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ST ANNE’S HOME ST ANNE’S HOME A History of the Bowdon Branch of the Manchester Hospital for Consumption Sue Nichols Altrincham 2010 Sue Nichols (née Johnson) was born of English parents in South Australia in 1954. After studying History, Italian and Fine Arts at Sydney University, she moved to England in 1974 to obtain a B.A. (Hons) and an M.A. in the History of European Art, at the Courtauld Institute of Art, University of London. Sue then worked in London as a photo librarian in the Witt Library at the Courtauld Institute, subsequently becoming a picture researcher for EMI Records and the publisher Thames and Hudson. Sue moved to the Altrincham area in 1984 to marry Simon. They have two adult children, Rachel and Paul. Apart from a keen interest in the local history of Altrincham and Bowdon, she is an active member of Altrincham & Bowdon Civic Society and Bowdon Conservation Group and campaigns vigorously to promote and protect the historic buildings, trees and green open spaces in the area. As an author, her writings include a chapter to update a new edition of The Larousse Encyclopedia of Modern Art (1980) and contributions to A Concise Encyclopedia of the Italian Renaissance (1981). After the birth of her first child in 1987, she became editor of the Trafford National Childbirth Trust ‘Newsletter’. In 1990, she was responsible for forming The Vimto Advertising Collection and organising the travelling exhibition of its contents, on the themes of advertising, packaging, marketing and social history. In 1991, Sue instigated and coordinated the ‘Monument to Vimto’ sculpture project for the grounds of UMIST, Manchester. She also wrote the book Vimto: The Story of a Soft Drink (1994), which further explored the popular brand. More recently in 2007, Sue managed the project to digitise and caption The Vimto Advertising Collection, ensuring its increased accessibility and longevity. At the time of completion of this book, Sue is the Project Coordinator for Altrincham and Bowdon Civic Society’s £50,000 Heritage Lottery Fund grant entitled ‘The Heritage of the Altrincham Area’, which incorporates the newly formed Altrincham Area Image Archive. For further information see altrinchamheritage.com. Published by Sue Nichols, 12 Higher Downs, Altrincham, Cheshire WA14 2QL St Anne’s Home: A History of the Bowdon Branch of the Manchester Hospital for Consumption Copyright © 2010 Sue Nichols. All Rights Reserved. Illustrations: see page 117 Printed by Prontaprint Altrincham, 16 Church Street, Altrincham WA14 4DW Front Cover: Patients and staff outside the verandahs at St Anne’s Home, seen on postcard of c.1908 (detail). Frontispiece: Illustration of St Anne’s Home from Sketches of the Manchester Hospital for Consumption and Diseases of the Throat & Chest, c.1891. End-piece: The grounds of The Beeches on Christmas Day, 1878. The substantial sandstone boundary wall can be seen in the distance. It was built in 1875, as referred to in the Sidebotham ‘Family Diary’ (see page 34) and an inscription on one of the stones in Beechfield. Back Cover: The camera-shy Anne Sidebotham, after whom St Anne’s Home was named, with one of her daughters, early 1860s. CONTENTS Introduction …………………………………………………………………………. 9 Tuberculosis – The Nature of the Disease……………………................. 9 The Manchester Hospital for Consumption……………........................ 12 The Need for Relocation……………………………………........................... 12 Dr Arthur Ransome……….…………………………………………………….... 14 Bowdon – The Ideal Location………………………………………………..... 16 Beech Grove (later called The Beeches), Bowdon……………………... 17 Bowdon Downs Congregational Church…………………………………... 22 Enlarging the Grounds of Beech Grove…………………………………….. 23 Beechfield……………………………………………………………………………... 23 Ibotson Walker’s Move Back to Yorkshire………………………………... 24 William Johnson……………………………………………………………………. 24 Joseph Thompson………………………………………………………………….. 25 The Aggrandisement of Beech Grove……………………………………….. 26 Joseph Sidebotham…………………………………………………………………. 27 Life Married to Anne Coward…………………………………………………. 30 The Move to Beech Grove, Bowdon………………………………………... 32 The Sidebotham ‘Family Diary’1872-1885…………………………………33 The Grounds at The Beeches…………………………………………………... 36 The Workshop………………………………………………………………………. 37 The Sidebotham Family Pets………………………………………………….... 38 The Weather……………………………………………………………………….... 40 Holidays in England and Wales……………………………………………….. 41 The Seaside……………..…………………………………………………………….. 42 Travels Abroad…………………………………………………………………….... 43 ‘Bowdon White Brick’…………………………………………………………… 44 Alterations to The Beeches by Joseph Sidebotham………….…..……... 47 The Garden Extension 1869-71…………………………….………..……….. 48 The Library……………………………………………………………..……..……... 50 Further Work at The Beeches…………………………………………….