Didsbury Civic Society

These gardens are situated next to the ancient parish church of St. James on Stenner Lane.  

Until the last century this area used to be the centre of village life, with the village green situated outside what is now The Didsbury pub, (formally The Ring O’ Bells).

The adjacent pub, The Old Cock, was the coaching inn and originally called simply The Cock, probably because cock fighting used to take place in the upper rooms.   Incorporated into this pub was a PostOffice/store and nearby was the village well.   But even though the Old Parsonage was in the midst of all this activity it still must have been the secluded haven of peace and tranquility that it is today. 

This small, but atmospheric garden, allows you to step back to a quieter, gentler time when the olde-worlde garden was tended for so many years by the Old Parsonages’ most famous residents, Alderman Fletcher Moss and his family.   

Beyond the house there is a more formal garden with flower beds full of seasonal colour and there are many benches to encourage the visitor to sit a while and enjoy the surroundings and the view towards the church and beyond.   There are the greenhouses where orchids were grown and, on the lawns are a great variety of interesting small trees including a very rare, yet unremarkable, specimen of an early bio-engineered tree that still survives today and goes un-noticed by most passers-by.

The front of the house is dominated by several magnificent old trees, the tall palms especially, give the house a  ‘colonial’ feel.   There are many curiosities to be found in these grounds.   The graves of several of Mr Moss’s dogs, with their respective headstones, can be seen under one of the sprawling trees in the front of the house.   Even a favourite horse is reputed to be buried there!

Near the secondary gate, there is a milestone which was originally situated at the Parrs Wood turnpike toll bar (approximately where the junction of Wilmslow Rd and Kingsway is now).

One of the most recognisable images of Didsbury in modern times is the main gateway to the gardens.   This was formally part of the Spread Eagle Hotel, on Corporation Street, Manchester, where Fletcher Moss had once been proprietor.   The magnificent eagle and gate was bought by Mr. Moss as a souvenir for ten pounds when the Hotel was demolished in 1902. The Didsbury Civic Society logo carries a representation of the ‘Eagle Gate’.

Alderman Fletcher Moss J.P.

It is impossible to write about the Old Parsonage Gardens without mentioning that within these grounds stands the Old Parsonage itself and that its most famous resident was Fletcher Moss. 

The exact date of the building is not known, but references were made to it in 1650 as a ‘tenement assigned to the use of the minister’.  It has been added to and improved over the years but, with the exception of the church, it is still thought to be the oldest building in Didsbury.   When, in the early 1860s the local minister the Rev W J Kidd hastily left the property complaining of ‘ghosts and troubles’, it became home to Didsbury’s most famous benefactor, local Alderman and JP, Fletcher Moss.

Fletcher Moss was born in July 1843.   He was a public-spirited individual who, among many good works, was instrumental in persuading the famous philanthropist, Andrew Carnegie, to provide the money to build Didsburys’ wonderful library in 1915.   He had a great love for Didsbury and especially the Old Parsonage, and it was he who gave us the beautiful Gardens named after him.   In 1915, in his own words he had “determined to offer all that part of my property extending from the Fletcher Moss Playing Fields to Stenner Lane, to the corporation if I could retain the use of it for my life”. 

 
He originally moved into the Old Parsonage House in the early 1860s and stayed for 50 years until his death in 1919.   Over the years it was the rendezvous of the members of various Manchester societies visiting Didsbury at the invitation of Mr Moss.   On these occasions he dispensed his hospitality to the company assembled on the lawn, if the weather permitted, or in his dining room as circumstances required.   After 20 years, in 1884, he eventually bought the house and gardens (which included the Cock Inn and the Post Office adjoining it) for approx £3000.   He is quoted as saying “Considering all things it was probably the best purchase I ever made; its influence on my life and work has been great, and indirectly on the history of the village”.

Since Mr Moss’s death the building has been used for many things including an art gallery which was devoted entirely to depictions of scenes and events concerning Manchester.   Sadly, it is no longer open to the public but the Civic Society is endeavouring to organise the occasional open day.

Acknowledgements:
Many thanks to John Steedman for permitting reproduction of passages from his highly recommended booklet called “Fletcher Moss Gardens, Its History and Plants”. This is available for a modest fee from “The Croft” visitors centre situated in Fletcher Moss Gardens.

Also, many thanks to the staff of Didsbury Library for their kind assistance and for quotes and information from the following reference books:
A History of Didsbury by Ivor R. Million
The Story of the Old Parsonage Didsbury by J J Phelps, MA
Didsbury – A Bygone Era - by Fletcher Moss