Oakwood Hall Radcliffe Park Road, Irlams o’ th’ Height

Oakwood Nursing Home is a large mid-19th century house, almost mansion sized, built in the Italian renaissance style, of brick and Derbyshire stone. Known locally as "Teapot Hall", the property was originally built for the tea merchant Thomas Binyon, a member of the firm of Binyon and Robinson.

* SWINTON PARK – TO BE LET or SOLD, OAKWOOD, late the residence of James Radcliffe Esq, within 3.5 miles of the Manchester Exchange, together with the PARK LAND (if desired) of about 28 acres. The house and grounds occupy an area of from five to six acres, enclosed in a fence, and includes stabling for twelve horses, with two Dwelling Houses over the same, good Entrance Lodge in stone, Conservatory, Greenhouses, and all necessary Outhouses and heating apparatus. Oakwood is a handsome stone structure, having a south-west aspect, containing – on ground floor spacious entrance hall, three large entertaining rooms, and excellent billiard room, and offices , servants’ room, large kitchen and pantries, and butler’s room, with safes, etc. There are nine bedrooms on the first floor and four on the second floor, together with bathrooms and other conveniences. For further particulars apply to John Bancroft 19 Princess Street, Manchester. [Manchester Guardian 19 March 1881 page 2]  Adverts repeated throughout the 1880s

OAKWOOD, Swinton Park – Sale by auction of building materials forming various Outhouses, several Greenhouses, Vineries and Ferneries fitted up with modern heating apparatus, racks etc, fowl pens, paving setts and various effects. One lean-to vinery 66 feet by 16 feet; one three-quarter span greenhouse 32 feet long by 16 feet wide; fernery with glazed roof and sides, 18 feet 6 inches by 13 feet 6 inches. [Manchester Guardian 8 November 1892 page 3]

OAKWOOD, Swinton Park, Pendlebury: nine bedrooms, dining room, drawing room, breakfast room, conservatory, kitchen, stabling etc; large enclosed kitchen garden, and large pleasure grounds. Manchester Guardian 10 August 1893 page 1]

In 1923 donations from Mr and Mrs Lawrence Pilkington and Mr Edward Pilkington to enable the purchase of Oakwood as a nurses’ home for 25 nurses together with the purchase of a substantial dwelling adjoining for the general superintendent and secretary of the hospital. It was intended that the house should be named the Pilkington Home for Nurses. Oakwood is colloquially known as “Teapot Hall” through its association with Binyon, tea-merchant. [Manchester Guardian 17 March 1923 page 13]

Reference           Colin Cunningham, Prudence Waterhouse: Alfred Waterhouse, 1830-1905: Biography of a Practice; 1992. page 215.

* Cunningham incorrectly listed the building as demolished although the names of the clients as the first two owners of the hall are given. In part the confusion is a result of the name "Swinton Park" being given as its location. Swinton Park originally extended over the Swinton boundary into the Irlams o' th' Height district of Salford. Thus mansions built near the carriageway through the park, (now Swinton Park Road), are within the Salford boundary