Mummy Will Be So Upset

By Harold Cunliffe

In my last feature, I related the Hopwood’s of Hopwood Hall and how the latter family members were in fact the Gregge Family who adopted the Hopwood name as a mark of respect.

Following the use of the hall by the Lancashire Cotton Corporation during the Second World War, we find that the Catholic Brotherhood, De-La-Salle acquired the building as a college on the 26 August 1946. A short distance from the hall is Woodside Farm.

My first encounter with this ancient farm was during the hot summer of 1976. Hopwood Clough which is in close proximity to the farm became a magnet to children during the summer holidays. Many children spent hours playing on the banks of the stream which wends its way through the Clough. The area also was the home of a coal pit at one period. Most days a check would be made of the beauty spot to make sure all was well. On the day I happened to be passing through and noticed a group of children looking a bit distressed. Upon investigation I found that a young boy from Hopwood in Heywood had been swinging on a rope above the stream, and had consequently fallen into the stream. Unfortunately he landed on broken glass which had caused a nasty wound to his hand and arm, which was bleeding at a steady rate which could prove fatal if not arrested. This nine year old chap was in luck, I was a trained first aider with the St John Ambulance. The boy who was called “Whittaker” was in shock, cold and shivering even though we were experiencing the hottest weather on record. After arresting the bleeding he was put into my vehicle, with the heating on full I may add, which is good for treating shock, then I transported my casualty to the nearest telephone, which was located at Woodside Farm.

Arriving at the “Woodside” the farmer, Mr Howarth and his wife were quickly on scene to offer help. An ambulance was requested to attend, next, the Ambulance service messaged, stating that they could not locate their casualty or the farm. We replied by requesting that they remain at the entrance to the Clough, and we would find them. I am pleased to say the boy recovered after a few weeks. Mr and Mrs Howarth were friendly people and were keen to have updates on the progress of this young man’s recovery. A week or so later I happened to be in the area so dropped in for a chat. At the front of this farm was a type of lean-to built into the hillside which contained a large stone water trough. This it transpired was their water supply. Ice cold water would pour at a steady rate out of the hillside through a clay pipe behind the trough which constantly topped up the supply, with the overflow being carried away along a gully. Mr Howarth stated that the supply of water was constant, never slowed down even in the driest of summers. It certainly provided a tasty cup of tea. A farmer friend who lives about three miles away decided to brew his own beer. At their farm no mains water was available, a pump supplied water for domestic purposes from an underground well, which he used to make the beer. It was hay making time when the beer was at its prime. Life on the farm could not be more pleasant, working in a field, the smell of new mown hay, good farmhouse food, cheese always tastes so good, along with half a pint of home brew, magic. I can vividly remember the experience today enjoying the fresh bread and cheese in the hot sunshine, and how the half a pint of beer took its effect. It was interesting watching the farm workers becoming jollier, but being in charge of agricultural equipment we decided not to indulge in any more of this strong liquor until sunset. No doubt the pure water had increased the quality and strength of the beer.

I believe that the old Woodside farm at Hopwood has been demolished and replaced by a modern building. At the time I was documenting the town’s history by producing a weekly column in the local newspaper, the son of farmer Howarth made contact. He grew up at this farm and related that during the Second World War a German prisoner was allocated to their farm to provide labour. In fact they all got along very well. The German P.O.W. noticed that the farm had no hot running water. With this in mind he designed a system where the living room fire heated a tank of water which was fed to the taps via gravity. To obtain enough pressure he placed a cold water tank on two wooden poles a distance from the farmhouse, on the higher ground, this tank had to be filled from time to time by the use of a hand pump. But it was when a friend of the family was carrying out some electrical work that something unexpected happened. The electrician, who was also a local policeman, carried out electrical work in his spare time. On the day in question work was progressing very well. One bedroom required attention. The family were seated in the living room at the time the electrician entered the room to carry out the work, and remarked, “I am about to complete the work upstairs, I will wait a little while until your daughter stops crying.” Mr Howarth asked, “Who stops crying?” their friend stated, “Your daughter, she is sat at the end of the bed dressed in a petticoat, very distressed saying that mummy will be so upset.” Mr and Mrs Howarth were taken back by this comment, “We do not have a young daughter, our daughter is grown up and out on the milk round.” When a search of the room was carried out the young girl was not to be found.

