The way we were
In today’s fast-moving world, it is very easy to lose sight of just how much has changed, and how recently those changes have taken place. Work on the housing estates that surround the church began in 1965; before then the area was a very different place, as shown by this map from 1947, which shows Poulton Hey standing alone, surrounded by fields.
The Hey
John Deane Case
John Deane Case was a merchant in Liverpool, at one time trading together with Oliver Jump under the name of John Deane Case and Co; this partnershp was dissolved in 1817. He married Annabel Littledale in 1821, his wife died in 1833 at the age of 42.
Following in his father’s footsteps, John Deane Case also became Treasurer to Liverpool Corporation, at which time he was living in Rodney Street in Liverpool.
The 1851 census shows him as living at Poulton-cum-Spital in 1851, together with his son, John Bolton Case, who is described as a “farmer of 240 acres”.
John Deane Case died in April 1859 aged 76, with his address shown as Poulton Hey.
Henry Ashton
Henry Ashton was the grandson of John Ashton, a salt merchant who also invested in the slave trade. John Ashton used his profits from salt and slavery to subsidise the construction of the Sankey Canal. His son, Nicholas, used the family fortune to purchase coalmines in Parr, St Helens; he also acquired Woolton Hall in 1772,
Nicholas Ashton died in 1841, and ownership of the Dungeon Saltworks in Hale on the banks of the Mersey passed into Henry’s hands. However the once-profitable business closed shortly afterwards.
Henry Ashton, who had eight daughters, was resident at Poulton Hey at the date of his death in 1870. One of his daughters, Mary, was still living at Poulton Hey until shortly before her death in 1913.
Henry Ernest Scholefield
Henry Scholefield was born in Durham in 1855.
In 1879, he went into partnership with Richard Powell; they were chemical manufacturers trading under the name of Powell and Scholefield, supplying hydro-sulphite of lime to the brewing industry. In the same year, Henry married Elizabeth, Richard’s daughter, with whom he had three sons and two daughters.
In 1889 Powell and Scholefield bought a property at 38 Queensland Street, Liverpool, which became the main site for SHS right up until 1986. In 1910 Powell & Scholefield became a limited company; the original shareholders were all members of both families. The company prospered even during the troubled years of the great war.
By 1911, the family had moved into Poulton Hey. Two of Henry’s sons, Richard and Stephen fought in the first World War; Richard was killed in action; Stephen survived, albeit injured, and died after a long illness in 1932.
Henry Scholefield died in 1940.
Lt-Col P G R Burford
In 1966, Lt Col P G R Burford OBE TD was appointed to the Board of Manweb; at that time he was living at Poulton Hey with his wife and two daughters.
In the early part of the second World War he was Company Commander of an Office Cadet Training unit, had defence responsibilties in the Buckingham Palace and Whitehall areas of London, and was on the planning staff for the Normandy invasion. After the war he became Secretary of the Liverpool Chamber of Commerce, and over the following years took on many responsibilities, including working with the North West Regional Board for Industry, for which he received his OBE.
He was associated with the University of Liverpool, the Liverpool Court of Governors, and was a member of the launching committee of the United Voluntary Organisations and of Voluntary Service Overseas.
The gift
In the 1960’s the Lancelyn Green family sold land in the area in order to meet death duty obligations. St Andrew’s church wanted to create a daughter church at Poulton Lancelyn; Roger Lancelyn Green, a deeply religious man who counted C S Lewis amongst his friends, donated the building and grounds to the church in order to service the needs of the new housing estates.
Holy Trinity was officlally opened in September 1977 in Poulton Hey. Ten years later, the growth in the size of the congregation led to the construction of a new, modern church building. Poulton Hey, now refurbished, continues to be used by various church groups.