Now number 121 Beech Road vanished a long time ago.
It was one of our more elegant early 19th century properties which was set back from Beech Road, and went sometime in the 1970s.
For a long time after its demolition the land was left an open space, with the occasional suggestion that it could be a car park, a project which came to nought when the Corporation and the local traders couldn’t agree on a funding package.
There will be a few people who remember it, but sadly I am not one of them, which means it had gone before I arrived in 1976 or like so many things I was just not that observant back then.
Either way, there is little to mark its presence, save an entry in the tithe schedule for 1845, the Rate books and official maps.
If I have this right, it was Hunt Croft House and in 1845 was the residence of Thomas White who rented it from the Lloyd Estate.
With a lot of digging it will be possible to track its history through the 19th century till its demolition. I know that in 1969 it was occupied by a Frances. J Casse, and in 1911 by Mr and Mrs Chester, their five children, and a boarder.
The house had nine rooms with a biggish garden at the front, ending in a tallish stone wall which ran along Beech Road.
Back in the mid 19th century it looked at on fields. From the rear Mr White could look out on a field and orchard, while from his front windows he could gaze across to Row Acre, which stretched up to High Lane.
But by the 20th century the fields had all gone, and on either side of this fine old house were shops.
And here I must admit my mistake, because for years I had mistaken Croft House for Joel View which stood a little further down the road and had been built in 1859.
Many will remember Joel View as the property owned by J Johnny, which I assumed had been built much later.
I even compounded the mistake by arguing that the stone tablet which carried the name of Joel View had been salvaged from Mr White’s former home and been added to J. Johnny’s.
Now, even then I knew that this was pushing it, because our own historian Thomas Ellwood had written that Joel View was one of the new developments in the township at the end of the 1850s.
All of which goes to show that sometimes when it is easy to ignore the obvious and create an elaborate theory which is built on sand and that is really just a lead in to two pictures of Hunt’s Croft sent to me by Roger Shelley who took them sometime in the 1970s and which had lain in his negative box until yesterday.
The two images compliment an earlier one taken by N. Fife for which I don’t have a date for, but maybe from the 1960s.
That said it might be possible to date Roger’s pictures, from the shop which is up for sale. This had been Mr Westwell’s fruit and greengrocer shop in 1969, but sometime in the next decade became The Village Wholefood Shop.
It was still trading when I took a picture around 1979, showing the shop and the site which had once been Hunts Croft.
So that is it for now, although I am hoping Roger has more pictures.
Location; Chorlton
Pictures; Hunts Croft circa 1960s, courtesy of N Fife, the Lloyd Collection and again circa 1970s from the collection of Roger Shelley, and after it had been demolished circa 1979, from the collection of Andrew Simpson
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| Hunts Croft, circa, 1960s |
For a long time after its demolition the land was left an open space, with the occasional suggestion that it could be a car park, a project which came to nought when the Corporation and the local traders couldn’t agree on a funding package.
There will be a few people who remember it, but sadly I am not one of them, which means it had gone before I arrived in 1976 or like so many things I was just not that observant back then.
Either way, there is little to mark its presence, save an entry in the tithe schedule for 1845, the Rate books and official maps.
If I have this right, it was Hunt Croft House and in 1845 was the residence of Thomas White who rented it from the Lloyd Estate.
With a lot of digging it will be possible to track its history through the 19th century till its demolition. I know that in 1969 it was occupied by a Frances. J Casse, and in 1911 by Mr and Mrs Chester, their five children, and a boarder.
 |
| Looking into the garden, circa 1970s |
Back in the mid 19th century it looked at on fields. From the rear Mr White could look out on a field and orchard, while from his front windows he could gaze across to Row Acre, which stretched up to High Lane.
But by the 20th century the fields had all gone, and on either side of this fine old house were shops.
 |
| Beech Road, circa 1970s |
Many will remember Joel View as the property owned by J Johnny, which I assumed had been built much later.
I even compounded the mistake by arguing that the stone tablet which carried the name of Joel View had been salvaged from Mr White’s former home and been added to J. Johnny’s.
 |
| Dating the picture |
All of which goes to show that sometimes when it is easy to ignore the obvious and create an elaborate theory which is built on sand and that is really just a lead in to two pictures of Hunt’s Croft sent to me by Roger Shelley who took them sometime in the 1970s and which had lain in his negative box until yesterday.
That said it might be possible to date Roger’s pictures, from the shop which is up for sale. This had been Mr Westwell’s fruit and greengrocer shop in 1969, but sometime in the next decade became The Village Wholefood Shop.
 |
| Hunt's Croft demolished, circa 1979-early 1980s |
So that is it for now, although I am hoping Roger has more pictures.
