Cotton mills, Commer vans and Branch lines
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- Опубликовано: 5 окт 2024
- In this video we have a round up magazine style programme. We take a look at a few things an old Cotton Mill and its demolition. Plus a Corgi diecast model I bought. Its an old Commer Van with a little film crew on it. A famous Corgi, Dinky diecast model from the 1970's Also we take a look at an old Railway branch line near my house. We see then and now pictures. A nice bit of Nostalgia during this strange period were going through
Music: Aurora B Polaris - Recollections. RUclips - / aurorabpolaris
Nothing bad ever came of going on eBay, after or while having a drink.
Ever.
I once bought a business in Spain on ebay....... While living in Bradford UK.... After sinking a few real ales...... 14 years later, I've never looked back.
@@danjackson2014 I lived in Bradford, I don't blame you. If you are still there, stay safe.
@@joylunn3445 still happy in Spain
@@danjackson2014 In full lockdown in rural Wales.
At times like this Martin, I would consider you a Key Worker! Love the vids mate! Stay safe pal.
Journalists are considered key workers. Martin is a journalist. He brings us news about our history.
Martin, whatever content you want to put out we'll watch cos your so bloody interesting. Love the old photo's and maps even though I'm a hundred miles East of you I'd love to visit some of those old mills. Like I once said to you ages ago my mum used to work in an old Salford mill during the war and I'd love to find out which it was but I don't know how to go about it. PS. I think the commer van was produced by the company that made Hillman cars, what came to be the Routes group that made your Avenger.
Exactly ! Martin is a born raconteur ! x
Martin's presentation style is just right.
Your passion for history is quite profound. Even though I have never visited the U.K. your videos are fascinating and brilliant...💗
Same here, and I don't even come from an English speaking country.
Time travelling between old and new, with a bit of history, and childhood memories... Brilliant.
Cheers Scott 😃
Hi, Martin. I'm 80 and I live perpetually in my childhood, so welcome to my world! I always recall with love my Grandma buying me a Dinky Supertoys Blaw Knox bulldozer when it was out of my reach. "you can pay me back later." I never did, and she never chased me. I love my Grandma and always will.
Ah Commer vans, first van I drove at BT and they handled like an elephant on a unicycle
I used to work on them at Bill Claytons on Chirk Bank and they bloody awful to work on. Martin
Hahaha I know just what you mean very slow especially going up hill and freezing cold in winter.
I had one as my 1st at BT and the area number on the back was CP131 followed by BU226 working in Bedfordshire Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire even though ime from Liverpool originally had to move south because of Maggie making everyone redundant.
They where slow but built like Tanks. After the Commer I moved on to a Viva Van then a Maestro, i still preferred driving my own car a Mk3 Cortina.
@@martin4787 I second that. I worked on them too as an apprentice. They were a total pig.
Brilliant description! I remember similar driving experiences.
Track was so narrow they must have had the stability of a narrow boat in a force 10
As a kid I was given a Corgi Gift Set which I still have. It comprised of two Commer chassis and four interchangeable bodies: a red van, an ambulance, a worker's pick up and a milk float with plastic milk crate insert and a milkman. One of the chassis has 'Reflect-o-Lite' headlamps that admitted light through lenses in the cab roof and it shone through the headlights. My younger brother had the Commer camera van.
My dad had Hillman Avengers in the 70s. Black vinyl seats during those scorching summers of 75 and 76 - you could fry an egg on them. Still remember the feeling in your legs trying to sit on them after being parked in the sun for hours... great vid
My Dad had an Avenger from 72 to 76. That's the first car I remember him having.
I also remember that scorching summer of 76 on holiday in the Isle of white.
Thank you for bringing back great memories for me 🙂🍻👍🏻
Haha I forgot about those vinyl seats! My dad had a green one in the early 80’s. I remember really liking the L shaped rear lights.
Happy memories. Mars bars, Bowie and chips! Sad loss of those magnificent mills.
I loved this! The lockdown was a strange time for all of us. I had retired just weeks before the lockdown, and I wish I had found your channel then.
