I'm frustrated at the lack of information on Cheetham Hill, Manchester for the years 1960-1970! I thought you could find anything on the Internet. I guess I was wrong. Not that my history begins in Cheetham Hill. I was born in Wythenshawe but the family moved South to Walton-on-the-Naze and then to Clacton-on-Sea and finally to Stevenage, Herts, before returning North to Cheetham Hill. Nor is it that Cheetham Hill holds that many fond memories given that that is where I lost my faith and became agnostic before jumping off the fence and declaring my atheism. But I've seen, with some envy, the efforts of some people from Collyhurst (a neighbouring district) in producing a fine collaborative Facebook page with photos and info from locals who cherish their homesteads!
I felt, therefore, that I might find some similar effort from old 'Hill' dwellers, but alas, nay! The last time I visited the 'Hill' was in May 2008 when I discovered it to be something of an ethnic minority ghetto. It was always cosmopolitan but seems to have been adopted by a predominantly Muslim community. Which is sad really, because it used to be the Jewish conclave of Manchester.
I remember when I was a kid we used to earn pocket money going round the households of elderly Jewish ladies and lighting their fires in the mornings and opening their mail. 2/6d per fire! Then there was the Temperance Billiard Hall on Cheetham Hill road where some of my mis-spent youth was taken up by playing snooker on a Saturday afternoon. There would be a weekly event we used to call "the march of the Zionists"! A group of orthodox Jews would come in, choose a game, any game, and gamble on the outcome! I was quite small in stature but some would like to take a bet on me winning my game. (I was reasonable as an amateur back then!) We would see wads of notes change hands. If we lost there would be shouts of "Foul!!", or "Cheat!!". However, if we won, "Well done!", or "Told you Ruben!", but we never got any reward!
There was a barbershop not far from the Hall called 'Macky Davies'. I had a special school 'do' that I needed a proper haircut for, so I ventured into Macky's and asked for a "smart-cut". It was smart except for the top. He'd left space for a Kippot! I'm not sure he'd considered the fact that a gentile kid would come to his place.
Has Cheetham Hill lost its charm? I don't know. Has it lost its sense of identity? I don't know that either. I hope there are some people with long memories who might like to start a proper history of the place. In fact, let's all keep our historical archives available before it all goes to pot, eh?
I felt, therefore, that I might find some similar effort from old 'Hill' dwellers, but alas, nay! The last time I visited the 'Hill' was in May 2008 when I discovered it to be something of an ethnic minority ghetto. It was always cosmopolitan but seems to have been adopted by a predominantly Muslim community. Which is sad really, because it used to be the Jewish conclave of Manchester.
I remember when I was a kid we used to earn pocket money going round the households of elderly Jewish ladies and lighting their fires in the mornings and opening their mail. 2/6d per fire! Then there was the Temperance Billiard Hall on Cheetham Hill road where some of my mis-spent youth was taken up by playing snooker on a Saturday afternoon. There would be a weekly event we used to call "the march of the Zionists"! A group of orthodox Jews would come in, choose a game, any game, and gamble on the outcome! I was quite small in stature but some would like to take a bet on me winning my game. (I was reasonable as an amateur back then!) We would see wads of notes change hands. If we lost there would be shouts of "Foul!!", or "Cheat!!". However, if we won, "Well done!", or "Told you Ruben!", but we never got any reward!
There was a barbershop not far from the Hall called 'Macky Davies'. I had a special school 'do' that I needed a proper haircut for, so I ventured into Macky's and asked for a "smart-cut". It was smart except for the top. He'd left space for a Kippot! I'm not sure he'd considered the fact that a gentile kid would come to his place.
Has Cheetham Hill lost its charm? I don't know. Has it lost its sense of identity? I don't know that either. I hope there are some people with long memories who might like to start a proper history of the place. In fact, let's all keep our historical archives available before it all goes to pot, eh?
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