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Sharing our memories of Heald Green
Last Updated 17th Nov 2024
Outwood Road Shops
By Helen Morgan
Published on Facebook 2021
Last Updated 15/06/2024
A parade of shops known to many as the “Top Shops”
Wilton Ave
By the early 1960s, the Manchester overspill housing estate off Outwood Road had been built along with Wilton Avenue and the Beech Tree pub. A row of shops was now planned at the top of Wilton Avenue, where still stood a copse of trees and a pond.
Fig. 1 Plans showing the pond and surrounding trees drawn up
c.1957 for the building of Wilton Avenue.
© courtesy of Mrs Anne Fleet
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Six units were built and proprietors began advertising their businesses by as early as March 1964.
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Fig. 2 The row of shops c 1966
© Anthony Pownall
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Fig. 3 Same row of shops 2021
© Helen Morgan
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Number 132 Outwood Road was an English chippy called the Beech Tree Chippery. The owners lived in a bungalow on Wilton Avenue. They hired out cars and ran a taxi service from their home, but you could also book via the chippy.
“There was a shop that I used to hire a car from when I came home on leave from the army."
- Graham Hampson, Facebook 2021
“yes, he had a private car hire, more of a limousine hire than taxi. He did it from his bungalow round the corner.” 1964? “Yes, that would be about the time. I remember he did more work from the
airport.”
- Steve Hough, in conversation, 2021
Fig. 4 Advert for Taxi Service, Contact Magazine, 1964
© Heald Green Ratepayers
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By 1968 they were also offering fritters and doughnuts remembered by many!
“I remember the chippy which had a machine on the counter which made doughnuts."
- Kath Perks, Facebook 2021
Fig. 5 Advert for Chippy, Rose Queen Programme, 1968
© St Catherine's Church
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Mr J Berrisford was running the chippy in 1970. However, by the early 1970s, Chinese chip shops began to appear on our high streets. The shop became Lee’s Chinese chippy. There are varying memories of the date.
“The Chinese was definitely called Lees. It was the very first place that I had a Chinese takeaway from which would be around 1973/4."
- David Armstrong, Facebook 2021
“Lees chip shop and Chinese takeaway closed and moved to their other shop in Handforth by 1972.”
- Paul Chadwick, Facebook, 2021
I have since found WS Lee Fish and chip shop in 1973 that became KT Lee in 1975. In 1979 the shop, still a Chinese takeaway, was called the Bright Sun chip shop and then in the early 1980s it became the Rising Sun.
“Last shop closest to Beech Tree was a chippy called the Rising Sun. My mum worked there in the very early 80s."
- Kim Shennan, Facebook 2021
In 1983 this was the Kam Ling and then by 1985 The Silver Sea.
As time moved on again, Indian takeaways began to appear. In 1985 the current owners of the premises opened Heald Green Tandoori. It was still named that in 1988. It eventually became Kismat Tandoori that is still there today.
“If you go into Kismat Indian you can still see the original tiles from the fish and chip shop."
- Jackie Robinson, Facebook 2021
Number 134 was an off door/off licence wine shop. In 1970 this was Outwood Wine Stores.
“The wine shop was run by Mr and Mrs Pegg around the 70s.”
- Ged Burnside, Facebook 2021
“It was my Uncle Vincent Pegg that ran it, great guy."
- Paul Chadwick, Facebook, 2021
By 1979 this was called Winelands and then Galleon Wine Co. Ltd., before becoming Victoria Wine.
“Definitely a Victoria Wine, early 80s.”
- Alison Murray, Facebook 2021
“You are right about the location of Victoria Wine. I worked there 94 to 96. Used to nip round to the butchers for lunch, as they did a great oven bottom with beef."
- Phil Lowe, Facebook, 2021
By 2009 the premises was Cafe Alexander.
Fig. 6 Cafe Alexander, 2009
© Google Maps
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Then in 2016 local lad Steven Hough, who had been the landlord at the Beech Tree, turned the shop into Houghies Gin Emporium. That is still trading today.
Fig. 7 Steve in Houghies, 2021
© Helen Morgan
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Number 136 was a greengrocer originally, before being reconfigured with the unit next door into a double fronted supermarket. By 1997 until 2003 the unit became its own premises again and was Shocking Porla’s hairdressers.
“My family owned the hairdressers from about 1997 ‘til around 2003."
- Claire Bear Broughton, Facebook 2021
Fig. 8 Shocking Porla's, 1999
© Heald Green Festival Programme
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In 2006, C&H Electrics Limited moved from Wilmslow Road to this unit and are still there now.
Number 138 was a small grocers called a Superette and was run by Mr Horsefield and Mr Tinker. In 1970 it was run by Mr E Izon. At some point it was extended into the greengrocers next door.
“My sister worked there on a Saturday. The greengrocers were next door until the superette took it over. I have a vague recollection of Mr Horsefield and Mr Tinker."
- Gail Taylor, Facebook 2021
“I remember the grocers, Horsefields”
- Phil Lowe, Facebook, 2021
By 1972, the Stewart family had opened up VG Supermarket.
