Conway Street Property

[tozzin]

I was taking photos on Broomspring Lane this morning for a group of people called "our Broomhall" and when walking down Conway St, I came upon this building, as you can see it has a very decorative doorway and is a very large building and it seems to continue on Gell St. It may be three houses that are just built together but on the roof line on the Gell St Photo it has a decorative pediment that runs the full length of the building with a decorative spike in the middle of the pediment BUT what was the original use of the building or was it just a town house for some wealthy family. Any ideas?

[SteveHB]

Two addresses, 5 Conway Street and 98 Gell Street.

[SteveHB]

Circa 1853

Link to Flash Earth

c.1890

[Edmund]

In the 1830’s Charles Congreve lived in the house, though at that time there was no Conway Street, just Gell Street. In about 1790 Charles’ grandmother, a widow, kept a school in Harvest street. His father William was a Brightside knife grinder. Having worked for W. and S. Butcher of Eyre lane, then for an American merchant in Arundel street, then for Dewsnap’s, Mr Congreve went out to America as an agent for Butchers.

The subsequent tenant of the property was the widow of George Butler (of Trinity street). Next was a minister of the Upper Chapel named the Reverend Bartholomew Teeling Stannus (died January 1858), then Mr William Kirkpatrick a Scottish draper, who removed there from Suffolk Road during the 1870's.

(Information kindly supplied by Thomas O. Hinchcliffe alias “Wragg”)

Further information, supplied by anonymous correspondent “Senecius” in 1878:

Charles Congreve was apprenticed around 1812 -1819 to Mr George Deakin snr, whose scissor manufactory was in Green lane. After his employment with Butchers and before going to America, he joined the firm of Naylor, Vickers and Co. in Millsands, with a view to expanding their North American trade. Mr Congreve gave enthusiastic support to the election campaign of Mr Buckingham, during the first Parliamentary elections in the borough in 1832. He took a leading role in setting up and running the first Chamber of Commerce, and was a zealous Wesleyan, also teaching Sunday School at Red Hill.

[SteveHB]

5, Conway Street - http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/en-458225-5-conway-street

[tozzin]

Strangely enough I worked at George Butlers for over 23 years, started on Sidney St and finished at Ecclesfield. Is this property on Conway St / Gell St the one that had or had a well in the back garden?

[Edmund]

Strangely enough I worked at George Butlers for over 23 years, started on Sidney St and finished at Ecclesfield. Is this property on Conway St / Gell St the one that had or had a well in the back garden?

The 1853 map shows a pump in the back garden as with many of the houses in that area, and it appears that the famous well ended up being in the garden of this house (see cutting below).

The place names around there feature "spring" a lot (Broomspring, Spring Field, Broonhall Spring) and there is a spring marked just to the north of Wilkinson street on the 1822 and 1838 maps, with local reservoirs as well. It appears that the water table was quite close to the surface around there. That probably explains why Glossop Road baths were built in that area.

[RichardB]

Somewhere I've provided a letter relating to this well, we all researched it and came up with the inscription. The hunt is on, to re-find the answer !!!

Here it is, discuss.

[Calvin72]

The property is now managed by a well known local Housing Association, who i am employed by. As such i have been inside and it is still a striking building. I hope, and believe, that it is in safe hands.