Oswaldtwistle Public Park

Early History

The public park known as Rhyddings or formerly Riddings was part of an old estate lying East of the main road and North of Fielding Lane (both old roads). There is some historical information about who owned it at various times, but I cannot put my finger on it just now. There was a medieval manor house at the Eastern end. The estate extended westwards as far as Catlow Hall Street. It is visible on the first edition OS 6” map from the mid-1840s. You can find it on MARIO, the Lancashire County map archive. To the South East beyond High Street was Broadfield pit (two pits are marked). The landlord was Sir Robert Peel bt. But the pits were operated by the Simpson family. Initially it was under James Simpson of Methven, but after his death it was under his nephew Thomas. There was a tramway from Broadfield going North down the hill across Birch Crescent and High Street then near Hawthorn Avenue. It then passed West of the grounds of Paddock House. It then turned East to go along Badge Brow then North again to Foxhill Bank Print Works. I think the coal was used to power the print works, and any surplus sold locally. It didn’t go to the canal as far as I can see. The Western boundary of the estate appeared to follow the line of Catlow Hall Street. 

A New Owner

Now Robert Watson arrives on the scene. He was born in Blackburn in 1818. He appears in Oswaldtwistle in 1847 in partnership with John Bullough (of Howard & Bullough fame) and John Fish operating Stone Bridge Mill as a weaving mill. I do not know how he got this position. This was when Sir Robert Peel bt visited the mill to view James Bullough’s improvements to looms. Also in that year the partners leased from James Simpson of Methven (who died in November of that year) a plot of 13,217 sq yards at Cross for the erection of a spinning mill. In 1848, the partnership was dissolved as regards James Bullough. Later that year the looms were sold to the trustees of James Simpson. Finally, in 1851 the partnership was dissolved as regards John Fish. It appears that during this time, the weaving mill was demolished and replaced by the spinning mill, still called Stone Bridge Mill. 

In 1851, Robert resided at Hippings (probably near where the old town hall is) and is described as a cotton manufacturer. Hippings was the area between Cross and Busk and included what is now Straits. In March 1854 he was injured in an accident. He was returning home from Blackburn on Friday 17th March at 11 pm by luggage train. It appears that at Church & Oswaldtwistle he alighted the train while the train was still moving. He fell under a wheel and his right foot was crushed. He was conveyed home and on Saturday several surgeons were in attendance. It was decided to amputate below the knee, and this was done under chloroform. He appears to have made a full recovery. He may have been returning from a Masonic function. 

By February 1855, the family is residing at Rhyddings.  In 1861 Robert is a cotton spinner employing 481 females and 373 males. In 1871 he is a cotton spinner employing 320 men, 330 women, 56 boys and 50 girls. Rhyddings Hall appears to have been inspired, if not designed by, Pugin. He broke with Regency symmetry to design the rooms then wrap the wall around them. This style of house has different sizes and styles of window to suit the rooms behind. There are 7 pictures in Red Rose Collections. Only one shows the conservatory. I would be interested to know if there are any other houses of this style and period in the area. The Watsons had 3 or 4 house servants plus a couple of gardeners and a coachman. 

Robert allocated the Western side of the estate to housing (probably for his workers) giving us Hornby Street and Park Lane. Their first son was Robert Hornby Watson, so perhaps a family connection here. The North Eastern end of the block was donated for the building of St Paul’s Parish Church. 

In January 1865, Robert’s brother Walter was drowned in Tinker Brook. Here is a press report of the incident. Melancholy drowning of Walter Watson aged 35 in the Tinker Brook. He was of the firm Messrs Watson bros of Stone Bridge & Rhyddings Mills. About 6:30 pm he tried to cross wooden bridge on dam between lodges on Tinker Brook, fell through rail and drowned before he could be rescued. At that point it is about 6' 9" dee p between vertical walls each side. Richard Thompson, manager of Rhyddings Mill, said he could only have been in the water five minutes. There was gloom over the family at the Hall where he was to be present at a party. This came three weeks after another drowning. This was widely reported in the press, even as far away as Dundee. Business was not always good. There were recessions in 1862, 1879 and 1887 and strikes in 1884 . In 1882 Robert Watson converted the business to a limited company, Robert Watson & Sons Ltd. Also in 1882, the foundation stone of St Paul’s church was laid by Mrs Watson. From 1870 the congregation was using an iron church. 

