A Dangerous Road

William Wood

The murder of William Wood in July 1823 is well recorded. He was killed at a lonely spot on Buxton Old Road at Longside on Whaley Moor. This is the old roman road between Disley and Whaley Bridge and at that time was in Cheshire. The spot is marked by a commemorative "Murder Stone".  

Wood, a cotton weaver from Eyam, was returning home from Manchester where he had sold his cloth and had received about £100 in payment. He travelled on foot and at Disley, called at a pub for refreshment. He got into conversation with three men and later continued on his way. After about ten minutes, the three left the pub and followed in Wood's direction catching up with him after a mile or two. Wood was beaten to death with stones and left at the roadside where his partly concealed body was later discovered. Wood's body was taken to the Cock Inn in Whaley Bridge where the coroners inquest was held a few days later.

Flat Pack Churches

“You can buy anything from Harrod’s", so it was once said. You could certainly buy a church, or at least a Tin Tabernacle as these prefabricated, corrugated iron buildings came to be called. The parish church at Maesbury in Shropshire, illustrated here by Maggie Humphrys, was one such structure. Supplied by the Knightsbridge store in 1906, for just £120, it was delivered on the back of a lorry and assembled by two men.

Harrod’s catalogue offered a range of "flat-pack" buildings,; they were just one of a number of companies to supply them.

The technique of producing corrugated iron and galvanising with zinc to prevent corrosion was developed in the mid 19^th century. A range of buildings was available including churches, sports pavilions, village halls, railway structures, warehouses and even a diminutive shepherd’s hut. The town of Oban, in Scotland had a Roman Catholic cathedral built of corrugated tin until it was replaced in 1932 with a stone building designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott.

A Dangerous Road

William Wood

The murder of William Wood in July 1823 is well recorded. He was killed at a lonely spot on Buxton Old Road at Longside on Whaley Moor. This is the old roman road between Disley and Whaley Bridge and at that time was in Cheshire. The spot is marked by a commemorative "Murder Stone".  

Wood, a cotton weaver from Eyam, was returning home from Manchester where he had sold his cloth and had received about £100 in payment. He travelled on foot and at Disley, called at a pub for refreshment. He got into conversation with three men and later continued on his way. After about ten minutes, the three left the pub and followed in Wood's direction catching up with him after a mile or two. Wood was beaten to death with stones and left at the roadside where his partly concealed body was later discovered. Wood's body was taken to the Cock Inn in Whaley Bridge where the coroners inquest was held a few days later.

The following day, three men appeared in Macclesfield where they bought new sets of clothes and gave away their old outfits. When news of the murder reached the town, suspicions were raised but the three had already left for Manchester by coach. When the old clothes were examined they were found to be stained with blood. The police followed to Manchester where one of the men was arrested in a public house. His companions had already left and there was no further trace of them.  The arrested assailant was Charles Taylor, 17 years of age. He committed suicide at the New Bailey Prison in Salford. His companions, of a similar age were known to the authorities, having only recently been released from a term of imprisonment. 

 The New Bailey Prison

Taylor had left prison just a day before the murder.  On 12th August of 1823 it was reported that Joseph Dale had been arrested in Liverpool whilst trying to enlist on a ship. On 24th April 1824, Dale was sentenced to death and was hanged on the following Wednesday. The third man was named as John Platt but it seems that he was never apprehended.

James (or John) Ellis

Just three years later, at almost the same spot, history was almost repeated. 

John Ellis of Parwich near Ashbourne was on his way  to visit his brother in Gorton to whom he was carrying a bundle of clothes. He spent the night at the White Horse in Horwich End.  

Another man, calling himself Michael Murray had also spent the night at the inn. Murray was described as being about 30 years of age with a thin face, dark hair and whiskers. Setting out the next day, Ellis saw that Murray was sitting on a wall at the roadside.. Murray changed the clogs that he wore for shoes and joined Ellis on the road towards Disley.  On reaching a lonely part of the road Ellis was hit with a blackthorn stick that Murray carried and beaten until defenceless. This assault took place at Longside on Whaley Moor very close to the spot where William Wood had been murdered in similar circumstances just three years before. His pockets were rifled for a silver watch and a few shillings and a bundle containing a waistcoat, shirt and stockings, tied in a plaid handkerchief was taken.

A description of the robber and of the stolen items was sent by Mr Newton, the Whaley Bridge magistrate to police in Liverpool and a notice was given to several pawnbrokers in the City. A few days later, a man answering the description of the robber presented a  silver watch to Mrs Fox, pawnbroker in St Thomas's buildings.  Mr Miller, the Superintendant of Police was immediately informed and Murray taken into custody.

Ellis had been taken to Disley where he lay in a state of imminent danger.  The prisoner was brought before him and unable to speak, he indicated by gestures that Murray was the perpetrator of the crime. Seeing no chance of escape, the prisoner said "Yes I am the man that did it and I am very sorry for it now"  He offered to shake Ellis by the hand but the gesture was declined.

The prisoner was taken to Stockport and later committed for trial at Chester Castle.  He gave his real name as Philip McGoveron, an Irishman

The Lyme Park Bus

Lyme Park was once leased from the National Trust by Stockport Corporation. Gaining popularity after the War, the Corporation provided three "buses" to carry vistors from the gates to Lyme Hall.  The vehicles were Lister Auto Trucks with locally built passenger bodies able to carry between 12 and 14 people. In 1948 the fare was 4d for adults and 2d for children. The speed was just 6 mph and as many as 30 journeys would be
made on a busy day. The Auto Trucks were driven by permanent staff. Tickets were sold before boarding although at quiet times these would be bought from the driver.

Auto Trucks were manufactured by R.A.Lister of Dursley in Gloucestershire between 1926 and 1972. The standard design originally sold for less than £100 and by 1938 more than 10,000 had been sold. These vehicles were easily adapted to customers needs and many different variants exist today.

The vehicles were similar to that pictured below.

The previous year had seen Disley Rural District Council objecting to the plans of Stockport Council and advising the National Trust of their concerns. Stockport planned to establish a cultural centre for the workers of neighbouring towns. The proposals included a childrens playground, a pitch and putt course and a car park.  An electric car service would link the hall with the main gates (trams ?).  Disley R D C objected to Lyme being turned into "a weekend circus"

Mort Brandon has recently come across these photographs of the actual auto truck at Lyme and of the road train that replaced it in the 1950s. as can be seen, this was similar to that pictured above. Our thanks to Mort for allowing us to use these images.

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 Tony Beswick has sent these images of Lyme Hall and Workshop.