I am the first to admit that it is lazy history to claim that one house can reflect the story of Chorlton-cum-Hardy from the mid 19th century onwards.
But if I did, 22 Edge Lane is up there amongst the list.*
It was built in 1865, was home to a succession of wealthy families, and during the last century went through a transformation into multi-occupancy and is now being renovated and redeveloped.
Now, there are plenty of those big houses which fit into that category, but 22 Edge Lane is the one I am focusing on.
The Haselgrove family were the first to own and occupy the property, giving it the name of the Oaks and were typical of the “new people” who were moving into Chorlton-cum-Hardy, when the area was still a rural community.
But already by 1865 the township was changing.
The arrival of the railway sixteen years earlier at the bottom of Edge Lane, along with improvements to the supply of water and sanitation began to make Chorlton an attractive place to live.
And so during the 1860s through the next two decades, there was residential creep along Edge Lane, which was replicated by similar developments following the Egerton estate’s decision to cut Wilbraham Road through Chorlton and onto Fallowfield.
The building of these big properties pre dated the much bigger housing boom which began in 1880 in the area once known as Martledge which was the strip of land around the junction of Barlow Moor and Wilbraham Roads.
These tended to be smaller properties, and were home to the “middling people” who were mainly drawn from the professional and clerical occupations.
But while they may have been the future of Chorlton, those big houses were part of that history as were the people who lived in them.
And that is the link to the Mr. Nicolai Christian Schou, and his family who had made 22 Edge Lane their home in 1871.
He was a “shipping agent” with offices at 38 Cooper Street which was on the corner with Bootle Street.
The building and his stretch of Cooper Street vanished when Central Ref was built in the 1930s, but was still there at the beginning of the 20th century when it was occupied by Overman and Co., which earlier had operated in partnership with Mr. Schou.
Just when the two got together is yet to be discovered, but the records show that during the 1860s well into the following decade the company was listed just as N. C. Schou.
Sadly he left very little in the way of a paper trail. I know he was born in 1834, and was buried in the St James’s Birch-In-Rusholme, in 1881.
But the parish burial records do contain a touching reference to the family, listing the deaths of his wife, and two of his children. “In memory of Frances Mary wife of Nicholi Christien Schou, died 28th April 1869, aged 36 years also Constance Mary their daughter died 21st November 1863 aged 3½ months also Nicholi Christian Schou born 22nd April 1834 died 2nd December 1881 also Oscar Henry their second son born 6th March 1859 died 2nd August 1892”.
That pretty much is all there is so far, other than the census return for 1871 which lists him living at Edge Lane, with his five children and four servants who included the housekeeper, a cook, housemaid and charwoman.
We may today be surprised at the number of servants, but his neighbours employed almost as many, which again marks number 22 out as typical of the time and place.
Location; Chorlton-cum-Hardy
Picture, 22 Edge Lane, 2019, courtesy of Armistead Property**, Edge Lane and entrance to 22 Edge Lane, date unknown, Lloyd Collection, OS map 1907, and 20 Edge Lane, 1959, A E Landers, m17780, courtesy of Manchester Libraries, Information and Archives, Manchester City Council, http://images.manchester.gov.uk/index.php?session=pass
*At 22 Edge Lane, https://chorltonhistory.blogspot.com/search/label/At%2022%20Edge%20Lane
**Armistead Property Ltd, http://www.armisteadproperty.co.uk/
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| 22 Edge Lane, 1907 shown in red |
It was built in 1865, was home to a succession of wealthy families, and during the last century went through a transformation into multi-occupancy and is now being renovated and redeveloped.
Now, there are plenty of those big houses which fit into that category, but 22 Edge Lane is the one I am focusing on.
The Haselgrove family were the first to own and occupy the property, giving it the name of the Oaks and were typical of the “new people” who were moving into Chorlton-cum-Hardy, when the area was still a rural community.
But already by 1865 the township was changing.
The arrival of the railway sixteen years earlier at the bottom of Edge Lane, along with improvements to the supply of water and sanitation began to make Chorlton an attractive place to live.
 |
| 22 Edge Lane, entrance, date unknown |
The building of these big properties pre dated the much bigger housing boom which began in 1880 in the area once known as Martledge which was the strip of land around the junction of Barlow Moor and Wilbraham Roads.
These tended to be smaller properties, and were home to the “middling people” who were mainly drawn from the professional and clerical occupations.
But while they may have been the future of Chorlton, those big houses were part of that history as were the people who lived in them.
And that is the link to the Mr. Nicolai Christian Schou, and his family who had made 22 Edge Lane their home in 1871.
 |
| Edge Lane, 2019, before redevelopment began |
The building and his stretch of Cooper Street vanished when Central Ref was built in the 1930s, but was still there at the beginning of the 20th century when it was occupied by Overman and Co., which earlier had operated in partnership with Mr. Schou.
Just when the two got together is yet to be discovered, but the records show that during the 1860s well into the following decade the company was listed just as N. C. Schou.
Sadly he left very little in the way of a paper trail. I know he was born in 1834, and was buried in the St James’s Birch-In-Rusholme, in 1881.
But the parish burial records do contain a touching reference to the family, listing the deaths of his wife, and two of his children. “In memory of Frances Mary wife of Nicholi Christien Schou, died 28th April 1869, aged 36 years also Constance Mary their daughter died 21st November 1863 aged 3½ months also Nicholi Christian Schou born 22nd April 1834 died 2nd December 1881 also Oscar Henry their second son born 6th March 1859 died 2nd August 1892”.
 |
| 20 Edge Lane, next door to no. 22, 1959 |
We may today be surprised at the number of servants, but his neighbours employed almost as many, which again marks number 22 out as typical of the time and place.
Location; Chorlton-cum-Hardy
Picture, 22 Edge Lane, 2019, courtesy of Armistead Property**, Edge Lane and entrance to 22 Edge Lane, date unknown, Lloyd Collection, OS map 1907, and 20 Edge Lane, 1959, A E Landers, m17780, courtesy of Manchester Libraries, Information and Archives, Manchester City Council, http://images.manchester.gov.uk/index.php?session=pass
*At 22 Edge Lane, https://chorltonhistory.blogspot.com/search/label/At%2022%20Edge%20Lane
**Armistead Property Ltd, http://www.armisteadproperty.co.uk/
I lived at 20 Edge Lane for a year or two at the tail end of the 1970s. Massive property, 3 storeys, basement and a coach house at the end of the garden.
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