- Joined
- Jan 6, 2013
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1. The History
Taxal Lodge was originally built in 1904 as the home of Lt. Col. Henry Ramsden-Jodrell (born March 1871), one of six children John Charles Francis Ramsden, a Royal Artillery Captain and his wife Emma Susan Duncombe. Eton educated, he gained the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel in the Royal Artillery and married Dorothy Lynch Cotton-Jodrell. He went on the have three daughters with her; Susan born in 1903, Francis in 1905 and Mary in 1916. During World War I he was director of the Ministry of Munitions during the First World War.
Taxal Lodge from the air in 1937:
20181022_190742 by HughieDW, on Flickr
When he died in 1950, the lodge was then sold and became a special school for 'disruptive or emotionally disturbed children' between the ages of 11-16, run by Stockport Education Authority. They spent weekdays at the school and were then allowed home at the weekends, if they had a home to go to. Those that didn’t stayed in another care-home nearby.
Two pictures of Taxal Lodge circa 1955:
20181022_191050 by HughieDW, on Flickr
20181023_001626 by HughieDW, on Flickr
At its peak, between 50 and 60 boys lived at the Lodge. During its time as a school there were reported cases of abuse resulting in it now being considered a haunted place. For a balanced account of former pupil’s memories of their time at Taxal Lodge follow this link HERE
The School changed its name in 1998 to The Taxal Centre. Its last Ofsted Report was in May 2004 before finally closing its doors in 2005. The lodge was apparently then sold on the 13th March 2009 for £900,000, according to houseprices.co.uk. In 2010, planners at High Peak Borough Council turned-down a building application to convert the Lodge into 14 homes, tabled by the new owners/developers, Ruttle Contacting Ltd from Chorley in Lancashire. The main reasons behind the refusal were around the concerns about extra traffic on Linglongs Road and the fact that the proposal did not include any ‘affordable housing’.
Later in the year, a fire damaged a large amount of the outbuildings including the gymnasium, but the main lodge was unaffected. Another fire occurred in May 2012. Since then the lodge has been left empty and open to the vandals and the elements and is now in a dire state of repair.
2. The Explore
We went expecting maximum derpage and so it came to be. The lodge is completely open and easy-to-access and also completely trashed. The roof has totally gone in places and subsequent water ingress has cause whole floors to fall through. The floors in the left-hand wing remain in situ and in better condition but still shady so we just stuck to the ground floor. The place is completely stripped with little in the way of original features to see. Things could have been so different for this place if planning permission was granted back in 2010. The decline of the lodge since then is quite staggering. The place is now destined to decay and fall down. It’s a shame as it started life as a lovely country pile and happy home for the Ramsden-Jodrell family.
3. The Pictures
One of the out-buildings:
img9927 by HughieDW, on Flickr
And the gable-end of another:
img9928 by HughieDW, on Flickr
Front of house:
img9929 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img9930 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img9931 by HughieDW, on Flickr
Presumably the family crest of the lodge’s builder:
img9932 by HughieDW, on Flickr
What were the house’s charming grounds, now overgrown:
img9933 by HughieDW, on Flickr
Looking rather ‘open plan’ these days:
img9939 by HughieDW, on Flickr
1st floor on the ground floor:
img9938 by HughieDW, on Flickr
Remains of the old pool table:
img9944 by HughieDW, on Flickr
More downstairs derpage:
img9947 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img9948 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img9949 by HughieDW, on Flickr
The former kitchen area:
img9950 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img9952 by HughieDW, on Flickr
More out-building dereliction:
IMG9958 by HughieDW, on Flickr
IMG9959 by HughieDW, on Flickr
IMG9960 by HughieDW, on Flickr
IMG9961 by HughieDW, on Flickr
Random bath and table:
IMG9964 by HughieDW, on Flickr
IMG9967 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img9969 by HughieDW, on Flickr
Yeah, right…
img9971 by HughieDW, on Flickr
Taxal Lodge was originally built in 1904 as the home of Lt. Col. Henry Ramsden-Jodrell (born March 1871), one of six children John Charles Francis Ramsden, a Royal Artillery Captain and his wife Emma Susan Duncombe. Eton educated, he gained the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel in the Royal Artillery and married Dorothy Lynch Cotton-Jodrell. He went on the have three daughters with her; Susan born in 1903, Francis in 1905 and Mary in 1916. During World War I he was director of the Ministry of Munitions during the First World War.
