The Devisdale
According to local history, it
appears The Devisdale got its
name sometime between 1702 and
1740. The 'Devis' part of Devisdale
possibly comes from the name of
a local family who lived in the
area in the 17th and 18th centuries.
Prior to that, it was known as
Bowdon Downs.
However, there
is another opinion as to how
The Devisdale acquired its name.
It is believed to be a corruption
of 'Davis Dole'. The term 'dole'
(applied later to the unemployment
benefit 'doled out' to the poor)
referred to land (usually common
land) 'doled out' to the poorest
for grazing, collecting firewood
and similar ancient common rights.
The slopes which descend from
Denzell to Altrincham would
have been heath land and used
by the lord of the manor as
a rabbit warren to provide food.
From the eighteenth
century the 'Bowdon Wakes' were
held on The Devisdale. Events
such as horse, pony and donkey
racing, climbing the greased
pole, juggling, hen racing and
foot races would run across
three days and often involved
heavy drinking by both men and
women alike.
The Altrincham
Agricultural Show was said to
have been held on The Devisdale
from 1896 to 1966 and was believed
to be the largest one-day show
in the country.
Farmers came to
show cattle from all over Britain,
including Norfolk, the West
Country and Scotland. Machinery
and animals came by train to
Altrincham and Hale stations
as well as by road. For locals
it was a day out and an opportunity
to buy cheap bacon and prize
vegetables at the end of the
show. It was also used during
the last war for soldiers who
camped out under canvas.
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The
Devisdale is now owned
by Trafford Council
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| Before the
Second World War, it was used
as a nursery and afterwards was
laid down as a pasture and a hay
crop was taken off up until 1987.
The sowing of
the field for a hay crop required
a mixture of species and in
1985 The Devisdale contained
thirteen different types as
well as a few plants such as
the Common Marsh Orchid and
the more uncommon broadleaf
plants such as Lesser Stitchwort
whose numbers have increased
over the years - particularly
the Orchid.
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Denzell House
Denzill House (as it was believed
to have been called) was built
by Robert Scott in 1874 for his
son Henry. Scott paid £7,075
to the seventh Earl of Stamford
for 10 acres of land and hired
Manchester architects Clegg and
Knowles to design a house in keeping
with the affluent neighbourhood.
The house is believed to have
cost £18,000 to build and
a further £12,000 for all
the fittings. |
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Denzell
House is now privately
owned
and used as offices
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| Robert Scott
was a businessman who was said
to be connected to the firm of
Tootal, Broadhurst Lee. The house
never went to his son, Henry,
as tragically he was killed, possibly
in the Zulu Wars and he never
returned to the house. Robert
Scott is said to have died in
1904 when Samuel Lamb, a wealthy
shipper bought the house.
During Samuel
Lamb's lifetime, the gardens
of Denzell flourished under
the employ of a team of gardeners.
Where the new Lodge stands today
was, in the past, the site of
the glasshouses where peaches,
orchids and vines were grown.
The greenhouses were in use
until the mid 1970's and supplied
plants for the parks in the
area. Flowers were also grown
and were used to decorate Altrincham
Town Hall and the Assembly Rooms
on official occasions.
What is now the
car park behind the new Denzell
Lodge, was once home to the
kitchen garden, managed by William
Ellis, the head gardener (one
of Lord Rothchild's former employees),
who maintained and produced
fruit and vegetables for the
house.
Much of the house
and grounds were allowed to
fall into disarray and photographs
of it in its full glory have,
so far, been hard to locate.
The tennis court, croquet lawn,
entrance gates, lodge, clock
tower and archway to the stable
yard are therefore left to the
imagination.
Lamb died in 1936 and the house
was passed to the local authority,
Bowdon UDC, by his children,
in memory of their parents.
Samuel Lamb's legacy to the
people of Bowdon was to offer
a place for recreational pursuits
for young and old alike and
it still fulfills the same purpose
today.
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Samuel
Lamb seated in the old
Conservatory
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| The house
has been many things to many people
over the years. In 1938 it was
a Whitsuntide weekend school and
during the Second World War it
opened as an annexe to Altrincham
General Hospital when it became
a maternity home for expectant
mothers.
Its use by the
health authority continued for
some years until it was sold
on a long lease in 1989 and
turned into offices.
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