MISS DAVENPORT

In making a search of our extensive archive we find that the death of a child was recorded a short distance from the farm; Miss Beatrice Evelyn Davenport aged 11 years, drowned in a pond which was located between the farm and Hopwood Hall. Was the vision of a girl in the bedroom the spirit of this young girl? Following the death of her husband in 1907, the grandchild of Mrs Hannah Davenport went to live with her, providing help with running the farm. Each morning before going to school the child would deliver fresh milk around the area. Her first delivery was at Hopwood Hall then to the cottages on the estate. One

of the workers on the estate, Mr Samuel Brown, of Union Street, Middleton, was the last person to see her alive. He told the Coroner that he saw the child at the Hall having delivered the milk, and then she made her way back to the farm, taking the route passed the pond. When the girl did not return a search was made. At the side of the pond was one milk can, which instigated a search of the water for the girl and second can. Grappling irons were used for around ten minutes which located the lifeless body. One milk can was missing, which it is thought that the girl was either playing with or washing out the cans when one floated away. In an attempt to retrieve the can she fell in and drowned. A policeman was present at the time the body was brought out and he confirmed that her clothing was intact. The Coroner and jury recorded a verdict of “Found Drowned.” Everyone who knew the child and the Davenport family were very dustressed.

A pond at Hopwood

MEASURED MILE

At one period of time a form of entertainment in a Lancashire mill towns was two women having a clog fight, normally this activity took place on a Saturday night. Other forms of entertainment that of a more civilised nature was organising a race. Along the main route to Rochdale, near Hopwood Hall is a measured Mile. This commences at the canal and ends near a former public house called the ‘Black Bull’ which distance is marked by a heavy stone pillar. This area was closely observed by the police who would prosecute anyone making or taking bets. As a five year old child living in the back streets of Newton Heath, Manchester, my late father once handed me part of a cigarette packet which had a few words written in pencil. “Take that to the Red Lion, a man is in the back yard, give him that,” I was instructed. As I made my way along the cobbled streets looking at this torn piece of card from a Woodbine packet, I wondered what was in store; it was all a bit sneaky. As I opened the gate at the rear of the public house, the figure of a small man was visible, seated on a wooden beer crate, the timid opening of the gate seemed to frighten him. I handed over my little section of fag packet which he inspected, the reply was abrupt, “Tell your dad there is thruppence on this,” promptly handing me the thruppenny bit, no doubt wanting me out of the yard. At Slattocks, which is the close neighbour to Hopwood Hall a large invasion of people from the districts had arrived to partake in a trotting match. All types had arrived from two wheeled to four wheeled traps, and also cabs. Butchers, bakers and people of dubious means arrived with the object of taking part in this match. From what we gather a little foul play was evident. Some of the competitors tried to damage the wheels of their rivals, by running their vehicles close enough to collide. It was estimated that over 100 carts, traps and the like took place. One entry was chestnut pony, owned by a butcher from Oldham. This poor animal had a deformity, having a considerable lump on its back. Bidding commenced with this pony being given odds of 4 to 1 due to the deformity. Those people who studied form placed twenty five bob (£1.25p) on this pony. No sooner had the race began at the white gate at Hopwood Lodge that the chestnut pony left the remainder behind. At the Black Bull the pony was twenty yards in front of the other competitors. The prize was £20.

It transpires that outsiders organised the match. The stakeholder was Mr. Edmund Watts of the Egerton Arms, Oldham. American trainer from Abbey Hey, Oldham, was the starter, Mr Lees, of Odd House, Henshaw Street, Oldham, was the referee. A note refers to the gentlemen, “they fulfilled their day most satisfactorily,” they no doubt had a profitable day.

White Gate. start of the trotting match ROYAL VISIT

Rochdale Council eventually purchased Hopwood Hall and the campus from the Catholic organisation to be used as a place of education. The official opening of Hopwood Hall College took place on the 17 July 1992 by Her Majesty the Queen. One of the invited guests was a former teacher at the Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School, Mrs Christine Pierce-Jones. Many people in this part of Lancashire will remember Christine for her passion for photography, in which she documented events which took place within the district. These photographs proved to be of interest to the staff at the Springhill Her Majesty the Queen at Hopwood. Hospice who collate the annual fund raising calendar, by Christine Pierce-Jones

which included views of the borough and other items of local interest. An example of Christine’s photographic expertise was featured in each calendar. Following the sad death of Mrs Pierce-Jones, thousands of photographs were unearthed. They record the changing face of the town and are of great interest. One photograph shows two large stone pillars. At first you would wonder why these were recorded on film, but for those who understand the history of the town, Christine had the foresight to record the gate posts of the former Britannia mill which previously stood on the site which was once attacked by the Luddites. Two years later however, the large stone gate posts disappeared overnight. It is due to people like Christine that we have such a rich archive, a record of past events. Documenting

her invitation to the opening of Hopwood Hall Campus we find that the letters of invitation, a plan and even the serviette in which a piece of cake was served is archived in a file. Also, Christine managed to take a photograph of her Majesty at the exhibition. Organisers worked through the night preparing items which they thought would be of interest to Her Majesty. On the day of the visit by the Queen, she was escorted to a table which contained the printed artefacts, taking a seat she looked into her handbag and commented, “I have left my glasses at the hotel.”

