A good friend has just moved to an apartment opposite Platt Fields Park and consequently I have been moved to write a story centred on the park.
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| Platt Hall, Platt Fields Park, Rusholme, Manchester April 2024 |
Its address now is 182, Wilmslow Road, Rusholme, Manchester but in the 1901 census it was recorded as “Butlers House”, (118, Wilmslow Road).
It was then occupied by Henry Charnley who was acting as the butler to Mrs. Ellizabeth Tindal-Carrill-Worsley, the last “Worsley” to reside in Platt Hall.
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| 182, Wilmslow Road, “The Butler’s House" April 2024 |
In the two previous censuses of 1881 and 1891 Mr. Charnley was, although still recorded as a butler, was residing at 30, Duke Street, Rusholme, Manchester, at which address he was also included in the area’s rate book for 1896. It seems likely therefore, that the house was built to accommodate him in the closing years of the 19th century.
Henry Charnley was born in Torrisholme, a village near Morecombe, Lancashire in 1849, the son of a small farmer of 3 acres, also a Henry, and his wife Hannah. He started work initially as an agricultural labourer but soon entered domestic service and in the 1871 census he is recorded working as a footman for a retired calico printer Thomas Chippendale at 46, King Street, Lancaster, Lancashire.
On 8th July 1880 Henry married Hannah Kennerley, the daughter of William, a coal agent at the parish church of Wilmslow, Cheshire. By this time, he had already obtained his position as a butler.
The couple had four children, three sons and a daughter, all of whom survived to adulthood. Their youngest son, Walter Beardwood was killed in action on 24th October 1917 while serving as a gunner in the 330 brigade, Royal Field Artillery during the Third Battle of Ypres (a.k.a. Passchendaele). In civilian life he had been a grocer’s assistant and a salesman for hairdresser’s products. The other two sons, Henry Kennerley and William Roskill both became chartered accountants. Henry and Hannah’s youngest child and only daughter, Maud Mary suffered from mental illness and was in 1921’s census a patient at a private asylum in Greta Bank, Burton-in-Lonsdale, North Yorkshire. She died, during the December quarter of 1948, in the Newton-le-Willows registration district likely whilst she was still a patient at the County Mental Asylum, Winwick, Warrington, Lancashire in which institution she was recorded in the !939 register,
Henry remained Elizabeth Tindal-Carill-Worsley's butler after the sale of the hall and estate to Manchester City Council in 1907. In the 1911 census he is recorded living in her House, 54, Kensington Park Road, Notting Hill, West London where he managed a staff of two footmen, two housemaids, a cook and a kitchen maid.
Henry’s wife, Hannah remained in Manchester, moving to Lorne Grove, Fallowfield, Manchester with her 3 unmarried adult children. The family occupying no. 42, “Chevy Chase” one of two adjacent properties owned by her husband
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| The Charnley family grave |
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| Opening day Platt Fields Lake, Saturday 28th May 1910 |
Ideally placed for the purpose, the “Butler’s House” now became home to a succession of the park’s head gardeners / superintendents. The first of these being Mr. Thomas George Farrington who was born on 11th January 1860 in Chester, Cheshire. Also in the household, in the 1911 census, were his wife Mary (née Lloyd), two daughters Elsie Ann and Nellie, and a lodger Miss Doris Winifred Cook who was teacher of “housewifery”.
Thomas George had travelled widely in his gardening career, before arriving in Manchester. This is evidenced by the fact his marriage took place in Wigan, while his daughters were born in Wickford, Essex and Ruabon, Denbighshire, North Wales. He remained at Platt Fields until he reached retirement age in 1925. Interestingly he was replaced by John Henry Wilkinson, who was the head gardener of Cringle Fields Park, whose house at 3, George Street, Levenshulme, Manchester Mr. Farrington moved into.
Thomas George Farrington died on 2nd June 1941 leaving an estate of £458-3s-4d. His wife pre-deceased him in April 1919. They are both interred in Manchester’s Southern Cemetery together with their eldest daughter Elsie Ann and her husband Ernest Moss; Grave P. 347 in the Church of England section.
John Henry Wilkinson was a Manchester man born in Levenshulme during January 1888. In the 1921 census he was residing at the George Street address with his wife Lilian May (née Bates) who he married in the June quarter of 1914 at the Methodist Mission Hall, Chapel Street, Levenshulme. He remained in charge of Platt Fields for more than two decades.
His successor was Frederick Simpson who took over shortly after the second world war, confirmed by his entry in the 1948 street directory, having previously been the head gardener of Birch Park (more commonly known as Birchfields Park). The 1939 census shows him living at that park’s lodge with his wife, and two children. Other records reveal that he was born John Thomas Frederick Simpson in Carrington Moss on 10th May 1903 one of twin boys (2); the last born of the five children of George Simpson and his wife Elizabeth (née Dorsett). The family were living according to the census of 1901 in the “Corporation cottages” which appears to indicate that George Simpson was employed by Manchester Corporation working in their sewage farm which occupied the site. By 1911 the family had moved to Manchester and settled in the Levenshulme district at 12, Ducie Grove, with the head of the household then working for Manchester Corporation as a carter. (Ten years later he was a road sweeper).
“Frederick” Simpson married Dorothy Evelyn Walton at Christ Church, Moss Side, Manchester during the June quarter of 1928. In turn Mr. Simpson remained at Platt Fields until he reached retirement age in 1968 when he was replaced by Horace Edgar Cobbold.
Mr. Cobbold was born in Cork, Ireland on 22nd September 1914 by which time his father Sergeant Alfred Cobbold, a regular in the British Army was serving with his regiment The Rifle Brigade (Prince Consort’s Own) in the British Expeditionary Force in France / Belgium. (3) He was one of 9 children having 4 brothers and 4 sisters In the June quarter of 1939 Horace married Miss Dora Morris at St. Luke’s Church, Benchill, Wythenshawe, Manchester.
Ongoing cuts to the council’s budgets and the consequent cuts to its services has meant that parks no longer have a resident “Park Keeper” and the house at 182, Wilmslow Road is now boarded up and unoccupied.
Pictures: - Opening day Platt Fields Park, 28th May 1910 J. Jackson (m 58490) Courtesy of Manchester Libraries Information and Archives, http://images.manchester.gov.uk/index.php?session=pass, others from the collection of Tony Goulding.
Notes: -
1) Platt Hall was designed by John Carr, a renowned architect from York, and dates from 1764.
2) The twin brother was Albert Edward. There was also an older brother George Clifford Dorsett and two sisters Violet May and Ellen Perina.
3) Although he was wounded and invalided home Alfred survived the war and died aged 58 in February 1937. However, his four brothers all died while on active service. Charles died of sickness at Modder River, Cape Colony, South Africa on 6th February 1900 while serving in the 2nd battalion. Kings Own Yorkshire Light Infantry during the 2nd Boer War. Frederick and William both died within days of each other, killed in action during the 2nd battle of Ypres in 1915. Frederick, a Corporal in the East Surrey regiment’s 2nd battalion, on 25th April and William, a private in the Suffolk Regiment’s 1st battalion, on 8th May. Neither brother has a known grave, and both are commemorated on the Menin Gate Memorial. Finally, Arthur, who was serving in the same regiment as his brother, Alfred also with the same rank – Company Quartermaster Serjeant died of illness while stationed in Greece on 19th August 1916. He too has no known grave and is one of 2,175 names inscribed on the Doiran Memorial in Northern Greece.
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