Situated directly across the road from Bollington Cross School were numbers 14 and 16 Bollington Road. Number 14 was called Woodbine Cottage on the 1911 census, and was also known as the Schoolhouse probably because Headmaster of Bollington Cross school Herbert Sutton and his family lived there for many years.

Originally Kingsway the road on the left in the photographs above, was absent as it wasn′t built until around 1930. So the garden to number 14 was large, covering Kingsway entrance and coming right up to the road edge at the front with mature surrounding hedge and trees. Photos of the Sutton family in that garden can be seen on the Bollington Photo Archive website.

Census

For number 14 which is the left side of the house as seen from Bollington Road:

1881: Herbert John Sutton aged twenty five years lived at number 14. Occupation Schoolmaster from Bollington from 1877. He was the secretary of the Horticultural Society from 1885. He also organised the Annual Sports and Flower Show and was Choir Master of St Oswald′s Church at Bollington Cross. Also living with him was his wife Hannah of the same age and from Wiltshire. They had two children at this point, Maud two years and Joseph H. aged one year. Also living with them was Mary Hayward, Hannah’s mother aged fifty five years and from Gloucester.

1891: Ten years later Herbert and Hannah Sutton had four more children, James eight years, Edith C. seven years, Mary L. five years and baby Herbert J. aged just five months. Mother in Law of Herbert senior Mary Hayward was still living with them.

1901: Nothing has changed ten years later apart from their ages of course. Herbert resigned from being headmaster in this year due to illness and died in 1909 aged fifty four years

1911: Joseph Hayward Sutton first born son of Herbert John Sutton is now resident of number 14 with his family. Joseph’s father Herbert John senior died in 1909 whilst still at number 14 (Woodbine Cottage). There is no record on Herbert’s wife Hannah, Joseph’s mother. Joseph is now thirty one years of age and his occupation is Clerk to Master in the Royal Exchange. His wife Elizabeth Blower was twenty eight years old and from Denbighshire and previously living in Ledley Street, Bollington. They had a one year old child at this point named Mary. Elizabeth’s mother Sarah Blower, a widow aged fifty nine years, also lived at number 14 at this time, as did Joseph’s brother Herbert John junior aged twenty years. Herbert was a Mechanical Engineer.

1939: Joseph H Sutton was still living at 14 Bollington Road with his wife Elizabeth with daughters Mary aged twenty eight years who was an insurance clerk, Maud twenty five years, and Bessie twenty years and was a school teacher. Also living at number 14 and about to go and fight in the second world was Joseph’s son Richard aged twenty three years. Richard was a representative in textiles at this time. He married Rowena Mary Bamford in 1941 and lived at 118 Palmerston Street. Richard sadly died on 18th April 1943 when his submarine HMS Regent was lost with all hands while in action in WWII after, it is believed, hitting a mine off the coast of Barletta, Italy. Bollington’s war dead.

Maud, Joseph’s daughter, was the last Sutton living at Woodbine until her death in the 1990s.

Pictured is Herbert James Sutton junior who was born at Woodbine Cottage in 1891. There were thirty one contestants and the distance was almost eight miles. James was second having been pipped at the post.

Census  

For number 16 Bollington Road:

1911: Mary Ellen Sutton a sixty six year old retired school mistress and sister of Herbert John Senior lived at number 16 with servant Marion Turner aged twenty three from Bollington. Mary had spent all her life in Church Street Bollington. She finally moved next door to her brother Herbert some time around 1900, sadly he passed away in 1909.

1926: John Harding lived at number 16.

1939: John Harding aged fifty five years was still living at number 16. He was a Chief Clerk at a cotton mill. He lived with his wife Roberta aged fifty years and their family.

In the mid 1900s number 16 was occupied by the Green family, Alf (Alfred) and Nellie (Ellen) and their children Brenda, John, Maurice, Margaret and Janet.

Later number 16 was occupied by the Dankins family, John, Amy and children Pauline and John. The Dankins were still there in 1996.

Acknowledgements

Our thanks go specifically to Linda Stewart who has researched census and other information to present an interesting history of local people and properties.

Our thanks go to all those who researched and discovered the history that is presented in these pages. Please read the full acknowledgement of their remarkable achievement.

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