This archway is in the stone wall that is in the area where once stood Whittakers Whim. It has always intriged me but I can't find ANY information on it as to what it may have been. If anyone has any ideas , please let us know. We would be very grateful!
This is just below the Werneth Pub where Arch Joinery had its premises. It will soon be covered up as they are building new houses on the land.
10 comments:
The new houses have been up for some time - see King Edwards Court or are they building even more under the wall itself?
Yes Gerald,I believe there is another lot to be built under the wall - It may be flats , I'm not sure.
Thomas Middleton's 'History of Hyde' says in relation to Whittaker's Whim: "Mr Whittaker enclosed the ground behind the building with a stone wall with the intention of making the spot 'Gee Cross Market Place'. The market scheme never came to anything." So the archway was presumably built at this time, but there's no mention of what it may have been for.
Presumably the archway was a more prominent feature at one time - hence 'Arch Joinery'.
That's a very observant comment, Dave.It's probably correct ,too!
Thanks for that. It never occured to me.
I have never heard or seen this before Nancy.. I wonder if Brian or Neil Howarth can shead some light on this.
Whittaker was responsible for several buildings aroung Gee Cross but from what I can gather there was as many pie in the sky ideas which did nt come to fruition.
As reagrds the Arch, I know there was a open stream which ran through the Werneth Pub Cellar so its quite possible the Arch could of been the opening of a culvert for the said stream, just a guess !!!
Hi I was just looking back through some of your old blogs, and I came across the puzzle of the arch in the wall opposite the Werneth Hotel. I am not too sure but if you look at the 1875 & 1910 maps of the area on the CCC site, there appears to be a lake of some sort on the site of the old quarry, comparing this to the tithe map, there is a waterway passing through the area. Perhaps this waterway and possible lake fed the two reservoirs (Diamond & Stonepit) opposite. Just a thought.
Paul Taylor
Hi Paul
I hope you have enjoyed looking back through these postings.
What you say is very possible, there as to b a culvert around there that feeds/fed the stream in Gower Hay. The arch is substantial I wonder if there is a clue to this on the other side of the road?
Don't know how I managed to miss this post when it first appeared, but I've seen it now and would like to throw in a few of my memory's joggings here. What you are calling Whittaker's Whim was, in my childhood, Moores' Factory. The Moores family also lived in a house adjacent to the works - Lester and Joyce Moores went to Holy Trinity School. Access to the factory was via a driveway which ran from Stockport Road, between Morrison's sweet shop and the right hand bend facing the Werneth. This driveway was a steep decline to the level below Stockport Road, as shown in the pictures. Some of the land down there consisted of a fair-sized lake which had at least one swan living on it. I lived at 220 Stockport Road in the 1950s/60s and from the land behind our house we could see down into Moores premises. The swan would often leave the lake, walk up to steep slope to our back and access Stockport Road via the driveway adjacent to 226 Stockport Road. My dad, who had a joiner's workshop behind our house, used to feed it.
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