This smiling bunch of Northern School of Music students are having a day out at Josiah Wedgwood & Sons Ltd, the famous English pottery (for some reason). Supervising the clearly rowdy bunch is Dorothy Pilling (1910-1998, composer, student and teacher at the Northern School of Music, teacher at the Royal Northern College of Music, co-founder of the Rhythmic School of Music in Todmorden). We don't know the date of the outing so if you remember the trip please do let us know.

Ref: NSM/13/55

Part of the #NSM2020 project "A 20/20 Legacy: the centenary of the Northern School of Music" supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

A Northern School of Music school trip! Not sure where to. Amongst them is teacher Dorothy Pilling (1910-1998, composer, student and teacher at the Northern School of Music, teacher at the Royal Northern College of Music, co-founder of the Rhythmic School of Music in Todmorden). Lots of smiling faces.
Do remember any NSM school trips? A summer picnic? A trip to London?

Ref: NSM/13/54

Part of the #NSM2020 project "A 20/20 Legacy: the centenary of the Northern School of Music" supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

A shindig! Some sharp suits and gorgeous evening dresses by the Northern School of Music crew. The lady seated on the left is Ida Gertrude Carroll (1905-1995, student, secretary and then principal of the Northern School of Music). Not sure of the others. Anyone recognise any faces? Sometime in the 1960s we think.

Ref: NSM/13/53
Credit: Shepherd Photographic Enterprises

Part of the #NSM2020 project "A 20/20 Legacy: the centenary of the Northern School of Music" supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

This lovely pic is of the happy trio Geoffrey Griffiths (?-1993, bursar of the Northern School of Music) and his partner Ida Gertrude Carroll (1905-1995, student, secretary and then principal of the Northern School of Music), her sister Elsa Mary Carroll (1898-1993, founder of the Withington Girl Guide Company). All in their Sunday best.

Do you remember the Carrolls? Or Griff? We'd love to hear about your memories.

Ref: NSM/13/52

Part of the #NSM2020 project "A 20/20 Legacy: the centenary of the Northern School of Music" supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

At a posh do we have Northern School of Music staples, Ida Gertrude Carroll (1905-1995, student, secretary and then principal of the Northern School of Music) and possibly Ernest Read. No idea who the other chap is. Anyone shed light on the archive here?

Ref: NSM/13/51

Part of the #NSM2020 project "A 20/20 Legacy: the centenary of the Northern School of Music" supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

This chappy is musical prodigy Hubert Harry. He started studying with the Hilda Collens (1883-1956, founder and principal of the Northern School of Music) aged 6 and giving the public an "astonishing performance" on piano by the time he was 9. He was taught by Hilda Collens and they kept up their correspondence all throughout his further studies in the Lucerne Conservatoire.

The picture has a little note scribbled on it which reads "To Hilda Collens - the one who taught me to appreciate the beautiful & great in music in hard felt gratitude and affection Hubert [Harry] Christmas 1953."

Ref: NSM/13/50

Part of the #NSM2020 project "A 20/20 Legacy: the centenary of the Northern School of Music" supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Here we have a rather noir photo of Northern School of Music supporter Ernest Read and Adrian Boult, conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra.

Those cars are pretty gorgeous. Not sure where it is taken but perhaps the pic was given to the school?

Ref: NSM/13/49

Part of the #NSM2020 project "A 20/20 Legacy: the centenary of the Northern School of Music" supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

So here we have some characters of the Northern School of Music enjoying themselves. We have staff member Dorothy Pilling in the middle possibly chatting to Earnest Read (friend of the school) and then Leonard Latchford, former student and then staff of the school, and what might be his wife (typically, name unknown).
Do you remember any of these faces?

Ref: NSM/13/48

Part of the #NSM2020 project "A 20/20 Legacy: the centenary of the Northern School of Music" supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Northern School of Music students at the school noticeboard. The corridor looks a little cramped there. Who remembers the building?
The 40th anniversary advertised in the poster here shows something called the "Forty Fund". Who remembers the celebrations?

Ref: NSM/13/47

Part of the #NSM2020 project "A 20/20 Legacy: the centenary of the Northern School of Music" supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Houldsworth Hall again at the Northern School of Music's annual distribution of awards. Speaking is Hilda Hester Collens (1883-1956, founder and principal of the Northern School of Music). Unfortunately we don't have much material from Collens but if you remember any of these ceremonies we'd love to hear about it.

Ref; NSM/13/44

Part of the #NSM2020 project "A 20/20 Legacy: the centenary of the Northern School of Music" supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

The students and staff at the Northern School of Music annual distribution of awards in Houldsworth Hall sometime in the early 1950s.
Do you remember the school? Recognise any faces? Did you ever visit the hall on Deansgate or the school on Oxford Road?

Ref: NSM/13/45 and NSM/13/46

We think this is one of the Northern School of Music's annual distribution of awards events. There seems to be a strict uniform of white dresses for the ladies and dark suits for the chaps. It's likely around 1950ish and was taken in Houldsworth Hall where the school conducted all of its larger gatherings.
Houldsworth Hall was at 90 Deansgate (Church House) and was a venue for all sorts of entertainment in Manchester.