Looking back to the 1880’s we find that some visitors to the Hall and grounds were not welcome. I suppose many estates had their fair share of poachers, and with Hopwood estate being close to an industrial mill town, populated by many hungry people it became a target. One serious affray took place during early spring when two constables upon hearing guns being fired went in search and found three men apparently searching for game. One of the police officers promptly seized one of them, but a second man came rushing over and struck the officer and knocked him over, the report stated that the officer was left “senseless on the ground.” All three men made off through the wood leaving the second officer to attend to his injured comrade, who sustained severe injuries. The alarm was quickly raised, and the road and lanes were watched. The men however attempted to make their escape over the countryside where they met the gamekeeper and butler. At first the men tried to attack them, but the vision of a gamekeeper’s gun prompted them to run away. As the poachers retreated the gamekeeper fired his weapon, a voice exclaimed, ‘I’m hit,” and we all know where too. All three made good their escape; they did so at a cost, one being unable to sit down for a week or two. The next morning a gun and two pheasants were found.

The Britannia Mill gate posts

Hopwood Hall Campus AMAZING

The late Doreen El-Ahwany had a reputation as one of the most proficient people in this area for researching the past. Over a period of many years she had provided information to hundreds of people who were keen to unearth their past. Genealogy was her speciality, and in this she was a wizard. Following her demise her family donated a vast amount of her material to my archive. I am still going through the files. I find in her Hopwood and Gregge Hopwood information that a number of the entries for the births and deaths have been corrected, thus showing previous inaccuracies. Researchers do get things wrong if they do not know where to look. A few years ago a mention was made that a school in town was designed by architect, Edgar Wood. This I questioned. The researcher, had not used primary source material, he had photographed a known building by this architect, then had made some similarities, like the same window frame, same style of door etc. It transpired that at the Preston Record Office no documents were to be found on the building of this school. The easy and most cost effective way I suppose is to read the foundation stone at the school, this gives a date. Next search the newspaper for that week, no doubt a report was published. In this case it stated, “Parkfield School. Three plans and other necessary information have been sent in, and the committee have selected the one sent in by Mr. A. Banks, architect, Oldham. Tenders were sent out for the erection of the new school. It was estimated that when complete the total cost would be about £1,700. This information was gained from the Local Studies Library.

JUBILEE PARK AND FREE LIBRARY

To commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the reign of Her Majesty, Queen Victoria, the town developed Jubilee Park and a Free Library which opened in 1889. This asset is still in use today. There have been reports in the press from time to time which stated that Mr Edgar Wood designed this building. Once again this is incorrect. Over 60 designs for the library were submitted with Mr Lawrence Booth’s design being chosen. Mr Thomas Jackson was awarded the contract to build the library. He is mentioned at the stone laying ceremony. On that day he provided the Mayor, Councillor Harvey Heywood with a silver trowel which was inscribed, “Presented to Harvey Heywood Esq, the first Mayor of Middleton, on the occasion of his laying the

corner stone of the Jubilee Free Library, 7th April 1888.” On the reverse side was a sketch of the new building. A wooden mallet was also presented which bore the same inscription. Chatting to a demolition contractor at the time the old Middleton Baths were being demolished to make way for a supermarket, he commented that when removing corner stones or foundation stones it was normal to find items placed there at the time of the ceremony. I am not making public the location of one particular foundation stone. Under which is placed several gold coins, no doubt sovereigns. Should I ever become cash strapped I will have to dig out a hammer and chisel! At the library we find that a glass bottle was placed in a cavity under the stone which contained copies of the Middleton Guardian, Middleton Advertiser, Jubilee coins to the value of four shillings and six pence. Three copper coins, one penny, one half penny and a farthing. A photograph of the “Old Boars Head,” presented by the licensee, Mr Wood. A copy of the proceedings which led to the erection of the library, written on parchment.

RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS

What follows is an edited version of the proceedings. The fiftieth anniversary of the reign of Her Most Gracious Majesty Queen Victoria aroused within the English people feelings of loyalty and devotion to their sovereign, and the inhabitants of the new Borough of Middleton were amongst those who felt that the event should be commemorated in the Borough by something of a permanent character. The first step was taken by the Council at their meeting on the fourteenth day of February, 1887 when it was decided to establish a Free Library. The contract was given to Mr Thomas Jackson of the town for the sum of £1,532,6s.

