Wireworks to wireless: Ferranti Moston

The story of the vast electrical empire begun by Sebastian Ziani de Ferranti, born in Liverpool in 1846, is complex, but many Mostonians remember the firm’s local connection. When the wireworks of Johnson, Clapham and Morris, off St. Mary’s Road, was put up for sale in 1934, Ferranti’s domestic wireless (radio) market was already booming, more so than the Wickentree Lane factory could cope with, and so the Moston site was purchased, refitted and enlarged considerably.

Said to be the best-equipped radio works in Europe, it opened on 29 April 1935 and initially employed around 1,000 people. Within 4 months the workforce had reached 3,000 and it was notable at the time that three quarters of the staff were women.

1970’s Aerial view of Ferranti Moston

The wireless had become the essential news and entertainment console in most homes, and was considered a stylish item of furniture, to boot. Cabinet-making and glass-working skills were as much in demand as metalwork and electrical assembly. The range at Moston soon expanded to include meters and all kinds of domestic appliances: portable radios, gramophones, televisions, radiant fires, clocks and even electric irons.

Ferranti were also major producers of components for other manufacturers. When war was declared in 1939, the Moston site concentrated on instrument panels for aircraft and naval vessels, and were leaders in gyroscopic guidance systems, military radio systems and the development of radar. Other factories were opened to continue this work, in Edinburgh and elsewhere.

Although not directly involved in aircraft production, there was encouragement during the war for large firms to sponsor the building of aircraft, often supplemented by voluntary donations from the staff, and the St. Mary’s Road workforce ‘did their bit’. In 1940 they raised funds for the building of Spitfire P8465, which served with the RAF 303 (Polish) Squadron until shot down in 1941.

Not only in the air, Ferranti instruments were to be found on the bridges of Canadian and Royal Navy ships and many terrestrial defence systems. A spin-off from wartime research, particularly in the USA, was the development of the computer, an early use of which was in trajectory calculations for gun and missile aiming.

The essential quality of a computer, as opposed to a calculator, was that the same machine could be set up to do many different types of calculation, and that each set of instructions (program), and its results, could be displayed and stored electronically for future use. With the guidance of Dr. Alan Turing, a frequent visitor to Moston, a prototype computer was built by Ferranti for Manchester University in 1949.

Later refinements led to the Ferranti Mark I, the first reasonably successful commercial computer to be made in Britain – also at St. Mary’s Road. Although these early machines used valves in their logic circuits (and could easily fill a large bedroom!), Ferranti were in the vanguard in developing solid-state components such as transistors and, later, silicon devices and integrated circuits; much smaller, faster and cheaper than valves. Today, the average smartphone has far more computing power than the Mark I, but the essential operating logic is the same.

The Moston factory continued to diversify, particularly into telephones, automated switchboards and scientific instruments, and the Ferranti Group established several general divisions, such as the large transformer works opened in 1955 on Hollinwood Avenue. In 1958, the domestic appliance business was sold to the (then) well-known ‘Ekco’ brand (E.K.Cole Ltd) and the focus turned to military, commercial and industrial equipment.

By the 1960s, Ferranti was producing guidance systems and radar equipment for the Bloodhound missile, and had opened other plants at Wythenshawe and Cheadle Heath. From the 1980s they were making integrated circuits for (amongst others) the Acorn and BBC home computers, as well as their own ‘Advance’ range of IBM-compatible machines.

Defence work, telecommunications, instrumentation and component manufacture were all money-spinners, and at their height Ferranti owned twenty-two sites in England, Scotland, Wales and other countries. The Moston site was enlarged several times and as recently as 1986 was extending its training centre at Moston. Then – it all went wrong!

Ferranti made a disastrous investment in USA-based International Signal & Control, whose valuation proved to be completely bogus; they were ultimately prosecuted in the U.S. for fraud. Ferranti inherited massive debts, their share value plummeted and redundancies began in 1990. A last-minute rescue plan by GEC failed and receivers were called in during December 1993. Asset-stripping followed, some divisions being sold off entire (continuing to trade under Ferranti and other names), other parts being acquired by Siemens, Plessey and others.

