Urmston - Link House

On the 3rd of May 1889, James Howard Parkinson, a dental surgeon whose office was in Moseley Street, Manchester, bought two fields from John Taylor of New Croft House. The fields in question were called 'Smithfield’ and 'Gamester’ field and were on the Urmston Cottage estate. He paid £1175 for the fields and then submitted plans to Urmston Urban District Council for a house to be built fronting Stretford Road.

The house was built the same year, and James Parkinson called it 'Link House'. He also had laboratories built for the production of compressed gas. There was a sunken garden, orchard, coach house, stables, and larger poplar trees on the front of the road. There was also a pond further back in the grounds.

James Howard Parkinson died on 13th of June 1894, and the house was left in trust for his housekeeper Sarah Chatterton, until his son James Henry, and adopted son Willie Haworth came of age. His dental practise in Manchester continued to trade under his name for many years after his death.

Link House was next occupied  in 1901 by Daniel Bradshaw, who had just moved from Newcroft Hall, Urmston, and he followed in the family trade as an auctioneer. In 1906 he went to live at Derby House, Derbyshire Lane, Stretford, and James Yapp came to live at Link House.

William Simpson, a food specialist, bought Link House in 1910, and he altered and enlarged it over time, to make a works known as Link Works

Many of the additions and extensions at Simpsons were built and planned by local builder Joseph Spark and Sons. The beginnings of the company were as a timber mill in 1880 under the name of Joseph Spark (1847-1923). At that time, it was situated on the corner of Station Road and Higher Road, but moved around 1928, to Higher Road.  One of their major constructions for the area was the English Martyrs Church on Roseneath Road, along with many Church Road homes. Collingwood Community Centre was built in 1964 by Spark & Sons. The company was responsible for many buildings in the Urmston area including the added tower to St. Clements Church, the Cottage Hospital, and the brick chimney at Simpsons Foods. Spark and Sons built the ‘Arch’ to celebrate the coronation of Edward VII in 1902. As a timber merchant and contractor Spark premises remained a feature of Urmston for many years.

William Simpson (Manchester) Ltd made jellies, custard, Christmas puddings, cordials, jam, lemon cheese and mincemeat. It was known as the garden factory because of the very neat and tidy sunken garden.

William Simpson moved out of Link House in 1919, and went to live in Washway Road, Sale, while Link House itself became offices, and further extensions were made. In 1907 some of the land was sold for the building of houses in a road named Link Ave.

William Simpson died on 16th of February 1931, and his son also called William inherited the business. The name of the firm changed in 1932 to ‘Simpsons Ready Foods Ltd’, and with the widening of Stretford Road in 1939, the tall poplar trees were cut down. Further extensions to the factory in later years saw the orchard and sunken garden disappear. Link House was extended greatly over time to create the new factory.  Trafford Local Studies Centre holds a series of plans detailing the growth of the factory from its original form as a family home. On the 20th of April 1936, William Simpson sold off some of his land to the rear of the estate for building purposes.

Simpsons continued to trade well into the new millennium. However, difficult trading conditions led to the decision to close the business and in April 2016 the last products left the factory before the brands were sold along with the remaining machinery. The business was sold to Malton Foods, but ultimately the land and buildings were sold in 2018. The factory, including Link House was demolished in 2018.

58 two and three-storey new homes were built in 2018 on the 8,200sqm site. The road through the site is named Lemon Tree Grove, perhaps as a nod to Simpsons famous ‘Lemoncreme’ product.

Trafford Local Studies holds a number of plans that span the lifetime of Simpsons foods and many plans by Joseph Spark and Sons. 

Sources:

Manchester Evening News

The Grocer Magazine

Michael Billington, A History of Simpsons Ready Foods   

Michael Billington, The Story of Urmston, Flixton and Davyhulme   

A. Crossland, History of Humphrey Park and Newcroft   

75 Years of Simpsons Foods, Trafford Local Studies Pamphlet 338.47