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England (Counties as in 1851-1901) => England => Cheshire => Topic started by: cando on Monday 09 June 08 12:47 BST (UK)
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Hi
I have letter written in Aug 1920 by a ancestor who was a clergyman and it is just Waldham House, Hale, Cheshire. Can anyone enlighten me as to what Waldham House would have been. I have googled with no result.
Many thanks.
Cheers
Cando
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From memory, I think it's Wadham House and it was a school when I was a child in the 1940s and 1950s. I've just found the following on an estate agents site:
The Wadham House School was sold in 1962 to a builder. The school and eight acres of playing fields are now the roads of Wadham Way , Fernlea and Birchfields.
Lizzie
I have a recollection of the children wearing grey blazers with a red badge on them, but I could be wrong. Maybe other Rootschatters from the area will remember. I remember the school was on Arthog Road, Hale
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Lizzie
You are perfectly correct :)
Cando
Calling it Wadham House may suggest it pre-dates the setting up of the school. But . . . Although your ancestor may have been the Headmaster. You may find some more information if you contact the Hale Civic Society. Don't know their URL. If for any reason you can't find a link. PM me and I'll put you in touch.
Regards
Reiver
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Hi Lizzie and Reiver
What good news;D ;D I will contact the Society -
http://www.rph.littlehaven.btinternet.co.uk/Index.htm
Thank you so much.
On another ancestor's will in 1898 it had an address formerly of Fernlea...wonder if there is some connection. The family were quite well off...well according the wills I have found ;D
Would be wonderful if I could locate a photo of the school/house Well here's hoping. I am the eternal optimist ;D
Cheers for now
Cando
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Hello Cando,
Could the address in your 1898 Will be Fernylea not Fernlea?. Possible surname Owen.
If anybody has a photo of Wadham Hose I think it will be HCS. Trafford Liifetimes do not but it may be worth checking if you have other places locally. Suggest googling "Trafford Lifetimes".
One of the roads - and Lizzie mentioned this earlier - built on the area where Wadham school was is called Fernlea. Who was the person at Wadham House?
Regards
Reiver
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Since my last post I've been out 'on the ground' looking for Fern Lea - and asking locals :)
In addition to the one I mentioned before - Fernylea - I've found two Fernleas.
With a name from the 1898 Will it may be possible to differentiate using the 1901 Census.
Regards
Reiver
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Wadham House was a school. Fernlea was another house
Do advise you contact Hale Civic Society
halecivicsociety {--at--} hotmail.com
Moderator Comment: e-mail edited, to avoid spamming and other abuses.
Please replace {--at--} with @
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Once again, thank you for your help.
Much appreciated.
Cheers
Cando
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Hi,
There are two new houses built on Arthog road where the school building used to be. We currently live in Lightoaks a couple off houses away, which is where I think the students used to have their dorms. (or so I'm told).
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Hi Mikezcooler
Lucky you, I have fond memories of Hale where I lived until I was 13. My cousin who lives in Lymm tells me I wouldn't recognize the place now. My mum had a shop on Ashley Road, opposite the bottom of Westgate. I know there was a dairy on the corner of Westgate, Ware's Dairy which also made ice cream. I believe that it's a bistro or something now. I have very very fond memories connected with Ware's Dairy, which have nothing to do with the dairy. ::) ::) I'm talking 1950s now, so a whole lifetime away.
Lizzie
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Thanks Lizzie.
I was just doing some research, and sick as a parrot as just found there was a war memorial of the school that sold on ebay 3 yrs ago. Had I known about it, would have been nice to have bought it and put it closer to where the students & masters actually studied / lived.
http://www.roll-of-honour.com/Cheshire/HaleWadhamHouseSchool.html
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Wadham House was a private school between Arthog Road and Park Road Hale. Lightoaks was a detached house next door where the boarders slept. It closed down in the early 1960s. The Blazers and School Caps were Black with 2 parallel light blue striped. The school motto was "Age Viriliter."
The last headmaster was John Horsfall Turner, who suffered Alcoholism probably made worse when I believe 2 boys died in a fire on a school trip to France.
The school and playing fields were sold for around £25,000 in the 1960s and developed into Wadham Way off Park Road (a number of detached homes) and about 2 more on Arthog Road.
There were three Houses - White House, Red House and Blue House - pupils were enlisted into one of these. Turner the headmaster ran White House and the Summer Sports Day was one of the things he did best.
From Egg and Spoon, Sack Race, throwing of the cricket ball, to 100 yards, 220 yards and half mile, long and high jump, it was fun.
There was a Tuck Shop in one if the two roads off Park Road.
Hope this is of some help
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All correct
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I lived in Hale from 1954 to 1965. I found the area we lived in very little changed when I was driving back from Manchester to Birmingham in about 1975 and decided to make an excursion through Hale to see if I recognized anything. Judging from photos on the Internet our house in Riddings Road is still easily recognizable, though they've built an extension over the garage. However, its estimated value today is about a million pounds, whereas in 1954 it cost about £2000.
Arthog Road has been mentioned a couple of times. I met John Polanyi long before he won the Nobel Prize, and when I told him I lived in Hale he said that he had lived in Arthog Road as a child.
Sorry: no genealogical information in this post!