a big family. They moved to Hyde after wellesley street.
Would love to here of anyone who remembers the street or any of the residents.
Herbert Walker is our uncle
We remember the Gorton Brook pub on the corner also Sevories ice cream
Some sad times but also a lot of good times.
To Bill Cullen
Our names are Sheila and Margaret Betts my sister Edna was mentioned in one of your memories
we also Have a brother Harold our mum and dad were Harold and Edith Betts Herbert Walker is our uncle and Mavis and Ellen Horriage were my great auntie Ruby's children we also remember Gladis Peever but not sure if she was related but do remember calling her auntie
We also remember the Gorton Brook and Sevories ice cream parlour and there was a toffee shop at the top of the street the Massey family were also related to us there mum and dad were Auntie Theresa and uncle Norman. There children Alma and Melvin there siblings
Auntie Violet Riley Uncle Herbert's sister live on Beaumorris Street our uncle Charlie Herbert's brother kept racing pigeons. Mr Lee used to. Live nextdoor to our grandad they had a daughter called Veronica not sure about her siblings. We lived at number 12.think our grandad lived on the corner nearest to the croft.
I still lived in West Gorton untill 1977 when I got married I had my hen night at the Elizabethen dance hall in Bellevue and got married at Emmanulle Church
Our mum and dad lived there until 1994
We had some bad times but also a lot of good times
And we have got lots of good memories as well as funny ones too.
And have good memories of a lot of down to earth good people who lived in that street.
We were only little but we remember a lot of the people who lived on Wellesley Street.