Local History

Convenor: Andy Scutt

The Local History group is extremely popular and welcomes new members. If you would like any information about the group, please get in touch with Andy by emailing members@salfordu3a.com


Venue and date/time: We meet at 1.30-3.00pm (doors open 1pm) on alternate Wednesdays at Monton Unitarian Church Hall. There is a charge of £1pp to cover room hire and refreshments.

Salford u3a at Speke Hall
A great day out: Speke Hall, April 2023

Well-deserved flowers for Barbara Ashe and Chris Whitefoot in July 2022 in recognition of their many years of service to the group

'A crowded horse omnibus outside the Old Bull's Head Hotel in Church St Eccles, in 1872'' (Courtesy of Salford Local History Library)
A crowded horse omnibus outside the Old Bull’s Head Hotel in Church St Eccles, in 1872 (Taken from the Salford Local History Library Collection)

The main focus of the group is the history of the Salford and Manchester region, with occasional forays further afield. All topics are researched and presented by the members of this very popular group.

Past topics have included Haigh Hall, Queen Victoria’s 1851 visit to Worsley, Salford Pals and Joseph Brotherton. Current and previous years’ topics are detailed in the programmes below.

The group has also visited the following historical sites over recent years: Ordsall Hall, Eccles Parish Church, All Saints Church Barton, Chetham’s Library and School, Styal Village and Quarry Bank Mill, the Ellesmere Port Boat Museum, Erddig Hall, the Moravian Settlement in Droylsden, the Avro Museum at Woodford, Bramhall Hall, Saltaire, Liverpool Cathedral and Speke Hall.

Links you may be interested in:

Past members of the group have researched and published a variety of books, which are listed below.

  1. Church St Eccles by Helen Whickham and other group members
  2. A walk around Barton by Doreen and Eddie Rowbottom
  3. Industrial History of Eccles by Ronald Britton
  4. A Chronological History of Eccles by Doreen Rowbottom
  5. Treasures of Eccles, Past and Present by Doreen Rowbottom
  6. Pendleton: the Rise and Fall of a Northern Township by Don Lingard
  7. A Brief History of Travel in Eccles, Barton and Patricroft since 1628 by Mark Child
  8. Francis Egerton, 1st Earl of Ellesmere by Mark Child
  9. Places of Worship, Past and Present (Clifton, Swinton and Pendlebury)
    by David Roughley

2023 programme

DateNameSubject
11 JanChristmas meal at George’s, Worsley
25 JanMark ChildLord Ellesmere’s sons
8 FebAndy Scutt
Manchester’s Market Place
22 FebMartin Maynard
Agecroft Rowing Club
8 MarFiona Ellis
Jerome Caminada
22 MarBrian Briggs
Sailor, Sinner and Saint
5 AprAnne McGarry
Life in Eccles and Salford 1900-1914
19 AprAndy ScuttSpring outing to Liverpool – see gallery
3 MayBeryl PattenIsabel Heywood
Isabel Heywood and the Manchester and Salford Blind Aid Society
17 MayRick McGarry
The workhouse system in Barton-upon-Irwell
31 MayMarlene and HazelCastle Irwell
Castle Irwell
14 JunPaul Sherlock
Early Salford Mayors part 2
28 JunDavid Roughley
Queen Elizabeth II
12 JulMark Child
Corn laws, free trade and the Anti-Corn Law League
26 JulLinda Veasey
Knights, Dukes and Dynasties
9 AugBarbara Ashe
Ellesmere Park
23 AugGeorge Waterhouse
Sir William Fairbairn
6 SepAndy ScuttAutumn outing (date provisional)
20 SepJune Lomas
LS Lowry
4 OctIvor Smith
The Scuttlers
18 OctMary McBride
Mrs G. Linnaeus Banks and The Manchester Man
1 NovHugh Jones
Pendleton Co-operative Industrial Society Limited
15 NovAnne McGarry
Brenda Dean
29 NovAnita Douglas
Wakes Weeks
13 DecSheila Thomas
Christmas in the local news

2022 programme

at the Salford Histories Festival, Oct 2022

You may also be interested in:

Our group is one of several members of the Salford Forum of Local History Organisations. You can access their website here for details of all the groups that belong to this forum, including the Eccles and District History Society and the Age UK (Salford) local history group who meet regularly in Swinton.

Anyone wishing to explore the history of our area may be interested in viewing the extensive collection of books, documents, photographs and newspapers at the Salford Local History Library.