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Sharing our memories of Heald Green
Last Updated 17th May 2025
Dolly Tub Row
By Helen Morgan
First Published 17/05/2025
Last Updated 17/05/2025
A row of Victorian terraced cottages on Wilmslow Road. Also the businesses going towards Handforth just over the border.
Fig. 1 Waggon and Horses c.1900
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This is probably the best picture of them taken in 1900. This is the original Waggon and Horses pub. The cottages were early to mid-Victorian in construction. The nearest one to the camera was the biggest, with the others being two up and two down.
The photo below was taken early so I could stand in the road!
Fig. 2 Dolly tub comparison 21.4.2025 © H Morgan
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Fig. 3 Dolly Tub on map c. 1875
© Cheshire Tithe Maps
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Residents have had different names for these cottages of either Dolly Tub or Peggy Tub Row. Both names relating to laundry implements and the fact that ladies there took in other people’s washing. Imagine my surprise then, when looking through censuses, that I could not find one launderess! Therefore, I assume that this taking in of washing, was for added income for the family and probably a necessity to make ends meet?
In Victorian times and even in the early 20th century, the washing of laundry was an arduous task with no labour saving devices. It would take all day and indeed one day would be set aside in the week, usually a Monday, for this job. Without a doubt, strong arms and back were needed. The majority of the washing would be items that went next to your skin and were usually white cotton. The heavier over clothes would receive a brush down or a spot clean. Any mending needed was done.
To begin with the laundry would have been soaked overnight in soap. On wash day, copious amounts of boiling water was needed, so the kettle was on the stove or range constantly to fill up a large either wooden or cast iron tub. Clothing would be removed from the overnight soak and scrubbed on a wash board, turned inside out and scrubbed again. Using tongs the clothes were carefully placed into the hot water.
The washing would then have to be agitated by hand using a washing dolly/dolly peg/peggy stick or posher. This was usually a wooden stick used to push the clothes up and down within the water and twisted side to side to actually clean the clothes. Clothes were taken out with tongs and rinsed in clean water before being wrung by hand as best as possible and then passed through the mangle.
The thickness of the material passing through had to be set by hand and then a wheel turned as the clothes went through. Hopefully the weather was set fair so that clothes could go out on the washing line or over bushes to dry. If not, a rack would be lowered from the ceiling in the kitchen to place wet clothes on. This was usually the warmest room in the house.
Next came the ironing. Two irons were needed one being used and one getting hot on the stove or range. No shot of steam to get the creases out, just sheer pressure with a lump of cast iron, weighing anything from 5-9 pounds. Not forgetting the starching of men’s shirt collars too!!
Children at home would also help with this laborious task especially the feeding of clothes into the mangle, whilst mother turned the handle. Indeed, my uncle had the tip of his finger completely flattened with their mangle rollers!
Fig. 4 Victorian laundry implements
© TTS Group
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Fig. 5 A mangle
© The Accidental Ringer
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Fig. 6 A flat iron
© eBay
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“Peggy Tub row, my friend lived there. She was Sheila nee Massey from Smithy Green. She moved on to Lacey Green. There was also a dolly peg to agitate your wash. Mum had one. Grandma had a posher made of copper. You poshed your washing with it.”
- Shirley Slack, Facebook 2021
Spare a thought for previous generations, when you are opening your automatic washing machine, putting in your detergent pod and fabric conditioner, pressing a button and hey presto your clothes are clean. Most fabrics do not even need to be ironed nowadays, we are so lucky.
“My little mum used to do all the washing in the small kitchen sink. After rinsing, the clothes had to go through a wringer, like a mangle. The sheets had to be folded so that they went straight through. It had a handle and I think I had a little turn of it sometimes.”
- Sheila Dean, in conversation 2021
“My dad used to refer to the cottages as “Peggy Tub Row.”
- Janet McKenna, Facebook 2021
Pownall’s Garages
They had two garages along Wilmslow Road. One was alongside the cottages, before the pub, where the car wash is now. The other one would now have stood the other side of the bypass going towards Handforth. The advert from 1932 could have been for either, as the address is rather vague.
Fig. 7 Pownalls advert 24.6.1932
Manchester Evening News
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However, by the 1950s Pownall’s garage is on the map and the advert states where it is.
Outwood Farm shown below was actually called Bolshaw Farm by now.
Fig. 8 Dolly Tub map
© National Library of Scotland
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Fig. 10 Waggon & Horses, mid 50s
© Francis Frith Collection
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Fig. 9 Pownalls garage advert 17.5.1957
Alderley and Wilmslow Advertiser
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“The gable end that is visible was the workshop for the garage.”
- Phil Jones, Facebook 2021
“The garage was just before the bend, heading towards Cheadle. Later it was a Texaco Filling Station, then a car wash, which I believe it still is.
The one on the bend was a proper repair shop and filling station.”
