Listed buildings: Apethorn Farm

Apethorn Farm is a Grade II listed building.

Originally 15th century but with external walls and other features of the C17 to C19. Cruck-framed with brick and squared rubble walls and a graduated stone slate roof. Originally a 4-bay cruck-framed open-hall house (probably a long-house) but with a floor inserted in the C17 and other alterations during conversion to cottages.

The elevation consists of a small gabled wing in bay 1, and a second bay both of which are in stone. The other 3 bays are in brick and have 3 doors relating to their use as a shippon. One ridge chimney. The east elevation, again with 3 bays in brick and the remainder in stone has 3 dormer windows rising from the eaves, one of them gabled. The gable onto the road has one ground floor window and a sash window above.

It is an important example of an early house-type few of which remain in Greater Manchester.


This picture by Frank Bennett, taken in May 2008, and reproduced here with his permission, first appeared on the Images of England site.

In 1831 it was the scene of a murder. In 1928 it was divided into cottages and then in 1993 a fire reduced to it to just the original cruck frame. In recent years it has been wrapped in order to prevent/reduce further damage. It is privately owned and there appears to be little will for renovation/restoration.

Recent photographs of the farm can be found on Hyde DP Xtra.

A photograph of the barn can be found on Hyde Daily Photo.

A contribution to Rubbish Tuesday.

Hyde Hall in 1794

Hyde Hall in 1794

According to Pigot & Company's Trade Directory of 1834

Hyde Hall, the seat of Hyde John Clarke, Esquire, is a building of some considerable antiquity; recent improvements have deprived the exterior of its ancient appearance, but a greater part of the interior is in its original state. It is pleasantly situated on the river Tame, but the rapid progress made in manufacture, and the introduction of machinery to such a vast extent and power has materially deteriorated from the beauties of the adjacent scenery.

Hyde Hall (not to be confused with its surviving namesake in Denton) was situated on the left bank of the river Tame, a short distance to the east of Clarke's Bridge over the river (not to be confused with Captain Clarke's Bridge over the Peak Forest Canal). The drive to the hall was off Mill Lane, just above the bridge. On the opposite side of the river in Glass House Fold, Haughton, Lancashire, the Clarke family worked coal pits where a company of refugee Flemish glass makers and blowers had settled during the reign of Elizabeth I.

Around 1793, George Hyde Clarke built Clarke's Bridge over the river Tame at the bottom of Mill Lane. He did this in order to improve the supply of coal into Hyde and also in anticipation of the opening of the Peak Forest Canal, in which he was a major shareholder. The lower level of the canal opened in 1799/1800. However, this single-arched bridge was seriously damaged, and possibly destroyed, by the great flood that occurred on the 17 August 1799. (The present Mill Lane bridge over the River Tame was erected in 1895).

Notwithstanding this, a tramway was constructed from Glass House Fold, over this bridge, or its successor, along the side of Mill Lane for a short distance and then up the field by Hyde Hall to a wharf on the canal where coal from the pit, carried in horse-drawn waggons, was loaded into boats. The date of abandonment of this pit is unknown but there is no reference to it in the 1888 Distance Table of the Peak Forest Canal.

The original Hyde Hall, dating from the seventeenth century, was considerably altered in the mid eighteenth century creating the Georgian country house pictured above. The hall was demolished in 1857, but the farm building, on the left in this picture, survived into the twentieth century. The site of the Hall was purchased by Hyde Corporation in 1924.

A map dated 1882 appears to show Hyde Hall itself occupying the land that is now Kingston Recreation Ground. Hyde Mill is shown adjacent to the river in an area now occupied by a Fairhaven caravan park.

A fuller account of the Clarke Family of Hyde can found at http://www.pittdixon.go-plus.net/clarke/clarke.htm

Recent photographs of Kingston Recreation Ground can be found on Hyde Daily Photograph and also on Hyde DP Xtra.

