A Lifetime In Bredbury And Woodley
A Memory of Woodley.
I have so enjoyed reading all the memories of Woodley and Bredbury. I lived on George Lane from 1939 to 1964, and went to St Mark's School in Bredbury. My Dad, Jack Hallsworth, worked at Livingstone's butchers shop, and was well known in the area because he had been in charge of the local air-raid wardens during the war, he had had leading roles in many pantomimes at St Marks and he had also managed St Marks foorball team. My mother, who belonged to the Livingstone family, was also something of a fixture in St Marks pantomimes, always portraying the Fairy Queen!
I went to Hyde Grammar School after passing the 11 plus exam in 1949. Mr Ross, the St Marks headmaster entered me for that exam as an experiment when I was almost 10 years old and unfortunately for me, I passed. When I went to Hyde Grammar School I was a lot younger than all my classmates, and that made a big difference. It took 2 or 3 years for me ro be fully accepted - not very happy years... But I look back on my old school with affection, and it makes me very sad to see the place on Clarendon Road where it used to stand.
I still live in Woodley, I shouldn't like to live anywhere else .I can still see places I remember from nearly a centuy ago - Werneth Low, Star Fields, Peak Forest Canal, and the 2 railway lines connecting Bredbury and Woodley to Manchester. We used to go along the railway lines to collect bonfire wood in the autumn - but our parents would have gone mad if they'd known! It's always been a happy place to live- it's a place I feel priviledged to call Home.
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You might also remember Robert Robinson who lived on Ruskin Grove and went to Hyde Grammar, he is my brother in law, he married my sister Marjorie Davies who also went to Hyde Grammar. I too went to Hyde Grammar and like yourself I unfortunately passed the 11 plus, my father got permission for me to leave the Christmas I was 15, I hated it and spent a lot of Thursdays in detention, there was a boy called Norman Brown who lived in Bredbury who was in detention most times I was. My name was Maureen Davies.
Ken and myself now live in Middlewich.
Like you I was surprised when the school was knocked down but things are being knocked down all over. The Crown where Ken worked has gone, Ken has lots of good memories of Woodley and Bredbury and for his age he was born in 1929 he is very good, no ailments, he goes a walk everyday and his memory is still really sharp. His father worked at James Mills on red house lane for 51yrs in the milling shop.
Ken's father William had 7 brothers, 3 who fought in the war, William survived but Bruce and Kenneth both died. Both names are on the monument at the top of George Lane near the library.
We too have lots of memories of a nice place to live and friendly people.