ROSE BROW: Gateacre Grange (continued)

Indications on the 1768 map suggest that there was a building on this site then, a sketch in the Binns Collection shows a large building here about 1815 and the 1835 map shows the extent of that house (also confirmed by the 1848 map). The owner in 1848 was Sarah Lawrence, the occupier Sarah Anne Holland - who was still living there on the 30th of March 1851 with 13 boarding pupils - girls from 12 to 21 from all parts of the kingdom. Andrew Barclay Walker was born at Auchinflour, Ayrshire in 1824, educated at Liverpool Institute, followed his father as head of the Warrington Brewery, and came to Gateacre 'in 1851. He is said to have built Gateacre Grange in the same year - presumably clearing the site of the former buildings. In 1853 he married a girl from Fife, they had 6 sons and 2 daughters, and in 1882 she died. A. B. Walker was Mayor of Liverpool in 1873-4 and again in 1876-7 and was knighted in December 1877. From the Little Woolton rates book we find that the rates of Gateacre Grange doubled between 183 & 1884 which suggests the date for the second block. Sir Andrew was High Sheriff of Lancashire in 1886-7, created a Baronet in 1886, remarried in 1887 and died, in 1893. In 1874-7 he gave the Walker Art Gallery to the City, architects Sherlock and Vale.

GRANGE LANE

York Cottages. Two terraces of 14 artizans cottages built between 1835 & 48; made of the local brick, 2-storey, each front with a round-arched doorway and blind fanlight and 1 segmental arched window to each floor; yards at rear with entry between; strip cottage gardens (c.f. Castle Street & Church Terrace, Woolton.) In 1848 they were owned by Thomas Yeoman, a painter who was born at Knaresborough, Yorkshire c.1786 - in 1851 he was living, it would seem, in the Lynton/Post Office block in Gateacre Brow where his daughter Elizabeth was a grocer and tea dealer. By 1876 the cottages had passed into the ownership of Andrew Barclay Walker.
We visited these cottages last year when the rehabilitation scheme for more than half was newly completed and they were reoccupied - this year a return visit to see how the site works are getting on.

(We hope that you will come for another walk next year.)

J.D.
J.B.G.

© The Gateacre Society