The history of Denzell House in Altrincham
Built by Robert Scott back in 1874 for his son Henry £7075 was paid to the early of Stamford for the site and architects Clegg and Knowles were hired to design a property in keeping with the affluent area of the site, it is believed that the total build cost was in the region of £18000 with a further £12000 costings for the fittings.
Robert Scott was a businessman who was said to be connected to the firm of Tootal, Broadhurst Lee. Unfortunately before the property was finished Henry was tragically killed it is thought in the Zulu wars. Robert died in 1904 and that’s when Samuel Lamb a wealthy businessman in the shipping industry purchased the property.
The gardens of Denzell House flourished throughout Samuels life under the watchful eye of a team of gardeners. There used to be glasshouses behind the house where orchids, vines and peaches were grown, these remained in use until the mid 1970s supplying plants to the nearby parks. On official occasions flowers grown at Denzell house were used to decorate Altrincham town hall.
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 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. There used to be a tennis court, croquet lawn, grand entrance gates and even a clock tower and archway to the stable but no photographs so we have to use our imaginations on that side of things!
When Lamb passed away back in 1936 the house passed to Bowdon local authority by his his children in memory of their parents. Lamb was a lovely man and his legacy means a lot to many people. in 1938 he allowed the house to be used as a Whitsuntide weekend school and he opened the house as an annexe to Altrincham General hospital as a maternity ward of pregnant women during the second world war Its use by the health authority continued for some years until it was sold on a long lease in 1989 and turned into offices.
The history of 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’ 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.
Before the Second World War, it was used as a nursery and afterwards it was sown as a hay crop which required a mixture of species. In 1985 The Devisdale contained thirteen different types of grasses 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.
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.
I am a regular visitor to the gardens and find the building and land surrounding it absolutely spectacular, the staff here are Altrincham Glazing Co can regularly be found at Denzell Gardens out on a stroll followed by an afternoon pint at the Griffin!
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