159 Moorside Road, Urmston M41 5SJ

Building

Roofed and walled permanent structures.

Asset type

This is a former weaver's cottage with strong connections to the area's interest in Methodism which grew significantly from the 1750's onwards. As such this is an important heritage asset.

Age

Circa 1770

Rarity

As a cottage of this date and with these Methodist associations it must be considered a rarity

Historic Interest

This is a cottage of eighteenth-century origins, and of simple design which although modernised is still well preserved. Over the door is a plaque with the name and date of the cottage which indicates it dates to 1783. However, the cottage is probably older than this - as local historian David Smith confirms he located records showing that the cottage existed in 1770. This cottage provides important testament to the district’s connections with Methodism, and in particular to John Wesley. Wesley is said to have preached in Davyhulme in 1746 and to have returned to the area on several occasions following this. Methodism became an important and popular religious tradition in the area, especially during the period 1740 and 1840. This is reflected in the many chapels and schools of this denomination formed throughout the district during this period - few of which remain today. Cliff and Masterson tell us that the cottage was the home of weaver James Bent: “who gathered children from around the area in his loom shop on Sunday afternoon for religious instruction.” The loom shop became inadequate for the numbers involved and so in 1786 the Sunday school transferred to the then nearby Methodist chapel (demolished and replaced with housing), where it remained for sixty years. The Bent family appear to have occupied the cottage for many generations, continuing there until the early twentieth-century. The cottage provides a clear example of how Methodism in the area grew particularly amongst local artisan weaving families. Urmston, Flixton and Davyhulme were once important centres for artisan weavers, before new technologies brought improved industrial techniques shifting production to increasingly large mills, especially in Manchester’s burgeoning ’Cottonopolis’. These changes sounded the death knell for most artisan weaving as a trade, impacting on many families in the area. However, the development of other industries such as those in nearby Irlam would help compensate for the loss. The cottage is located in what today is a busy spot, opposite Trafford General Hospital and adjacent to a row of shops and takeaway food outlets. Although this makes it hard to image the building as a weaver's cottage with residents with strong religious dissenting beliefs, it adds to the importance of the premises being listed - so that these important historical references are not lost or forgotten.

01 Apr 2023

29 Jan 2023