Now, the stretch along Brantingham Road up from Manchester Road to Albany Road might not seem to have a lot to offer, consisting of a few houses on the eastern side, and a car wash and garage on the opposite side.
But this bit of Chorlton has history, starting with the name which was once Stamford Road and the now lost Davenport Hall and St Andrew’s Protestant Episcopal Evangelical Church.
They date from sometime between 1907 and 1909. The church later become St Luke’s Protestant Episcopal Evangelical Church and by 1910 the church and hall were unlisted.
And that for a long time was all I knew, until last week when I came across a set of programmes for the Chorlton Operatic Society which was established in 1907.*
During 1912-13 the Davenport Hall was their headquarters and according to one programme, the “The Hall measuring 45 ft long and 16 ft wide with Ladies’ and Gentleman’s Clock Rooms, Kitchen, etc may be hired for Parties, Socials, Whist Drives, Meetings etc, on very moderate terms. Crockery, Chairs, etc., may also be hired separately”. **
It now seems that the hall or the church was still there in 1950 because we have a painting by the artist J Montgomery who painted the building in 1966, using a picture postcard.
The notes accompanying the painting merely say, “Chapel on Albany Road, from a 1950 photograph. The site was later occupied by a garage”.
Not much I know, but it is a bit more than I knew last week, and the logical conclusion is that Davenport Hall and the church of S Andrew/St Luke were one, with the hall serving as both the headquarters of the operatic society
and the church.
But there is a second mystery and that is centred on J Montgomery who painted upwards of 200 paintings from the 1940s through to the mid 60’s and despite them being in the digital archive of Manchester Libraries, there is no information on the artist.
And after a long search stretching back six year’s I have come up with only one reference to him, in a catalogue listing some of his works in a neighbouring library.
During that time, I have appealed for information, introduced the subject of the missing artist in countless talks and walks and got nowhere.
All of which is a puzzle because you would think someone would have a memory of the person, who they had come across in a local church, or the library or just living nearby.
But just as the Davenport Hall has started to come out of the shadows, perhaps Mr Montgomery will also.
We shall see.
A thank you to Lawrence Beedle who reminded me of the hall and church and went looking from Mr Montgomery's painting.
Location; Chorlton
Picture; Programmes from the ChorltonOperatic Society, 1920 & 1927, Chapel on Albany Road, from a 1950 photograph. The site was later occupied by a garage, J. Montgomery, 1960, m80123, courtesy of Manchester Libraries, Information and Archives, Manchester City Council, https://images.manchester.gov.uk/index.php?session=pass
* Chorlton Operatic Society, https://chorltonhistory.blogspot.com/search/label/Chorlton%20Operatic%20Society
** La Fille De Madame Angot programme. La Fille De Madame Angot was performed between May 1st and May 3rd 1913, at the Public Hall West Didsbury
They date from sometime between 1907 and 1909. The church later become St Luke’s Protestant Episcopal Evangelical Church and by 1910 the church and hall were unlisted.
And that for a long time was all I knew, until last week when I came across a set of programmes for the Chorlton Operatic Society which was established in 1907.*
During 1912-13 the Davenport Hall was their headquarters and according to one programme, the “The Hall measuring 45 ft long and 16 ft wide with Ladies’ and Gentleman’s Clock Rooms, Kitchen, etc may be hired for Parties, Socials, Whist Drives, Meetings etc, on very moderate terms. Crockery, Chairs, etc., may also be hired separately”. **
The notes accompanying the painting merely say, “Chapel on Albany Road, from a 1950 photograph. The site was later occupied by a garage”.
And after a long search stretching back six year’s I have come up with only one reference to him, in a catalogue listing some of his works in a neighbouring library.
During that time, I have appealed for information, introduced the subject of the missing artist in countless talks and walks and got nowhere.
All of which is a puzzle because you would think someone would have a memory of the person, who they had come across in a local church, or the library or just living nearby.
But just as the Davenport Hall has started to come out of the shadows, perhaps Mr Montgomery will also.
A thank you to Lawrence Beedle who reminded me of the hall and church and went looking from Mr Montgomery's painting.
Location; Chorlton
Picture; Programmes from the ChorltonOperatic Society, 1920 & 1927, Chapel on Albany Road, from a 1950 photograph. The site was later occupied by a garage, J. Montgomery, 1960, m80123, courtesy of Manchester Libraries, Information and Archives, Manchester City Council, https://images.manchester.gov.uk/index.php?session=pass
* Chorlton Operatic Society, https://chorltonhistory.blogspot.com/search/label/Chorlton%20Operatic%20Society
** La Fille De Madame Angot programme. La Fille De Madame Angot was performed between May 1st and May 3rd 1913, at the Public Hall West Didsbury
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