Location; Chorlton
Pictures; Hunts Croft circa 1960s, courtesy of N Fife, the Lloyd Collection and again circa 1970s from the collection of Roger Shelley, and after it had been demolished circa 1979, from the collection of Andrew Simpson
Some background....I was born in May 1956 at 117a Beech Rd, seen in the last picture as the Pets Beauty Salon. We lived there until the summer of 66. My parents Patricia (nee West) & Albert Callister rented the building except the shop itself, which was then a dry cleaners. The property consisted of a rear parlour, kitchen and a small yard and outside toilet. Upstairs was a large front bedroom, small bedroom at the rear and stairs to a large attic seen as the single top window in the picture. Access to the house was via the side path between what was Bill Bailys shop and storage on the left and ours. This was also the only access to Summer Cottages and Westwells greengrocers back gate. I never knew the name of the property that we called the 'Big House'. My mother cleaned for the owners, a brother and two sisters, Frank, Frances (Fanny) and Lilly Casse. My memory of them was that they were in their 50/60s during my time there and had no children. I would accompany my mother to the house as she cleaned (just one of her many jobs, usherette at the Essoldo cinema and receptionist at DOT motorcycles) and was allowed, as I grew older, to play in the garden of the Big House. The huge tree seen without leaves in the last picture was perfect for climbing and falling out of. The house bordered the back entries for Crescent Rd by the property rear wall which had no rear windows and a high wall running from the house extending past Summer Cottages. Looking at the property from the front, the gables of 119 and 123 formed the sides of the front garden before becoming high walls leading to the house. The large front door was never used when I was there and a large cabinet was directly behind it. Access was via the side of the property through a small lean to on the left of the house adjacent to some small out buildings. For me at aged 7, I remember the easiest way to get to the Big House was climbing on top of our outside toilet, walking over the brick wall and rear gate of Westwells and then along the wall to the out buildings and stepping down over bins to the back door of the Big House. To the right of the property and the rear of 123 and 125 (paper shop and shoe shop) was the croft. This was derelict land and used, in my time, as the site of the annual November 5th bonfire. At the rear of this site was a spiked fence running the full span of the site. The Big House was a feature of growing up in Chorlton as was Nuttalls Box Factory (learnt to ride my first two wheeler on their forecourt)and coming back many years later to find them gone was a shock. Great days.
ReplyDeleteThank so much for this. The Pet shop closed recently and is now a gift shop.
ReplyDeleteThe Casse family must have moved in during the 1930's as they are there in the 1939 Register but in the 1933 Kelly's directory the house was occupied by Thomas Collins. The head of the family in 1939 was the
ReplyDeleteLiverpool-born Charles John Denyer Casse whose occupation was recorded as grocers clerk (at present on the dole) Francis John was an Art Silk manufacturers clerk. Unfortunately the 1933 directory gives no information as to Thomas Collins occupation.
Casse family looks interesting - possible story???
Well there is the challenge.
DeleteI worked in the pet shop the land was the croft and we had our bonfires on it such good days
ReplyDeleteMy first boy job was as a delivery boy for Mrs Westwell in around 1969 70 after she lost her husband I delivered the groceries on my boggy ( plank with four pram wheels) I think I was paid five Bob ( 25 pence ) My brother took over the job when I left to work for Rodger’s the butcher’s opposite Neale Road for which I was paid 25 Bob a week ( £ 1.25 ) Chorlton was a loverly place to grow in I could cry now when I see the state of the shops on Beech Road Looks like a shanty town ☹️ I too remember the bonfires on the Croft not only behind the big house but opposite Nuttall’s Box factory on a Croft next to Mrs Pugh’s shoe and toy shop 👍
ReplyDeleteBuildings known as The Stables (Beech Nook Therapy Centre) and The Coach House (Buddha Beauty) are behind Hurricane gift shop at 115 Beech Road. Would they have belonged to this house?
ReplyDeleteHi
ReplyDeletefrom Google maps this is the rear of what was Bill Bailys junk shop back in the late 50's. There were two (maybe 3) tiny cottages that were accessed via the ginnel between 115 and 117. We lived in the flat above 117 (117a) from 56 to 66 and also accessed our place down the ginnel. There was a gate to the cottages which is now the car park. If I remember correctly, the cottages were demolished in the late 60's. Hope this helps
I should add that these cottages were separate to the big house
ReplyDelete