This is Rusholme

Acentury ago Rusholme was a resort, quite as much as Southport, or Blackpool, only lacking a beach. The omnibus from town down arrow-straight Oxford Road, landed you on the Wilmslow Road, somewhere between two grand parks, Whitworth with its art gallery, and Platt Fields with paddling pool, boating lake and café, the zoo, and grand houses. If you didn’t fancy the picture at the Trocadero that day, there were five other cinemas to choose from. Rusholme’s high street was a promenade of delights; somewhere to go to see and be seen.

It wasn’t only for the run of half a dozen picture palaces that Rusholme was dubbed “Jollywood”.

In 1947 John Blakeley set up the “The Mancunian Film Distributors Ltd” in a converted Methodist chapel on Dickenson Road. Mancunian Films were cheap and cheerful, trading on inuendo and double entendre; end-of-the-pier stuff that made stars out of George Formby, Frank Randle, Diana Dors and Jimmy Clitheroe. Northern audiences lapped them up.

The Methodists would not have approved. The National Film Finance Corporation, that had loaned Mancunian £50,000 was sniffy. After a run of shoe-string productions, from “Over the Garden Wall” (1950) to “It’s a Grand Life” (1953), the shoestring snapped, and the Dickenson Road Studios were sold to the BBC. Which is why, on 1st January 1964 the Rolling Stones performed “I Wanna Be Your Man” at the opening of the first ever Top of the Pops, in a Methodist chapel on Dickenson Road in Rusholme.

Historic Rusholme has high-end residential developments in the mix throughout. There are substantial Georgian villas behind tall walls at the top of Platt Lane, and smaller late-Georgian houses from the 1830s on Moon Grove off Dickenson Road.

Wilmslow Road is lined in wonder. Opposite the park is Appleby Lodge, apartments built in the late 1930s in the style called Moderne. Same architect designed the Manchester Apollo Theatre. Still one of Manchester’s starriest addresses, Appleby Lodge was home from 1943 – 1963 of Sir John Barbirolli conductor of the Hallé Orchestra, and somewhat later, to Steve Coogan, creator of Alan Partridge.

Before it was Curry Mile, Rusholme served exotic and ethnic food to the adventurous clients of Rusholme.

L’Auberge de France was at 2 – 4 Platt Lane, on the ground floor of mansion flats, each of which had an upstairs room for servants. L’Auberge served Coq au vin and snails in garlic on blue gingham tablecloths from 1964 into the seventies. Around the corner, with its entrance on Grandale Street was Casa Espana, which introduced Manchester to Paella.

Rusholme’s pubs were full of Irish music. Manchester University Halls of Residence spanning East of Wilmslow Road into Victoria Park underpinned a youthful and engaging scene that connected the pubs and burgeoning curry houses.

To the west were the endless straight terraces of working-class houses that chased around Main Road stadium, home of Manchester City FC.

Rusholme and Fallowfield have history, energy, variety, and cauldrons of character. That the cafés, restaurants shops and street life are, today as much Eastern as Southeast Asian is only steps in the road. No promenade in all of Manchester says more about the nature and vitality of the city than the ever-buzzing Wilmslow Road.

This is 98 Wilmslow Road

Asset type

Mixed use

Quantum

42 homes & 6 retail units

Status

Planning approved

Architect

Ollier Smurthwaite

Planning consultants

Ashtonhale

Transport

Curtins