Etherow Lodge Park
Hollingworth
Etherow Park
Market Street
Hollingworth
Cheshire
Introducting...
Friends of Etherow Lodge Park.
History of Etherow House and Garden- now the Park
History taken from ` The Land of the Etherow’ Neville T Sharpe
Old Ordnance .Survey Map 1907. Script by Helen Perkins.
In 1759 John Sidebottom a nailer from Stalybridge married Elizabeth Kelsall whose brother was a mill owner.
John went into the mill business buying the Waterside Mill complex in 1820.
Three generations of Sidebottoms went into the mill business owning Waterside, Millbrook Mill and Bridge Mills.
John and Elizabeth had 10 children
In 1787 John Sidebottom moved to Hollingworth Manor opposite what is now Etherow Lodge.
The Sidebottoms sons Thomas and William remained single but went into the family business
Thomas Harrop Sidebottom lived in Etherow House, was MP for Stalybridge. For 20 years.
William became the first MP for the High Peak in 1885.
By the end of the 1880’s the Waterside and Bridge Mill complexes were the largest in Glossopdale.
In 1896 however the Sidebottoms went into liquidation.
Following the death of Tom Harrop in 1908 Etherow House remained empty for a few years.
Etherow was house was then purchased by Sir William Clare Lees manager of Etherow Bleaching Company.
The workers cottages on the A628 became the home of Bill Sowerbutts in the early 1950’s, he named the cottages Etherow Lodge, making what was formerly 2 worker’s cottages into one house.
Bill bought the grounds as well and the now derelict Etherow House.
Bill had the house demolished
Bill was a radio personality and a famous gardener of his day a founder member of the Radio 4 Gardener’s question time team.
Bill later sold most of his land to Greater Manchester Council for a nominal sum, this is now known as Etherow Lodge Park.