For portraits 1-10 – click here
For portraits 11-20 – click here
For portraits 31- 40 – click here
For portraits 41- 50 – click here
30. Barry Radivan
Has had a podiatrist business, Regel Foot Clinic, on Kings Road, a few yards off Bury New Road for three years, previously located at the Jewish Cultural Centre and on Bury New Road in Whitefield…
What does Bury New Road mean to you?
“It’s everything; it’s the shops, lots of lovely countryside on the doorstep…the place I grew up. I lived on Singleton Road as a child and travelled up and down the Road to Bury Grammar School on the 743 Ribble bus, which is now the Witch bus. I also lived at 490b Bury New Road for a while, using Park Lane Police Station and the Fire Station, while we spent many family occasions at the JS restaurant…
“My father had Radivan’s grocer shop on Great Cheetham Street from the late 1930s, and as he retired in 1988 I qualified and started my own business. In 1990 I took my first shop on Bury New Road in Whitefield, and have been in this location for three years. It was a children’s clothing shop but before then it had been a podiatrists for over twenty five years, when Mr Mintz had it. I was working on Park Road at the Jewish Cultural Centre but when this became available we grabbed it with both hands.
“I’ve been walking up and down Bury New Road for fifty odd years! I used to see John Cooper Clarke with his wild hair, and probably saw Nico on Prestwich Park Road South. It was also rumoured that David Bowie’s girlfriend lived on Singleton Road, and obviously there’s Elkie Brooks and 10CC from the area…”
29. Liam Pope
Branch Manager at Thornley Groves, since the company took over Herwald and its office in Prestwich Village last November…
What does Bury New Road mean to you?
“It’s a great position for us to be in, as there’s so much passing traffic. We get people walking in off the street who are going in the cafes and restaurants and bars, so it’s good to be in a prominent place and get all the benefit of that.
“Price wise Prestwich is definitely on the up; absolutely, going up in value; and the area as well with all the expected regeneration works that people are anticipating will bring even more…I’m not really aware of all the people and events with links to the Road but I’ll look into it…”
28. Joyce and Aubrey Waxman
From Prestwich and have lived just off Bury New Road for 15 years, after living in Florida for 28 years and Israel for six years…“and they still haven’t caught me” laughs Aubrey…
What does Bury New Road mean to you?
Joyce: “We come to the Village every day. Aubrey isn’t well enough to go distances so we come here for lunch.”
Aubrey: “I’ve had every operation and illness known to man and beast – I’m 92, don’t ask me how. In Florida I had a new defibrillator put it in wrongly and the doctor said ‘It’s a miracle you’re still here. And when I was 12 and got into Central High School I got wacked on the back of my head by a guy with a book who pushed me down the steps shouting ‘Get back to Palestine you dirty Jew’. I lost my memory, left school and never went back. I learned my trade at my father’s, who used to make trousers for the army. It’s an early age to lose your memory…The Village is a very busy place but I like it, we’re happy here…
Joyce: “We live at the back of Aldi and it’s quiet but as you walk through the ginnel you can hear the noise. I liked it when it wasn’t busy but I’m a little old fashioned. Of course we like it here; we’ve had a lot of friends but they’re all dying. The Precinct needs knocking down but by the time they do it we might not be here…”
27. Jack Levy
Has been cutting hair at Stan’s Barbers for over 25 years, after Stan retired 14 years ago…
What does Bury New Road mean to you?
“It’s enjoyable, I’ve cut a lot of people’s hair…so many people…and most are very friendly. I think they’ve made the traffic a lot worse here; there’s people avoiding Prestwich, preferring the Old Road, so Prestwich is losing customers. I talk to taxi drivers and they say ‘We will not pick up people in Prestwich because it is so busy sometimes‘. I think they’ve damaged Prestwich a little bit. They’re going to knock it down so hopefully it will be better…”
26. Jeffrey Shonn
Has been a director of Shonn in Strangeways for over sixty years…
What does Bury New Road mean to you?
“It’s been really good to us, and in a really good position. We’re opposite the prison and when the riots were on we had a good view of it with SKY TV and ITV on a hoist here! We’ve been in this building for forty years and we were across the road before then for twenty years. I think we are the biggest building on Bury New Road, apart from the prison…”
25. Sajid Mahmood
Has been a shop and restaurant owner in Strangeways since 1995, first supplying ladies’ fashions and, since 2017, selling children’s toys, including branded cars like Mercedes and Range Rover, at Toy Wise…
What does Bury New Road mean to you?
“It means everything! I’ve spent more than half my life here…I don’t live in my house as much as I live here. Bury New Road has given me a lot. This shop makes me happy all day because families come with their children and see all these things. We don’t sell copies of anything, all our cars are licensed from the dealers, and we do a lot online and with walk-in customers.
