New Estate c1955, Alderley Edge
New Estate c1955, Alderley Edge Ref: A29001
Memories of New Estate c1955, Alderley Edge
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Alderley Edge & local memories
Read and share memories of Alderley Edge and Cheshire inspired by Frith photos.
Childhood Memories
I lived in Alderley Edge as a child between 1947 and 1955. I remember going for walks on the Edge, and being told about a legend that Merlin and King Arthur and his knights were sleeping inside a cave there, waiting to be summoned to help if England needed them. There were some sand hills, on the top of the Edge I think, perhaps a result of mining there, and I remember sliding down them.
My grandparents lived at The Elms, Brook Lane, Alderley Edge. I was born at Row of Trees in 1947. My parents were living then at Bollin Green, but later moved to a new home at Beech Road. My father was a signwriter by trade, and I have a recollection of him pointing out an inn sign (The Wizard perhaps?) and saying that he had painted it. I was fascinated by his brushes, and by the stick with a ball of chamois leather on the end that he used to avoid smudging his work -... Read more
London Road Memories
London Road was a very different place 50 years ago to the collection of twee wine bars and restaurants that it is now. It was a real 'working' village providing all the goods and services that were needed by the resident community.
Going north down London Road from the de Trafford Hotel, there was an excellent fish and chip shop on the corner of Chorley Hall Lane and London Road; a very popular spot as the Italian owner had the most beautiful daughter. Then the Corner House tearoom, selling Tiptree preserves and buttered scones, followed by the District Bank where the London Road Restaurant and Wine Bar is now. Next was James Bilsborough’s, a general hardware and tool shop, and then Broadbent’s furniture shop, which was also an undertakers and removers. Further down London Road on the west side was Mayoh’s, a really old-fashioned grocer, then a chemist, and Royle's garage on the corner of London Road and West Street. Finally there were the... Read more
STORMY POINT
Stormy Point was a very popular destination for cavers and for those seeking the wide-ranging views over the Cheshire plain but without the crowds that came to Castle Rock, particularly on a Sunday.
My vivid memory of Stormy Point comes from about the same year as the photograph, when there was giant bonfire and fireworks on Stormy Point. The crowds became very excited when they could also pick out the bonfire on White Nancy, above Bollington.
The Stormy Point area was also a great place for off-road cycling, in the days before mountain bikes became fashionable. There were several fast tracks down through the woods to the sand quarry, where the path popped out between the Hough and Mottram St Andrew. All great fun, and seems not very long ago !!!
Chorley Hall Farm
I used to be a frequent visitor to Chorley Hall as a young boy accompanying my mother and grandmother. The Hall and farm were tenanted by Joe Davis and he married Annie Bower who was my grandmother's sister-in-law and hence my great-aunt. I have fond memories of riding on Shire Horses and hay carts, collecting the cattle from where they are now buiding the bypass and of course feeding the pigs. We would eat in the old part of the building in the large kitchen with all the farm workers. On family occasions we would celebrate in the Elisabethan part with its wonderful panneled walls. All came to an end in 1958 when the tenancy lapsed following the death of my great-uncle. The highlight was always picnics by the bridge on the banks of the moat. My great-uncle and aunt are buried as is my mother in Alderly Edge Cemetery. Whilst my great-grandfather Bower is buried in Chorley.
Childhood Memories
To this very day my memories of my childhood remain happy ones. For many reason really, in the 1970s the village was a fantastic place to live. We lived on Dukes Meadow just behind the Drum and Monkey. Everywhere was reachable by foot or bike, school, church, tennis club, shops, cubs, it was a wondeful and safe place to grow up in. Today London Road is mainly full of estate agents, wine bars and restaurants, and only a few shops still remain. I did a paper round which was handed down through the brothers, we all did the same one for many years for Robinsons which is no longer there.
My happiest memories were to be gained at the Methodist Church, many many hours of fun and joy were spent there. Every Sunday I would ride to Sunday School where we had so much fun. Wednesdays was games night. The people were wonderful and lovely to be with - I still have the Bible they gave me 35 years... Read more
Clockhouse Farm Mottram St Andrew
My parents and grandparents bought Clockhouse Farm in 1938, following the break-up and sale by auction of the Stanley Estate. A photograph of the farmhouse was shown on one of the pages of the brochure describing the property available at the auction sale. I believe the farm, some 75 acres with the farmhouse and outbuildings, was bought for approximately £3,000. We left Clockhouse Farm in 1950, to live at Croston in Tempest Road, Alderley Edge, and the farm was then let to tenants.
The Eley family bought Clockhouse Farm from my sister, Ann, and me in 1969 following the death of my grandfather; my father and grandmother having pre-deceased him.
The Eley family had been tenants at the farm for many years prior to 1969, and it must have been quite a difficult farmhouse to have as a home. It was dark and damp, and at the end of a very long farm road.
My grandfather had pulled down much of the old 'wattle-and-daub' parts of... Read more
Life on The Edge
I arrived in Alderley Edge in 1950, with my sister Ann, parents, and grandparents, after spending my early years at Clockhouse Farm in Mottram St Andrew. We came to live in a house called Croston, previously the coachman's house for Croston Towers, a large castellated residence torn down at the end of the Second World War, due to damage by American troops billeted there. Croston Towers had been the home of the wealthy Schill Family, but Melland Schill had died in 1916, when a Lieutenant in the Lancashire Fusiliers. His name is engraved on the village War Memorial.
Croston Towers' plot comprised the land bounded by Tempest Road, Woodbrook Road, and Macclesfield Road; in the region of 6 to 8 acres. In 1950, the only buildings on the site were Croston with its stables, coach-house, and workshops, at the top of Tempest Road, and Croston Lodge at the junction of Tempest Road and Macclesfield Road. The drive to Croston Towers is now the private road into Croston Close, with... Read more
