BANKSIDE (continued):

Owners and Occupiers

?1843-1855/6: John Armitage Pearson (c.1804-1863) who, in 1841, had been living at the home of Joshua Lace, Throstles Nest in L.W. and whose daughter Frances (c.1802-1869) he later married. In the 1843 Directory we find him living in M.W. and we suggest he was at this house. We find from the 1851 census that he was then 47, born at Kingston, Yorks., his wife was born in Liverpool and that they had a housemaid, a cook and a groom, and as we so often find, none of the servants were born locally. His professional education was at Guy's and St. Thomas's Hospitals gaining his L.S.A. in 1825, M.R.C.S. in 1826 and F.R.C.S. 1856. He was Surgeon of "Woolton Dispensary" for 25 years before leaving for Buxton where he was Surgeon to the Devonshire Hospital and Bath Charity until his death (6.6.1863) when he left under £4,000.

c.1858-1876: Mary Ann Hopley (c.1820-1886), widow of Charles Hopley, who in the mid 1850s had been living at Oxton Hall, in Cheshire, was here for the 1861 census with her son. Charles William then 16 and a merchant's clerk, her daughter Ann aged 19 - both children being born in Rio-de-Janeiro. (Charles Hopley senior had died in 1859, aged 30, shortly after coming to Bankside, leaving effects of under £20,000. He was buried at St Peters). They had 4 servants including a coachman - none born locally. From the Rates Book of 1867 we see that Mrs Hopley was the owner of this house with a R.V. of £120 and an extent of just over half an acre. By 1871 Charles William Hopley, now aged 26 was recorded by the census as the head of the household and a Brazil merchant, but he was still unmarried, living with his mother. They moved to Beaconsfield Road in 1876.

1876-1891: The house was empty from that time to 1891 though it remained in Mrs Hopley's ownership, and after 1886 when she died in the ownership of her executors - her son having died in 1882 - for the benefit of her two orphan grandchildren. And so it remained until 1911 at least.

1891-1934: James Wilkie (c.1857-1927) eldest son of James Wilkie of Acre, Largs, Ayrshire and a cotton broker with the firm of Cunningham & Hinshaw became the tenant in 1891. He lived there with his wife Annie Hinshaw Wilkie to 1927 when he died leaving £164,000. His widow remained in the house until 1934 when she died.

1936: By 1936 Alfred Henry Bramley lived at Bankside, he was a director of J. Bramley & Sons Ltd., corn merchants and millers of 30 Manesty's Lane.

continued . . .