“I like the diversity of the Road. I have lived in Prestwich for 15 years, all of my neighbours are Jewish and are really lovely people. They really look after me and even miss me if I go away!
“I’m worried about what’s going on further down the Road but everything else is fine. I think I might spend the rest of my life here!”
24. David Walker – Bishop of Manchester
Has lived at Bishops Court on Bury New Road since 2013…
What does Bury New Road mean to you?
“Bury New Road means home; it means I get to live on the site that a number of famous people have lived. One of the previous residents, though not in the current house, went on to become Archbishop of York and Archbishop of Canterbury and co-founded the Welfare State.
“He was William Temple, and he worked with Beveridge in the late 1930s and 1940s to produce what was eventually the Welfare State and the post war consensus on how to move forward. This was his first role as a bishop; he was Bishop here from 1920 to 1929 and it was here that he cut his teeth trying to understand the lives of the urban working classes.
“The house he lived in was larger than this one. We have the 1891 census report on the then house lived in by an early Bishop of Manchester who had come from being Bishop of Melbourne in Australia, although he was a Sheffield boy originally. He was living here along with his wife, an elderly aunt and nine domestic servants, and there would have been gardeners and coachmen who lived in a separate mews. It was quite a pile, and they say there were 23 rooms, although that could have been an exaggeration. These are the original gardens which we use for entertaining in the summer months.”
Is Bury New Road spiritual?
“I have a little chapel here which I find spiritual, although I don’t know about the road itself. My main experience of the Road is ploughing through the traffic, trying to get out of the drive into it, and the time it takes to do the length of it between here and the city centre. I think my worst ever is an hour and a quarter about seven or eight years ago when it was Bonfire Night and a football match. Sometimes I leave my car in town and walk home, it’s quicker!
“I have a season ticket for Salford City and it does feel like an area that’s got a history. It’s interesting to see how it’s changed over the years – a lot of these properties were built for the wealthy business folk of Manchester and then a number have been divided into apartments or they’ve been knocked down and replaced by apartments or hotels.
“I get on with the general Jewish community really well; obviously some of the more orthodox keep themselves to themselves. I try to nod if I see them in the street and sometimes they nod back. The boundary of the eruv is our garden wall so there’s a number we have to ring if it’s breached, which might mess up the Sabbath arrangements. One of the things I learnt when I came to live on this road was that in winter Friday rush hour is at lunchtime!
“We’re very happy here, it’s handy for the centre. The buses could be more reliable, you have to allow extra time for all the buses that don’t turn up but it seems a friendly place…”
23. June Crawford
Has lived in Buddleia Grove, off Bury New Road, since the houses were built 25 years ago, and she will be 79 this month…
What does Bury New Road mean to you?
“I’ve seen a lot of changes. When I came here, there was the House That Jack Built pub and down the bottom was the Rialto bingo hall and Pinky’s nightclub which was good; we all went there when we were younger. They made it into a roller skating hall. I remember in 1999 when United won the treble all the flags down Bury New Road, and The Cliff…we used to walk down there with the kids waiting to get a signature, it was really lovely. I wish it was back again. Even though I enjoy myself you can’t bring those places back…
“I love Bury New Road, there’s a bus stop on one side and you can go up to Prestwich Village or on the other side you can get to town. It’s a marvellous route, and if you walk further up you can get a bus to Bury Market which I love. I’ve brought all my children up here and my two dogs. It was always a happy atmosphere, and we’d go to Broughton Park feeding the ducks which was lovely.
“Everything is near to hand, it’s marvellous. And all the neighbours were and are still friends. There’s only eight houses here and it’s a lovely community…”
22. David Dyson
Has lived on Buddleia Grove, Higher Broughton, for twenty years and is the pillar of his local community…
What does Bury New Road mean to you?
“I also used to live in Manley Street from 1972, so I’ve been here most of my life. I love this area and would never move from here. I know everyone and everyone knows me. The neighbours, the community spirit, just general everyday life is really nice around here, apart from the local pubs closing down.
“We used to have Roger Moore on New Market Mews, Pat Phoenix lived off Leicester Road, Mike Leigh…lots of famous people. There was also the Rialto snooker hall, run by Geoff Lomas, who I used to know very well. We had Jimmy White, Tony Drago, loads of snooker players in there.
“Now we have a big Jewish community around here, and they respect us and we respect their culture. It is a very multi cultural society and we all get along great; there’s never any problems. The kids are well behaved around here too. It’s just a really good community…”
21. Chris Jenkins
Been around Bury New Road for six years, homeless but sleeps on friends’ sofas from time to time.
What does Bury New Road mean to you?
“There’s a lot of nice people about, a hell of a lot of nice people…there’s a few idiots but it’s to be expected. The Precinct could be better. I think Prestwich is on the up, and it makes a difference to me as I’ve got kids here as well. Yes, I think it’s on the up…”