Hello Mr Martin ,just like to tell that as a kid in 1950 s I had many Dinky toys including sets of racing cars including Vanwall that Stirling Moss drove ! May I also just add that a favourite thing we just had to do was rush up on top of railway bridges as steam locos passed beneath to get the full 'benefit' of the smoke from them ! Wonderful !!! Thank you ..
I could listen to him all day 😊😉
Love rewatching the classics!
Thanks for the pictures I grew up in Middleton Junction and remember the Mills and the coal line
We didn't have Dinky toys here in America, Tonka was the name that kids sought after. I passed my Tonka road grader, frontend loader and dump truck onto my son and my grand-daughter actually played with them! My great-nephews now play with them. The originals all had hard rubber tires and accessories, no plastic at all, and were made of real steel and can potentially last a hundred years.! TONKA- The world s largest truck maker!!! Your Avenger was our Plymouth Cricket and while it sold well Chrysler replaced it with the Japanese made Colt, which was cheaper then the Cricket. Stay safe and keep up the great work!
Great work documenting the smallest bits of history and entertaining us during our stay at home
Fabulous look back at your past Martin. Loved it. Thank you very much. Looking forward to the next one.
Your videos are brilliant Martin, accompanied by your enthusiasm make superb viewing, thank you for posting.
In the mid to late 60s during our hippy days a few of us clubbed together and bought a Commer van for the vast sum of 15 quid. Patched up with filler and repainted psychedelic style with the logo "have van will travel" written large along each side off we went touring England and Wales stopping off wherever we felt like. It has to be said that old Commer was the ultimate babe magnet. Happy days
Circumstances might not be good, but it hasn't stopped you making another fascinating video! Cheers! you have given me something to watch again!
My brother and I had a big cardboard box full of DInky, Corgi and Matchbox vehicles. I lived them. I do not like the plastic ones. They're mass-produced, easier to break and don't have the made-with-pride feel of the older ones. You've brought back some great memories. And it's times like these that we need videos that being back memories. Stay safe.
Oh Martin - I do love your videos - your enthusiasm always makes me smile. If I was younger and fitter I'd be asking if I could tag along but sadly I'm 71 and use a mobility scooter and I can 't see me getting far on that through all the brambles. I think that's why I love watching so much because, like you, I am fascinated by old buildings and little clues from the past. Enjoyed this one - keep them coming until we can get back to normal
Nothing wrong with a little self indulgence. Very enjoyable.
My friend and I used to do P.A. systems and we used a Commer can. I remember traveling back from Manchester Students Union after a gig. The police pulled us near Congleton and made us unload the van onto the A34. Gits!!!
Again, fab video, thanks Martin.
Have always loved any titbits of 'personal stuff' in your videos. They complement so well everything else. Please, Martin, never desist from their inclusion; even their sometimes (or more) emphasis, as fitting.
Thanks martin,i learnt to drive and passed my test in a Commer van with West Yorks Fire Service,ah memories
Love this Martin, thanks for sharing this.
As always, well worth the wait. very watchable in these difficult times.
👍 As usual brilliant..even in these trying times...you always manage to make us smile....D & M.
Aw thank you for this lovely video. It made me smile. You have the best positive energy.
another lovely look back, thanks 🙏 a lot for your lovely work 👍🏻👍🏻
Thank for the trip down your memory lane . You stay safe , stay healthy also
I always remember Commer vans because BT used to have bright yellow ones.
That branch line used to be the line to Oldham but it was too steep and so they built the line that the metrolink now uses (that comes off the mainline at Newton Heath).
That last pic is awesome! Cue up Glory Days by Springsteen. :-)
Excellent video yet again, my wife and I thoroughly enjoy watching you and your informative and interesting content. Don't change what and how you do things. Great work Martin.
In the black and white photo,it is so telling how stark the landscape is.
