| Administrative History | Harry Baker (1859-1935) was a prolific amateur photographers from the 1880s to the 1920s. He was by profession a chemist and a lecturer and assistant to Professor Sir Henry Roscoe at Manchester University (Owens College) until he was appointed chemist to the Aluminium Company at Oldbury in 1888. He became Castner's assistant, working on the production of soda as an intermediate in the manufacture of aluminium. When the Castner-Kellner Alkali Company was formed in 1895 and its works at Runcorn were built, Harry Baker, his wife Mary (Polly) and their children left Oldbury for Runcorn, moving to Epworth House, Runcorn in 1896. Then in 1917 they moved to Beaconfield House, mainly to gain access to more land to grow food. The overgrown and neglected garden at Beaconfield was reclaimed by the Bakers and Harry Baker photographed his family at work as they cleared the grounds, demolished the derelict conservatory and recycled the glass into greenhouses. The family lived at Beaconfield until Harry Baker retired in 1928 when the family moved to Leominster.
Epworth House still exists (2011) on Moughland Lane, Runcorn, and is now known as Lawson House. Beaconfield House, built c1850 by soap manufacturer Thomas Hazlehurst was known originally as Prospect Villa. Thomas Hazlehurst died in 1876 and his wife Ann died in 1891. Their wills are in the Cheshire wills collection. By 1901 the house was being used as a private school by David and Margaret Sprunt and this was still the case in 1911. Harry and Polly Baker bought the house in 1917 and lived there with their family until 1927. The gardens at Beaconfield House were laid out c1850 and have been attributed to Edward Kemp. A connection with Joseph Paxton has been suggested but is unproven. The house certainly had a grand conservatory which was demolished by the Bakers and recycled to construct greenhouses. Beaconfield House was demolished c1962 and the site is now part of the Mersey Forest.
(Further details and draft articles on the history of Beaconfield House and gardens by Rosa Baker in accession file) |