Cotleigh House

[vox]

Hi everybody,

This is amazing reading for me, absolutely fascinating. My name is Chris Birks, Alan Birks' eldest son. Unfortunately, Alan died at the end of February of a sudden heart-attack aged 61. I'm trying to work out as much of his life that I can, namely the bits that I never had time to ask him about. If any of you guys have any tit bits of information or good stories on his school days/band days/Sheffield days I'd really appreciate it if you could post them up or pass them on. Drugs, girls, bands, gigs, arrests, near-misses, you name it and I want to hear it. I was born when Alan was 39 so there's practically a whole lifetime of stuff that I know extremely little about!

Chris

ps: I've got some really interesting photos some of you may all be interested in, where should I put them up?

Hello Chris

I'm so sorry to hear about your dad.

After he replied to this post I spoke to him a few times by PM and email. He was in (did he say Greece) at the time and was thinking about coming back to England.

I can't tell you a hell of a lot about your dad's schooldays because, although we were in the same year, we were never in the same class.

A couple of things come to mind though.

We were reluctantly made to run the 440yds at some sports-day or other. To show our annoyance we decided to trot around the track instead of running. Just arriving at the last bend (the others had already finished) the games bloke looked furious. I chickened out and ran the last 100yds but your dad carried on trotting and took the worst of the flack.

One summer, for some reason, those of us who had school meals were forbidden to leave the school grounds at dinnertime. It became the "thing to do" to find ways of dodging the prefects and escaping. Your dad was going home for dinners at the time so he was missing the fun. He started staying for school meals so he could join in.

The piano incident you know about now, though your dad put me right on a couple of things I'd got wrong.

As for old photos - yes please. Just post them on here.

I'm sending you a PM with a couple of bits of information.

Sorry again to hear of your loss.

[vox]

Here we are Thylacine (at long last) - Cotleigh House / Hall (I think it is actually House)

I gave up waiting for a scan. I was passing his workshop today and decided a photo was the only way to go.

Not very good I'm afraid it is from a photo of photocopy of a scan on grubby photocopy paper.

I'm not 100 percent sure that it is the right place though. What do you think ? (I am now - see edit)

Photo thanks to Paul Driver

EDIT:

I've got it now. - I was trying to place it as being taken from Cotleigh Cres but the photo is taken from Cotleigh Road looking towards the Crescent. The old car on the field is "Bradbury's Racing Brock". It belonged to our next door neighbours and they parked it there for years. The reg number was BRB something.

I can't get the same angle from Streetview because the original is taken from one of the gardens. I'll try next time I'm up there.

The fact that the car is there puts the photo firmly in the mid 50's.

[THYLACINE]

Yes Vox , only 3 years but well worth waiting for and you were true to your word. A very mysterious photo, definitely on par with Wuthering Heights or Baskerville Hall. I presume, from your edit , we are seeing the back of the house.

Mid 50's and already abandoned and derelict, it sends shivers up my spine.

I wonder why the photographer didn't advance 20 or 30 metres?

[RichardB]

Fine work Bloke.

Here we are Thylacine (at long last) - Cotleigh House / Hall (I think it is actually House)

I gave up waiting for a scan. I was passing his workshop today and decided a photo was the only way to go.

Not very good I'm afraid it is from a photo of photocopy of a scan on grubby photocopy paper.

I'm not 100 percent sure that it is the right place though. What do you think ? (I am now - see edit)

Cotleigh House-Hall.jpg

Photo thanks to Paul Driver

EDIT:

I've got it now. - I was trying to place it as being taken from Cotleigh Cres but the photo is taken from Cotleigh Road looking towards the Crescent. The old car on the field is "Bradbury's Racing Brock". It belonged to our next door neighbours and they parked it there for years. The reg number was BRB something.

I can't get the same angle from Streetview because the original is taken from one of the gardens. I'll try next time I'm up there.

The fact that the car is there puts the photo firmly in the mid 50's.

[vox]

I presume, from your edit , we are seeing the back of the house.

Mid 50's and already abandoned and derelict, it sends shivers up my spine.

I wonder why the photographer didn't advance 20 or 30 metres?

OS Map #133

The photo was taken from one of the front gardens on Cotleigh Rd. (You can just see the privet hedge in the bottom corner) and the view is of the side. The front of Cotleigh house faced down the hill towards Main Street.

As for the distance from the subject, one can only wonder. Perhaps there were other, closer, pictures which haven't survived. (or have they ?)

For me, seeing BRB is almost as big a thrill as seeing the house.