The Moston site had closed completely by December 1994 and over a few short years was erased from the landscape and replaced by housing. The vast empire was no more.

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Street Life: The Lane – Part 2 (1890 to 1959)

In the 30 years after Moston’s incorporation into Manchester, education and culture gradually became more accessible to ordinary people, a new transit system was introduced, and a global pandemic arrived.

Named for William Simpson, a silk manufacturer, the Simpson Memorial was a truly local affair. The building was designed by architect Joseph Gibbons Sankey, son of the match manufacturer (of The Lane – Part 1). Opened in 1888, ‘the Simpson’ was initially staffed by volunteers, only becoming part of Manchester’s library service ten years later.

Access to the grounds and library was free to Moston residents, but non-residents had to pay 1 shilling (5p) per year. As well as university extension lectures, there were classes in subjects as diverse as Art and Pitman’s Shorthand. Amateur operatic, drama and horticultural societies were based there, as were camera, bowling and tennis clubs.

In 1899, the foundation stone of Moston Lane School was laid. It was to be the 32nd Manchester Board school, and had places for 1,230 pupils.

On weekdays, the hall of St. George’s Presbyterian Church, Moston Lane, accommodated pupils from a private school. Despite its small size, the standard of education at the grandly named Belmont High school, enabled some girls to win scholarships for Harpurhey High School.

Land to build the Queen’s Park Tram Depot was purchased in 1900. By June 1901, the electric trams were in service. In 1915, trams became the most used form of city transit, and women were taken on to replace the men away fighting at the front

During the post war pandemic, James Niven, Medical Officer of Health, suspended tram services to help prevent the spread of the deadly Spanish Flu.

Strictly speaking, the MIP (or MIPP) was on Hartley Street, a few steps off the Lane. The 925 seat cinema opened its doors in 1920. 19 years later, just a few months before the outbreak of WW2, the Fourways became the Lane’s second cinema.

AVRO and Ferranti’ works were potential targets for the Luftwaffe. To protect their essential war production, four anti-aircraft guns were situated on Broadhurst playing fields.

Many of Moston’s houses lacked gardens, so the Lane’s air raid shelters were generally the indoor Morrison type, or back yard brick and reinforced concrete structures.

Post war

In school holidays, with no park nearby, a trip to the Lane was the best I could hope for. Our circuit started at Simpson Memorial, and while I dashed in to make a speedy library book exchange, Mum waited outside with my sister’s pram,

Fifties austerity must have left six-year-olds with simple expectations, because I recall being impressed by a shop window containing a currant cake, apparently baked in a fancy jelly mould.

And I enjoyed watching the endlessly revolving model of a foot and calf wearing a sheer nylon stocking, in the haberdasher’s window.

There was an Airfix model of the queen’s coronation coach in the toy shop. It added a touch of topicality to the display of smashing Chad Valley sets and the usual board games.

My absolute favourite shop window belonged to a hairdresser. With mirrors representing lakes, and dozens of the small glass animals popular at the time, someone had created a magical fantasy world which changed regularly enough to keep me going back time after time.

Before turning for home down Ashley Lane, there was one final stop to be made. I was just tall enough to see over the wall of the front garden of what I called the ‘gnome house’. There was a wishing well surrounded by ornamental woodland creatures and colourful gnomes.

If there had been the ‘best in Lane’ award, it should have gone to a shop with no window display to speak of. It was where my friends and I headed after our Saturday morning swim at Harpurhey Baths. Faint from hunger, we pooled the last of our coppers, and went into the little shop for a generously filled paper bag of broken biscuits to share on the way home. No biscuit has ever tasted as good since.

I used to travel home from school on the bus between the Ben Brierley and Gardeners Arms. On those journeys I first recall noticing there were some bits of Moston that seemed out of time amongst the urban sprawl.

