Friday 16 October 2009

Waterloo & Taunton Conservative Club


Behind the stone pedestals is an old driveway leading to the 'Waterloo & Taunton Conservative Club'. Ian tells me it's an old Manor House. I've Googled it and can find no better explanation.

As it was built in 1891, the driveway would indeed have been the horse and cart entrance to the building. Now closed to all but pedestrian traffic as there is access via a side road.

I'm sure the unsightly entrance shed is a later and ill considered addition to the fine old building.

In case you were wondering about the name, Waterloo and Taunton, they are names of areas local to the building within Ashton-under-Lyne.


6 comments:

  1. The twin towers may have been the old entrance to Wilshaw Dale Farm near to Dale Grove School on Wilshaw Lane.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ah. Would make sense, as the towers look much older than the Con club.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I just wished my map went that far up instead of stopping at Wellington Road

    http://ashtonian.smugmug.com/photos/294814064_UC4g6-S.jpg

    ReplyDelete
  4. Waterloo and Taunton Conservative Club was established in 1891 and has always been a gentleman's club. We believe the club was built by the mill owners of Park Bridge and Ashton-under-Lyne as a meeting place and to talk politics. The bowling green was added sometime between 1895 and 1900. The long driveway down from the Oldham Road entrance was said to be used for horse and cart access. The club was extended in the 1980's (as it now stands), increasing original membership from 200 to 500 today.

    Because our club is a private members club, very little information is available at the local archive studies in Ashton-under-Lyne.

    ReplyDelete