Manchester Branch started out life in 1946 as the Lancashire Branch of the newly formed National Cactus and Succulent Society. Over the years meetings and attendees have been recorded in a series of hardback notebooks. We are very lucky that we have a complete run of books from 1946 to the present day, though in the early years the talks and speakers were not recorded every time, possibly because they didn’t have as many formal talks. Meetings have been held in seven different venues over the years. Pictures are scarce of our early members, but a few of them are shown below. More members are featured on our Old Photos page.
Above: Book 1 and Book 2. Below: Record of 2nd Meeting 8th March 1947
Book 1 – covers 1946 to 1966
Book 2 – covers 1966 to 1973
Book 3 – covers 1974 to 1981
Book 4 – covers 1982 to 1992
Book 5 – only three meetings in 1992
Book 6 – covers 1992 to 2000
Book 7 – covers 2001 to 2014
The meeting information present in each book has been carefully transcribed into the PDF below and it is hoped it is of interest to visitors. This list is likely to be as comprehensive as we will ever get it, but if you can fill in any missing information we would love to hear from you.
BCSS Manchester Branch (Past Meetings 1946-)
There is also a list sorted by speaker name:
BCSS Manchester Branch (By Speaker Name)
Pictured below are some of the early personalities of the Branch.
Left to right: Stanley Parkinson, Colin Partington, Keith Robinson, Austin Fitzjohn, Harold Gaulton.
Below is a map which shows all of the venues used by Lancashire/Manchester Branch. Any venues prior to our current venue are no longer in use by us and are simply recorded for interest. You can zoom in on the map for a closer look.
Meeting Venues
-St Thomas More Church Hall, Middleton, M24 1PP (10th October 1992 – present)
-Sutherland High School, Heywood, OL10 3PL (1988 – 12th September 1992) Info (external link)
-St Augustines School, Pendlebury, M27 8UX (13th October 1973 – 1988)
-St Thomas’s Church Hall, Pendleton, M6 6PE (10th January 1970 – September 1973)
-Milton Hall, Manchester M3 4BQ (1950’s – December 1969)
-Onward Hall, Manchester, M3 3NW (15th February 1947 – 1950’s) Info (external link)
-Cavendish Street Schools, Manchester (14th December 1946) Info (external link)
Clicking on a blue pin should take you closer.
(Press F5 to reset map)
History and information relating to East Lancashire Branches that are no longer in existence.
NCSS Branches
Burnley and District (1948 – <1959)
-Alternate Nelson/Burnley (1949 – ?)
Preston (& Fylde, & District) (1948 – c.1977)
-Fox Street School, PR1 2AB (1949) Mapped
-Winston’s Snack Bar, 3 Fishergate Hill, PR1 8JB [now Solicitors firm] (1962) Mapped
-Chamber of Commerce Rooms, Fishergate (1964 – 1967)
-E.M.I. Rooms, 121 Villiers Street, PR1 7PB (1968) Mapped
-The Oddfellows Hall, Friargate Brow (1970 – 1972) Mapped
-The Roper Hall, Friargate Brow (1973 – 1976) Mapped
Blackburn (<1959 - <1964)
-YMCA, Limbrick, BB1 8AA [Now the Charles Napier Pub] (1962) Mapped
Rossendale (c.1971 – c.1977)
-Rawtenstall Public Library, Haslingden Road, BB4 6QU (1971 – ?) Mapped
Independent Societies
Bolton and District Cactus Society (1946 – c.2008)
-Quaker Meeting House, 50 Silverwell Street, BL1 1PP (? – c.2008) Mapped
Preston Pirates Cactus Society (1951 – >1986)
(Press F5 to reset map)