Public Monument and Sculpture Association National Recording Project
HOULDSWORTH CLOCK AND FOUNTAIN Photograph
Region ID | MR | |
Work ID | 334 | |
Manual Reference | MR/STO09 | |
Type | Ornamental Fountain | |
Title | HOULDSWORTH CLOCK AND FOUNTAIN | |
Date of design | ||
Year of unveiling | 1920 | |
Unveiling details | 11 September 1920 | |
Road | Houldsworth Square | |
Precise Location | ||
A to Z Ref | p. 111 E7 | |
OS Ref | SD899934 | |
Postcode | ||
Work is | Extant | |
Listing Status | II | |
Duty of Care | Stockport MBC | |
Commissioned by | Memorial Committee | |
Notes | ||
Ornamental fountain. Plinth with inscription, bronze portrait roundel, fountain niche and bowl on faces, supports clustered columns in pink granite, carved capitals, below block with clock face, gable top and foliated finial. | ||
Plans to raise a memorial in Reddish to Houldsworth moved forward after the end of the First World War. A committee was established and by February 1919 it had already collected subscriptions totalling £707. These included £50 from the managers of Houldsworth Schools, £90 from Houldsworth Working Men's Club and £20 from the Reddish Conservative Club. The largest donation was £250 from the Fine Cotton Spinners' Association. The precise form of the memorial remained undecided though the location of Houldsworth Square in the centre of Reddish had been agreed upon. Further discussions led to the decision to erect a clock tower and fountain. The monument, based on a similar clock tower in Douglas, Isle of Man, was designed and erected by J. and H. Patteson of Manchester. It was unveiled in September 1920. It became an immediate landmark though over the years the electric clocks did not always show the same time. In 1986 the memorial was moved to the centre of a raised brick-paved area with seating as part of a community programme scheme to redesign Houldsworth Square.(2) | ||
Sir William Houldsworth Bart. (1834-1917), cotton manufacturer. Born in Manchester the fourth son of cotton spinner Henry Houldsworth. He was educated at St. Andrew's university and joined the family firm as a partner. In 1865 the firm relocated from central Manchester to Reddish, to the purpose-built Houldsworth mill, at that time a model of architecture and employment practices. Integral to the relocation plan was the building of a factory community which included a school, recreation ground, a working man's club and a church, (the latter two both designed by Alfred Waterhouse). He stood unsuccessfully for parliament in 1880, but was elected as a Conservative three years later. Houldsworth's efforts in the Tory cause were rewarded by Lord Salisbury with a baronetcy in 1887. As an MP he was a supporter of the Manchester Ship Canal, free trade (until 1903 when he came out in favour of Tariff Reform), bimetallism and the amalgamation of the cotton industry. He was also actively involved in many public institutions in Manchester, including Owen's College and many working men's clubs. Freedom of the city of Manchester was conferred on him in 1905. He retired to Scotland in 1906 where he died in April 1917.(1) His contributions to Reddish include St. Eliabeth's Church and the surrounding complex, Houldsworth Mill and its associated terraces of workers houses, built as a planned industrial estate in 1870s. | ||
circa | ||
raw year | 1920 | |
Condition | Fair | |
At risk | No known risk | |
Inscriptions | DEDICATED TO THE MEMORY OF SIR WILLIAM HOULDSOWRTH BARONET BY THE PEOPLE OF REDDISH IN GRATEFUL REMEMBRANCE OF THE BOUNTIFUL GIFTS WHEREBY HE ENRICHED AND ADORNED THEIR VILAGGE AND MINFESTED HIS CONCERN FOR THEIR SPIRITUAL AND PHYSICAL WELFARE. | |
Signatures | none visible | |
Elements
Element Details
Part of work | Material | Dimensions |
|---|---|---|
Panel | Bronze | |
Columns | Granite | |
Assessment of Condition
Surface Character
Detail | Comment |
|---|---|
Surface spalling, crumbling | |
