DYKE NOOK, Whalley Road, Accrington

Atarah · 07-08-2003, 22:30

Does anyone know when this house was lived in by Sir William Cocker and roughly when it became a childrens home?

The house was designed by a very well known architect, Walter Brierley, who also designed Haworth Art Gallery.  It now turns out that a famous garden designer was responsible for the gardens at Dyke Nook - a lady named Gerturde Jeykll, who normally designed gardens in the south of England.

Atarah
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Caz · 08-08-2003, 16:05

Have you thought of giving social services a call about he children's home? they also might be able to point you in the right direction about its previous history.

cmee · 21-08-2003, 18:26

Have just found this site by chance. My grandparents, Hubert and Marie Blake, built Dyke Nook in 1907. I believe the house was sold to Sir W Cocker in 1947. I have a copy of a sale brochure of the house when he sold it - but unfortunately, there is no date, but I would guess it is in the 1950s or early '60s. Perhaps it became a children's home then. I can confirm that the garden was designed by Gertrude Jekyll and if you want more details, I can search out some references to published stuff about it. What I would like to know in return, is what is going to happen to the house now?? I happen to have driven past it today, and see that it is all boarded up and is apparently for sale. My efforts to find the estate agent (Duckworths) on the web have proved fruitless - but I did find this site!

Atarah · 22-08-2003, 08:26

Oh cool! Brill!  So your family are connected to the Blake triplets then?  Hilary died not too long ago I believe.
The house has now been bought.  I have the contact number if you like and YES!!!! I would love to see the brochure
Can I contact you privately?

Atarah

cmee · 23-08-2003, 13:18

I'd love to know who has bought the house - and what they plan to do to it! The Blake triplets were my much loved uncles, all now dead alas. But their youngest sister is my Mum and is still living. I have not told her that the house is boarded up; she would be devastated. By all means contact me privately, but is there a way I can give you my email address without posting it on the site?? (I really am a Newbie!).

Caz · 23-08-2003, 13:34

If you click on a persons username, obviously atarah in this case, a page with their profile will come up. At the bottom of that page you will see "send this user a private message". Click on this and a box will appear for you to write a message.

barnsie · 22-10-2003, 10:22

Hi all,

Dyke Nook, Whalley Rd., Accrington was owned by my family in the late 19th century.
My Barnes owned the estate in the 1870's and 1880's.  Is this the same place as you're all talking about.

I had been told it had been a children's home until recently closed down.

Any help or pictures would be great as I have nothing except written material and I don't live in England.

Thanks.

cmee · 22-10-2003, 16:13

Hi Barnsie, The house we have been talking about is "Dyke Nook Lodge" which was definitely built in 1907 by my grandparents, but I believe there once existed a "Dyke Nook House". A couple of years ago I was enquiring about a project I heard about to design a community garden at Dyke Nook and I had some correspondence with Hyndburn Borough Council who told me that the land on which the community garden was to be made was partly donated and partly purchased by the Borough of Accrington in the late 1930s to form the entrance to a new council housing development. The area was never part of the grounds of Dyke Nook LODGE "but was located on the site of the demolished Dyke Nook HOUSE". So - presumably the name Dyke Nook was that of your family's estate and  my grandfather's house was built adjacent to it, or on land purchased from your family, and took its name from the estate. Dyke Nook Lodge was the children's home, but I'm afraid I can't tell you any more about Dyke Nook House.

MutinousMuse2 · 14-11-2004, 05:52

I lived at Dyke Nook from 1969 until 1977 ... my parents were Residential Social Workers for LCC and worked there until 1987 (?) when they retired.

I believe it was purchased from William Cocker in 1965 and I too have a copy of the sale information without an exact date.

I would love to have seen the house as a private residence. It had beautiful carved fireplaces, oak panelled walls and mullioned windows like the ones in Howarth Art Gallery, and even in the 1980's held echoes of its previous owners.

It was indeed a privelage to live there for a while. Nice to hear of the house again, and hopefully soon someone will restore it to its former glory.

Atarah · 15-11-2004, 13:46

Hi Barnsie, where do you live exactly? Who is/was a Mr Barnes, related to the same family as you, calling himself, Mr Walton E Barnes and who lived at the house we know at Whinside, near the little Crown on Whalley Road. Apparently there is a very old photograph owned by this chappie showing the area known as Lower Dyke Nook showing a Barnes family. maybe this is where your ancestors lived? This family home belonged to Joseph Barnes, drysalter, cochineal and madder grinder, specialising in turkey red dyeing.

Are you aware of Kenyons, Bridges, Cunliffes being names on your family tree?

Weary Tourist · 16-11-2004, 07:44

Very interesting thread. These local history articles are brilliant.
I have some ancestors who lived at Dyknook on 1851 Census. One of the members was an innkeeper. Obviously this pre-dates Dyke Nook Lodge built 1907 being discussed here.

Some of my ancestors also move further towards Accrington and lived at Water Flats.
Both these places look small on the 1837 map at http://www.old-maps.co.uk/
with just a small group of houses.

Do we know any more information Hubert and Marie Blake and what they did, and why they built their house here ?

It sounds as though they were important people in this area at this time.

Atarah · 16-11-2004, 08:49

Hi, The Blake family are a very important part of Accringtons history. Mr John Blake when aged 18 (in 1854) invented, and afterwards patented, a scientific steam pressure reducing valve. He was not a large employer of labour, but he helped to make the name of Accrington known in many lands - his machinery was sent to all parts of the globe. He began working at Christie's foundry (on the site where our Market Hall is)- and then purchased premises in Oxford Street. He then invented a hydraulic ram for raising water - this earned him fame and fortune (his rams are used at Taj Mahal in India, Sandringham Palace, Blenheim Palace, to name a few) He had 3 sons and one daugher, one of his sons, Hubert, built Dyke Nook. The family were greatly connected with Sacred Heart Church.

I have added a photo of Waterflatts. I have read that it stood on the right hand side of the lane, leading from the back of Waterloo House on Whalley Road, to Queens Road. (What was the surname of your ancestors?) There is a chapter on this property in The Old Homesteads of Accrington, page 186. This is all rather interesting stuff, cos ... this is the area where Butch Cassidy's father was born - on the 1851 census he is shown as living at Waterflatts as a 6 year old. (Dont know whether Waterflatts was also the name of the area?) I have more details on this if anyone is interested.

slinky · 16-11-2004, 16:47

This is all very interesting I grew up right round the corner of dyke nook and I noticed that it said whinside on a post it's actually called laneside. Hope this helps

WillowTheWhisp · 16-11-2004, 17:52

Perhaps the "Whinside post" was there when the old farm house was?

I noticed that pic is also titled Green Gates Farm - is that a connection to "Greengates" which is the name I knew the back street by which leads up from the corner of Whalley Road/Owen Street into Ramsbottom Street? The builders' merchant up there (which I believe used to be called "Evan's" now goes by the name of "Greengates" and there is still a large old house in the "grounds" which functions as the offices for the builders 'merchant.

Weary Tourist · 16-11-2004, 20:55

Quote:

Originally Posted by slinky

This is all very interesting I grew up right round the corner of dyke nook and I noticed that it said whinside on a post it's actually called laneside. Hope this helps

Walking along the 1891 Census there are several houses in Dykenook then Hirstwood then Whin Side then Crown Inn then Lane Side on Census 1891 RG12/3359 Folio 109 page 29. (Not sure if Crown Inn still exists today)