The Meeting Rooms Above The Shop
( the last remaining Co-op Rooms in the United Co-op Area in 2006 )In the years between the two world wars Manchester Corporation ( now Manchester CityCouncil ) embarked on a massive house building programme. Part of this programme was building the Barlow Moor Estate (now called The Merseybank Estate).
Store Opens 1929
Those years also saw an expansion by the Manchester & Salford Equitable Co-operative Societyopening new stores to serve the new estates. These were the days when people walked to theshops so a new store was needed for the potential new customers on the Barlow Moor Estate.The opening of the Hardy Lane store, though the actual address is 349 - 351 Barlow Moor Road,was on 23 November 1929. It was the 80th grocery branch, and like most of the new purpose built stores it continued the tradition of having a meeting room above the shop.
“As if in full agreement with the importance of the event the period of boisterous and stormyweather had a period of calm whilst Hardy Lane New Grocery and Butchery Premises wereopened. The surrounding area is not yet fully developed, but already installed tenants in the newhousing estate recognised the value of a branch of Manchester &Salford being placed in their midst. and quite a large gathering had assembled when Mr. J.H. Codd, supported by Mr. G. Dillon, Mr. H.E. West (President), and other members of the Board, opened the proceedings aschairman.”Mr. Dillon was the actual opener, the assistants started serving straight away, whilst buses took the guests off to Didsbury Co-operative hall for tea and more speeches. Mr. H.E. West the President took charge of the proceedings. “In reviewing the developments of co-operation in the suburbs he indicated that in the Chorlton-cum-Hardy district they had three branches whichwere taking £1,561 weekly, and the success of their undertaking fully proved the wisdom of their policy of taking co-operation to the homes of the people. The branch opened that afternoon wasthe ninth opened during 1929, and when they realised that 105 new members had been made at the branch they could visualise a successful future for it.”. Mr. Rochell, the builder of the new
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