Love those old B&W pics
Love this use to go fishing as kid down Middleton junction it was quite good in 70s and early 80s be for all weeds and were removed , also their was a clothing wholesale place in one of the mills got a pair lee cooper jeans from their when they super trendy back then what a trip down memory lane thanx again buddy
There’s a history of every town it’s amazing how many stories. My town is South Bend Indiana we made Studebaker‘s automobiles we made gray iron melted steel. We made wagons that crossed the Western of America we also made chilled steel Oliver plows is that broke the grasslands of the Midwest.
Great vid Mart, thank you. These vids are what you do best and I really enjoy these where we have the overview mapping and pictures of comparison, I hope you’re well👍🏴
My first visit to Manchester Victoria station was in 1975. I went for an interview in South Street. I think that platform 11 was still the longest platform in the world at that time. That railway stuff which I stashed away is now taking shape during this lock down. So the model railway and your videos is keeping me sane. Well almost!
Thanks Timothy, yeah platform 11 great stuff
thank you martin that was great whatever you do is wonderful we enjoy them all stay safe and well love to you from trev and Chris down south and still shut in 33 days now
You’ve undersold this video Martin, it’s fantastic mate - a crackin’ eBay purchase, retro sweets, maps, mills, canals and railways - with not only a photo of an 08 but mention of 40s and 25s. Jeez! Topped of with that photo at the end. Just great! My mate had an Avenger then. Lovely brown colour ha. I had a Cortina. We ruled the world! Can’t wait for the next video!!!
Commer was a British manufacturer of commercial vehicles from 1905 until 1979. 🤟👌 My uncle had one I remember. Great nostalgia in old toy's, I collect vintage Star Wars 👌
Great video to watch on this Quiet bank holiday, cheers Martin 👌✌🏼 have a smashing week ahead.
Did I just hear you talk about Fred dibna ,what a legend that man was rip Fred
Brilliant ... and thank you Martin....
Nicely done , it fits in well by tying together the many previous stories and introduces new ones .
Brilliant!! We really enjoyed that. More please!!
Brilliant really enjoyed that. Great idea to do a magazine style thingy 🙂
Such a fabulous presenting style. Martin you make history pop out punch you in the nose and say hi. Wonderful, illuminating and irresistibly watchable.
Thank you very much Scott
A most excellent mixture of photos - history - and dinky toys - thank you for sharing this with us - please stay safe and well sending regards to you and yours👏❤️😁xx
Thank you very much and all the very best to you also 😃👍
Nice to see another video Martin. When I retired 2013 I decided to re visit a few years ago and build a model railway. I am on my third model railway, I wasn't happy with the first two. With this lockdown I now have plenty time on my hands. Commer vans where made by the Routes Group. Keep Safe.
Brilliant that was Martin. I really enjoyed watching this one. God i remember the van and camera man too.
A late comment, in case anyone is interested. On the picture of the twin mills, the numbers which Martin skipped over are (I think) the cotton count. This is the number of 840yd hanks which can be made of a lb of raw cotton. So the higher that number, the finer the thread. Different districts got a name for specialising in different coarseness, for different purposes. If you're interested in cotton mills in Manchester, the Williams and Farnie book is very good, especially for this kind of urbex thing.
Love this style of 'magazine ' style video Martin. Hope you can do some more whilst we are in lockdown. The Comma van...takes me back to a journey with my family from my Uncles farm in the Midlands back home to Collyhurst . The Comma was my Dad's works van, didn't have a car at that point, probably late 50s . Mum,Dad and us four kids in our oldest scruffy clothes all piled in the back with no seats. The van broke down on the A34 in the middle of Stoke on Trent. We all had to pile out and push the damned thing for what seemed like ages whilst my poor mother sat mortified because of our appearance . Happy days 😂
I like this magazine-style presentation. Always interesting.
Thank you Patrick
Great video Martin. Always enjoy your reminiscing.
Do like the comparison shots of before and after gives a great understanding of the area 👏
Yeah me also and thank you
Nice video Martin I like how you teach us about History. Thanks again Martin
I used to have dinky and Matchbox cars, until I started reacting car crashes and mum refused to buy me any more... I remember the time that Hotwheels came out and that started my fascination with big American cars.. great vid,
Used to fish in ‘Foxy’ canal...pike as big as men ! That colour photo from the 70’s/80’s took me right back,cheers arkid.
