Housing estate Fairfield Avenue and Broadway, Fairfield, Droylsden, Manchester

Just to the south of the Moravian Settlement, beyond their burial ground, lies the Fairfield Housing Estate built over an 8 year period by the partnership of Wood and Sellers. Between 1913 and 1914, thirty three houses were built and some seven years later a further 6 were added. This housing estate may not have the 18th century charm of the nearby Moravian Settlement but it still exudes a charm not commonly found in the area.

The layout of the scheme, which is on a sloping site, is extremely ingenious and interesting..... The design of the houses, for which Sellers was probably responsible, has a uniform character with common door and window details, but the arrangement is such that there is no monotony. There is a small court with a green in the centre, surrounded by houses. The blocks are linked at the angles and are well articulated. The frontage lines throughout the estate vary, and some of the set backs are considerable, effectively breaking up the mass of the blocks. The roads have wide grass verges, and many trees, poplars, rowans, silver birches and sycamores grow in the verges and in the gardens. ... The retaining walls and garden walls are of rubble, built from a yellow sandstone which is commonly found in this part of Lancashire, approaching the Pennines. The paths also are of York stone flags. These materials add the visual interest of vigorous texture and human scale to this carefully considered environment and the footpaths follow the natural paths of walkers, so that the verges have not been trodden down, indicating that reason as well as imagination determined its character.  The chaste Neo Georgian character of the houses undoubtedly reflects the taste of Sellers. Some are detached, others semi detached or terraced. The houses vary in size. All are built of a pleasant reddish  orange common brick. The corners, porches and window rebates are defined by brickwork of a contrasting colour and texture adding emphasis and variation. Doors, windows and fanlights are all of neo Georgian design. A standard colour scheme was used through out the estate.

The precise authorship of the scheme is uncertain, but the imaginative exploitation of levels and texture suggest that Wood was responsible for the layout. ... The environment created is enjoyable and human and it clearly demonstrates the immense importance of layout. [John Archer]

Whilst Archer feels that the signature on the houses is Seller's, the concept of the overall design seems to be Wood's.