The Bullough Family Move In

By 1891, Robert had retired to Southport. In 1887 Rhyddings is put up for sale or lease.  In 1892, he liquidates the assets of Rhyddings Mill.  In late 1890, John Bullough of Howard & Bullough takes a lease of Rhyddings. John spends Christmas 1890 at his Scottish estate Meggernie in Glen Lyon. Early in the new year he heads down South to attend a Conservative Party function in Accrington. He falls ill with a lung infection on the way. He retires to Rhyddings but his condition does not improve. Somebody decides he should go to Monte Carlo in February (it is midwinter remember). He breaks his journey in London at the Metropole hotel. He appears to abandon the Monte Carlo plan. Then he suddenly takes a turn for the worse and dies. The 1891 census finds his son by his first wife, George, at Rhyddings awaiting the reading of the will and the distribution of the estate. 

When George (later Sir George, later Sir George Bullough 1st bt) gets his hands on his inheritance, he embarks on a world tour. Whilst away, he sends back souvenirs to Rhyddings. On his eventual return in 1895, it is expected he will take up residence at Rhyddings. After all, it is near the company that is the source of his great wealth. However, he shows no interest in the company. His interests are shooting (especially deer), sailing and horses. He quits Rhyddings and heads off South. In 1895 George complained that he had had to spend £3,000 on repairs and improvements to Rhyddings. Was Rhyddings built on the cheap? It is only 40 years old. In 1900 there was an auction sale of furniture etc at Rhyddings. I presume that this was property of the Watsons. In the 1901 census the house was unoccupied. 

The Park Project

In 1907 a plan emerges for the Council to purchase the Rhyddings Estate to create a public park for the citizens of Oswaldtwistle. Did the Council initiate this, or the Watson family? Did the Watson family have a prospective private buyer? It appears that Clr Hargreaves was pushing the plan. He thought a park would enhance the value of the surrounding properties. The asking price was £5,000 (plus ground rent of £20 pa). Clr Walsh thought it was not worth it, and if the workers wanted some green space it was not far for them to walk out of the town. The problem was the huge debt left by the Gourlay fraud (another story). Council debt was £100,000, an enormous sum for the time. There was aso the problem of what to do with the big house. By the next year the Council had got Hornby Watson to drop the price to £3,750, finalised on 2 December, but they still had to find that sum. It looked like the project was doomed to failure, but they managed it somehow. Clr Hargreaves opened the park on 31 May 1909. They asked Sir George Bullough for funding, but he turned them down, citing increasingly onerous taxes. That is plausible, but it did seem mean-spirited. He was busy setting up his extravagant pleasure palace Kinloch Castle on the island of Rum. In 1914 the executors of Robert Rigby (deceased) were directed to erect a sundial in memoriam. I think this went ahead. I think there was a sundial. At the same time, the park keeper reported on repairs to the roof of the house and stated that other repairs were required. There was a problem of dampness inside. 

A park keeper was recruited. This was Joseph Warwick (1869-1946) of Barnard Castle. In the 1911 census he is living in the big house with his wife Margaret and son Thomas. The number of rooms is given as 25, but only five are occupied by him. Presumably this accommodation came with the job. The electoral register has him there until 1915 (thereafter the register is not reliable owing to the war). The register picks him up again in 1927 now living at 7 Park Lane looking onto the park. He is recorded there in the 1939 Register where he is Park Superintendent (retired). He dies in 1946 still at 7 Park Lane leaving an estate of £4,484. 

Later History

I found a few later events about the park. In 1925 the Council sought funding to create 2 hard tennis courts. In 1926 they prohibited gambling on bowls matches (yes really). In 1925 they sought more funding to create a second bowling green as a make-work project. In 1930, guns and carriages that stood outside the Hall were to be broken up and sold with the proceeds going to the Earl Haig fund. That sounds very odd to me as they were destroying an attraction for probably little return. In 1931 a request was made to construct a paddling pool. It was deferred by the Council. In 1934 a divorce was granted to Mrs Patricia Lurleen Holroyd. Her address at the time was given as Rhyddings Hall. Who was Lurleen? Was she living alone in the Hall? Was she a custodian?  It remains a mystery.