This is Martin at his best, looking at locations as they are now and showing them in their hey day using old photos and maps fantastic! Martin your research methods are impeccable keep up the good work you make Sunday evenings worth waiting for. I've been watching for at least two years now and have fallen in love with Manchester even though I'm a scouser by birth. Your Williamson tunnels episodes were brilliant more of Liverpool would be most welcome. Keep going and keep us all educated.
Ha. I always wondered why that van appeared in your videos. Nostalgia is a wonderful thing. Sometimes Nannas have a sixth sense, she was obviously right. Good ole Nanna. Great video again Martin.
That was my first van when I worked for BT and came out of my apprenticeship. It was the first van that became available. I remember it being horrible to drive too. the front wheels were closer together than the rear and it van wallowed round corners. I remember being frustrated with the gear change, it was getting harder and harder to engage gears. I was stopped at a set of traffic light signalling right. When it was time to move, it wouldn't engage first gear. I had a real John Cleese moment and pulled so hard on the gear stick that it came off in my hand. Not just the knob I mean that I had pulled the stick out of the gearbox! I was stuffed. It was the days before mobile phones, so I legged it to a phone box and called out MT workshops. They towed me back to the garage. Horrible van but great memory.
Me and my brother watched parts of the old Leyland motors factory being pulled down then after that Wainhomes building their new site "kingswood road" over the top.
We loved the machines, the diggers, the tippers, all the plant.
We even used to look through the yellow pages at the digger pictures 😂
The Commer factory was in Dunstable, just accross the road from the Bedford factory.
Wow. Road to canal at 17:14 was part of my lunch time walk route with workmates from the industrial park on Broadgate. Amazing to see what it was like before those houses were put up. Great video Martin, keep 'em coming!
Brilliant. Love all the comparisons pictures. 🙂
Aww Martin you are such a good story teller and these 'short stories' made my day. That Commer van is ace and has to be displayed behind you forever. Stay safe and thank you so much.
Really enjoyed this new 'magazine' style format, thanks Martin. Would definitely look forward to more of this while we're in this lockdown too.
Lovely video, Martin. I too have saved some of my Corgi and Dinky boxed models, including the Lotus Racing set and Farmyard set, comforting to have, especially in these strange times.
Thank you Martin!! Dapper looking lad by that car! My first car was a 79 Honda,man I loved that thing on its little 12 inch trims! My current Honda drastically more posh,but you never forget that first car! Stay safe mate!!
Interesting as always mate. Thank you
Another belter our kid.
I remember the Mars Mills; my mum went for a casual job there in the 70s - packing Christmas Stockings. Me and my sister really wanted her to get the job as that meant a weekly supply of chocolate as part of her wages. Sadly, on a double front, she didn't get the job. Instead she got a job at Senior Service (Vita Mills, I think) packing cigarettes and that kept my dad supplied in cigarettes which eventually killed him. Ah well, we know better now - chocolate and cigarettes are bad for you! Great video; loved the format.
Interesting photos of now and again
We must have almost been neighbours, used to live on Foxdenton Lane, so your video was like a walk down memory lane, super video yet again, cheers lad and look after yourself in these awful days
Well Martin this format really works well!
Totally 100% fascinating and enjoyable, more please! 👍🙂🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Please don't apologize for any reasen you did this video. Thanks, it was great. And yes, please do another. Cheers
Please keep the videos going, loved it. I know it's not what you'd want to be doing but needs must as they stay. Stay safe Martin, we'll be back!
Brilliant video, Frank Wightman was a millwright he did a number of these pen ink mill illustrations.He repaired the mill engines and machinery. Throughly enjoy your videos.
This was in my box & hidden away .A terrific idea and having watched it saddens me how loads of Manchester has been demolished .Love you ebay purchase and the man on the man has to be called Martin Spot on re toys of yesterday .I had a Hornby Train Set when younger. .Reason being I only had a gang of boys where I lived .Dad got it for me..Mum binned it when I was sent to Grammar School .As you said ,worth a fortune now . Would never have sold it though . By the way thanks for a glimpse of a Canada goose towards the end ...Great work, Thanks Martin👍 Made my evening .. Helena
Excellent Martin, thanks.