- Graham Bloxsome, Facebook 2023
“I worked there in the 1960s, loved working there. It wasn’t Royles garage it was D Pownall and son. They had been there a long time. Mr Pownall lived on Stanley Road. I worked in the office at the back, this was the garage where the car wash is now. They also owned a large car showroom which was a bit further down Wilmslow Road, possibly where the bypass or apartments are now. That garage was glass fronted and very big. The offices were upstairs and there was one of the first auto car washes at the back.”
- Lynda Jackson, Facebook 2022
Fig. 11 Pownalls redevelopment 3.5.1973
Alderley and Wilmslow Advertiser
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By the 1970s the garage alongside the pub had become a Texaco.
“I recall the garage was yellow. I could be wrong, I think it was there 1974ish. I juiced up there many a time. Most memorable was 1 minute past midnight on my 17th birthday.”
- Mike Connor, Facebook 2021
“My brother will hate me for this! c.1976/7 the site that is now the No1 car wash by the Waggon and Horses was a Texaco petrol station. Texaco sponsored English Formula 1 driver James Hunt and soon after he won his only F1 championship in 1976 his car appeared at various Texaco stations including here in Heald Green. I recall it was quite a big deal at the time.”
- Alison Murray, Facebook 2021
Fig. 12 Alison Murrays Brother 1976/77
Texaco F1 (NowNo1 Car Wash)
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Nowadays it is the car wash which always seems to have a steady queue of cars either being washed or waiting to be done. It seems a little gold mine.
Lakeland Store, Handforth
There was a building there prior to Lakeland’s new building. It had different businesses in it before it was demolished.
“There was a big RAF presence in the village with the Maintenance Units. There used to be a picture house at the end of Stanley Road next to the Waggon and Horses pub for RAF personnel, where Lakeland is now. When they’d finished using it my dad was going to buy it for a garage and put petrol pumps on it, but my mum talked him out of it.”
- Bob Downs, In conversation 2021
The site became Penkethman’s garage.
“Penkethman’s garage was where Lakeland is now. They used to restore vintage cars and sell them. The house where Little Acorns nursery is now, was where the offices were and the owner lived there. Then D Pownall’s second garage was opposite what was Shenton’s farm.”
- Lynda Jackson, Facebook 2022
“Penkethman’s garage had the local franchise for Berkeley cars in the late 1950s, early 1960s like this one.”
- Phil Jones, Facebook 2023
Fig. 13 Berkeley Franchise
© Phil Jones
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“The unusual name Penkethman, was the birth name of former Piccadilly Radio DJ Steve Penk, whether he was related or not I don’t know.”
- Graham Bloxsome, Facebook 2023
Supermarkets came next from the 1970s.
“There used to be a supermarket next to the Waggon and Horses where Lakeland is now. It began with a C. I used to shop there in the 1970s. It was an independent grocers and greengrocers the one I am thinking of. Always had good vegetables. I can see it with the veg outside and a canopy over them.”
- Janet Walters, Facebook 2023
“It was C&C before Kwiksave.”
- David Armstrong, Facebook 2023
“It was Thoroughfare. Wasn’t George Pearson the butcher there before he got his own shop on Outwood Road?”
- Barbara Newall, Facebook 2023
“Was it not Thoroughfare? My brother used to work there.”
- Shirley Awan, Facebook 2023
“Worked there until the 70s when it was called Thorofare. Butchers and frozen food mostly, as I remember it.”
- Pete Hughes, Facebook 2023
Many remembered Kwiksave there with shelving and boxes everywhere.
“The original fastest tills in the world! No price stickers. Staff so fast and keyed in every price.”
- Po Hutton, Facebook 2023
“I remember being in there with a bloody rat scurrying past us. I’m sure you can imagine the dramatic scene we performed.”
- OneBox Davis, Facebook 2023
“Kwik Save. I worked there back in 1984.”
- Mike Bevan, Facebook 2023
“It was an odd Kwik Save...went in and to the right of the building there were trolleys, then those weird plastic things hanging that you had to walk through into the chilled area.”
- Kim Orton Mannion, Facebook 2023
Back to Dolly/Peggy Tub Row. We have Christine England to thank for this fantastic map and letter.
Fig. 14 Peggy tub row
© Christine England
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Fig. 15 Peggy tub demolition
© Christine England
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It clearly shows that the end cottage was far bigger than the rest, along with all the outside toilets. The gardens seem to be full of sheds and rabbit hutches. Probably for food rather than pets?
The house numbers are most odd though, as the cottages were on the even numbered side of Wilmslow Road?? Anyway, suffice to say that in 1961 compulsory purchases were placed on them for demolition by no later than January 1962. As you can see this came under Handforth.
Today the area is totally overgrown covering anything that may have been left. I would just love to get in there and have a good dig around!!
Thank you to members of our Heald Green Heritage Facebook page for their memories.
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