Taxal Lodge from the air in 1937:
20181022_190742 by HughieDW, on Flickr
When he died in 1950, the lodge was then sold and became a special school for 'disruptive or emotionally disturbed children' between the ages of 11-16, run by Stockport Education Authority. They spent weekdays at the school and were then allowed home at the weekends, if they had a home to go to. Those that didn’t stayed in another care-home nearby.
Two pictures of Taxal Lodge circa 1955:
20181022_191050 by HughieDW, on Flickr
20181023_001626 by HughieDW, on Flickr
At its peak, between 50 and 60 boys lived at the Lodge. During its time as a school there were reported cases of abuse resulting in it now being considered a haunted place. For a balanced account of former pupil’s memories of their time at Taxal Lodge follow this link HERE
The School changed its name in 1998 to The Taxal Centre. Its last Ofsted Report was in May 2004 before finally closing its doors in 2005. The lodge was apparently then sold on the 13th March 2009 for £900,000, according to houseprices.co.uk. In 2010, planners at High Peak Borough Council turned-down a building application to convert the Lodge into 14 homes, tabled by the new owners/developers, Ruttle Contacting Ltd from Chorley in Lancashire. The main reasons behind the refusal were around the concerns about extra traffic on Linglongs Road and the fact that the proposal did not include any ‘affordable housing’.
Later in the year, a fire damaged a large amount of the outbuildings including the gymnasium, but the main lodge was unaffected. Another fire occurred in May 2012. Since then the lodge has been left empty and open to the vandals and the elements and is now in a dire state of repair.
2. The Explore
We went expecting maximum derpage and so it came to be. The lodge is completely open and easy-to-access and also completely trashed. The roof has totally gone in places and subsequent water ingress has cause whole floors to fall through. The floors in the left-hand wing remain in situ and in better condition but still shady so we just stuck to the ground floor. The place is completely stripped with little in the way of original features to see. Things could have been so different for this place if planning permission was granted back in 2010. The decline of the lodge since then is quite staggering. The place is now destined to decay and fall down. It’s a shame as it started life as a lovely country pile and happy home for the Ramsden-Jodrell family.
3. The Pictures
One of the out-buildings:
img9927 by HughieDW, on Flickr
And the gable-end of another:
img9928 by HughieDW, on Flickr
Front of house:
img9929 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img9930 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img9931 by HughieDW, on Flickr
Presumably the family crest of the lodge’s builder:
img9932 by HughieDW, on Flickr
What were the house’s charming grounds, now overgrown:
img9933 by HughieDW, on Flickr
Looking rather ‘open plan’ these days:
img9939 by HughieDW, on Flickr
1st floor on the ground floor:
img9938 by HughieDW, on Flickr
Remains of the old pool table:
img9944 by HughieDW, on Flickr
More downstairs derpage:
img9947 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img9948 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img9949 by HughieDW, on Flickr
The former kitchen area:
img9950 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img9952 by HughieDW, on Flickr
More out-building dereliction:
IMG9958 by HughieDW, on Flickr
IMG9959 by HughieDW, on Flickr
IMG9960 by HughieDW, on Flickr
IMG9961 by HughieDW, on Flickr
Random bath and table:
IMG9964 by HughieDW, on Flickr
IMG9967 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img9969 by HughieDW, on Flickr
Yeah, right…
img9971 by HughieDW, on Flickr