HILLCROFT (continued):

Owners and Occupiers: On Sherriff's map of 1816 this house seems to be marked, with the name 'Weston' beside it. We are therefore postulating a theory that, in view of John Weston's bankruptcy, this smaller house was provided for him - but this is highly speculative and the name may refer to another.

James Gore (1784-1872) the stonemason, born in Childwall (township?) probably set up his own business before c.1820, married a Childwall girl Mary (1789-1865) and by 1823 was father of Mary Jane and his business was included in the Liverpool Directory, two years later his daughter Elizabeth was born. By 1835 he was certainly at Hillcroft - he might have been here as much as 10 years earlier - and between the house and Church Road extensive workshops were later mapped. In neither 1841 nor 1851 did he number his employees, but by 1851 his daughter Mary Jane had married Dr John Cross (1821-1867) and was living at 1 Mason Street. By 1855 his daughter Elizabeth had married the West India merchant Thomas B. Cross (born c.1823) and a grandson James was born, but the same year saw the death of his wife too.

In 1861, at the age of 76, the census records that he was employing 50 men, so he was still a contractor in a pretty big way of business. If we set these landmarks we have gleaned beside Marsh's eulogy of "his masterly handling of the Quarries and Building Business" (J.F. Marsh, Part II, page 23) we can perhaps catch a glimpse of the vigorous old master builder who directed the laying out of the sinuous Woolton Park, built all our 5 houses from Riffel Lodge to Longworth and retained ownership of them (and 3 in Woolton Mount) as an investment for his daughters, and very likely contracted for Woolton Tower, Ashleigh & Highfield too (as well as very many elsewhere). In 1871 at 86 he was a 'retired builder' and for 10 years past his daughter Elizabeth and her family had been living with him at Hillcroft.

On 11 Sept. 1872 James Gore died aged 87 and was buried at St Peter's, Woolton. He was described in his probate record as stone mason and builder, with an estate under £1,000 (no doubt excluding the trusts he had made for his family). Thomas Cross and his family remained in the house until 1876, when they moved to a house in Woolton Mount (another belonging to James Gore) and for the next five years Hillcroft was empty.

continued . . .