One hundred years of one house in Chorlton ....... part 150 ….. the grand plan

The continuing story of the house Joe and Mary Ann Scott lived in for over 50 years and the families that have lived here since.*

The grand design, 2025

Despite having lived for almost half a century in one of the six houses Joe built in 1915 I have never stood back to admire them.

For years they were just where we lived, brought up the kids and entertained friends and family.

But yesterday on one of those sunny Spring mornings I decided to record them from the vantage point of the Rec.

It helped that there was no passing traffic, and the recreation area was empty and what was revealed was Mr. Scott’s grand plan.

To many it’s a simple almost basic plan but I think it works and was a new direction for Joe who up to then had specialized in smaller two up two down properties which can be seen all over Chorlton, but particularly in some of the roads off Beech Road.

And in turn the terrace was the step before he embarked on going into the semi-detached market.

Like all his properties they were built for rent, and only later did he began to sell them off.

The six on the row were an important bridging point in house design.

Joe does electric, 1928

They incorporated electric lighting rather than gas had large rooms with high ceilings but appear to have been built with an open range.  Our kitchen still retains the concrete plinth upon which the range would have sat, although there is no evidence that one was installed.  

The Scott’s were adept at embracing change and along with electric lighting may have bought or rented a gas cooker which the Corporation were already promoting.

That said the cellar floor does gently slope towards the front garden which would have allowed water to flow out from the copper used for washing clothes. 

But again, there is no sign that our house had a copper, although others in the row did.

And to add to that modern outlook, the house had a telephone by the mid 1920s and a television in the early 1950s.

Of course the design did reflect the period with separate rooms off the hall and landing with a small bathroom and even smaller kitchen which back in the 1970s was still served by only a few power points.

Still, it was home to the Scott’s for 58 years and in all of its century and more of existence has only seen four owners of which we are the only ones to have had children in the property.

From the Rec, 2025

Some may mutter that the gardens are a tad small but then we face the Rec, and on warm spring and summer days the recreation area offers up almost all you could want. Our kids played there from morning till dusk and there are those who gently childe me as the voice echoing across the open space calling them in for bed.

Which may be a good enough claim for fame to rival Andy Warhol’s fifteen minutes along with that of saying we lived in Joe and Mary Ann’s house.

Location; Beech Road

Pictures; from the collection of Andrew Simpson, 2025, and advert for Joe Scott from the St Clements Church Bazaar for 1928

*The Story of a House, https://chorltonhistory.blogspot.com/2023/11/one-hundred-years-of-one-house-in.html