Logically, I knew the Lane had ‘a past’, but where did Yeb Fold fit in? In those days, the cottages wouldn’t have looked out of place as an illustration in a book of country folklore. And how come in 1958, there was a herd of cows grazing in a field surrounded by modern semis, only a few feet from the bus window.

Curiosity led me on to discover ‘Billy Buttonhole’, a silk weaver living on the Lane in 1841 (see part 1). Strange to think that had he lived in the same place 100 years later, rather than weaving silk by hand, Billy might have been producing Lancaster bombers or radar at Ferranti’s.

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North Manchester AODS – The Black and White Mikado

It’s the time of year for welcoming guests and offering hospitality. Last week North Manchester Amateur Operatic and Dramatic Society took to the stage at NWTAC’s theatre on Lightbowne Road, Moston, taking advantage of an excellent facility and support team.

The Black and White Mikado ran for four nights and I joined a packed audience for the opening show on Wednesday 8th December. I use the term ‘show’ loosely. The Mikado is an ‘operetta’ (part opera, part dialogue) and, typical of a Gilbert and Sullivan composition, has a light-hearted, comedic storyline.

Originally set in Japan and lavishly colourful this version is very ‘1920’s British’ with art deco scenery and matching black and white costumes. The effect is striking and works well, along with adaptations to the original script.

Even if you think you don’t know ‘The Mikado’ you will almost certainly be familiar with several of its musical numbers: A Wandering Minstrel, The Flowers That Bloom in the Spring, Three Little Maids From School Are We… and more. If you don’t recognise them, I can only assume that you played truant from school.

Charlotte Crossley took the lead female role, Yum-Yum. She has a delightful voice, clear as a bell. She reminded me of a fresh faced Julie Andrews and I’d be delighted to see her take on a part like Mary Poppins or Maria Von Trapp. I’m certain she could rival Julie any day.

Seb Lassandro, aka Ko-Ko (the Lord High Executioner), was perfectly cast. He entered the stage with his ‘little list’ speech which, in keeping with tradition, included current famous and infamous miscreants who deserve his ‘executioning‘ talents. The audience nodded their approval several times and one or two suggested victims even got cheers. I may have heard a certain Boris mentioned.

Seb’s lively portrayal of Ko-Ko was animated and thoroughly entertaining. He charmed the audience and gained much sympathy for inadvertently losing his young charge, love and future bride Yum-Yum to the Wandering Minstrel Nanki-Poo, played by Lawrence Shoebridge.

I was genuinely impressed by the repertoire and wealth of experience that the leads and supporting cast brought to this production; Jill Ratcliffe, Dave Seager, Mike Nash, Jack Brierley, Rebecca Tonge and Steph Eckhardt played their characters convincingly.

The producer, Paul Allcock did a superb job of pulling everything together to make The Black and White Mikado a successful stage production; opera singers, actors and wider cast, dancers and musicians included. The latter earned applause for their impeccable timing, so too the dancers from the Anita Tymcyshyn School of Dancing for bringing grace and elegance into the mix. Well done all!

The programme included an introduction from the Society’s Honorary President David Gordon and a thank you to the audience “without whom there would be no shows and no society”. How true.

North Manchester AODS have existed for decades. They haven’t performed a show this extravagant for some time, notwithstanding the interruption presented by Covid.

A few weeks ago Nick Lowe, Secretary, Gentleman of Japan, Assistant Producer, Projectionist and professional multi tasker loaned me a book on the history of the Society ‘celebrating a hundred years of amateur theatre’. It is AWESOME. Contact Nick if you want a copy because I’m keeping mine.

There is a quote in it by the Blackley Guardian about the first show that took place in 1920.

“The Simpson Memorial Amateur Dramatic Society, Moston, has scored a great success in the presentation of Gilbert and Sullivan’s comic opera THE MIKADO….The Society is to be congratulated firstly on it’s selection and secondly on the manner in which it was performed.”

A century on and I couldn’t sum it up better.

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