Rag-and-bone man’s horse and cart, Ford Lane, Northenden, 1953

Once a common sight, the rag-and-bone man collected unwanted household items and sold them to merchants. Using a cart pulled by a horse or pony, he would venture into streets and roads every few weeks or so during weekdays and would be heard calling out “Any old iron?”, “Pots for rags” and “Rag-bone”. Most eked out a poor living but the trade – carried on for centuries originally with handcarts – continued well into the 1990s in Didsbury.

Although the above photograph is lacking the actual rag-and-bone man, his yard was, in fact, just around the corner on Boat Lane in Northenden. It is quite plausible that this horse pulled the cart around the Ford Bank estate, which was nearby. Another familiar sight – as is evident in this picture – was seeing the horse eating from a nosebag, which contained fodder and was hung from its head. 

As for where the horse or pony was kept, it would be taken in the evening down Ford Lane towards Didsbury Golf Club and perhaps tethered to a stake in the ground on the river bank or on unused land for it to graze.

For many people the sight and sound of the rag-and-bone man evokes happy memories of a bygone age. It also evokes memories of this lifestyle as epitomised in the 1960s’ television series Steptoe and Son.