New Houses & Roads

The houses

The pre-war houses had a number of similarities and differences in their design. Their main features may be summarised as follows:

Ground floor

• Open porch at the front

• Hallway

• Dining room at the front

• Living room with fireplace at the back

• Small kitchen with a window facing the drive

• Space under stairs for gas and electric meters, and used as a kind of pantry to keep food fresh in the pre-refrigeration days. Small opaque window. 

• Coal house/coal space at rear of house

• Some houses had a back porch

Staircase with handrails led up to the first floor. Many were double turn staircases, some were one turn and others were straight.

First floor

• Three bedrooms, sometimes one at the front and two at the back, sometimes vice versa. Fireplace in one bedroom, sometimes in two.

• Bathroom

• W.C

• Sometimes a combined W.C. and bathroom

• L-shaped landing

• Airing cupboard with hot water cylinder

• Loft

Externally, there were differently shaped porches – some were rectangular, others were arched. All were open when built: doors were added later. Windows were differently shaped and styled: some were flat, others bayed. Some bathrooms had the distinctive circular windows – jokingly referred to as like a ‘ship’s cabin’ – whilst others didn’t.

Roofing

• Roofs were made with tiles, not slate. Even today, after 90 years or so, there are still houses on the estate with the original roof tiles – testament to their quality and durability. To the untrained eye these tiles may appear quite small but they are, in fact, quite large as can be seen when a house is being re-roofed. The original tiles have stood the test of time.

Pebble dash and rendering

• The upper outside walls of many houses were pebble dashed, that is, given a form of render that used lots of small stones and rocks. Pebble dash was incredibly strong and acted as a protective weather proofing against the elements. In their original form they appeared grey although many have since been painted over. That said, some still retain their original character and colour.

• Many of the pre-war houses were rendered with a coat of cement or plaster and then painted white. This was especially done to their frontage.

Houses were not always uniformly built. Today, even after decades of changes, extensions and modernising, it is still possible to see that in their original form some houses were different on one side of a road to those on the other side and, in a number of cases, also different to houses on the same side.

There was also a significant difference in price - £398 and £525, according to the surviving sales poster – and in the financial terms of deposits, approximate weekly costs and repayments. It may have been that some houses had more floor space or larger gardens. Whilst most of the pre-war houses were semis, a small number – around 17 or so – were built as detached. These were mainly on Dene Road, Deneford Road, Woodford Gardens, together with one each on Harefield Drive, Spring Gardens and Fordbank Road. These, presumably, had more space and were more expensive.

Foundation work had started on some houses just before the Second World War broke out in September 1939 and had to be suspended. Not until after the war was the work resumed and the houses completed.

New roads

The housing development necessitated the construction of several new roads and the extension of the existing Spring Gardens.  Dene Road, Deneford Road, Fordbank Road, Harefield Drive, Whitehaven Gardens and Woodford Gardens were built as new. Spring Gardens ran from the current Eversley Road/Lidgate Grove (formerly Grove Lane) junction towards the new estate. The new houses resulted in the extension of Spring Gardens so that it eventually connected with the current Dene Road. Decades later Spring Gardens would be renamed Springdale Gardens to avoid confusion with the more famous Spring Gardens in the city centre. As the house building followed the boundary wall of the estate, some of the new houses were located on Victoria Avenue and Spath Road and stood out from the existing older properties in terms of their style, shape and size.

Most of Dene Road was built within the estate. However, the section from near the current Holt House to Wilmslow Road would have required access through the grounds of Highfield and possibly Lansdowne House – two historic Didsbury houses that would eventually be demolished and replaced with buildings of the same name.

Origin and meaning of road names

The naming of most of the new roads on the estate largely reflect the surrounding landscape, historical landmarks or an association with special individuals. Although there are no specific historical documents, it is fair to assume that the official reasoning behind the naming of some roads might have been according to the following criteria:

Ford Lane – the lane leading to Northenden Ford, a point where people could ford (wade across) the River Mersey. The lane is marked on old maps as Carr Brow Lane and was an old route to Northenden before Palatine Road (named Northenden New Road at first) was opened in about 1862.

The old name “Carr Brow” is derived from “carr”, meaning “marshy or boggy ground”, and “brow”, meaning a “hill”. Carr Brow Lane ascended the hill from the river.

Fordbank Road – likely got its name from the former large house in the area, Ford Bank, which was eventually demolished. The name again reflects the historical significance of the Mersey as a “ford” or crossing point.

Dene Road – likely got its name from the term “dene”, which in old English referred to a “wooded valley” or “deep valley”. The area where the original Dene Road was located – now known as Dene Road West – with its natural parkland and proximity to the Mersey, could have been characterised by this kind of topography.

Deneford Road – the name derives from the historical area that existed before the estate was developed. The name is a combination of “dene”, meaning “wooded valley”, and “ford”, referring to the crossing point on the Mersey.

Woodford Gardens – likely combines elements of the surrounding area’s history with the modern development of a garden village. The name refers to a “ford in or by a wood”. The “Gardens” part of the name would refer to the planned development and its emphasis on green spaces and landscaping.

Harefield Drive – suggests the name originated from the area’s rural character of a “hare field” or a field where hares are found.

Whitehaven Gardens – is difficult to explain in the absence of specific historical documents. It may be linked to the town of Whitehaven in the former county of Cumberland or it may be named in honour of a person of that name who had an association with Didsbury. The “Gardens” part of the name again reflects the emphasis on the garden village concept in the development of the estate.

Spring Gardens – was already in existence and its name may be due to the presence of a spring or well in the area. This could have been a natural spring or a well dug to tap into groundwater. Both Spring Gardens and Fountain Street in Manchester city centre were named for this reason.

Victoria Avenue – likely got its name during the Victorian era, honouring Queen Victoria, who reigned from 1837 to 1901. Several of the new houses were built on this road.

Spath Road – likely got its name from nearby “Spaith Field” which is mentioned in 18th century accounts. It could be linked to an individual or family of that name.

Schools

Local primary schools which could be attended by children from the estate included Beaver Road, off School Lane, and Elm Grove, off Wilmslow Road.

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