The mancityfans.net football forum

Some of this has been posted on other sites etc., but I'm sure you'll be interested.

I've posted some of the images of City's first League ground Hyde Rd in 1905 to my new facebook page (there's an album of research material): http://www.facebook.com/album.php?id=28 ... aid=285215

This has been taken from the oldest known film of City's old Hyde Road ground (in fact the oldest known surviving footage of any professional football ground in Manchester). Some images from the film will appear with details in this weekend's City-Sunderland match programme but I thought I'd get some of them out here first as I'm sure they're of interest.

The film they are from is:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mitchell-Kenyon ... -1-catcorr

As part of research I did a few years back I discovered that the English League V Irish League game from 1905 at Hyde Road was filmed. I was given permission to watch it at the archive and it was excellent.

Unfortunately, it couldn't be publicly viewed at the time.

However, as part of research a couple of months back I discovered that some of the film had made its way on to a DVD produced. The DVD is aimed at the Irish market (not football, Manchester or England which is a shame) and includes loads of Irish footage, but it does also include about 3 minutes of the game at Hyde Road.

The film shows the old ground from a couple of angles - you see the Main Stand that burnt down in 1920; the Stone Yard Stand behind the goal; the popular side before it was roofed (although it does have an odd looking small shelter over the central part); the houses on Bennett St that cut into the ground (and the hoardings that are supposed to block the view from those houses - people are sat on them).

You also see the 2 teams walking out of the Main Stand tunnel - including City's George Dorsett & Herbert Burgess (both clear) and City trainer Jimmy Broad. In the background after the players come out City manager Tom Maley walks along the touchline.

When I get proper chance I'll be looking seriously at it all, but if you're interested in seeing City's original Hyde Road ground in all its 1905 glory it's worth trying to view this film or at least take a look at the images on my new facebook page.

This is one of my favourite research areas (grounds, crowds, City on film are the areas I've always been keen on researching - my very first idea for a book was to do one about Maine Road - it took me 15 years and a stadium move to finally put some of my Maine Rd research out there).

The 1905 film is from the Mitchell & Kenyon collection and was found in a shop. When I first heard about the find I was convinced they must have filmed City and I've spent some time at the archive where most of the research into the films has been done. They dug out the Hyde Rd material a few years ago (before the DVD) and I helped identify some of the players etc.

There's more film than ultimately appears on the DVD but the DVD shows the best bits.

I also looked at some of the other films they have - including people leaving Brooks & Doxey's Union Ironworks (where many of St. Mark's players worked) and film of Galloways Boilerworks next to the Hyde Rd ground - neither of these added much unfortunately.

I also looked at film of games that have yet to be identified. I hoped these would include the 1904 FAC and other City games, but there was nothing obvious (I did think one of the films was of Glossop but the evidence wasn't clear and I think that was more of a hope on my part).

I know that the 1904 FA Cup final was filmed but as yet have not been able to find it.... I'll post my latest research on this as a discussion thread on my facebook page soon. I've done a lot of searching for the film of 1904 (and also the 1904 FA Cup final ball - I know where it was and who had it in 1934 and have been trying to trace what happened to it)

In a few days time the following should have my latest on this: http://www.facebook.com/GaryJames4


Thanks.

Quality stuff Gary, excellent work!

Interesting stuff, please let us know how the 1926 derby article goes too, if you can.

Fantastic stuff that Gary.....quick question, whereabouts on Hyde Road as things are now did the stadium actually stand?

My grandad grew up in Bradford and was City mad all his life so I imagine that he must have been taken along to Hyde Road by his dad....brilliant to see a snapshot into their lives like this. Thanks v much for posting

This help?

[Daggnabbit, beaten to it by Slim and his slick googling skills]

Slim wrote:

This help?

Not really, I'd just been having a dabble on streetmap to see if any of the streets still exist but cant locate any. I'd be pretty sure that much of that lot was bulldozed and rebuilt (as I know was the case where my grandad lived) on a different layout

What about the railway line? Surely it survived for a while after 1909.

ant london wrote:

Slim wrote:

This help?

