The Lancashire & North West Magazine | April 2022

“Would You Believe It” By Harold Cunliffe knew the character named Les which I featured. She related that at that period, as a young girl, would sit on the footpath chatting to him. Many people referred to him as “daft Les,” but I think that he was quite clever and far from being daft.

Moses Deakin’s Men’s Hostel

In this article we take a look at events which took place which when related make you sit up in your seat, those tales which have a totally unexpected ending.

view of the former Deakin’s Men’s Hostel. Best of all was the fact that Anne, who lived with her parents and brother in the rooms above her father’s camera shop, which incidentally was located next door to the hostel, was that Anne commented that as a child,

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uch as a coincidence or items which make you think, “Well, would you believe it?”

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LANCASHIRE & NORTH WEST MAGAZINE

The collection of old photographs was taken by Alan Halkyard who was a expert photographer, Alan, who once became a household name in parts of North Manchester, mainly due to him being a photographer for the local newspaper plus owning at one point, three camera shops. Alan’s first camera shop was at 60 Old Hall St, Middleton, which is well documented in the collection of black and white photographs. The collection which give a glimpse of this former Lancashire mill town in the 1950’s and 60’s are now of historical interest, mainly due to the locations being captured have been developed. One of his former homes at Oldham Road where he ran his business and had a dark room is now demolished and is currently a car park. The shop at 60 Old Hall St has also been demolished and forms part of the car park to the Middleton Arena. One of the customers at his Old Hall St shop was Jack Bagot, a

Alan Halkyard outside his shop with son David

An example of this phenomenon came about a few days after I had submitted the story of how Moses Deakin ran his Men’s Hostel, in which I detailed his unique way of awakening those clients who desired to have a lie-in. He cut the rope supporting the hammock. What was totally unexpected and a pleasure was that I was contacted by the daughter of a man who I had known since the mid 1960’s, Alan Halkyard. Anne requested visiting my home to return a book which I had loaned Alan prior to the start Covid virus. On the day Anne paid a visit she brought along a collection of retro, and mainly black and white, photographs taken by her father in which, to my amazement was a photograph which gave an amazing www.lancmag.com