….... 50 Other Features In the Grounds……………………………………….……….. 52 The Drawing Room………………………………………………………..….…... 54 Further Alterations to The Beeches……………………………..……….….. 55 The Woodville Road Extension 1876…………………….……………..…. 55 Earlier Architectural Records of the Area…………………………….…... 63 Getting involved with the Local Churches…………………………….….. 65 The Sidebothams Move to Erlesdene, Green Walk, Bowdon……... 67 St Anne’s Church, Haughton, Denton…………………………………..…. 68 Dr Arthur Ransome and Joseph Sidebotham……………………………... 70 The Purchase of The Beeches for The Hospital…………………….….... 70 The Death of Joseph Sidebotham……………………………………….……. 71 The Sidebotham Children…………………………………………………..…... 72 The Conversion of The Beeches to a Branch Hospital………..….….... 74 The Hardman Street Dispensary, Manchester…………………….…..…. 75 The Crossley Brothers…………………………………………………….…….... 78 The Crossley Wing (later known as the Ashley Ward)………..……... 80 Improvements to The Beeches………………………………………..……..… 85 Further Expansion of St Anne’s Home………………………….…..…..…. 87 Medical Research………………………………………………..……..………..…. 89 Keeping Up With Demand……………………………………..…..………….. 90 Formalising the Treatment………………………………….……..………….... 92 Evolution of The Buildings at St Anne’s Home…………….……….…... 96 Manchester – ‘The Chief Factory of Tuberculosis’…………….…….... 97 The Crossley Sanatorium at Delamere…………………………...……….... 98 The National Insurance Act…………………………………………………...... 100 Changing Purposes of St Anne’s Home………………………….……….… 100 The Recent Past…………………………………………………………………….. 103 The Future of The Beeches/St Anne’s Hospital………………………… 105 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………. 108 Appendix I: Site Map of the T.P.O. and Dates of the Historic Buildings………………………………………………………………………….……. 109 Appendix II: Chronology…………………………………………………….….. 110 Select Bibliography - Primary Sources……………………………………… 112 - Secondary Sources............................................... 115 Illustrations…………………………………………………………………………… 117 Acknowledgements………………………………………………………..………. 117 Index of People, Businesses, Institutions and Organisations……….. 118 Index of Addresses and Roads…………………………………………………. 122 A photograph pasted into the Sidebotham ‘Family Diary’, taken by Joseph Sidebotham in July 1872. All his children are playing croquet in the extensive grounds of The Beeches, with Miss Fanny Linton, the governess and companion to the family at the centre. In the background can be seen the original 1837 house to the right, with the Italianate extension built by Sidebotham to the left of it. Postcard dating from the early 1900s, showing the handsome wing of the Bowdon branch of the Manchester Hospital for Consumption, built in the grounds of The Beeches in 1886. It was funded by William J. Crossley and designed to the latest scientific principals, maximising sunlight, ventilation and fresh air, in order to provide a cure for the patients. The sun-bath is to the left, with the cast iron verandah added in 1898-99, to the right of it. The gentleman in the coat with the large moustache, is likely to be Dr Arthur Ransome, friend and neighbour of Joseph Sidebotham and instigator of the establishment of the hospital in raised location and clean air of Bowdon. [8] INTRODUCTION Dr Arthur Ransome, who was to become the prime mover behind St Anne’s Home, had lived opposite in one of the four houses of Peel Terrace in the 1860s, as described in Peter Kemp’s booklet Higher Downs (1985). The obvious sources did not reveal which house in particular, so I was curious to find out. I started to research the various archives relating to Manchester Hospital for Consumption and Diseases of the Throat and Chest, of which St Anne’s Home was a suburban branch. This was supplemented by other local history sources, many of which became increasingly available on the internet. The Sidebotham family’s photographs and volumes of their ‘Family Diary’ were also explored. The results, which form this book, show that the hospital and the original 1837 house at its core, had contributed significant warp threads to the rich fabric that made up Bowdon society from the mid-1830s through to the early 1900s. The architectural and medical history of St Anne’s is also important, having been described by Royal Commission’s survey (1998) as, ‘In both its design and medical regime, this hospital set the standard for nearly all subsequent sanatoria in England.’ TUBERCULOSIS – THE NATURE OF THE DISEASE Tuberculosis is an infectious, communicable disease which is spread by breathing in the Mycobacterium tuberculosis after exposure to an infected person’s sneeze or cough or else when held on dust. It can also be caught by ingesting contaminated food. The most common form is pulmonary tuberculosis, which grows and destroys the tissues in the lungs causing haemorrhages, then