FILM REVIEW – MOVING
MEMORIES : MOSS SIDE & HULME 2009
A 30-minute documentary produced and directed by Karen Gabay, of the Troubadour Foundation for the Manchester Metropolitan University North West Film archive and the North West Film Unit.
Sadly unavailable for public release, this lovely archive film, made over six months, was screened at Manchester Central Library on Friday November 27th 2009. It mixes archive footage from the 1950’s to the 1980’s with the anecdotal memories of former residents of Moss side & Hulme to show the area in a much more positive light than often seen.
For many in Manchester, Moss side evokes mental images of rioting, gun crime, and slum dwellings. I worked in the area in the mid-1980’s and saw little trouble, though I often saw the sharp intake of breath from people convinced that I was being reckless and even suicidal going there, where I was guaranteed a mugging, knifing, etc. I was very happy to se a film that showed the area in a more positive, though by no means always flattering perspective.
Moss Side has been a multi-cultural area since the 1950’s, with Caucasians, west Indians, Sikhs and others all living in close proximity to one another. The West Indian migrants arrived in the 60’s and the film features some describing getting to Manchester airport (then called ringway0 in a blizzard. Some had never seen snow before in their lives). Thy were welcomed by the established communities, and some describe being invited to meals at various houses, and their fascination for how their hosts cheerfully dipped bread in chicken soup.
There were many happy recollections of Webster Street Primary School, which was unique for having its playground on the roof. If a ball went over, a teacher had to go down to retrieve it. The children were not allowed down onto the busy dangerous road.
Other speakers had nostalgic fondness for Alexander park, (still there0, and having to run away from a jobsworth park keeper who they regarded as the local bogeyman. The rockeries there were a popular hide and seek area.
Some of the children were tearaways, cheerfully knocking on doors and running off, and promising people parking up near the then Manchester city football Club ground at Main Road that they would mind the cars for them for pocket money. Few of the kids bothered staying around once they had received payments.
The Sikhs often had shops with their chosen surname, Singh, which became a brand name and made them an unofficial chain-store supplier though the various Singh stores were run independently from one another.
What comes across strongly is the sense of community in the area in the post war years. A trip to the local shops for a few items could often take hours because there were always friends stopping you for a chat as you went. Pattie shops like Alvinos were a communal delight for many of the local children.
The situation changed through housing developers, who ht on the idea of building Hulme’s notorious high-rise Crescents. This meant that many houses had to be demolished, and a compulsory purchase order meant that those losing a much loved home-received only $1.00 in compensation frothier loss.
Few liked the Crescents, even those who lived there. The stairways were dark, the decks often had viscous dogs on them, aggressively guarding an owner’s house and making it hard for immediate neighbours to get by. The lifts were filled with urine, litter and graffiti. It was the hardship that kept the communities bonded.
Local nightclubs were popular, and many of the west Indians found them safer than going into Manchester where they faced racial harassment. One commentator observed wryly that he was old enough to remember the clubs but to young to have been allowed to go in.
Racism fuelled a major problem in unemployment among the West Indian community and police harassment was intense. Every single non-white youth in the early years of the Thatcher era came away with tales of being pulled up for random searches by the police. Tensions erupted into violence and Moss side flared into one of the most famous riots of modern years. Many of the commentators recalled hiding in their houses until the troubles blew over. The police then went for soft options, and instead of targeting rioters as they were in action, they simply raided houses and accused whoever opened the doors of being suspects seen in the rioting.
The slum Crescents were eventually abandoned and demolished. Moss Side has largely recovered and become a pleasant place to live once more for all. The film captures a wide sense of history and beautifully recaptures some of the magical sense of how the communities fared when not imposed upon by the government, police and property developers. A lovely and important film that deserves a much wider release.
LINK
NORTH WEST FILM ARCHIVE www.nwfa.mmu.ac.uk
Copyright. Arthur
Chappell
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