Watling Gate: Calling all campaigners!

The Annual Meeting of the Friends of Newton Park will take place at

Timperley Taverners,
43A Park Rd
Timperley,
Altrincham,
WA14 5AD
0161 973 2579
Next Wednesday 9th September 2009 at 7.00pm

Heritage Open Day

Saturday 12th September 2009
10am to 5pm

The Parish Church of St. Paul, Springfield Road, Sale, Cheshire M33 7YA will be throwing open its doors on Saturday 12th September 2009, 10am to 5pm, as part of the National Heritage Open Day.

For further information, please telephone 0161-969-2795 or visit

http://web.me.com/rhadwen/Stpauls/heritageopenday.html
http://www.heritageopendays.org.uk/directory/HOD007635E

A scandalous betrayal of trust by Trafford Metropolitan Borough Council !

We now publish the Will of Lt Col Charles Newton who gave his house and land to the people of Altrincham.

“I give to the Urban District Council of Altrincham in the County of Chester (hereinafter called the Council) all of my dwelling house and residence known as Watling Gate, Timperley together with the land forming the site.

I declare that the Council shall hold the said plots of land hereinbefore given to the Council upon trust for the perpetual use thereof by the public for the purposes of a park or pleasure grounds and for the purpose of exercise and recreation.

I further declare that the Council shall hold the said dwelling house upon trust to use the same or permit the same to be used for any civic purpose such as a branch library and a welfare centre and that part of my house may, if the Council so desires, be used as an official residence for one or more of the Council’s employees and the said dwelling house shall not be sold, let or occupied, by a private individual or private individuals."

The Last Will of Charles Newton of Watling Gate, Timperley on the 23rd July 1936.

The art of demolition by neglect !

Lieutenant Colonel Newton, a resident of Timperley, gave his house, complete with works of art, and other collectables, and a substantial amount of land, to the people of his community.  His bequest placed a moral obligation on the local council to use the property for the purpose of arts or leisure. The house, called Watling Gate, is a Listed Building, and during the time it has been under the supposed protection of Trafford Metropolitan Borough Council, the art collection has been lost and the building has deteriorated to such a degree that it is no longer safe.

The Campaign Team has received a number of e-mails from Trafford councillors, not one of whom will accept any responsibility for the deplorable state of this fine house, not one of them is offering to find a solution to a problem of their own making.  Several have blamed the ‘other party’ for the parlous condition of Watling Gate.

This affair is a gross insult to the memory of a generous benefactor of our community, and the only culprits are the members of the Council, who temper inactivity with inter-party squabbling and incompetence.  It is not surprising that the Campaign Team have found on the doorsteps of the Borough, complete dissatisfaction with the performance of the Council, and absolute disenchantment with the main political parties.

One wonders whether the response in the community will be reflected in the next local elections.

The Campaign Team posted a film on the blogspot yesterday concerning Watling Gate which includes an interview with a lady who lives close by.

Watling Gate

The Campaign to save the Sale Hotel has widened its activity to include other significant or cherished buildings in the Borough which are under threat. There are a number of buildings already Listed which are in a such a poor state of repair that their demolition seems likely. One such building is Watling Gate, actually owned by Trafford MBC. Despite its being a Listed building Trafford Council is prepared to see it crumble. The Campaign to Save the Sale Hotel has put its weight behind rescuing Watling Gate., as you can see from this film.