SUMMER HILL (continued):

Owners and Occupiers:

We do not find an occupant, or indeed any reference to this house in the 1867 Rates Book and we feel that perhaps it had not yet been built.
From 1868-1877 the tenant was John Findlay, previously living with his mother at Yewfield, Church Road - which seems at this time to be called Calder Villa. Summer Hill's R.V. was £210 reduced within two years to £150. Findlay was an ironfounder & hollow ware (pans etc.) manufacturer at 11 Upper Warwick Street and we see from the census of 1871 that he was 28, born in Scotland and married to Hannah age 23 born in L.W. They had two children aged 1 year and 1 month, both born in M.W. With them was George, his unmarried brother age 37 and 5 servants - none born locally (i.e. in M.W. or L.W.) cook, undercook, nurse, housemaid and waitress. In 1878 he appears at Mavis Court, Croxteth Drive while his mother remains in Woolton.

John G. Nutting came in 1878 and stayed until 1883, but unfortunately on the night of the 1881 census he was absent from home so we have no information about him except that he had three servants - the cook Martha Hill 27 born in Wales, Mary Ellis and John Helsby.

The tenant in 1884 was Herbert A. Graves, ship owner (Hornby & Graves) and later a stock & share broker. One of three sons of S.R. Graves, Mayor of Liverpool in 1860, and M.P. for the town 1865-73. His brother William lived at Dowsefield, Yewtree Road, and was also a ship owner with Ismay, Imrie & Co. (later the White Star). Speaking of S.R. Graves, Orchard says that "by their marriages his sons and daughters have formed a circle of connections which for charm & influence is unsurpassed in Liverpool". In 1893 Mr Graves removed to Holme Leigh - at the L.W. end of Woolton Park.

The same year the tenant became Edgar Christian Hornby (1863-1922), the 4th son of H.H. Hornby J.P. of Beechmont, Grassendale and a junior partner in the firm of Hornby, Hemelryk & Co. cotton brokers. He played cricket for Lancs, and married Eva Gertrude, daughter of Mr A.H. Lemonius, Stonehouse, Yewtree Road who had been born in Stettin, Pomerania and came to Liverpool in 1841. In 1898 Aubrey Brocklebank (later Sir) became occupant for 6 years - the R.V. now £85. From 1905-1910 Paul Hemelryk and his wife Dorothy lived here before moving to Beaconsfield in Beaconsfield Road. In 1914 the tenant was R.H. Wilkie, cotton merchant and in 1936 Mrs Hinshaw-Wilkie, ? his widow.

continued . . .