Brian Groom

Longton Street, Portwood, Stockport, celebrates VE Day (Victory in Europe), 8th May 1945 (Stockport Heritage Trust).

In 1872 Ellen Edwards, a former assistant, horsewhipped her fiancé James Wishart in Kendal’s department store, Manchester, where both had worked in the dress department, after he accused her of cheating.

In 1976 Jim Callaghan instructed Denis Howell, minister for drought, to do a rain dance. It rained next day, but too much: a week later he was minister for floods. Later he became minister of state for snow.

Salford, 1964, photo by Shirley Baker (Mary Evans Picture Library).

The Ice Cream Seller, 1956, painting by Alan Lowndes, 1921-78. Stockport-born artist known primarily for scenes of northern life.

Opening of a new children's playground at Philips Park in Bradford, Manchester, November 1955 (Guardian archive).

Made in Manchester by Brian Groom

@groomb.bsky.social look what I saw at the shop coming out of the National Portrait Gallery experience at Media City this afternoon

Hot tourism spot? Photo by Sefton Samuels from a 1976 BBC programme about the ‘Visit Oldham’ campaign promoting Oldham as a tourist destination, highlighting its 150 redundant mills as ‘industrial archaeology’. Model’s name not recorded. (h/t @davehaslam.bsky.social)

Scene of peace and tranquillity, Urmston Meadows, early 1900s (Trafford Local Studies).

Sheffield campaigners launch bid to buy Moscar Moor for community Moscar Moor is not for sale, but the group hopes to secure it under new Community Right to Buy law.

Campaigners launch bid to buy Moscar Moor, near Sheffield, for community. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

£15m fund to help save historic buildings across region Sites across the North-West are to benefit from funding from Historic England.

£15m funding boost for saving historic sites in north-west England: Salford Lads Club; Morecambe Winter Gardens; Gawthorpe Hall, Burnley; National Waterways Museum, Ellesmere Port. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Published two books by me so far. bsky.app/profile/groo...

I'll be at Turton Local History Society, near Bolton, with 'Manchester and Bolton Portraits: fascinating figures from the region's past', on Thursday September 25th, 7.30pm, Harwood Methodist Church. Visitors £2. www.turtonhistory.com/2024/12/manc...

Townscape, by Yorkshire artist Claire Shotter. #WomensArt #NorthernArt

Cranny Falls, Antrim.

Remember him presenting our local news.
PS looking forward to reading your book Made in Manchester that I’ve recently bought. Unfortunately my other half has started reading it first and so I’ll have to wait. He says it’s a brilliant read.

Thanks, hope you enjoy it!

Good question.

I imagine so.

Manchester's Shambles Square - Sinclair’s Oyster Bar and the Old Wellington Inn - raised by five feet on hydraulic jacks in 1971 to make room for a new underground car park and fit the new street level (Mirrorpix/@manchestereveningnews.co.uk).

Docker waiting for work, Liverpool, 1963, photo by Colin Jones (1936-2021).

Manchester Dusk, by Janet Ledger, industrial landscape artist, b.1934 in Northampton. #WomensArt #NorthernArt

Halifax rugby league ground, 1977, photo by Martin Parr.

Remembering Tony Wilson, who died #OTD 2007.

Somewhere between the two I think.

Bolton Museum displays rare Roman sun hat following restoration The 2,000-year-old hat, which kept soldiers cool in Ancient Egypt, is one of only three in the world.

How a 2,000-year-old hat kept Romans out of the sun. Held in storage at Bolton Museum for more than a century. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

A few GoodReads reviews of 'Made in Manchester'.

Staithes, north Yorkshire, photo by Siân Nichol.

Oddly, I once played a match for Larne Cricket Club when I was about 16. They were on a tour of north-west England and were a player short when they came to my club at Stretford.