I was born in Vincent Street Ancoats in 1931. I will always remember how the neighbours all helped each other. There was even a lady that “laid out” people that had died. There was not much money for undertakers then. Unfortunately funerals were frequent but we had good times too.
There were rag-bone men with donkeys, street singers and knocker-up men and women; nobody would be late for work in our house thanks to the knocker-up.
Mrs Cadman’s cake shop holds many memories for me, (strange how we always remember cake shops!) each evening Mrs Cadman would put all the unsold cakes into bags, and sell them off at half price; she never kept any baking for the next day.
Dad worked at Johnson’s wire works, I remember, he used to come home exhausted, like most of the men in Ancoats. Sadly he died when I was young.
St. Ann’s girls school was quite strict, my sisters and brothers were at this school until the boys reached the age of seven, then they had to go to the boys school in Cambrian Street. The strap was the punishment for fighting and for watching, but the fights still went on even so, being nifty on my feet was a great advantage, especially if being chased by a rather large opponent! Our scraps were mostly pushing and hair-pulling, which is probably tame by today’s skirmishes.
My sister Nelly used to take me to the Tower Cinema on Fridays, where if a child was carried in, that child would be admitted free of charge. As I became bigger, the doorman became suspicious, one evening he stopped us and said “I bet you can’t walk can you?” I jumped out of Nelly’s arms and said “Yes I can!” Needless to say I had to be paid for, which didn’t please Nelly one bit!
Sometimes we’d go to the Don Cinema, it was a lot nicer, no hard forms to sit on, nice plush seats.
Other memories are of Philips Park, we used to go to the park and play for hours near the lake, which had swans on it. I remember the children weren’t allowed in the front gate without an adult, because that was the cemetery.
The photographs enclosed are of St. Ann’s School I am sitting first on the left on a chair. The other photo is of the residents of Vincent Street, I think the street was decorated for the Coronation, but I can’t be sure as I was only four at the time. I do remember my sister Louie sewing for hours on the old singer sewing machine (treadle) making the paper streamers and bunting, and my mam and our Nelly helping with the party.
Happy memories.
Mrs. Irene Griffin nee Palme
