The development of a brick works in Chorlton by The Chorlton Land and Building Company is an interesting insight in to the way the township developed.
It made sense to develop the clay pits for the growing building boom in the area and I guess many of the internal walls of our houses are made from their brick. The Egerton and Lloyd estates who owned most of the land in Chorlton were keen to prevent industrial development. Chorlton was too valuable as a residential area to be having the smoke stacks of factories dominate the landscape.
The brick works had a short life but there is still some evidence of its presence. I am told that it is still possible to dig up the odd brick on the site and the tall chimney of the works was still standing in 1959.
On a more tragic note, throughout the 1920s and 30’s newspapers reported the deaths of young children who had fallen into to the water filled pits and drowned.
The works attracted labour from outside the township. Ernest Stubbs was born in 1879 in Kendal. Sometime around 1901 aged just 22 he had made his way here to Chorlton and was living with the Hartington family.
It made sense to develop the clay pits for the growing building boom in the area and I guess many of the internal walls of our houses are made from their brick. The Egerton and Lloyd estates who owned most of the land in Chorlton were keen to prevent industrial development. Chorlton was too valuable as a residential area to be having the smoke stacks of factories dominate the landscape.
On a more tragic note, throughout the 1920s and 30’s newspapers reported the deaths of young children who had fallen into to the water filled pits and drowned.
The works attracted labour from outside the township. Ernest Stubbs was born in 1879 in Kendal. Sometime around 1901 aged just 22 he had made his way here to Chorlton and was living with the Hartington family.
There was also Joseph Hartley who had been born in Wakefield across the Pennines in 1844 and his wife in Rochdale.
Ernest later moved in to a tiny row of terraced houses off Longford Road in Cardiff Road. In 1909 there were eleven houses on the road and four of the householders were connected with bricks. Two were brick makers and two brick layers. Cardiff Road had a short life. It was built sometime after 1903 and may have been demolished by the 1940s. There is however a tantalising clue to its exact location. At the top of Longford Road there is the entrance to St John’s playing fields. The slight curve of the road matches that from the OS Map of 1907. More research will need to be done to date the demolition of Cardiff Road and there may still be people who either remember it or may even have lived there.
Ernest later moved in to a tiny row of terraced houses off Longford Road in Cardiff Road. In 1909 there were eleven houses on the road and four of the householders were connected with bricks. Two were brick makers and two brick layers. Cardiff Road had a short life. It was built sometime after 1903 and may have been demolished by the 1940s. There is however a tantalising clue to its exact location. At the top of Longford Road there is the entrance to St John’s playing fields. The slight curve of the road matches that from the OS Map of 1907. More research will need to be done to date the demolition of Cardiff Road and there may still be people who either remember it or may even have lived there.
And Tony Heslop has added, "I remember the clay pits being filled in around 1961.at that time we lived on Newport Road, my brother and I went to watch the bulldozers in operation, and both lost our whit week shoes in the deep mud. The factory chimney was still standing then".
Location; Chorlton, London
Map; Longford Road, the brickworks, and the lost Cardiff Road, from the 1907 OS map of Chorlton
Location; Chorlton, London
Map; Longford Road, the brickworks, and the lost Cardiff Road, from the 1907 OS map of Chorlton
It would be interesting to see an overlay of an up to date map to see who now lives over the old brickworks and indeed Longford Brook.
ReplyDeleteWouldn't it be the school?
DeleteHi Andrew, I wondered if the Hartington family were anything to do with the naming of Hartington Road where I live. I have some info. about the early residents of my house.
ReplyDeleteNot sure but worth a search.
DeleteJackson crt on ryebank rd is prob named after Jacksons Brickworks
ReplyDeleteI'd noticed that kerb bellmouth at the top of Longford Rd when I was small and have pondered it's significance ever since. Thanks for clearing that up!
ReplyDeleteHi Andrew. I have been reading your items for a few years now.I moved to Chorlton in 1959 onto Nicolas road aged 4yrs and lived there until 1969 when we moved again to the egerton road south area.We played endlessly on the clay pits, what we knew as the "dumps". The chimney came down in the early 60s and left a long row of bricks stretching across the ground. There was what looked like 4 or 5 kilns still standing and used as storage and a garage, we used to get on top of them and drop down through square holes in the top whilst playing there before being chased off by the legendary "Duffy". There was also a glass merchants opperating on part of the site were we used to "cadge" straw for our guinea pigs.There was also a ditch which ran across from the brickworks site to the Longford park side and disapeared under a stone/concrete slab. I have later discovered this is part of the "nico ditch" an ancient earth work/defencive which runs from Debdale reservoirs across ro Urmston (you should write about this). I have lots of vivid memories of growing up in Chorlton and the places we used to play in,the"dumps",the park,the meadows,Hough end hall, the empty "Gaumont cinema, the old empty houses on Manchester road (where the shopping centre carpark is now),the ones on High lane where the "old folks home is now etc,etc. I now live,in retirement in Runcorn, should you want any "memories, contact me.....Mike.
ReplyDeleteTha k you so much would you like to write your memories up for the blog please? If you send over your email which won't appear we can communicate. Thanks again.
ReplyDeleteHi Andrew Ernest Stubbs was my great grandfather. My mum and I were so interested in your blog as we did not know much about his early life. Thank you!
ReplyDelete