Manchester 1950s address

LesleyB · Post by **LesleyB** » Mon Mar 23, 2009 11:41 pm

Hi all
I'm hoping to establish who was living a particular address in the Gorton area of Manchester in the early 1950s. I'm not posting the specific address, as I feel it is too recent but I just wondered if anyone knows how I'd find out, other than visting libraries in Manchester, and preferably online. (if it were in Scotland I'd be off looking at valuation rolls and voters rolls)

I know Ancestry have phone directores but I have played about with them and it is far from easy with a pay-per-view sub; sometimes you need to flick through dozens of pages which is just not viable with that kind of sub as it has a limited number of views. Not even sure if most folk had a phone back then.

Any thoughts or suggestions as to how to tackle this one would be very welcome.

Best wishes
Lesley

Post by **SarahND** » Tue Mar 24, 2009 1:43 am

Hi Lesley,
If you'd like to PM me the address, I can have a try on Ancestry, unless you feel like you've already found what there is to be found there.

Someone else may have a better idea, but in the meantime...

All the best,
Sarah

Currie · Post by **Currie** » Tue Mar 24, 2009 5:54 am

Hello Lesley,

I think you should just put the address in the post and you can deal with any answers delivered other than by PM as you think appropriate. Houses and addresses don’t have a right to privacy only the people who live in them.

Take Google Earth for example. You just punch in an address and it’ll take you straight to the front door and shows that house naked and exposed in glorious Technicolour for the world to see. If there’s anyone standing on the veranda their face will be blotted out. If there’s a car in the drive the licence plate will be blotted out. All those issues have been resolved to the satisfaction of the community and the privacy laws.

Is other words its not the asking of the question of who lived in a house even yesterday that is a privacy matter it’s only the answer to that question that may well be. And besides, what would be the chance of someone venturing onto the forum, seeing the address, and reacting negatively. I would say considerably less than Hell freezing over.

But if it’s a matter of protecting one’s own privacy rather than the privacy of the occupants of the house then that’s an entirely different thing.

But after all that, Google Earth has street view coverage of Manchester. Type in the address and see if it takes you there. If not, navigate your way to the street, the Manchester images are quite good, and you should be able to get some idea of whether the house still exists and whether writing to the occupants is an option if everything else fails. (or try Google Maps)

An obvious one is just to do an ordinary Google of the address, then separately in Google Books, and maybe try an alternative search engine such as http://us.ixquick.com/uk/advanced_search.html

There’s the online Guardian newspaper, probably just plain old Manchester Guardian back then. A search for the address may bring something up. http://213.52.201.86/Default/Skins/Digi ... &AppName=2

Sneak up on it using the 1911 census (do address searches work?) http://www.1911census.co.uk/search/tnaform.aspx?5

The latest Manchester directory on this site appears to be 1911 http://www.historicaldirectories.org/hd/index.asp

I’m not sure how this one works when you put in an address
http://www.192.com/

All the best,
Alan

Ann In the UK · Post by **Ann In the UK** » Tue Mar 24, 2009 7:56 am

Hi Lesley.

You could look at the electoral roll, couldn't you?
Try contacting Manchester electoral services unit..
http://www.manchester.gov.uk/site/scrip ... entID=1454

If not, you could aske the locals if they know a way of finding out:
http://www.mlfhs.org.uk/

I'm not certain when all the boundaries changed, but I know some of the Lancashire towns and villages ended up in Manchester/Greater Manchester/Cheshire
http://www.lan-opc.org.uk/

Ann

LesleyB · Post by **LesleyB** » Tue Mar 24, 2009 10:11 pm

Thanks to all for the replies, help and links.

Looks like I may have to contact the FHS or local archives to see if they can consult either electoral rolls or valuation rolls.

Best wishes
Lesley

Maisie · Post by **Maisie** » Fri Mar 27, 2009 10:16 am

Hi Lesley

If you pm me the address I'll have a poke around next time I'm in the area. A lot depends on the type of property and whether it is likely to have been owner occupied or rented as to whether anyone locally will have any knowledge going back that far, and also whether the nature of the area has changed very much. Some inner suburbs of Manchester like Gorton have experience radically shifting populations since the war, there is one I know which has gone from Jewish to Afro Carib to South East Asian to Eastern European and retains traces of them all. Fantastic place for food shopping!

Maisie

LesleyB · Post by **LesleyB** » Fri Mar 27, 2009 10:51 am

Hi Maisie
Thanks for the offer, that is really kind of you. I've contacted Manchester Archives and Local Studies at Manchester Central Library, who say they'll reply within 10 days, so if nothing comes of that, I'll PM you the address.

Many thanks
Lesley

LesleyB · Post by **LesleyB** » Mon Mar 30, 2009 5:22 pm

Well, I'm most impressed
- a TS "gold star" to Manchester Archives and Local Studies!!

=D> =D> =D> =D> =D>

I only emailed them on Thusday and they have replied with the answer to the question today. Brilliant!! You could not ask for more than that.

A very happy Lesley.

Post by **SarahND** » Mon Mar 30, 2009 5:34 pm

$\:D/$ Good news, Lesley!
I'm so pleased for you

Cheers,
Sarah

LesleyB · Post by **LesleyB** » Mon Mar 30, 2009 6:19 pm

Hi Andrew
Thank you so much for the surprise gold star image!!
That one had me LOL!!! (don't usually laugh too loud when on PC for fear of my nearest & dearest thinking I'm madder than they already think I am....but they are all out just now!

)

Best wishes
Lesley