Part 3

This view of the late 1890’s shows a row of shops and a house known as Audley House. The large building on the right is not part of the original row, as the Tithe Map of 1837 shows only a building standing at the rear of an open yard. The row was therefore of uniform design and could originally have been the “four houses called the Tuttel Street” described in Richard Parrott’s An Account of the Parish of Audley, dated 1733, as the name Tutill Street appears in the 1871 census as the name still in use then for Church Street.

The row of seven shops and houses seen in the previous photo became nos. 26-38 Church Street. No. 28 was considerably altered by the addition of gables around 1900 and Audley House was converted into a shop soon after. The row has now lost most of its shops which have been converted into private houses.

This view shows the row from the opposite direction with no. 38 nearest. This end of the row marks the limit of old Audley. Until the mid 19^th century there were only fields beyond this point, except for an occasional house, along the remainder of Church Street and along what is now Wereton Road.

Fact file: No. 26 Church Street

This was the grocer’s and draper’s shop of Thomas and Mary Hilditch. Thomas died in 1893 and Mary continued the business until 1900. She could be the lady standing second from right in the old photo above. She is known to have died in South Africa in 1915. On 5 February 1900 the property was sold by auction at the Borough Arms Hotel in Newcastle-under-Lyme. The shop was later occupied by Ernest Pierpoint, a draper, in 1928, then Charles Henry Johnson in 1932 and Thomas Ikin in 1936, both smallware dealers. At the rear of no. 26 lived Charles Barker Warham who was a plumber, glazier, paperhanger and house decorator. The business was continued by his son Algernon Warham.

Fact file: No. 28 Church Street

Between 1880 and 1892 this was the boot and shoe repair shop of William Henry Emery, whose shop can be seen in the old photo above. By 1896 it was taken over by George Statham (see also no. 62). In 1900, when sold with no. 26, it was the butcher’s shop of Sydney Hattersley, then Alfred James Banks in 1904, and Albert Banks from 1910 until 1918. From 1919 until his death in 1927, James Jones was a fried fish dealer there. His widow Lizzie continued the business, also selling home made pies. Mrs. Alice Riley followed in 1932 as a grocer and confectioner remaining until at least 1950, then Lilian Timmis selling general provisions and Parry’s who also sold confectionery, during the 1950’s. It was Jackson’s in the 1960’s, Joan’s (Joan Heathcote) in the 1970’s and Goodall’s in the 1980’s all selling confectionery and groceries. Finally it became Occasions gift shop before being converted into a house.

Fact file: No. 30 Church Street

This is the property known as Audley House. Fred Steele, a greengrocer, was there from 1908 until 1914 when he moved further along Church Street. It was the confectioner’s shop of Miss Constance Richardson of Alsager from 1936 until the late 1940’s, then Lucy Webb, draper, after her move from no. 60. It then became A. & G. Cornes hardware stores. From 1986 until 1992 it was the office of insurance agents Greenhoff, Peutz & Co. It is now a private house.

Fred Steele outside Audley House

Fact file: No. 32 Church Street

From 1928 until 1932 it was used by the Midland Bank and from 1935 until 1941 by William Henry Plimmer, an ironmonger and cycle dealer who also sold wireless sets (radios). By 1943 it became Cornes’ hardware store. It is now part of no. 30.

Fact file: No. 36 Church Street

This was part of Carryer’s shop. It was then the fruit shop of E.R. Henshall from 1928 until 1932, before becoming another of Cornes’ shops. From 1983 it was the travel agents office of Audley Travel. Today it is part of a drop-in centre connected with St James’ Church.

Fact file: No. 38 Church Street

This was another part of Carryer’s shops. George Thatcher, a watchmaker was there in 1928, Arthur Harvey, a relieving officer and collector for Audley District to the Newcastle Area Guardians Committee, and vaccination officer, in 1932, Valda Durber, a hairdresser, from 1936 to 1940, Dr. Boulton and Dr. Rathbone, dentists, during the 1940’s and Gordon’s Hairdressers from 1969 to 1982. From 1983 it was part of Audley Travel and today is part of the drop-in centre called “No. 38”. It is also known to have been a dental surgery used by Frank Sarsons (see also no. 44).

This was the first school on Church Street. It was built in 1836 as the Girls’ National School. The view is taken from the earliest photograph of Audley dated 1862. It shows the girls’ school with the school house standing to the right. The latter was incorporated into the later school buildings.

This view dates from before 1901 and shows the original Audley Girls National School. The school was recorded as having an infant section in 1880 and this was most likely in the old school buildings seen here, as Audley Infants’ School was condemned in 1899 and a new school proposed. The building at left is Church Farm cottage, which at the time, was also an office of Sherratt and Nelson solicitors.

This view, taken in the opposite direction, shows a later addition at right, which is hidden from view in the previous photo. In 1901 the school became a mixed Church of England school and the infants transferred to the former boys’ school, which in turn became Audley Infants’ School.

