I spent a very happy few years in the small town of Chorlton-cum-Hardy, now a south Manchester suburb; my friend Andrew still lives there, in the house we used to share in the seventies. He started to research the history of the house… which developed into an interest in the history of the road it is on, Beech Road, and then Chorlton itself.
Exciting news!! Andrew is publishing a book about Chorlton and whether you know the lovely and interesting place or not, I urge you to buy it because Andrew tells a fine tale… and Chorlton has a fine tale to be told. All being well his book will be out in October, a fascinating study of the growth of a township from a few scattered farms through all the changes political, industrial and social of the nineteenth century.
In the meantime, Andrew has been busy and his latest project is opened tomorrow. Together with a very talented local artist, Peter Topping, and supported by developers McCarthy and Stone, Andrew presents the history of Chorlton in words and Peter’s pictures. It is an outdoor exhibition, free and open to everyone, and it is an imaginative and informative way of using the hoardings round a building site as display boards.
I quote from his blog :
Chorlton-cum-Hardy The Story at Albany Road, tomorrow (September 7th 2012)
It’s the story of where we live, from the 16th century to now, spread over an exhibition site on the old Cosgrave Hall site on Albany Road.
Sponsored by the site developer McCarthy and Stone, the exhibition by Peter and I will be opened by Lord Bradley of Withington at mid day. We have called it the History Wall.
Not only will you be able to follow that story but we have designed it so you can walk it in 80 meters. You start at Chorlton Green in 1512, travel along Wilbraham Road and Barlow Moor Road during the 19th century taking in the changes featured in the buildings along the route and end close to the modern tram station and the proposed new developments on the old Cosgrove Hall site.
Lois Elsden 
Wonderful to have a community history and and your own preserved.
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Reblogged this on msamba.
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Sounds like an interesting place and read. Thanks for visiting my blog.
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