Sparrow Park - Hadfield - UK Historical Markers on Waymarking.com

SPARROW PARK

Before the advent of the railway and Hadfield Station, Hadfield Road was the main thoroughfare through the village. In the 19th century, Station Road increased in importance, becoming the main shopping street.

The green area in front of the Spinners Arms is Sparrow Park, created after an old row of houses was demolished. These had steps outside leading to the upper floors and were possibly used more like flats, with different families living on each floor. The Spinners Arms was originally a house attached to a cow shed with room to store crops. It was built in the 18th century and altered over the years. It is recorded as an ale house in 1824 when Samuel Taylor was the victualler.

Ivy Cottage, the distinctive cottage opposite, was the home of the Sisters of Charity who settled in Hadfield in 1861. The charity moved in 1887 when industrialist John Dalton built a convent for them in the grounds of St Charles’ Catholic Church. Ivy Cottage, which was also a doctor’s, is now a private house.

The present St Andrew’s C of E Junior School, on the left on Hadfield Road, started life in 1908 as Castle School, a new council school built on the site of the Methodist School. It was the secondary modern school before Hadfield Comprehensive was built on Newshaw Lane in 1971. Opposite is Hadfield Infant School built in 1975 to cater for the growing number of children in the village.

A curious fact: Just after she was born in 1871 Betsy Ann Shepley lived with her grandfather, James Blore, in Hadfield. By 1881 at the age of 10 she was living at the Spinners, becoming the adopted daughter of Joseph and Keziah Jolly. Betsy remained at the pub after marrying Charles North while her natural mother lived next door. She apparently never lived with her parents!