Floods
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Ford Lane – Floods in the mid-1960s
The following photographs were snapped by local resident Jack Hopper, living at the time on Harefield Drive. They are part of a collection, the best of which are included here. The Mersey burst its banks in both December 1964 and again, almost to the day, in December 1965. Only one of the photographs in the collection subsequently passed on to me gives a clue as to its date, with the words “Floods 1965 Bradley Fold Allotments, Didsbury M/C” printed on the back. Also included in the collection are a few pictures of Ford Lane near the entrance to Simon Field.
Views of frost-covered Ford Lane looking towards the River Mersey, c.1964
The black and white mock-Tudor style wooden shed in Simon Field was used as a changing facility by Burnage Old Boys Football Club (formed in 1938). Note the end of the wall, left, which extends along Ford Lane, and the wooden gate, now the entrance to the Didsbury Sports Ground. The sign is not completely decipherable but may read “PRIVATE FIELDS NO TRESPASSING”. Conditions inside the shed were somewhat basic. There were several similar but smaller sheds positioned in Simon Field, but where they originally came from is not known.
Frost-covered Ford Lane, 1964
Note the buildings to the right in Simon Field.
View towards the Mersey, December 1965
The torrent of floodwater can be seen surging across Ford Lane from Simon Field with both the lane and the allotments under water.
Flood, December 1965
This picture was taken perhaps from the rear of a house on Fordbank Road and shows the extent of the flooding in Simon Field and the allotments. Note how one of the wooden sheds has been upended by the force of the water. Another wooden shed is partly visible between the two trees on the right. (See 1956 plan to determine location of the sheds.) The brick building in the foreground is now used by allotment holders.
Flooded allotments, December 1965
The watery scene as viewed from the entrance to Bradley Fold Allotments.
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