Rocksavage, 1725
DISUSE AND DECAY
With its absorption into the Cholmondeley Estate, Rocksavage fell into disuse and finally into the decay we can see today. When the farm known as Rocksavage Grange (now the home of Mr. C. H. Johnson) was built a little over 150 years ago, sandstone from the old mansion was used in the construction of the farm buildings. Other pieces of the old fabric are to be found in various walls about the farm. The gateway to the old mansion still stands and I have often had the privilege of walking on the foundations and tracing the approximate whereabouts of the mansion's main door. From there ***************** to examine a tunnel which had been disclosed by a subsidence in the farmyard. The first reaction was, that after all, perhaps there was something in the old fable about an underground passage. But -- . Although the "tunnel" was tall enough to give standing room, it was constructed of brick. Iron footholds, something the shape of horseshoes, had their open end embedded at intervals down the wall at the place where the subsidence had occurred. These gave a cat ladder means of access to and from the cavity.
The bricks and condition of the ironwork decided the issue. Certainly they were not ancient. They were in a better state than one would expect after the passing of 200 years, even supposing that the "tunnel" - which was only about two feet below the level of the farmyard - was a passageway to the cellars of the last mansion on that site.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT~
More interesting still was a "find" in the neighbourhood of that well known tall fragment of the old mansion wall. A hole was being dug by Mr. Johnson's farm workers when they uncovered a sandstone wall. Although it had been completely buried with earth for how long no one knows, it still bore very clear evidence of whitewash! Probably this was a cellar wall. In great measure it is due to the researches of that grand historian of Runcorn, the late William Handley, who lectured on this subject, that it has been possible to retell the story of old Rocksavage. From it we can learn that, although Runcorn is a seeming prosaic town, and Clifton not now a picturesque village, the locality is as rich in historical association as many places more widely known for their past glories.
Indebtedness is also acknowledged to Miss M. Knight, Runcorn Librarian, and to Mr. James Hill for permission to reproduce the picture of Rocksavage Grange at the time of its glory - the only such picture the writer has seen.
(note - the newspaper cutting contains a photograph of "the last remnant of the ruined wall" and also a "drawing of Rocksavage as it appeared about the year 1725". The photocopy reproduction of the photograph and drawing are too indistinct to be able to copy. The author and date of publication are also not known).
http://www.runcornhistsoc.org.uk/rockandclifton.html
With its absorption into the Cholmondeley Estate, Rocksavage fell into disuse and finally into the decay we can see today. When the farm known as Rocksavage Grange (now the home of Mr. C. H. Johnson) was built a little over 150 years ago, sandstone from the old mansion was used in the construction of the farm buildings. Other pieces of the old fabric are to be found in various walls about the farm. The gateway to the old mansion still stands and I have often had the privilege of walking on the foundations and tracing the approximate whereabouts of the mansion's main door. From there ***************** to examine a tunnel which had been disclosed by a subsidence in the farmyard. The first reaction was, that after all, perhaps there was something in the old fable about an underground passage. But -- . Although the "tunnel" was tall enough to give standing room, it was constructed of brick. Iron footholds, something the shape of horseshoes, had their open end embedded at intervals down the wall at the place where the subsidence had occurred. These gave a cat ladder means of access to and from the cavity.
The bricks and condition of the ironwork decided the issue. Certainly they were not ancient. They were in a better state than one would expect after the passing of 200 years, even supposing that the "tunnel" - which was only about two feet below the level of the farmyard - was a passageway to the cellars of the last mansion on that site.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT~
More interesting still was a "find" in the neighbourhood of that well known tall fragment of the old mansion wall. A hole was being dug by Mr. Johnson's farm workers when they uncovered a sandstone wall. Although it had been completely buried with earth for how long no one knows, it still bore very clear evidence of whitewash! Probably this was a cellar wall. In great measure it is due to the researches of that grand historian of Runcorn, the late William Handley, who lectured on this subject, that it has been possible to retell the story of old Rocksavage. From it we can learn that, although Runcorn is a seeming prosaic town, and Clifton not now a picturesque village, the locality is as rich in historical association as many places more widely known for their past glories.
Indebtedness is also acknowledged to Miss M. Knight, Runcorn Librarian, and to Mr. James Hill for permission to reproduce the picture of Rocksavage Grange at the time of its glory - the only such picture the writer has seen.
(note - the newspaper cutting contains a photograph of "the last remnant of the ruined wall" and also a "drawing of Rocksavage as it appeared about the year 1725". The photocopy reproduction of the photograph and drawing are too indistinct to be able to copy. The author and date of publication are also not known).
http://www.runcornhistsoc.org.uk/rockandclifton.html
posted by Neil Young at 2:54 PM
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