I'm indebted to Paul Hyde-Clarke for bringing some of this material to my attention.

Church Brow Gardens (repost)

Church Brow is just below Wood End Street and this photograph (c.1910) shows the allotments in the valley of the Gower Hey Brook.

There were still allotments there in 2007 alongside Woodend Street, but the valley is now much more thickly wooded and below Gower Road is an estate of new houses.

When this was first posted, Tom Wigley wrote in the comments

where this picture was taken from, later had allotments on them as well. My father had his allotment here. There was a farm here called Fawleys Farm. I spent many a day in my childhood feeding chickens and rabbits that dad kept there. He was also into Pigeon Racing and was Secretary and Treasurer of Hyde Homing Society and Gee Cross Homing Society. When these allotments were pulled down and the land used for housing he moved over to Church Brew, it was the biggest Pigeon Loft on there, and I think it still stands. It is on the bank of St Georges Church. He shared that with George Higgingbotton and Stefen Zeaman.

The 2010 view of this area can be seen on Hyde Daily Photo.

Apethorn Farm

Originally this was a cruck-framed longhouse from the 15th century.

It was encased in rubble in the 17th century and later with brick.

In 1831 it was the scene of a murder.

In 1928 it was divided into cottages and then in 1993 a fire reduced to it to just the original cruck frame.

You can see how it looked in 2000 in this earlier post

Haymaking at Dove Farm 1913

Dove Farm, built in 1675 and enlarged in 1781, is said to be haunted by hounds. It is in the Godley Green area, but I don't have a modern photograph.

This haystack (click on picture for a larger view) was set on fire on Thursday, 4th September 1913 and was still burning the following Tuesday.

Uplands Farm

This 1920s picture of Uplands Farm on Werneth Low features Violet Warner.

She and her husband lived there with her sister who was the wife of Wright Robinson, an active trade unionist who was Lord Mayor of Manchester 1941-42.

In the summer months they provided teas for ramblers and advertised by posting notices in rhyme on woodland trees.

My other ABC Wednesday U posts this week are ~~ Unity Inn Sign at Hyde Daily Photo ~~ Ulriken at Ackworth born, gone West ~~ Under the Pier at Sithenah

To visit more ABC-Wednesday U posts go to Mrs. Nesbitt's Place.

Longdendale Minature Castle

This picture by Frank Bennett and reproduced here with his permission, first appeared on the Images of England site.

The farmhouse and cottage on Matley Lane were photographed in May 2000.

It is late C18 but with additions, including the facade of mid C19. Hammer-dressed stone and coursed rubble with C20 clay tile and graduated stone slate roofs. 3 bays, 2 storeys apart from a 3-storey tower in bay 1. Projecting plinth and castellated parapet. Bay l has flat-faced 3 and 2-light mullion and transom windows, projecting corner piers, castellated parapet and band. Windows with stone surrounds to bay 2 which has a square-cut door surround. Bay 3 which has a higher parapet has an engraved stone reading "Longdendale Miniature Castle".

Apethorne Farmhouse

This picture by Frank Bennett and reproduced here with his permission, first appeared on the Images of England site.

This was taken in May 2000 and shows the farmhouse on Apethorne Lane.

Originally 15th century but with external walls and other features of the C17 to C19. Cruck-framed with brick and squared rubble walls and a graduated stone slate roof. Originally a 4-bay cruck-framed open-hall house (probably a long-house) but with a floor inserted in the C17 and other alterations during conversion to cottages.

The elevation consists of a small gabled wing in bay 1, and a second bay both of which are in stone. The other 3 bays are in brick and have 3 doors relating to their use as a shippon. One ridge chimney. The east elevation, again with 3 bays in brick and the remainder in stone has 3 dormer windows rising from the eaves, one of them gabled. The gable onto the road has one ground floor window and a sash window above.

It is an important example of an early house-type few of which remain in Greater Manchester.