As far as I recall, ours was the first car in the area (we weren't well off, it was a firms vehicle) and when nextdoors got BRB it was the only other one for quite some time. When it finally broke down it stood on the field for a long time afterwards.

[vox]

The map verifies the fact that, by the time I lived opposite, the house was converted to flats (Cotleigh House 1-4)

There were still people living there when the place was a semi ruin. Holes in the roof, broken windows etc, so possibly still occupied when the photo was taken.

[vox]

By the way, was the low roofed factory (now also gone) behind the house, owned by Staniforth's, then later to become part of Stanley Tools ?

[vox]

Kelly's 1891
Hackenthorpe.
Gray Mrs. Ivy cottage
Hibbard John, jun. Greenside house
Hounsfield James, Hackenthorpe hall
Hounsfield James Jermyn, Hackenthorpe hall
Hounsfield Thomas, Cotley house
Le Tall William James, Inkersall house
Rhodes Joseph, The Farm
--------------------------------
Kelly's
HACKENTHORPE.
Gray Mrs.Ivy cottage
Bib-bard John,jun.Greenside house
Hounsfield James, Hackenthorpe hall
Hounsfield James Jermyn, Hackenthorpe hall
Hounsfield Mrs. Cotley house
----------------------------------------
Whites 1905
Hounsfield, Thomas (Mrs,)
Cotleigh House Hackenthorpe,

--------------------------------------
Whites 1871
Hounsfield, Thomas Esq.
Cotleigh House, Hackenthorpe in 1871.

-----------------------------------------
The Bancrupcy Acts 1914 & 26
London Gazette

Clifford Goodwin,
13 Westfield Avenue, Hackenthorpe
in the county of Derby, driver, lately residing at Cotleigh House, Hackenthorpe aforesaid.

-----------------------------------------------------
REPTON SCHOOL REGISTER
SUPPLEMENT to 1910 EDITION

Hounsfleld, James Sept 1891 - July, 1893 J.H.G.
S. of T. Hounsfield, Cotleigh House, Hackenthorpe, Sheffield.
B. May 21, 1875. The Farm, Hackenthorpe, Sheffield.

Hounsfield, Thomas Sept 1892 - July, 1894 J.H.G.
S of T. Hounsfield, Cotleigh House, Hackenthorpe.
b. Mar. 26, 1877. Farmer.

Hounsfield, Reginald Edward Sept.1896 - Dec, 1901 J.H.G.
S of T. Hounsfield, Cotleigh House, Hackenthorpe, Sheffield.
B Aug. 14, 1882. XL 1900, 01. F.XI. 1900. Farming.

>

[Stuart0742]

1891 Census

[Stuart0742]

1901 Census

[Stuart0742]

1911 Census

[Stuart0742]

so who were the Hounsfields

[vox]

Beighton

----------The Earl Manvers is lord of the manor and principal landowner. James Hounsfield esq. of Hackenthorpe Hall and John Jubb esq. of Drake House are also considerable landowners. The soil is principally light. The chief crops are wheat, oats, barley, turnips and hay. The area is 3,070 acres; rateable value, £16,697; the population in 1871 was 1,555, and in 1881 was 2,069. The parish comprises the hamlets of HACKENTHORPE, 2 miles east, where scythes, sickles and reaping hooks are manufactured very extensively ; BIRLEY, 2½ east, and SOTHAL WATERTHORPE, ½ east.

Kelly's 1891

[vox]

Extract from http://www.scarletfinders.co.uk/178.html

WAR HOSPITAL SUPPLY DEPOTS

The work of the Central Work Rooms, Burlington House, has been described on the previous page. In addition, there were more than 2,700 War Hospital Supply Depots and Work Parties throughout the United Kingdom and overseas and the number of each work party below gives some idea of how early it was registered. The numbers from 1 to 1,000 are absent as they were allocated to workers at Burlington House, and 2,000 to 3,999 to single home-workers, so the total numbers involved was very much higher than even this list suggests. These details are taken from:
Reports by the Joint War Committee of the British Red Cross Society and the Order of St. John of Jerusalem in England on Voluntary Aid Rendered to the Sick and Wounded at Home and Abroad and to British Prisoners of War, 1914-1919


4290 LITTLE EATON MRS WILSON, THE VICARAGE
4301 HACKENTHORPE MRS HOUNSFIELD, COTLEIGH HOUSE
4328 NEAR BURTON-ON-TRENT MRS HERBERT WRAGG, BRETBY

[vox]

London Gazette 1854