Embroidery at the Arts & Crafts Church

Embroidery
Embroidery Course with Helen Jones of the Royal School of Needlework

Here we have a new Arts & Crafts project for you. Why not… learn to embroider and have some fun?

CLICK HERE to download pdf

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This is a day for those of you who would like to acquire or refresh some embroidery skills.  Perhaps you want to move beyond cross stitch, perhaps you want to remind yourself of skills learnt in the past, or perhaps you simply want to have an enjoyable day learning something new at The Arts & Crafts Church.

This day offers an introduction to surface stitching on linen fabric using crewel wools.  By the end of the day you will have learnt enough to be able to finish your kit at home.  The course will take place in one of the meeting rooms in the historic setting of Long Street Methodist Church.

The course price is £45 + booking fee and for that you will receive five hours tuition, a kit with all necessary materials and instructions, tea/coffee etc.  You can borrow embroidery frames and scissors on the day at no charge.  For lunch you can bring your own or buy something at Ye Olde Boar’s Head PH, the oldest pub in the North-West, just next door.

The day will be lead by Helen Jones, an accredited tutor with the Royal School of Needlework  – see http://www.royal-needlework.org.uk/courses/tutor_details/69

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The Victorian Society Call

As part of the Victorian Society’s AGM weekend, almost one hundred members from all over the country visited the Arts and Crafts Church this afternoon. The programme consisted of a brief resume of the work of Edgar Wood, a look around the church and school and exhibitions. Four groups of approx twenty went on escorted walks to see the Edgar Wood  buildings in the Conservation Area, while those less mobile had a ‘virtual tour’ at the church. Before departing they enjoyed afternoon tea provided by Greater Manchester Building Preservation Trust.

A rewarding afternoon was had, but only possible as a result of all the work by the Edgar Wood Society volunteers: the research group for providing up to date findings and those who wrote and edited new and revised leaflets and guides, those who led the walks and the ladies for providing over 100 cups of tea/coffee and not forgetting those who set up and cleared up after the event. A big thank you.IMG_2169aIMG_2165aIMG_2174aIMG_2172a

Another Edgar Wood building is being restored

 

Guardian Buildings, Market Place, Middleton
Guardian Buildings, Market Place, Middleton

Guardian Buildings were originally the headquarters and printshop for the Middleton Guardian newspaper, which is still going strong today. They were designed by Edgar Wood in 1889 in a simple direct way with an art nouveau verticality and a pair of strong gables.

Never expensive, the building has been known only in a very mutilated form for several decades. That is until now, as the Edgar Wood and Middleton THI is funding its restoration to something close to its original form. We look forward to the result!

In 1906, the owner of Guardian Buildings, Fred Bagot, also commissioned Edgar Wood to build him a new home at 36 Mellalieu Street. It was his first flat roofed design and has also been restored by the THI.

 

Listed Places of Worship Grant – Unsuccessful

For the second year running the Greater Manchester Building Preservation Trust has not been successful in receiving a grant under the Listed Places of Worship scheme for dedicated repairs to roofs, gutters and drains.

The application ticked all the correct boxes and matched funding was in place, being supported by the Edgar Wood Society, Middleton Township and others. This Church is on the National Buildings at Risk Register, yet still did not get grant approval. We are very disappointed.20160621_151452_resizeda                                                                                                      IMG_2068aIMG_2065a

New Book… Manchester Making the Modern City Edited by Alan Kidd and Terry Wyke

Every town and city has its story, but few have a history that is essential to understanding how the modern world was made. Manchester was the first industrial city and arguably the first modern city. 

This is how this fascinating new book begins. It is an in-depth study of how and why Manchester developed into an internationally important city. It’s a thoroughly enjoyable read with lots of information and ideas. Dippers and browsers will not be disappointed as the themes can be easily followed through the many illustrations and their captions.

Edgar Wood and Alkrington Garden Village get a passing mention in the above photograph. The book is not really about architecture but social, political and industrial history. Full details are HERE.

Edgar Wood Society Day Out

Members of the EWS and friends had an excellent day out visiting St.Martin’s at Marple Bridge, St. Mary the Virgin at Buxton, the museum and various delights around the Pavilion Gardens. Thank you to Anthony from St. Martin’s and Eric at St. Mary’s for showing us around and our own Nick Baker for his expert commentary at the venues.

Images show: Stained glass by George Wragg at Buxton Museum. Part of the rood screenIMG_1979a at St.mary’s. Lady Chapel ceiling and door handle at St. martin’s, work by Sedding and Henry Wilson. IMG_1965a IMG_2008a IMG_1994a

Roof Damage

Between Friday and Saturday morning a stone roof tile slipped and burst through several tiles on the facing roof. The oak peg holding the tile in place had sheared, the remnants can just be seen in the fixing hole. A little more to the left and the stone would have broken through the roof light.Damage 2

Publicity – St. Leonard’s Church and the Golden Cluster

A new leaflet is being distributed across the borough and further afield for visiting Middleton’s Golden Cluster. Look at the events/calendar for visiting times. The Lord Mayor of Manchester accepted a leaflet while visiting the East Lancs Railway and at Middleton’s May day celebrations, Sally was on hand in the Heritage gazebo to pass on a leaflet to Liz McInnes, the MP for Middleton and Heywood.

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Arts & Crafts Study Group back after a break

The Edgar Wood Society, Arts & Crafts study group is back at work after a month off. We have two new members, Victoria, an archaeologist and Arts & Crafts specialist, and Veronica, an art historian studying stained glass conservation.

