Kersal's Moor Lane, Kellbrook Crescent and Heathland Road can claim a little bit of cinematic history, as John Schlesinger's A Kind of Loving, an absolute classic of the kitchen sink genre, has scenes shot in these locations.
The film, made in 1962, stars Alan Bates as Vic, whose search for love leads to Ingrid, played by June Ritchie. Ingrid, quickly falls in love with him, falls pregnant and Vic reluctantly agrees to marry her.
Finding himself forced into a life he never wanted, Vic resents Ingrid and the position he finds himself in. She ends up losing the baby and Vic, spurred on by the pecking mother in law (Thora Hird) decides to run away...
The film was incredibly popular on its release, the sixth biggest box office hit that year, while its stars and creators were nominated for four BAFTA awards. A Kind of Loving is bracketed with other black and white reality kissing movies like A Taste of Honey and Saturday Night, Sunday Morning, which both have massive Salford connections (Shelagh Delaney and Albert Finney for starters). And scenes for the John Schlesinger films were shot in Kersal.
Film sleuth site, Reel Streets, has revealed that Alan Bates and June Ritchie trod the pavements of Moor Lane (bus stop scene), Heathland Road (Ingrid's mother's house) and Kellbrook Crescent (a wasteland before it was built on). The site has screen grabs from the film of the locations (see here and scroll down to the photos). Other scenes were shot in Radcliffe, Bolton, Blackburn and East Manchester.
A Kind of Loving has been digitally restored and is released on DVD and on Blu-Ray on 1st August.
Main photo shows Alan Bates and June Ritchie on Moor Lane
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