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Homepage is: http://www.btinternet.com/~shawweb/stephen
1970's
A decade of great activity including courtship, marriage and house purchase.Sold my Trio short wave radio in 1970 and bought a Grundig Music Boy radio in School Lane, Heaton Chapel with the proceeds. This radio still in use in 2007.
Early in 1970 attended Reddish Green Methodist Church (now a block of flats) with Cathy, regular minister was Rev Jessop, and one or two services were taken by Arthur Connop.1.1.70 Started the year working at Levenshulme-branch which closed 11am on that day, not yet a Bank Holiday.
10 and 11.1.70- Visited Southport as guest of christian mission.21 2 70- Booker T and the MGs (Green Onion) at Free Trade Hall then on to CIS New Century Hall for a disco- my dancing much admired with girls screaming, collapsing on floor, etc etc and leading to a free coke from one of their boyfriends. Fun.
24.2.70-on holiday, met Cath in Manchester and took her to lunch at the bank staff canteen, Mosley Street (then at No 45 Mosley St- no longer Bank premises)18 4 70 Fiddler on the Roof (theatre)
24 4 70 Glenn Miller Orchestra at Free Trade Hall Manchester then over to Houldsworth Hall for a "Benefit gig" in aid of struggling alternative" magazine It.6.6.70 Overnight concert in Buxton, finishing 6am, with Coloseum, Taste, Atomic Rooster, Strawbs etc
13.6.70 Soft Machine concert in Manchester.
27.6.70 My mum and dad left Gower Road 10am for a weekend away, and Cathy arrived 11am.
28 6 70 Belle Vue Manchester- Poporama- got autographs of top national DJs Tony Blackburn, Dave Eager and Stuart Henry.29 8 70- left Manchester at midnight on long bus journey to LECH in Austria, arriving after 36 hours non stop travel including ferry Folkestone-Ostend. From Ostend through Germany to Austria. The bus was driven by a German speaking driver, I was part of a small group of Brits travelling largely with Flemish speaking Belgians! Met Linda Slade from Nottingham.
2.9.70 Visited Liechtenstein. Nice church. Served in the local cafe by a girl from England.12.9.70 Free concert at Hyde Park with Eric Burden and War, John Sebastian, and Canned Heat; then the musical PROMISES PROMISES at the Prince of Wales theatre London
9.9.70 HAIR in London then back to Manchester...19.3.71 Segovia concert in Manchester. A great experience.
22 3 71- Emerson Lake and Palmer concert- as the mixing desk took up our seats on the back of the stalls we were given by way of replacement the best seats in the house- the front of the circle. Wow.1972- Holiday in Lake District with Cath- perhaps a little overenthusiastic, involving lots of walking. Started at Sleagill- then on to Wasdale- bad news, the farm had had a death leaving us a little stranded. Walking from Wasdale in the rain I was hit from behind and spent some days at Whitehaven Hospital, and have a permanently weakened left leg.
30 9 72: Married. Cath's parents not very supportive, attended wedding but had nothing to do with reception which my parents put on at their house- therefore small gathering. On to honeymoon at Rhyl. Moved in to Cath's flat on Tatton Road North, a bit derelict but only four pounds a week. Now demolished.
Bank not too supportive either (working at Disley branch by now, a happy experience apart from my marriage being so strongly taken exception to) - consequent transfer to Stockport office- as 1968 office now being rebuilt, location was an old National Westminster Bank branch (also since demolished). [Curiously, several years later the diminutive Royal Bank of Scotland succeeded in an opposed takeover of the much larger National Westminster... but more of that in the 90's). Just as bad as Underbank, the cellar didnt have enough air to light a match. Still not a happy branch.(On going situation!)
1973- holiday- visited June and Ron in Germany (Mulheim) - travelled by train for this one. Visited Philips museum at Eindhoven, Holland (Evoluon) and saw their animated interactive monster.
30.9.73- day trip to York. Saw steam engine Flying Scotsman (4472).
1973-74 The Winter of Discontent- lots of power cuts, and electricity rationed, in the cold cold Winter months. I kept going on peppermint tea! By now working at another small branch, Handforth.
Soon moved to Wilmslow office and was shortly in charge of the little two man office (then) on Water Lane- slightly boring work but a lovely park nearby for warm Summer days lunches. During this period another two man office of the Bank in Cheshire was the scene of a nasty double murder, and as a result lunch time cover by way of an extra staff member was to be provided.
Visiting Wilmslow more than a decade later I was greeted by one of my former customers, whose family were all regular bank users. Good memory! Also one of the cashiers in the 90's was one of the girls I had worked with in the smaller branch which had been across the road- Caroline.
March 1974. Short break at Sandown, Isle of Wight.
July 1974- holiday on Isle of Bute (Rothesay)- nice place but bad trip to get there.
1974 Bought century old semi detached house in Alstone Road Heaton Chapel, Stockport, Cheshire for Pounds 8400. A semi detached house built about 1900, with 3 bedrooms. First builder bankrupt in middle, house left a bit and finished by a second builder who seems to have had different ideas on layout, resulting in an odd build. Much work needed to be done and we were short of cash, but over the years we managed to reroof and more or less kept the windows in reasonable trim. Carpeting was courtesy of a neighbour in the trade, a good friend for many years, Peter Swain, whose wife Marjorie assisted us when George decided t stop eating meat - Marjorie was a vegetarian.
1975- Holiday on Isle of Man- lots of railways! castle. visited local parliament building. Nice place to visit. We were fortunate to see the Ramsey Pier railway before it was demolished; and also some old railway sheds (complete with old carriages) which had been abandoned.
1976- Visited Sheringham in Norfolk, Lincoln and London.
After the death of the previous minister, Peter Denton, - in the most appropriate of all places, Canterbury Cathedral - a new minister was appointed to St Thomas in 1976, Roger Alderson, who made sweeping changes to the services. Although previously a "low" Church, Rev Alderson- whose first appointment this was- a married man- introduced extremely "high" church practices, full of ceremony and appearance. Many established worshippers left, to be replaced by folk from far away, travelling in by car.1977 visited Llandidrod Wells, Wales
1978- Visited Penzance, Cornwall and visited Lands End.
1978- Passed old St Thomas records to the Archive Unit in Manchester Central Library.
24.12.78 visiting June and Ron in army barracks near York for Christmas hols. York Minster Festival of 9 lessons and carols 4pm
1979 holidays- Guernsey. Long way to go but nice place to visit. Stayed for the "Battle of the Flowers"
I had been unhappy with the lack of any published history of St Thomas for a while, and visited the county archives of Cheshire and Greater Manchester, the Diocesan archives, and corresponded with- amongst others the then Bishop of St Helena (an old St Thomas boy). I wrote a history of the church, had fifty copies made up, several of which went to the local libraries, the remainder being sold in aid of church funds. (Now placed on the Web).
1979- The start of the long Conservative rule in Britain and the demise of the concepts of social conscience and charity, the growth of me first and big bosses giving themselves big pay rises.... an attitude which has become globally entrenched alas with no political alternative available.
By this time the excessive ceremony of St Thomas was proving too much and Cathy & I moved down the road to the next Church of England, St Pauls in Heaton Moor. I was soon a sidesman and both joined the Parochial Church Council.
Roger Alderson was later to leave the Church of England and move over to the Roman Catholic Church.
And another item of change- in 1979 moved to the main Manchester branch of the bank, initially to work in the securities section.