Fig. 9 VG Foodmarket, Contact Magazine, 1972
© Heald Green Ratepayers
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“The VG shop was run by my friend Dave Stewart’s mam and dad.”
- Steve Hough, in conversation, 2021
By 1979 this became A&M Discount Supermarket, followed by Smalls around 1981.
“There was Smalls, a double fronted supermarket. I reckon definitely 1981. I think ran by 2 brothers."
- Kim Shennan, Facebook, 2021
The arrival of video recorders led to an influx of video rental shops onto our high streets. Between 1987 and 1996 Amed’s minimarket was there and it rented videos too. Residents remember this shop with different spellings like Hamid's and Amid’s. It was gone by the time the hairdressers moved in next door around 1997. By 2012 this unit had been taken over by the expansion of the newsagents.
Number 140 was the butchers shop, beginning with the Davies family.
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Fig. 10 Davies Butchers, Contact Magazine, 1964
© Heald Green Ratepayers
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This then became Riley’s butchers around 1966, before Walton and Swann by 1972.
“We moved to Bridgewater Close in 1958 and there were no shops at all. I remember a butcher’s shop run by Harold Riley (an old friend from when I worked at Manchester abattoir)”
- Edward Metcalfe, Facebook, 2021
Fig. 11 Walton & Swann, Contact Magazine, Dec 1972
© Heald Green Ratepayers
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Before 1976 George Pearson had taken over and it would remain with him until he eventually moved out around 2000/01. This made way for the newsagents next door to extend into that unit. George was married to Kathleen Townsend, daughter of the landlord at the Heald Green pub. She ran the hairdressers above Heald’s grocers, now Long Lane Post Office and store run by Mr Saleem, on the corner of Merwood Ave and Wilmslow Road.
“Steve Fitzgerald worked at Pearson’s butchers."
- Graham Hampson, Facebook 2021
“My dad, Ken Clarke, also worked at the butchers."
- Mandy McGowan, Facebook, 2021
Number 142 has always been a newsagents shop, beginning in 1964 with Rocca’s.
Fig. 12 Rocca's Newsagents, Contact Magazine 1964
© Heald Green Ratepayers
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In 1970 the shop was run by Mr J Frahill. Later in the 1970s the shop was run by Mr and Mrs Tibbet and was W. Tibbet’s newsagents. Many residents remembered them. I found them there in 1973 and 1975. They moved on later to manage a newsagents on Finney Lane.
“It was Tibits in the 70s when I lived on Wilton."
- John WIlkinson, Facebook 2021
“Think Tibbets were late 60s early 70s. They were Canadian, lovely couple. After Outwood Road they had a newsagent in Heald Green Village."
- Colin Wolstenholme, Facebook, 2021
By the 1980s, Geoff Wood and family were running the shop. They were still there in 1988.
Fig. 13 Wood's Newsagents, Rose Queen Programme, 1986
© St Catherine's Church
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“I remember doing my paper round from the newsagents. A chap called Geoff Wood owned it and his dad Brian Wood had the one on Haddon Road for a few years. Will have been say 83 to maybe 88?"
- Mark Jackson, Facebook 2021
““I remember those shops very well, as a youngster living round the corner, just off Cross Road. I was also a frequent visitor buying a 10p mix from the paper shop. Those were the days. White mice, black jacks, pink shrimps etc. Choosing 1p and half pence sweets so it would add up to 10p (quite educational really,
buying sweets so it added up to 10p). Happy memories!"
- Laura Paulson, Facebook, 2021
“I was only telling my kids about the pick and mix the other day. How it was behind glass and you had to point to what you wanted for them to pick it and you were very happy with a 10p bag. Nowadays £1 doesn’t get you very much”
- Manday McGowan, Facebook 2021
Dillon’s newsagents then ran the shop from around 1994.
“I worked in Dillon’s newsagent would’ve been the early 90s.”
- Gareth Crook, Facebook 2021
By April 2009 Major Newsagents were trading there. Next door, George Pearson’s butcher’s sign can just be seen.
Fig. 14 Major Newsagent's, 2009
© Google Maps
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They later extended the building by adding on to one side and moving into the butchers when it became vacant around 2000/01. By 2012 they had extended even further by taking over the 3rd unit and so the business went from 138-142 Outwood Road. It was an off licence as well as a newsagents and general store.
Fig. 15 Major Newsagent's, 2012
© Google Maps
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By July 2015 McColl’s owned the shop and a cash machine had been added.
Fig. 16 McColl's, 2015
© Google Maps
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Fig. 15 Morrison's Daily, 2021
© Helen Morgan
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Sadly, the whole parade of shops and the garages behind them are now showing their age. On top of that there is also Japanese knotweed growing behind the shops, which is encroaching into the first house on Wilton Avenue.
By the end of 2021, these units were being taken over by Morrisons and would be called a Morrisons Daily.
Fig. 16 Photo behind shops, 2021
© Helen Morgan
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With grateful thanks to everyone on our Facebook page who has helped me to timeline this set of shops.
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