WEEK 42

24 Bridge Street, Swinton

24 Bridge Street is currently the location of ‘Meraki Hair’. In earlier years it had been occupied by Harold Lowe and at the back was a slaughterhouse. Before or after Harold Lowe, it was a Chemist’s shop. Later, it became a motorbike shop belonging to Peter Cresswell. Pete was fond of dogs and even owned a black Labrador that would suck a dummy outside of the shop on the pavement. When Pete died in 1989, many people attended his funeral on motorbikes. Pete’s wife, Margaret, kept the shop open for a few more years. Until last year, the building was occupied by ‘Barrons Hair Salon’.

Queen Street Junction, Swinton

2 Church Street is currently occupied by ‘Deb’s Barber Shop’. Previously, a very well known Swinton barber had traded from there who was known as ‘Mad Ron’. Ron was quite a character who anybody having had their hair cut by him knows. Before Ron, there was another eccentric, Scottish, barber trading from the same premises, called Joe Alexander, who lived on Queen Street and would sometimes make cat-like noises whilst cutting hair. Mr. Alexander’s shop was once robbed but the Police caught the culprits on the top deck of a bus on Racecourse Road.