The Church of England school was sold for the sum of £700 and in 1909 became Audley Council School following demolition of the older buildings and the rebuilding of the school around the remaining buildings. This involved the addition of two wings to the building shown in the previous photo, one of which can be seen at the right in this photo. In 1938 a major reorganisation of local schools in the Audley District took place, resulting in the transfer of pupils from this school to Ravens Lane School. At the same time the previously mentioned Audley Infants’ School closed and the pupils transferred to this school which in turn became Audley Infants’ School. The school closed in 1984 when its last pupils transferred to Ravensmead (formerly Ravens Lane) Primary School in Bignall End. This 1985 view following closure also shows the pensioners’ hall in the background.

Fact file: Girls’ School

The following headmistresses are listed in records for the Girls’ National School:

1850 Miss Mary Shaw

1860-1861 Miss Hannah Keene Milliner

1870 Mrs Jane Wolley (or Wooley) Gwynne

1871-1872 Miss Emily Ellen Wood

1880-1884 Miss Eliza Moston

1891-1901 Miss Annie Proctor

By 1884, the school, built in 1836 for 220 pupils, had an average attendance of 300. This included the infant section. Following rebuilding in 1890 for 230 pupils, it had an average attendance of 127 girls and 94 infants.

The infant schoolmistresses are recorded as:

1850 Mary Ann Procter

1860-1872 Miss Elizabeth Bennion

1880 Mrs Martin

1884 Miss Margaret Annie Middleton

1891-1892 Miss Martha Proctor

1896-1901 Miss Annie McEllin

By 1900 the infant school average attendance had risen to 130. Following the re-organisation of 1901, the school became a mixed Church of England school and its first headmaster was Alfred Norman, the former headmaster of the boys’ school, who remained until his retirement in 1926 (see article in Audley Historian no. 1). As a result of further alterations, the school held 340 pupils by 1904, but this fell to 287 by 1912. (See also issue nos. 12-14 of Audley Community News for an article on the school re-organisations of 1938)

This view was taken in or soon after 1910 when Hall Street, to the right of camera, was built. It shows nos. 40 to 46 Church Street behind the horse and cart with the ivy clad National Provincial Bank at no. 46. To the immediate left is Dean Hollow which was formerly called Old Hollow. Nos. 40-44 were built in the 1890’s and as George Proctor was the owner in 1910, it is safe to assume that it was he who had them built on the plot of land adjoining no. 46 (see later entry).

Fact file: No. 40 Church Street

In 1896 it was the watchmaker’s and jewellers shop of Samuel Timmis. By 1919 it was the butcher’s shop of Albert Banks, then Alfred Joseph Banks by 1932. It remained a butcher’s with Gilbert Bamforth, from 1947, Frederick Moss, from 1960 and Harry Hodgkinson from 1973. It is now an off-licence.

John Jackson and Harry Hodgkinson in 1982

Fact file: No. 42 Church Street

In 1900 it was occupied by Frederick Riley, a professor of music who was married to George Proctor’s daughter, Martha. By 1907 it was the bakery and confectionery shop of Frank Moores which later had a café upstairs and remained so until the 1950’s. In the 1960’s L. & L. Leebrookes and E.W. Nield continued to sell similar products. The shop then became a branch of Burgess’ whose bakery and head office was in Newcastle-under-Lyme. It is still a confectioner’s and baker’s today, trading as Naughty But Nice.

Fact file: No. 44 Church Street

In 1901 it was occupied by Robert Smith, a medicine vendor. He was followed by George Greenwood Kenyon Bywater in 1905, J. Thomas Brown in 1910, Harry Mayall Wood in 1912 and John McLanachan in 1921, all chemists or drug stores. James McLanachan took over in 1924 and continued until his death in 1937. It remained a chemist with Poole & Sons in 1940 and finally Trevor Jones. He died in 1949, but the business continued in his name until the 1960’s. No. 44 was also used weekly by Frank Sarsons, a dentist based in Stoke, between 1928 and 1940. He is also recorded in Church Street between 1912 and 1928, but it is not known if this was at no. 44 or no. 38. The building was demolished in 1973.

Fact file: No. 46 Church Street

This was the home, until his death in 1922, of George Proctor who was a builder and undertaker as well as Audley’s registrar of births, marriages and deaths (see article in Audley Historian no. 6). He was followed as registrar of marriages by his son John Betteley Proctor, who had married Millicent, daughter of Samuel Timmis, the jeweller. John died in 1954 and Millicent in 1962. However, by 1900 part of the building had been given over to the National Provincial Bank and remained so until 1968 when it became the National Westminster Bank. As a result the Proctors’ home became known as “Bank House”. In 1973 the entire building was demolished along with the adjoining no. 44 and a new bank building erected on the site. The bank closed in March 1996 and the building is now Safex House.

Bank House from Hall Street c1913 and Bank House demolition in 1973