Next to the good lies the bad and the downright ugly.
The potential is great but there appears to have been gross neglect by the authorities.
Many residents take great care of their homes and gardens
whilst others neglect them and use them as dumping areas.
BURNAGE HERITAGE hopes its work will bring renewed pride and confidence to what was one of the nicest areas around Manchester.
St Margaret's Church, originally built in 1875, still remains part of the good in Burnage. Nevertheless even here the grounds are poor and huge storage containers on the Rectory lawn are an eyesore. Yet the inside of the church has been restored-an example of the private indoor concern and public outdoor neglect, which blights Burnage. It has not been helped by a new church hall at the rear which does not fit in with the sandstone church.
Here is an example of the bad. The lovely designed shops on the corner of Green End and Kingsway in need of restoration to their original glory.. Here were Allendales and Gaffins the chemist. The sheets of metal across the windows are all too common throughout the area. The claim is that they deter burglars but at what cost to the environment. What sort of world would we live in if householders were to barricade their homes in such a tasteless fashion. What of the residents who face the shops? The pavement in front of the shops is an utter disgrace and indicates the official neglect. We warned it would all be used as an excuse to bulldoze the site at some future date. Opposite is the appalling Aldi store built in a totally unsuitable style and protruding on to the pavement, completely ruining the symmetry of the Kingsway Buildings Crescent with corresponding crescent of housing opposite. It was given the Burnage Heritage for the most inapproapriate development award for 2005
Shawbrook or Santaidd as it is now known, appeared to have been in danger of demolition. The interior, once a family home, has been converted into flats and much may well have been destroyed. Yet the building remains, though vigilance will be needed to ensure that its future is secured. It seems to have been given the rather inappropriate name of Santaidd Manor.
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