According to an historian with an interest in the area, who contacted Gascoigne Halman with a series of old maps going back to 1840, Edgeley Fold is at least 160 years old. In fact the agents reckon it dates back to around 1790.
[I could have told them that. I didn't previously post news of this historic building being for sale, because I thought it was unfair on the vendors to get a lot of visitors who want to see the old house but have no interest in buying it. As it is now in the press, it can't do any harm to discuss it here.The house details can be seen at: Edgeley Fold brochure.
The most interesting part of the visit is seeing the facade, as inside there aren't many original features. The cellar sounded interesting, but I didn't see that.
The significance of Edgeley Fold is that it is the remains of Edgeley House, the family house of Sykes, whose business, Sykes Bleach Works, created and defined the south half of Edgeley. The Sykes family moved to America and Canada around 1904, leaving most of their estate lands as Alexandra Park. The main part of Edgeley House was destroyed. The Edgeley Fold section appears to be less substantial than the rest. The 1790 date, over the main door suggest it was the original house. I think that the building now lost was a larger extension, built as the family fortunes increased.
Incredibly, there are no planning constraints on this building, though the new Alexandra Park Conservation Area would offer some protection, if it is agreed to.]
