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Ward’s Cottage Homes Upper Washer Lane Halifax

Tags: Explore Halifax, History, Holiday in Halifax, Richard Dearden Ward, Wainhouse

Richard Dearden Ward 1845-1931 was the husband of Hannah Kenyon 1846-1937. She was born in Dyer’s Cottage and was the second child of William Kenyon and Phoebe Trotter. Richard, like most local people, worked in the Wainhouse Dyeworks but rose from being a Master Dyer to become a bookkeeper, then manager and finally the owner when it was known as Ward’s Dyeworks before becoming part of Bradford Dyer’s Association. With each job promotion came a change of residence, finally settling in the prestigious house further along the road in Masters Lane called Sapling Grove.

He was mayor of Halifax from 1905-1907 and during this time, he built Ward’s Cottage Homes. These consisted of 24 cottages on 2 levels to make use of the steep hillside. Traditionally called ‘up and over’ houses, the main living room would face South West affording a light filled and lovely view of Norland which we also have from our bedroom at Dyer’s Cottage just a few houses further along Upper Washer Lane. Built of the best Accrington brick, each property consisted of a living room, bedroom and scullery with communal toilet facilities outside which was the norm for the time. They were provided free of rent and rates to the over 60’s who were unable to work.

By the 1960’s they were deemed unsuitable for modern living and as the occupants died, the cottages were left unoccupied until they were demolished in November 1982. For photos of the demolition please see www.calderdalecompanion.co.uk/ph4252.html

Since then, native tree species have colonised the site and sadly no trace of these charitable homes exist. When staying at Dyer’s Holiday Cottage Halifax, why not turn left out of the gate and stroll along the opposite side of the road until the row of houses ends and see if you can identify where Ward’s Cottage Homes used to be?

Upper Washer Lane now

Dyer’s Holiday Cottage Halifax and our links to the Wainhouse family

Tags: Wainhouse, Wainhouse Heritage, Washer Lane Dyeworks

The earliest knowledge we have is in our property deeds and these mention that the properties now known as 48, 64, 66, 68 and 70 Upper Washer Lane were owned in the 19th century by a Miss Wainhouse. It is possible that she was a sister of Robert Wainhouse 1773-1856 who built the Washer Lane Dying and Finishing Company, later known as the Washer Lane Dyeworks. He was also a local JP. He married Hannah Emmett on June 2 1795 but they had no children. However, on his mother’s death in 1829, his nephew John Edward Wainhouse 1817-1883 went to live with the couple at their home Sapling Grove on Masters Lane. Probate records show Robert Wainhouse left a valuable estate of £45,000 and John Edward inherited most of this along with the business.

The 1841 census shows that the property, identified as top of Washer Lane, was occupied by several members of the Kenyon family, notably John Kennion 1777-1848 who was a Master Dyer and family lore tells us that the cottages were available to the Master Dyers to rent in recognition of their skill and loyalty to the Wainhouse family. Without doubt, John Edward Wainhouse owned the building in 1878, but probably much earlier, as he created or altered a water source in what is now our garden wall with his initials inscribed above it. The previous year he had moved into his newly built mansion, West Air, to the left of our building, where he lived until his death. The site was chosen as it was next to the land of his rival, Sir Henry Edwards The house was designed by Richard Swarbrick Dugdale, the same architect who designed the upper sections of Wainhouse Tower and the house exhibits the same eccentricities as many of his other building projects locally. All the stone was from a local quarry but the roof is slate. West Air is a very interesting building, now Grade11 listed by English Heritage. All the windows have different styles, none of the bay windows match and there are small windows in the chimney breast. There are also a number of cryptic Latin inscriptions referring to aspects of his life such as ‘Spare the lowly and make war upon the proud’ which probably is a link to his feud with Edwards.

Although John Edward Wainhouse did work in the dyeworks before he inherited it, he subsequently left the day to day management of it to Henry Mossman, who leased the building from Wainhouse in 1870 and then bought it in 1873. Wainhouse was much more involved in his property empire, parts of which remain although many are in ruins. There is a heritage walk called The Wainhouse Trail, which provides a fascinating walk around his legacy and a copy of the booklet is available for our guests to borrow at Dyer’s Holiday Cottage.

Washer Lane Dyeworks was demolished many years ago but West Air can be visited as it has been a local pub for many years. Originally called The Royal when it was owned by Thwaites Brewery, since 2014 it has been a freehouse now known appropriately as The Wainhouse Tavern. It has won many real ale awards and is also known locally for the quality of its good value, home cooked Yorkshire fayre.

John Edward Wainhouse never married and so after his death, his substantial property estate was auctioned. James Kenyon 1843-1915 acquired 13 of the cottages to the right of West Air, including 66, the cottage where he had been born, and his brother in law Richard Dearden Ward acquired the land behind. Richard Dearden Ward was also involved in the dyeworks working with Mossmann and his final home was coincidentally Sapling Grove, the former home of Robert Wainhouse.

The Washer Lane Dying and Finishing Company, later known as Washer Lane Dyeworks Halifax Yorkshire is below and the featured image shows The Wainhouse Tavern formerly West Air to the left, then the old farmhouse of which Dyer’s Holiday Cottage forms a part with Upper Washer Lane and Wainhouse Tower to the right.

Our fascinating garden wall

Tags: Explore Halifax, Feud, History, Sir Henry Edwards, Wainhouse

John Edward Wainhouse was a local dyeworks owner and his aunt previously owned the building of which we are a part. He inherited it and certainly added the distinctive front porches and the garden wall too as it bears his initials JEW and the date 1878. Part of the wall was a water source, probably a well or trough which has been bricked in more recently. We have now been told that this was actually 3 water troughs which were installed following the failure of a previous scheme called Cockett Well due to land ownership issues with Sir Henry Edwards. On the back wall there was an inscription in gilt lettering which said “And Abraham reproved Abimelech because of a well of water which Abimelech’s servants had violently taken away” Genesis 21:25. This is a reference to JEW’s feud with Sir Henry Edwards who lived at Pye Nest House and had objected to the building of Wainhouse Tower a few years previously as he thought it was an intrusion of his privacy. It later became known as ‘the tower of spite’. The cottages were allegedly known as Dye Nest which was inscribed on a chimney. More research is required to find out more!

Thanks to Peter Kemp for the photo and Steve for the additional information.