Not really, I'd just been having a dabble on streetmap to see if any of the streets still exist but cant locate any. I'd be pretty sure that much of that lot was bulldozed and rebuilt (as I know was the case where my grandad lived) on a different layout

That map should help. The street that runs to the right of the ground is Bennett St and is still there today. The kink in the road is also still there (a newish estate appears on the land above the stadium where the Boiler works were).

Last time I went there was a large container storage site on the actual former ground. If you go down Hyde Road (from Belle Vue) before you go under the railway bridge you'll see Clowes St on your right (also worth checking out because of our birth!) then after the bridge Bennett St is on the right. After you take that turn you'll go under another bridge and the ground was on the left.

The houses that appear on one of my photos that cut into the terracing were on Bennett St just after the arch.

Dameerto wrote:What about the railway line? Surely it survived for a while after 1909.

Dunno mate, I'd imagine that most of the tracks round those areas were for the purposes of transporting things in and out of the wireworks (or was it ironworks) and colliery(ies) rather than being passenger lines?

EDIT: haha....didn't realise that the brick wall looking thing was a load of train tracks! Yes that one did survive and still survives today as the main route out of Piccadilly down to the West Coast mainline I think?!

thanks for that Gary, very useful. I shall ask my mum where exactly he grew up and have a look now

I'm pretty sure I had a cabbie once in Manchester who drove me by near where Hyde Road stood. Mind you he was carrying Gary's book around like a rabid Baptist minister carrying the Bible, but still.

Cheers for the info Gary. Interesting as always.

Cheers

Bit of a clearer map.

I've not very good with attachments from websites etc. but if you go on Bing Maps and do a search on: Bennett St, Ardwick, Manchester

you'll see the site. Go on the satelite image and you'll see the container storage place - that was our ground.

Yep it's prety clear on Google maps too. All good stuff. Cheers Gary.

ZOOM IN BOLLOX:
http://www.yell.com/maps/MapAction.do?& ... stingsPage

Zoom in would you please old boy

ant london wrote:Zoom in would you please old boy

Sure thing mister ... linky added

Great thread.

Some good pics there Gary - remember my grandad talking about going to see City at Hyde Road, and telling me how sad he was to leave the place all those years ago.

Is there anything on that street or at the container place, notifying what once stood there? Im assuming not.

Goaters 103 wrote:Is there anything on that street or at the container place, notifying what once stood there? Im assuming not.

Assumption correct. Even the old Hyde Rd Hotel/City Gates pub was demolished about 9 years ago. All very sad.

There was a plaque on the Aces pub close to Clowes St but that has disappeared in the last 12 months (the pub closed down).

City have so far only had 1 blue plaque in Manchester and now that's been stolen there's nothing out there. Utd have had 2 plaques - one at their first ground (also stolen) and one on Bank St near Eastlands (still there).

EDIT: On my facebook page I also have images from my other books and that includes a plan of Hyde Road in the 1st edition of "Manchester The Greatest City" and other images: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2 ... 15&theater

gary james wrote:

Goaters 103 wrote:Is there anything on that street or at the container place, notifying what once stood there? Im assuming not.

Assumption correct. Even the old Hyde Rd Hotel/City Gates pub was demolished about 9 years ago. All very sad.

There was a plaque on the Aces pub close to Clowes St but that has disappeared in the last 12 months (the pub closed down).

City have so far only had 1 blue plaque in Manchester and now that's been stolen there's nothing out there. Utd have had 2 plaques - one at their first ground (also stolen) and one on Bank St near Eastlands (still there).

EDIT: On my facebook page I also have images from my other books and that includes a plan of Hyde Road in the 1st edition of "Manchester The Greatest City" and other images: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2 ... 15&theater

Such a shame as its an importnat historical site to many people in Manchester, as is the United one to their fans too.

I recall my Grandad telling me how he would walk to Hyde Road from Fallowfield where he lived, and though Maine Road was a lot nearer for him geographically, he still didnt want to move. This became very familiar to me when I felt the same things when we left Maine Road for COMS.