"The Old House" South Downs Road Astley Heath Hale
The Old House is a substantial black and white timbered house at the corner of South Downs Road and Heather Road in Hale. It dates from the 17th century and is a Grade II Listed Building. In 1914, approval was given to a building application for an extension to the house, and the architectural drawings, now in Trafford MDC archive, were signed by Dunkerley. The owner of the house at the time was Ernest Byfield Hall, an iron merchant and head of the firm Hall and Pickles of Port Street, Manchester. The Halls were Unitarians and attended Altrincham Chapel along with the Dunkerleys.[RF]
Department of the Environment Listing Particulars: Provisional List. February 1948 : Larger detached house. 17th century, restored and additions. Older part RH, two storey, three gables, rough-cast (probably on timber framing), old flag roof, gable ends. Large additions LH and returns, similar. Windows wood mullion casements with leads, some old, other facsimile. Porched entrance, old timber framing. Good modernisation of old house, probably a farm originally.
Upgrade to II. 26 November 1981: Probably early 17th century. Timber box frame, one bay deep. Two storeys. Three 3-light casement windows, each light of 15 panes. The left hand window is in slightly advanced gable section, from which the rendering retained on the rest was stripped c 1981 to reveal timbering to gable and square panels below, with plaster infill to former and brick to latter above stone plinth. The other two windows are in large dormers on first floor. Early or original pentice timber porch in angle with gable section.
Separate until c1895 are ranges to the left, comprising a larger but similar gable and beyond that, a wing running forward, the length of four windows. At either side of the house are lower two-storey and one-storey extensions. All of these further parts of the building have windows with small panes, matching those of the central section; they are pebble-dashed or of painted brick, and are remodelling of c1895, with new work of that date or later, as is the roof tiling throughout.
Reference Application for Building Regulations approval 1914. Drawings signed by Dunkerley. Trafford MDC Building Regulations archive
Image South Downs Road showing the Old House, 1900 (Trafford LifetimesTL3330)