A Goose's Gander — Stop 3
George visits the New Estate
It was 1946 and George was watching some new houses being built on the estate - they were much bigger than the usual terraced houses of Mossley and they even had indoor toilets - what a treat!
Illustration by children of Micklehurst All Saints
Every house had a garden and already people were growing vegetables and flowers - some of the marrows were enormous and George remembered that it was nearly time for the annual horticultural show.
The houses were being built as part of a Homes for Heroes scheme funded by the government after both World Wars.
The goose cocked his head to one side to listen - he heard birds singing and children playing, so he flew round the corner to find football and cricket pitches and even a children’s playground. What a fantastic place to live!
Before George waddled off he stuck his head through a garden fence and nibbled some delicious cabbage until a lady in an apron came running out and batted her tea towel at him: “Shoo goose, shoo.”
The combined impact of World War I and the Wall Street Crash led to the Depression which grew and grew.
In the 1930s the mills began to close and the dole queues began to grow. Unemployment levels reached 56%, and 10 shillings a week dole money was not enough. The people of Mossley were getting desperate.
Mossley Councillors posted letters to 30,000 potential employers who could use the existing mills and workforce and eventually a reply came from Roubaix in France! In 1932 two Mossley mills were bought as spinning plants and within a very short time machinery arrived, first by train to Ashton and then motor to Mossley. The trucks were labelled ‘Tres Fragile’ and the train was greeted in a special ceremony.
The Mossley Woolcombing Company went on to employ over 1,000 people and was a great success.