bowdon - Cheshire County Council - Cheshire County Council ...

DIRECTORY.] CHESHIRE. BOWDON. 189BOWDONBOWDON is an extensive parish and township, 9 milessouth from Manchester, 7 from Knutsford, 12 from Northwichand I south-west from Altrincham, with a stationlocally in Stamford road, Altrincham, on the Manchester,South Junction and Altrincham railway, and connectedalso with the neighbouring stations on the London andNorth Western and Cheshire Lines raUways (Hale Station),in the Altrincham division of the county, hundredand union of Bucklow, county court district of Altrincham,rural deanery of Bowdon, archdeaconry of Macclesfieldand diocese of Chester. The town occupies a commandingeminence, affording fine views of the valley of Bollinand the surrounding country for many miles; its delightfuland healthy situation, and the facilities of raUwaycommunication which it enjoys, have made it a popularplace of residence for the wealthier classes of Manchester," The Local Government Act, 1858 " was adopted 22Jan, 1864, but the township, formerly under the controlof a Local Board, is now governed by an Urban DistrictCouncil, under the provisions of the " Local GovernmentAct, 1894" (56 and 57 Vict, c 73) and is supplied withwater by the North Cheshire Water Go.The Urban District is divided into East, North, Southand West Wards.The parish church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, firsterected during the Saxon times, and thrice restored, accordingto a brass inscription in the interior, in theyears iioo, 1320 and 1570, was rebuilt with enlargements,on the same site, in i860, at a cost of ;^i5,ooo,under the direction of Mr. W. H. Brakspear, architect,of Manchester, in the Transition style between theDecorated and Perpendicular periods, and is a cruciformedifice, consisting of chancel, with north andsouth chapels, transepts, clerestoried nave, north andsouth porches, and an embattled westem tower, 91 feetin height, with pinnacles, and containing a clock and 6belU: the base of the tower forms a western porch:both chapels were formerly the burying places of theEarls of Stamford and Warrington, but the presentfamily vault is under the south or Dunham chapel:in the south or Dunham chapel is a fine mural monumentwith inscribed tablet, sculptures and allegorical figuresto Henry 2nd Baron Delamere and ist Earl of Warrington,tried for high treason, but honourably acquitted,1676; oh. 2 Jan. 1693-4; and to Mary (Langham) hiscountess, oh. 23 March, 1690-91; here also is anotherlarge mural monument, -with Ionic pillars supportinga pediment adorned -with figures of cherubs, and at theback a shield of arms of 60 quarterings and two medaUionportradts; on the monument is a long inscription tothe H«n. Langham Booth, d. 12 May, 1724; and tothe Hon. Henry Booth, M.P. for Cheshire, 1661-80, d.2 Feb. 1726-7: in Garrington chapel is a fine monumentwith recumbent effigies, to WUliam Brereton esq.of Ashley, ob. 29 Aug. 1630, and Jane (Warburton) hiswife, ob, 2 March, 1627; the figure of the former Uesunder an arch in the upper stage of the monument, andbelow, under a marble canopy, supported on pillars of theCorinthian order, is that of his -wife; ten members of theBrereton family were buried here from 1570 to 1660, andthe registers also record numerous baptisms: in the chancelproper is a brass to the Rev. John Kingsley M.A.formerly curate here, and some time vicar of Dunham Massey,d, Nov, 1869; and one to Ven, WiUiam Pollock D.D.vicar of Bowdon and archdeacon of Chester, d. n Oct.1873 ; and there are other memorials to Thomas AsshetonSmith esq, d, 1769, and Harriet his wife, d. 1778, and toThomas, their son, d. 1774; and to Edward JeremiahLloyd esq, ot Oldfield HaU, d. 3 July, 1850: the stainedeast window was presented by W, Nield esq. in memory ofhis -wife, who died in 1859, and the west window, a memorialto Margaret Annie Glegg, was placed in 1854 byher parents; the