Neil Roland - Gallery 31 Reddish, Stockport Gallery
Reddish was an area with which I was not overly familiar, until I was
commissioned to create a collection of works to hang in the newly converted
Victoria Mill, one of the sensational mill developments in what I discovered
was a gloriously historic enclave of architectural gems.
Sir William Houldsworth, a one-time Manchester MP and cotton baron,
created what became the largest spinning mills in Europe at Reddish, and his
legacy - including a sensational church, school and working mens club designed
by the renowned Alfred Waterhouse (who designed Manchester Town Hall), all
remain today.
This collection was commissioned to celebrate the enduring beauty around
the mills at Reddish today, and to present them in a unique way.
The curves of shiny cars in
Broadstone Mill car park create waves like a sea when turned 90 or 180 degrees
Living Reddish (i)
St. Elizabeth Church organ in sunlight; oil
portrait, Sir William Houldsworth, at Reddish Working Men's Club; window at St.
Elizabeth's church; roof of School; Houldsworth Mill reflected in puddle
outside Grey Horse pub; memorial clock, Reddish Square; Waterhouse designed
doorway, St. Elizabeth's Church
Living Reddish (ii)
magnificent marble in church interior, St.
Elizabeth's; entrance gates, Broadstone Mill; 1909 certificate to headmaster of
St. Elizabeth's School on retirement; roof door, St. Elizabeth's church; the
school reflecting trees; window in church; gatepost, Broadstone Mill
Living Reddish (iii)
Close up marble & mosaic at St.
Elizabeth's Church interior; dome top, Broadstone Mill; original tiled
flooring, St. Elizabeth's Church; spires of church and working men's club;
Alfred Waterhouse animal detail at church; old Red Ink jar from school; horse
and flying fish emblems on Flying Horse pub.
Living Reddish (iv)
Memorial plaque to William Houldsworth in
specially dedicated chapel at St. Elizabeth's Church; railings at Broadstone
Mill; Blackboard Renovator discovered hidden at St. Elizabeth's School;
cockerel weather vane on church spire; church interior, marble and gold
mosaics; school indenture; copper domed Broadstone Mill; 1909 built Grey Horse
pub
Living Reddish (v)
1865 built Houldsworth Mill clock;
turquoise/gold mosaic, St. Elizabeth's Church; inks and blackboard restorers
found during renovations at St. Elizabeth's School dating from its time as
Houldsworth School; chimney, Houldsworth Mill; barley twist attic staircase,
Reddish Working Men's club; bronze eagle podium, St. Elizabeth's Church;
original signature of William Houldsworth on indenture at Houldsworth School;
pew end at the Alfred Waterhouse designed church.
Signs of the Times In Reddish
Original street signs all
around the heart of Reddish
Waterhouse Gems
The intricate Victorian roofine of Houldsworth
Working Mens' Club with church spire behind, all designed by renowned architect
Alfred Waterhouse who built Manchester Town Hall and who was commissioned by
Sir William Houldsworth to build all the principal buildings around the mills..
Pictures turned by 90 degrees
Victoria Mill
Victoria Mill restored and with its new top
storeys, as it is today, reflected in a rain-puddle and shown upside down