We have several projects on the go including…

Manchester Architects 150 Exhibition: Wood and Sellers Evening

Lee House, Great Bridgewater St, Manchester
Lee House, Great Bridgewater St, Manchester

Many Wood and Sellers enthusiasts popped into the Wood and Sellers evening and exhibition on March 10th at Manchester Metropolitan University.

The event celebrated the two architects’ contribution to Greater Manchester’s architectural heritage and included Edgar Wood’s watercolour of J. Henry Sellers’ design for Lee House, Manchester. The painting shows how these Arts & Crafts modernist pioneers were still pushing the boundaries in the late 1920s and early 30s. Lee House comprised three cubes which would have made it the tallest tower in Europe, had all been built as planned. As it was, only the bottom part was constructed and the clarity of the Sellers’ modernist design was diluted with mainstream art deco ornament in a tussle for architectural control with Harry S. Fairhurst and Son, the firm which erected the building. The tale of the building’s design is told by Victoria Jolley… Click Here

The evening and exhibition were part of a programme celebrating 150 years of Manchester Architects held at the MMU Special Collections Gallery.  Called, ‘We built this city‘ it charted the influence of the Manchester Society of Architects on the cityscape and architectural design in Greater Manchester through original drawings. Rare folios from the MSA Library at MMU Special Collections showed the wealth of material on offer to members who frequented the Society’s rooms. Highlights included work by W and G Audsley, Owen Jones, William Kent, Palladio, Piranesi, Stuart and Revett and, of course, Wood and Sellers.

Manchester Histories Community Award

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Christine was nominated by Dave Lees for a Manchester Histories Community Award. Christine was one of three short listed for the Pickstone prize and is shown holding the award for being highly recommended by the judging panel. The ceremony took place in the grand surroundings of banqueting room of the Manchester Town Hall. Dave gave an excellent, timed five minute presentation about Christine’s role in promoting Middleton’s history over the last twelve years and her close involvement in the pending restoration of Long Street Methodist Church and School. Representatives from Middleton’s historical and civic societies and Mr.N.Barton from the planning department of RMBC came to give their support.

Restoration of Redcroft nearing completion

Edgar Wood’s Middleton home, Redcroft (1891), is been painstakingly restored as part of the Heritage Lottery Fund THI scheme run by the Council and Middleton Heritage. The work is being overseen by conservation surveyors Alan Gardner and Rupert Hilton under the watchful eye of the Council’s conservation officer, Sue Oakley, and is being funded by a large grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund THI.

The scaffolding finally came down last week and while the perimeter wall, gate and other details still have to be finished off, the result was photographed by the Edgar Wood Society to get the good news out.

Redcroft Gate Carving Rectified (1)
Arts & Crafts carved lettering over the original Redcroft gateway – Edgar Wood Society archive photograph

Still to come is the restoration of Edgar Wood’s carved Arts & Crafts motif over the restored gateway. Interestingly, this had ‘Mackintosh style’ lettering even though it was designed by Edgar Wood several years before Charles Rennie Mackintosh had got going (he was eight years younger than Wood). Many historians believe that Mackintosh knew Edgar Wood as they shared quite a few design ideas. The motif suggests Mackintosh visited Wood at Redcroft on one of his trips to Manchester.

Redcroft was built in 1891 at a time when the young Edgar Wood loved the combination of strong red or orange colours set against bright white. He also painted timber and metal details white, in complete opposition to the usual Victorian dark greens and browns. Edgar Wood’s intentions are been faithfully restored in the restoration using historic photographs and the expert knowledge of the Edgar Wood Society. However, a sense of the passing of time is also being kept, for example by not cleaning the brickwork and by keeping the modern iron railings. The result is an orange and white Arts & Crafts house that brightens up the street scene of the conservation area!

Redcroft Garden 1916 closeupRedcroft and its neighbour, Fencegate, were the first of a new breed of Arts and Crafts semis which combined red brick and white render with a cottage feel. The style quickly caught on and subsequently dominated much of twentieth century house design. The influence of Redcroft and Fencegate can be seen in many buildings across Middleton and the Manchester region.

Edgar Wood lived at Redcroft for 24 years before moving to Hale, Trafford where he built his second home, the pioneering art deco, Royd House. However, before he did so, he gave Redcroft an art deco touch by redesigning the front garden and replacing the perimeter fencing with limestone blocks which were lowered in the centre to set off a remarkable art deco sculpture, which is now unfortunately lost. However, it is recorded in Edgar Wood’s painting of his front garden. In these two houses, Redcroft and Royd House, Edgar Wood used the design of his own home to set national and international trends in house design.

The restoration of Redcroft will complete the restoration of the pair, since Fencegate was restored in the 1990s, a project that involved completely rebuilding the house because of subsidence!

Emergence of ModernismRedcroft and Fencegate belong to Middleton’s core of six Edgar Wood buildings which show how modern architecture emerged from historical Victorian styles (see extract from Manchester University paper opposite). This group is of international significance. With Redcroft and Fencegate restored, attention is now moving to some of the others, especially the neighbouring semi of 1892, originally called Briarhill.  This was Edgar Wood’s first building to be published in the United States of America! The two pairs of orange-red semis set each other off perfectly. When seen together from the south, the houses form an expressive twosome, the larger red building acting as a backdrop to the smaller white one.

Redcroft restored 2

Roof Repair Grant Bid Submitted

Roof Repair Grant Bid Submitted

Long Street Methodist Church Roof in 2009 - CopyA grant application to repair the roof of the Arts & Crafts Church has been submitted to the government’s church Roof Repair Fund. Greater Manchester Building Preservation Trust supported by the Arts and Crafts Trust submitted the bid on Friday via their conservation surveyor Alan Gardner. The trust made a bid in 2015 but lost out, mainly due to the fund being oversubscribed. Fingers are crossed for 2016!