Mossley on Monday: Old School House

"The Old School House" is situated on Carrhill Road in Mossley. The name is a little misleading , as this building was originally built (some time before 1790) as weavers' cottages, at a time when wool weaving was a major cottage industry in the Mossley area. There were four dwellings in the building, occupying the first two storeys. The whole of the top floor was a weaving room, accessed by stone steps from the rear (photo another time).

This large top floor room became a small school at some point in the early nineteenth century. It was called Baguley School, as this part of Mossley was known as Baguley.

In 1848 a group of local Chartists met in the school room to plan their part in an uprising in nearby Ashton under Lyne. During the course of that uprising, James Bright, a policeman, was shot dead near the Red Lion on Old Street. Six of the men from Mossley were later found guilty of taking part in the disturbance. You can read more about the uprising here.

See Google Aerial View of this location.
See LiveSearch Birds Eye View of this location.