From Lauriston House to the home of Chorlton Liberals and now the Lauriston Club

I am looking at Peter’s painting of the Lauriston Club*  and I rather think it is as close as we will get to what it originally looked liked when it was built in 1885.  

Of course back then it had chimneys and the front of the house was full of well grown shrubs but essentially what you see is what you would have got back then.

It was a good example of the sort of place being built for the well off.  You entered through that “massive stone Portico and Vestibule with outer solid doors, tiled floor and inner stained glass doors.  The walls of the Hall have a diado of Lincrusta and the floor is entirely laid with Linoleum, with brass cap to step.  There is also a pendant coloured glass Hall Lamp.  The Hall is 25 feet 3 inches long, exclusive of the vestibule and is 9 feet wide.”**

On the ground floor were three largish rooms each with a marble mantelpiece, gas lighting and Venetian blinds at the windows.  The kitchen was deemed to be “capital” and the house was “cellared throughout with cemented floors and was well lit.”

Upstairs there were four more rooms as well as a bathroom which all led off from landing.  At the end of which was a “small compartment with coloured glazed door opening out on to the top of the stone portico.”

Now there is some more research to do on the early years of the house, but by 1891 it was occupied by Henry C Lloyd who described himself as a merchant, was a widower and lived with his daughter, a housekeeper and domestic servant.  I am not sure if he owned the place and will only find that out after digging around in the rate books but ten years later he was living at The Hall, Somerford Booths.

He his daughter and son were cared for by an army of seven servants, including a house keeper, footman, cook, butler, two housemaids and a kitchen maid.  The house was surrounded by farms and the area then and now was open countryside.

Back in Chorlton Lauriston House had been sold to the Liberals as their new club.  It is a story I have already told and suffice to say that despite grand hopes on behalf of its owners it slowly declined as did the fortunes of the Liberals and by the 1980s was in a sorry state which was made worse by a fire which partially destroyed the roof and gutted the inside.

It is an all too familiar story and one that might have ended with its demolition but it was saved, became the Lauriston Club and from the outside looks a little like its former self.

So we are almost full circle, looking again at the old house.  Little of the interior remains, although the name is still there on the stone pillar at the entrance to the front garden.   But back in 1897 the road was still unpaved and the place was still lit by gas.

*Lauriston Club, Manchester Road
**from the report of Mr Arthur E. Piggott on the house known as Lauriston, May 13th 1897.

Pictures; painting © Peter Topping 2012,  web: www.paintingsfrompictures.co.uk
facebook: www.facebook.com/paintingsfrompictures and photographs from the Lloyd collection

One to do this Sunday

At Central Church with a community project and a thank you to the artist Tracey Cartledge

Anyone who knows the Central Church on the corner of Barlow Moor Road and Zetland Road will have spotted the large stained glass window created by Stephen Raw.

And now there is the impressive community mosaic which has taken the place of the entrance beside that big window.

I spotted the notice asking people to get involved on a Facebook site.

It was posted by the artist Tracey Cartledge who runs a mosaic evening class for adults in the church hall on Thursday evenings, which has been running since January 2011.

The church committee commissioned Tracey to design, make and install the mosaic, involving the people of Chorlton in the process.

Advanced students from the evening class worked with Tracey to host seven community workshops.

One student, Karen Nolan, assisted for two weeks in the studio and Andy Carroll & Son Tilers (who also attend the classes) worked with Tracey on site for the installation.

At which point rather than attempt to write about Tracey’s work I shall just leave you to follow the link to her site where there is plenty of information on what she does and those classes she runs.*

Which just leaves me to reflect on the building itself.

And for those who have been around the block a few times this will always be the Macfadyn Church.

Today only the hall remains, the church having been demolished in the 1970s.

It was one of the many churches built in the township as the population grew in the final decades of the 19th century and like those on High Lane and Wilbraham Road did not quite last a century before declining congregations  made amalgamations, rationalizations and eventual demolition the fate of many church groups in Chorlton.

“The Chorlton cum Hardy Congregational church started its life in the Masonic Hall in September 1879 under the joint control of the Chorlton Road and Stretford churches. In June 1881 Chorlton Road, under Rev. J. A. Macfadyen, M.A., D.D., assumed full responsibility. 

A school-chapel was opened for worship in September 1883 and forty seven members enrolled at the new church in December. 


Its first pastor, Rev. Robert Mitchell, was appointed in June 1885. With the death of Dr. Macfadyen, in 1889, the church's connection with Chorlton Rd. came to an end, but in October 1890 a fund was started to build a new church in memory of Dr. Macfadyen, - the Macfadyen Memorial Church, whose opening service was on 25 October 1894.

In October 1972 with the union of the Presbyterian and Congregational churches it became known as Macfadyen United Reformed Church. In October 1975 Macfadyen United Reformed Church and McLaren Baptist Church decided to worship and work together as Chorlton Central Church.”**

All of which just leaves me to add that the mosiac was unveiled by Jeff Smith MP on October 16 to mark Revd Bob Day's retirement.

The accompanying plaque records that it was "designed and made by Tracey Cartledge in collaboration with the people of Chorlton."

And Tracey tells me "that nearly a 100 people form the neighbourhood attended the workshop and helped make the mosiac.*


And that  is just where we started.

Location, Chorlton








Picture; the finished mosaic, 2016, photo by Ian Brewerton (CCC); celebrating the finished community mosaic, 2016, photo by Ian Brewerton (CCC); the church committee visiting the studio, 2016, photo by Ian Brewerton (CCC) and installing the mosaic 2016, photo by Bob Day (CCC)



Tracey Cartledge, http://www.traceycartledge.co.uk/products/208

** *The National Archives, http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/a2a/records.aspx?cat=127-m186&cid=0#0

Walking in Well Hall, the Tudor Barn by Scott MacDonald

Now I have been wandering through the Eltham of the 19th century and I think it is time for a change.

So here is one of an occasional set of pictures taken by Scott MacDonald who works in Eltham and recorded this image of the Tudor Barn not so long ago.

Picture; the Tudor Barn, © Scott Macdonald

Places with a history and which may soon be gone ..... Blackfriars Road

There will be people with memories of this place.

But sadly not me.

I can’t even claim that I have passed it that often which just shows how even after 45 years living here I tend to stick to those parts of the twin cities which are the most familiar.

Nor I guess am I alone in that.

Now I have no idea what will become of the pub and have yet to check out planning applications for this bit of Salford.

But I will and in the fullness of time dig into the history of the place.

For now I shall just reflect on the sorry state of the building and wonder if anyone has pictures or stories of the Blackfriar in happier times.

Pictures; The Blackfriar on Blackfriar Road, 2014 from the collection of Andy Robertson

Summer in the City

Now for no particular reason other than I took them and they are of Manchester, here is a short series celebrating places I like.

All have appeared before and some a long time ago.






Pictures; around Manchester 2002-2015

Chorlton’s corner shops, number 3............

Once the corner shop was a familiar and important feature of most of our towns and cities acting as much as lifeline to the late shopper as a place to pick up the gossip of the street.

Many have gone converted into residential use or left empty waiting for better days.

But those that survive against the competition of the big stores and convenience outlets are well worth recording, so here over the next few days courtesy of Andy’s pictures are some of ours here in Chorlton.



Picture; from the collection of Andrew Robertson, 2014