At the conclusion of the ceremony, the party, numbering 140 retired to the National School, (located next door to the proposed library) to enjoy luncheon. It is interesting to read what was on offer, Roast Ribs of Beef, Sirloin of Beef, Pressed Beef, Roast Turkey, Boiled Ham, Roast & Boiled Fowl, Boiled Ham, Ox Tongue, Fore-quarter of Lamb and Roast Mutton. Apple, Rhubarb and Jam tarts plus a selection of cheese followed. Since 1893, hundreds of people have asked the question, “Why is an anchor placed at the side of the library?” One theory was that during the days of horse drawn vehicles, the anchor fell from the back of a lorry and could not be lifted back on to the vehicle, so it was left outside the library, to be eventually placed against the wall. And here it remained. The truth in fact was that at Fleetwood the Sirene, a Norwegian barque of 666 tons set sail during a violent storm on the 8th October 1892. But due to the weather the vessel made little headway to its destination port of Georgia. She slowly proceeded and almost made it to Llandudno, after which she was buffeted in the direction of the Fylde coast. It was thought that the crew would perish, the life R.N.L.I. considered a rescue as impossible. Then a miracle occurred as the boat struck the North pier near the entrance and the crew made good their escape by scrambling off the boat. It was stated that Mr John Hulbert, a scrap dealer and coal merchant from this town was given the salvage rights of the boat, and he gifted the anchor to the library. Once again the historical information is wrong. 21st October 1892. Hundreds of people attended the auction of the wreck, Sirene, which was grounded on the beach at Blackpool. First of all the masts and spars were sold off separately, and realised a good price. The bidding then commence on the wreck, which had a legal obligation, which stated that the successful bidder would be responsible for removing the wreck within three months. Bidding started at £20, and when it reached £82 the hammer came down, sold to Mr Bullock of Burnley, Lancashire. It is my thought that Mr John Hulbert bought the salvage rights to the metal components

The Sirene at Blackpool. Restored image by Danny Hardman.

from Mr Bullock. Hulbert however did donate the anchor to the library. Some years ago I met a lady who would attend antiques fairs, dealing in a small way in collectables and antiques. She would buy and sell ephemera, which is something I am personally interested in. One day she related events from her childhood, bearing in mind she was in her early 80’s. As a child she told tales of how she would visit her father’s workshop where he made furniture from the wood salvaged from ship wrecks from the Fylde coast. Margaret I seem to remember was her name was a friend of the Blackpool Opera House. She related that over the years a number of stars of the stage had been her guest. Morecambe and Wise, and other well-known celebrities, all of which had sat upon her late father’s handiwork, and enjoyed her home cooking on the dining table and chairs, also crafted by her father.

BAMFORD’S MONUMENT

Within the shadow of the library is a monument to Sam Bamford. He was famous for being a reformer, writer and poet. A wealth of material exists, far too much to relate in this feature. You could not document the history of Lancashire without covering the life and times of Sam Bamford. This was also the conclusion of Granada Television. One day I received a message that a film crew was in town covering Sam Bamford, and could I attend. It was a good ‘shout’ for the local newspaper too, so I attended. Standing close to Bamford’s monument was the presenter, Anthony (Tony) Wilson. I had met Tony previously when the council held events at the former R.A.F site at Bowlee. On this occasion the programme being made was documenting how Lancashire was once the “Workshop of the World,” and Bamford was a leading light in the episode being recorded. His grave however is a short distance from the monument. After completing his piece to camera the crew wanted to film the blue plaque and location where Bamford led the Middleton contingent to Peterloo. They commented that they could not find the blue plaque. I replied that they would not do so unless you knew exactly where

Sam Bamford it was located; it is hidden behind an overgrown bed of shrubs. With the aid of my umbrella and a an old walking stick to separate the herbage they managed to record a few seconds of the plaque.

Blue plaque documenting Peterloo HUNT’S MONUMENT

Henry Hunt was an orator at Peterloo, he read out an address where many people fell. The monument at constructed at Every Street burial ground was erected 1842 and was in the form of an obelisk, similar to that of Bamford’s. The hero of Peterloo was to be remembered by this monument which was attended by 15,000 people at the ceremony of the laying of the foundation stone. Many people saw the obelisk as a mark of the time when so many people lost their lives and this would show to future generations the esteem of the people and how they appreciate genuine patriotism. There was outrage in Manchester 46 years later when the monument was knocked down. For a number of years the burial ground had been closed, and encased within a brick wall. The only vision of Hunt’s monument was the top section which was visible over the wall. This once sported a figure of a man holding a scroll, depicting Hunt. When enquiries were made into the reason that the obelisk was knocked down it was claimed that it was suffering neglect and became “shaky”. The contractor who demolished the monument paid the owner of the ground £3, then successfully sold the scrap stone for £4. It was for the benefit of future generations that a number of interesting scrolls were placed under the foundation stone. Of these the contractor claimed that nothing had been seen.

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