A while ago I revisited a story about that former chapel on Oswald Road which is now a private residence.
One of its residents kindly allowed us in when Peter and I were writing our Chorlton and Didsbury church book, which to be more accurate also includes a Temple, a Mosque and a Synagogue.
This former chapel has struck me as an odd building which is positioned at an angle to the road and backs on to a garden wall.
Its present owners told us that back in 1902 it had been “a workshop for packaging and distributing top hats which were made in a factory in Withington”.
And yesterday in response to a story, Jayne Brayley got in touch to say, that “I saw your post today about the church on Oswald Road. We moved into the house next door a couple of years ago and we have an original architect drawing of the house from February 1902 and the building next door, which you've identified as a church.
The plans label it as an office and I believe it was built at the same time as the house as part of a single property. I'll send you a picture to help any further research”.
Now the house was built for an Oliver Wood who had a commissioned the architect S. Groocoock of Brookfield Avenue, and his plans are dated to 1902.
The house must have been built sometime during the following year, and looking at the plans it was a fine property stretching over three floors, including 5 bed rooms, a bathroom, box room, and a dinning room, drawing room and kitchen with scullery.
All of which is what you would expect, but as ever it is the less glamourous part of the house which in this case were the cellars which offers up the interesting.
The middle room was the coal cellar with access from the side of the property vis a small coal door and shute.
The other areas included a larder at the foot of the stairs and a large space given over to the wash cellar, which had a large copper.
A copper was used to wash the clothes and consisted of a metal tub in a brick lined unit with a space underneath for a coal fire. The proximity of the coal cellar nearby made the replenishing of the fire a less arduous task and the location of the copper close to the front of the house and to a drain was essential.
The wash room was by far the largest in the cellar and would have had space for a mangle and a washing line where the clean clothes could be hung during inclement weather.
But there is no evidence that the family employed servants, so it is equally likely that they sent their washing out to one of the commercial laundries of which there were plenty in Chorlton, or alternatively employed a washerwoman to come in and do the job.
The presence of the larder at the foot of the cellar stairs meant that food might keep longer in the cooler conditions below ground and its location close to the stairs meant that it was less of a journey back and forth to the kitchen.
That said a time and motion survey would have found fault with a kitchen which involved quite a traipse from the ovens to the dining table, via the kitchen entrance and the draughty hall.
Well, we shall see or though I doubt we will ever know.
As for the Wood family, Mr Wood and his son described themselves as Foreign Stamp Dealers which may explain the need for an office. Not that Mr. Wood senior had always dealt in stamps.
Back in 1881 he gave his occupation as a sailor and in 1901 was in manufacturing.
Nor is that quite all, because there appears a mismatch in the census returns and marriage records.
So the 1911census records that Mrs. Wood was 17 when she was married, having her eldest son at 18 which conflicts with her marriage certificate which offers up a date of 21.
Leaving me just to thank Jayne for providing me the plans and setting me off on a journey.
Location; Chorlton
Pictures; original architect drawing’s, 1902, from the collection of Jayne Brayley
Fascinating plans. You’ve included the ground floor twice - do you have the 1st floor plan?
ReplyDeleteFascinating plans! You've included the ground floor twice - do you have the 1st floor plan?
ReplyDeleteopps
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