Unidentified Cottages Langley Lane Birch

In a large expanse of country made hideous by manufacturing towns, and suburbs lined with the barrack-like dwellings of " factory-hands," the cottages of Mr. Edgar Wood, one of the best known of North-country architects, are often the bright spots on an aesthetically barren land. Those illustrated here (from Langley Lane, Manchester) afford very good examples of how dwellings might be treated, based upon the very common plan found in the cotton towns of Lancashire—that is, the kitchen in the front, entered direct from the street, a scullery behind, containing sink, and boiler, and with a door giving exit to a fair-sized yard, the dustbin, coal-cellar, etc., being in the corner.

The plan reproduced has much the same accommodation, with two or three alterations that make it more comfortable as a dwelling. The lobbies assist in cutting off the draughts from the street; the stairs, slightly better placed, are between the kitchen and scullery; in some of the plans a small room is added beyond the scullery, used as a " washup," in which are placed the boiler and sink, instead of in the scullery. The sizes of the rooms slightly exceed those of the ordinary cottage dwelling. In the larger cottages at the end is added a parlour, which could, from the workman's point of view, be better thrown into the living-room, thus forming one large healthy room. Several North-country architects are now building cottages with bath-rooms on the ground-floor, to obviate the expense of carrying water to the first landing. [The Studio 22 (1901) p. 109]

The only Langley Lane found in Greater Manchester is at Birch. However, the cottages illustrated have not been identified.  This may thus be a projected scheme which was never executed. Birch was never more than a small mill village and is still on the very limit of the built up area with open fields towards Heywood and Simister. This hardly matches the location of the "grim up north" urban working class housing referred to in the text.

Reference           The Studio 22 (1901) p. 109 Cottages at Langley Lane, Manchester [plan and elevation]