CLAYTON AND OPENSHAW

From the Images of England series published by The History Press here are street and rural scenes, shopping and work, people, places and transport, the villages at war and peace and in church and at school. Clayton and Openshaw in East Manchester both experienced rapid industrial growth, with Clayton meaning 'settlement on clay' with its rural, wooded landscape, sandstone and coal. From medieval times the Clayton family lived at their hall, until the Byrons took possession for about 13 generations. The name Openshaw means 'unenclosed woodland', and its population rose from around 117 in 1641 to 23,927 in 1891 through industrialisation. Industry developed in diverse forms: iron and chemical works, automobile and locomotive production, toolmaking, electrical engineering and suet refining. Workers' houses sprung up around the mills while the better-off built their houses in North Road Clayton and Fairfield in Higher Openshaw. A fascinating collection of around 200 old photographs and advertising, the book is nostalgic for those who remember these towns in their heyday and for the curious peering into the family albums of local people. 129 page well illustrated large softback.