large stained windows in the transeptswere given by Lady Murray, of Oldfield HaU, and E. Joynsonesq. of Bowdon, and there are five others, chiefly memorials: the font, presented in i860 by jNIiss Joynson, consistsof an octagonal basin of Painswick stone, richlycarved, and supported on a shaft of Devonshire marble:the brass lectern was the gift in 1891 of F. G. Napieresq.: there are 1,164 sittings in addition to those in theDimham chapel: the churchyard was leveUed and inclosedby a wall and raiUngs in i860. The register dates from theyear 1627. The living is a vicarage, net yearly -value^^673, with 10 acres of glebe and residence, erected in1864, in the gift of the Bishop of Chester, and held sinceif73 by the Rev. Arthur Gore D.D. of Trinity CoUege,Dublin, examining chaplain to the Bishop of Chester,canon residentiary of Chester Cathedral, and surrogate.The mission church of St. Luke, in Vicarage lane,erected in 1882, is served from the parish church. TheSt. Paul's Wesleyan Methodist chapel, Enville road,erected in 1880, at a cost, including Sunday schoolsand minister's house, of ;£'3o,ooo, is a building of .stone,in the Gothic style, from designs by Mr. W. H. Brakspear,architect, and will seat 700 persons. There aretwo other small Wesleyan Methodist chapels, one inVicarage lane and one in Priory street. "The charitiesfor distribution in bread, to be given away to the poorevery Sunday, and in clothing, amount altogether toabout ;^no yearly; George Earl of Warrington left bywiU dated 22 July, 1754, a sum of ;^5,ooo, in 1902 ofthe capital value of ^^5,610, invested in Consols, forapprenticing, educating or clothing poor children, or forclothing or affording other relief to aged persons;Walton's, Cooke's, and Bagshaw's charities; produce ;^2i6yearly for educational purposes and bedding. The Earlof Stamford is lord of the manor and chief landowner.The population of the township and Urban District in1901 was 2,788; the acreage, 845 acres of land and 5of water; rateable value in 1910, j£'29,845.Parish Clerk, Henry Goulden.Bowdon comprises the townships of Agden, Altrincham,Ashley, Baguley, BoUington, Garrington, Dunham Massey,Hale, Partington and Timperley, all of which are givenunder separate headings.Bowdon Town Sub-Post, M. O. 4 T. Office, Stamfordroad.—Miss Kathleen Ormson, sub-postmistress.Letters arrive through Altrincham. Box cleared at8.30 4 10 a.m. k 12.15, i-i5. 4' S-iS. 7. 8.15 4 9.45p.m. week days; Sundays at 6.15 p.m. TelegraphOffice open on Wednesdays from 8 a.m. to i p.mTown Sub-Post 4 M. 0. Office, Vicarage lane.—Mrs.Sarah Oglethorpe, sub-postmistress. Letters throughAltrincham, dispatched at 8.15 ft 11.45 ^.m. 4 i, 3, 5,7, 7.45 4 9.45 p.m. ; Sundays, 5.45 p.mURBAN DISTRICT COUNCIL.Meet at the Board room, Richmond road, on the lasttuesday in every month.Members.All retire in 1911.Chairman, Tedbar Hopkin J.P.East Ward.John HawkerI Richard A. WarburtonJsph.WatsonSidebothamJ.P |North Ward.Tedbar Hopkin J.P I Thomas StephensHenry Richmond Hutton |South Ward.Alfred GuyI Isaac WarburtonWilliam Hampson IWest Ward.John HallI John Howard WhitworthEdwd. Jn. Sidebotham J.P |Officials.Clerk, Willis Paterson, solicitor, n Stamford street,AltrinchamAssistant Clerk 4 CoUector, James W. Percival, Sandylea, Stamford road, BowdonTreasurer, R. R. Kirby, Lloyds Bank Lim. AltrinchamMedical Officer of Health, MotherweU Duggan M.R.CS.Eng., L.R.CP.Edin. The DownsSurveyor fc Sanitary Inspector, Harry Pownall, RichmondroadCounty Police Station, Park road, John Thomas Hayesfc Harry Wibberley,sergeants in charge,ft 3 con^ablesPUBLIC OFFICERS.Collector of Poor Rates ft Assistant Overseer, James W,Percival, Sandy lea, Stamford roadCollector of Taxes, WUliam Moody, 31 Market street,AltrinchamPublic Elementary School, built in 1806 ft rebuilt on anew site in 1870 ft enlarged in 1906 ft 1910, fcr 335chUdren; average attendance, 206; Alfred JamesBlakeman, master