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.

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

Edith and Dorothy Woodhead

This 1921 photograph of Edith and Dorothy Woodhead, the daughters of Samuel Woodhead and Annie Gee, was sent to me by Edith's daughter, Ruth Beck.

Ruth is researching her family history. She writes

When my mum died in 2000, all of our family history died with her. One day, going through my mother's things, I found a marriage certificate for Annie Gee of Romiley and Sam Woodhead of Stalybridge. Annie's father was Edwin Gee. Martha was listed as Agatha on the census, her father was Henry Bardsley and Kenyon was her mother's married name to Edward Kenyon who died before Martha was born. The earliest Gees I have found were in Apethorn in the early 1700s. Other addresses I found during the 1800s were Werneth Low Coal Pits, Pinfold, New Houses, Werneth, PoleAcre Lane. My grandfather owned 4 homes in Greave Fold in the early 1900s and Edwin died while living at 6 Fern Street in 1945. So I have done quite well with lots of help from many folks in your area. The place I would have liked to have found more information about was Beech Lane, where Peter Gee died in 1849. I think it was a home for the infirmed as the witness to his death was Mary Gee, an inmate and Peter died of diarrhea. He would have been 72. I think most of my family are buried at Stockport, Saint Mary.

Update 2014: The contact previous given for Ruth is now a dead link.

Gibraltar Mill & Gibraltar Row

Gibraltar Mill lay by the River Tame between Apethorn and Haughton Dale. It was demolished in the 1960s.


This row of houses has also long since gone.

Apethorn Mill Explosion

This picture shows the result of a boiler explosion at Apethorn Mill, known later in its life as Gee Cross Mill. One of the boilers was blown right across the canal, smashed part of the wall down and broke the bottom of the gable end of the old house/shop. The boiler ended up lying in the passage that led the mill workers from the canal towpath to the bridge that crosses the River Tame by Gibraltar Mill which was demolished in the 1960s.

You can see what the path is like now on Hyde DP

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.