Absolutely Brilliant. I'm not from Manchester but I wish I was when I watch your videos, so interesting. Loved the fireplace in the sky.
And Commer vans. The handbrake worked on the front wheels. How do I know this? Well I was an apprentice at Post Office Telephones and one winter I tried a handbrake turn in the yard. It didn't end well
Great stuff 😀
Loved it thanks Martin.
I'm so glad you got your ebay toy martin. It was meant for you and it sounds like grandma knew you well! Love the photo of the fireplace. The maps you show are great. ❤💛💚
Thanks for this, Martin. I really enjoyed this video and the format and all. Nothing self indulgent about it. We all have stories and I like listening to yours. My Grandad, Walter Bancroft, was born at the Royal Oak Hotel in Middleton in 1910. I don’t suppose it’s still standing. Any road, stay well, mate.
Yep the ebay syndrome too..... OOOEEE The CORGI is Beautiful.... what a find. Once again personal stories enhance my experience with you, Wetting my appetite w/ history and reflections of the past...
Really liked the magazine show style Martin - looking forward to episode 2 :-)
Like you Martin, I bought many model railway items, locomotives, and rolling stock etc; The plan was to build a layout when I had time. This was in the late seventies, early eighties. Being self employed I found very little spare time so all these models have remained stored away in their boxes,
To this day.
Will you build it or sell the items?
Darren Martin I have recently retired so I’m hoping that after catching up with all the jobs that need doing around the house, I perhaps naively, think that I will eventually build the layout I have long promised my self.
@@MegaRedjoe good luck,I'm sure you'll make a great job of it.
Thank you once again.
Fantastic :-)))))) I had ( briefly ) an Avenger. Your vids are such a fabulous nostalgia trip back into our past and indeed our present...... Love you vids Martin.
Well, that was really interesting. Don't appologise for it being self indulgent.
It's like that moment when you realise that you should've asked your parents or especially your grandparents what it was like back when they were kids and would have found it facinating with the stories but now it's too late.
It's history and you have now retold a part of it. Things have changed so much in the last fifty years and it's people like you and programmes like this that keep it available for future generations who, like us, forget to ask their parents until its too late.
Thanks very much, I do feel like a Grandad 😄
Great video again Martin, nostalgia never gets old! I Re-aquainted myself with a little blue Hornby 00 shunter engine called 'Nellie,' I had as a young un, after an Ebay perusal recently. The original layout I built with my weekly 'spends,' dissapeared with the mists of time. Collyhurst Rd was an old stomping ground of mine as I had a friend who lived there near the arches before Marcel Guest.
I remembet a static loco next to the engine sheds we affectionately reffered to as 'Puffing Billy.' Another 'enchanting play ground' along the banks of the river Irk for us kids.
Thank you, I bet that playground was amazing, its still a very interesting area now
Really enjoyable Martin. Great to look at the history of your area and a nice link as well. Commer vans were produced by the Rootes Group. (Commer/Humber/Hillman etc...) Your Avenger was first badged as a Hillman. Thanks again. Great vid.
The magazine video i9s great it foils in questions left unanswered on previous videos love all your video's thank you very much.
Thank you Dawn
I wonder if Fred Dibnah was responsible for reducing that chimney in size.
Martin, lovely to be with you once again....I so enjoy your outdoor adventures...I wish I could join you sometime..(from Australia)
That was a really cool compilation of new and old history Martin,cheers ken
Commer vans belonged to the Rootes group .... I served my apprenticeship from ‘66-‘71 on Hillman/Singer/Commer models @ H Hughes & Bolton Ltd. on Crossbank St/Manchester Street .... Ahhhh memories 👍
A very enjoyable video Martin and I smiled at the Commer van as I bought an ex BT model thirty years ago when I first started self employment, the latter models were built under the chrysler umbrella and although a very basic van I got seven years good service out of mine,,,,happy days lol