Ref: NSM/13/43

Part of the #NSM2020 project "A 20/20 Legacy: the centenary of the Northern School of Music" supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

It's the class of 1970! Looking good there everyone. These Northern School of Music students are posing for their annual school photo outside the old Burton suits store, not far from the school on Oxford Road. Did you attend the school? Do you remember the staff, building or students? We'd love to hear from you!

Ref: NSM/13/41

Part of the #NSM2020 project "A 20/20 Legacy: the centenary of the Northern School of Music" supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

The 1967 contingent of the Northern School of Music, taken somewhere near Brancaster Road off Oxford Road just by where the Northern School of Music used to be on Sydney Street.

The Northern School of Music started in 1920 with just 9 students in a room or two above a Deansgate shop. It went a long way from humble beginnings. There are a lot of faces here. Do you recognise any of them?

Ref: NSM/13/40

Part of the #NSM2020 project "A 20/20 Legacy: the centenary of the Northern School of Music" supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

There are a lot of people and some pretty big hair in this Northern School of Music photograph from the 1960s. Do you recognise any students faces? Any staff? The school was a music teacher training college just over the road from the park on Oxford Road.

Ref: NSM/13/39

Part of the #NSM2020 project "A 20/20 Legacy: the centenary of the Northern School of Music" supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Smiling Northern School of Music students having their school photo taken at All Saints Park on Oxford Road. You can just make out the tower of the Refuge building in the background.

Ref: NSM/13/38

Part of the #NSM2020 project "A 20/20 Legacy: the centenary of the Northern School of Music" supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

A very glamorous student line up here with gorgeous dresses and sharp suits. And even a couple of nuns.

Ref: NSM/13/37

Part of the #NSM2020 project "A 20/20 Legacy: the centenary of the Northern School of Music" supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

This is one of the annual school photographs of the Northern School of Music! Taken in All Saints Gardens with the old L.E.A. School in the background (now MMU Library), we think it's taken in the late 1950s.
In the middle on the seated row is Ida Gertrude Carroll (1905-1995, student, secretary and then principal of the Northern School of Music), then to the right of her is Beatrice Rollins, Eileen Chadwick, Irene Wilde, Geoffrey Griffiths, Margaret Hughes. To the left of Carroll is Doris Euerby and Adelaide Trainor (who taught at the school's Speech and Drama Department).

Do you remember any of these people? Do you remember the school? Ever walk past the gardens and wonder what on earth a load of people were lining up for? Because it might have been this.

Ref: NSM/13/35

Part of the #NSM2020 project "A 20/20 Legacy: the centenary of the Northern School of Music" supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Another grand and proud photograph of the Northern School of Music from the late 1950s (we think). Recognise any staff or students? Do you remember the school?
The pic is taken in All Saints Park just opposite where the school used to be on Oxford Road.

Ref: NSM/13/36

Part of the #NSM2020 project "A 20/20 Legacy: the centenary of the Northern School of Music" supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

A fab photograph of one of the Northern School of Music's lessons, we think. Ida Gertrude Carroll (1905-1995, student, secretary and then principal of the Northern School of Music) instructs a string trio and clarinettist with some eager students looking on and making notes. Do you remember lessons at the Northern School of Music? What were they like?

Ref: NSM/13/33

Part of the #NSM2020 project "A 20/20 Legacy: the centenary of the Northern School of Music" supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

So the lady standing is Ida Gertrude Carroll (1905-1995, student, secretary and then principal of the Northern School of Music). She played the double bass and piano, her father Walter Carroll being a famous Manchester music educator and children's composer of piano music. The young lady seated at the piano is a student of the Northern School of Music but we're not sure who it actually is. We *think* the photograph was taken in the 1950s but again we're not sure.

Do love that floral dress, though.

Ref: NSM/13/32

Part of the #NSM2020 project "A 20/20 Legacy: the centenary of the Northern School of Music" supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Once again, we are let down by people of the past not writing things down. We have no idea who this pianist is except that they were a student at the Northern School of Music. Do you know any pianists of the school around 1970? It would be great to include their name in our archive.

Ref: NSM/13/31
Credit: Manchester Evening News

Part of the #NSM2020 project "A 20/20 Legacy: the centenary of the Northern School of Music" supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Anonymous cellists is a tragedy. Do you know any cellists from the Northern School of Music around 1970? We'd love to put names to these faces.

Ref: NSM/13/30
Credit: Manchester Evening News

Part of the #NSM2020 project "A 20/20 Legacy: the centenary of the Northern School of Music" supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

We're not sure who either musician is here but would absolutely love to know? Do you know of any timpanists from the Northern School of Music around 1970ish? We'd love to find out!

Ref: NSM/13/29
Credit: Manchester Evening News

Part of the #NSM2020 project "A 20/20 Legacy: the centenary of the Northern School of Music" supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.