Knutsford
Photographic Society 
Knutsford
Photographic Society Welcome to our sub-site devoted to recording those parts of Knutsford under threat, which have already disappeared, or as they use to be. You may wish to also glimpse into "Cranford".
The images of the past which appear here are sourced from existing/past members, their families and friends, present/former residents of Knutsford and other sources in the legitimate ownership of any of these.
Please also mail us with any points of note for the images exhibited.
Contents/View Contributors so far Copyright Note
Contents of the "Disappeared" Knutsford sub-site
For download speed purposes, we have divided the sub-site into a number of Portfolios of images. These have been fairly randomly organised, it has to be said, as material has become available. Hopefully the information below will help you navigate.
|
Portfolio 1 |
Portfolio 2 |
Portfolio 3 |
Portfolio 4 |
Viewing navigational note - while the thumbnail images will appear quickly, the large images will take, on average, 15 seconds to load at 56kbps; we have tried to balance download speed with the provision of images which provide sufficient quality/detail.
| Image
No. |
Description / era | Points of Note |
| 1 | Gaskell Memorial Tower / mid 1960s | Not changed much?... ah but look carefully - 'twas then the King's Coffee House (now La Belle Époque) |
| 2 | Adams Hill (May Day) / early 1960s | Remnant from the steam age in the station background (tower no longer exists) |
| 3 | Church Hill / early 1960s | Again no significant change? |
| 4 | Knutsford Cricket Club close-up / mid 1960s | The Water Tower and the old club house |
| 5 | Knutsford Cricket Club close-up / mid 1960s | The wide-angle view of the Mereheath Lane playing field |
| 6 | Drury Lane/The Moor / early 1960s | The tower on the extreme left |
| 7 | Egerton Square Cottages / mid 1960s | These cottages were burnt down in the early 1970s |
| 8 | Aerial View S.E. Knutsford / mid 1970s | Follow Chelford Road/Legh Road and decide if anything is different now! |
| 9 | Toft Road (May Day) / early 1960s | The frontage of the petrol station and also the Water Tower just about visible extreme left... see also image in Portfolio 4 |
| 10 | Bottom of Church Hill / mid 1960s | Watsons bakery (etc). - the KPS webmaster has vivid childhood memories or the wonderful aroma of Watsons! |
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| Image
No. |
Description / era | Points of Note |
| 1 | Half-timbered frontage of the White Lion / mid 1960s | Not much changed? (but note the old "turn right" sign) |
| 2 | Princess Street from Canute Place / c. early 1900s | Little change bar the removal of the street light in the centre of the road |
| 3 | Canute Place / estimate pre-WWII | The cottages on the far left have been replaced for some time by the product of modern planning - this is how the square use to be! |
| 4 | Canute Place / early 1900s | The White Bear has changed little; we see here on the left the end of the original cottage row and note the roundabout was originally a street lamp! |
| 5 | Chelford Road Cottages / early 1900s | The pump has changed little other than its encasement; see its present day state in our KPS Knutsford Gallery |
| 6 | Drury Lane / estimate early 20th century | No huge change today - cottage on left is not more and some rebuilding has been undertaken, but broadly as it is today |
| 7 | Heathside cafe / probably mid-1900s | Having spent its years in the late C20th as an Indian Restaurant, this building is no more - the site in being redeveloped (early 2001) |
| 8 | Tatton Knutsford Entrance/ early 1900s | No real change other than the railings on the left |
| 9 | King Street near Post Office / early 1900s | Shows the Post Office in its original form...the post office is now a restaurant and postal services are now handled from what was the original Egerton Boys Club building (now a furniture showroom) |
| 10 | Tatton Knutsford Entrance/ early 1900s | A closer look! |
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| Image
No. |
Description / era | Points of Note |
| 1 | The Fryery / late 1980s | No longer a chip shop... see also photo in Portfolio 4 |
| 2 | War Memorial "Cottage" Hospital / estimate inter-war | The original entrance... no real change? |
| 3 | Manchester Road Roundabout from Gaskell Avenue / mid C20th | Some differences - the building behind opposite the the Conservative Club, Canute Place's late cottages and the Water Tower in the background |
| 4 | Caldwells / late 1980s | 'Tis no more! The former Garden Centre site has been redeveloped (residential area) |
| 5 | Caldwells / late 1980s | Do you remember the business's very Knutsfordian emblem./logo? |
| 6 | Caldwells / late 1980s | The entrance |
| 7 | Civic Hall / late 1980s | Before redevelopment as the Civic Centre; note the WRVS office |
| 8 | Cranford Lodge Hospital / late 1980s | The car park (now a community hospital) |
| 9 | Cranford Lodge Hospital / late 1980s | Incl. the chapel |
| 10 | The Obelisk / early 1900s | Still there and relatively unchanged; see its present day state in our KPS Knutsford Gallery |
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| Image
No. |
Description / era | Points of Note |
| 1 | Stanley Park / late 1980s | Was the green area behind the bus station, adjacent to the old tennis courts - now Booths supermarket |
| 2 | Toft Road petrol station / late 1980s | This frontage succeeded that shown in Portfolio 1, before the current rebuild of the garage site to allow for the accommodation of more pumps/vehicles |
| 3 | Mobberley Road Water Tower / late 1980s | Captured here before the addition of the inevitable mobile communications aerials |
| 4 | The bus station / late 1980s | Before the development of the bus station to accommodate Booths Supermarket |
| 5 | Stanley Park / early 1990s | Pre-Booths supermarket, viewed from the Bucklow Offices (now "Victoria Court") |
| 6 | Stanley Park looking to The Sessions House / late 1980s | Again, pre-Booths; The Sessions House continues to administer justice to this day! |
| 7 | The Fryery / late 1980s | A further shot of the ex-chippy! Complements the photos in Portfolio 3 |
| 8 | Grove Park / early 1960s | Main differences are : the drive gates (now disintegrated!), the age of the trees and this pre-extension period |
| 9 | The Moor play-ground / c.1967 | Depicts the original "swings and slides" (featuring the KPS webmaster and younger sister at a somewhat earlier age!); note the thin Drury Lane Tower no longer existing (above the LH swing support) |
| 10 | The Moor play-ground sign/ 1967 | Records the contribution of the Round Table to the construction of the "swings and slides" |
| 11 | Water Tower (traction engine in foreground) | The town's former Water Tower from a different perspective |
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Contributors so far (with status at time of posting of images)
Fred McDowell (KPS member)
Dave Hamond (KPS member)
Roger Hume (KPS member)
Carol Sparkes (KPS member)
Arthur Webber (late father of
above)
Geoff Wilde (former KPS member and
past President)
The Society wishes to thank all who have contributed and made this sub-site possible.
The Knutsford Photographic Society intends at all times to remain fully legal. we believe that all the material here is legitimately included and subject to our best endeavours to achieve this status. Images included not directly taken by those who have submitted them directly to the Society are taken from images in the ownership0 of those who submitted them, and, as best as we can estimate, were taken over 50 years prior to their inclusion on this site.
Enjoy!!!