Census 1871 living in West Derby age 9
1881 living in West Derby age 18 Stone Masons’ apprentice
1891 living in West Derby age 28 Foreman Stone Mason
1901 living in Runcorn age 38 Surveyor and Water Engineer for Runcorn U.D.C.
1911 living in Runcorn age 48 Surveyor and Water Engineer for Runcorn U.D.C.
James Wilding was born in Liverpool in 1863 to James and Sarah Wilding nee Sanders and was the older brother of Mary Ann and William John. Before moving to Runcorn James served his apprenticeship in Liverpool.
James was responsible for some of the most magnificent buildings we have in our local town such as the baths, Egerton Street Library, The Cottage Hospital, The Isolation Hospital and Balfour Road School. James was a truly magnificent, proficient, hardworking, dedicated man and thankfully he came to Runcorn to show off his skill in the construction of our beautiful buildings of which a few still stand today.
RUNCORN VICTORIA HOSPITAL
( Still Standing – now converted into NHS office building )
The difficulty in providing a hospital to meet the demands arising in the area had long been a problem. The small original centre was opened in 1903. It was inspected during the meeting held in that year. Since that time the hospital was extended a number of times. First, by the gift of the late Samuel Taylor, Esq., JP, of a ward for men and secondly by a ward for women which was the gift of Sir Frederick J Norman JP.,DL. A bedroom, dining room, operating theatre extension and improvement and a laundry in the grounds have been provided by voluntary contribution. The total number of beds at the hospital was:-
13 beds for women main block
13 beds for men main block
One private ward, X-ray room, theatre.
11 beds for children, temporary block.
The nurses’ home is in the grounds. There was a day room for nurses, one for the sister, 9 bedrooms and two bathrooms and usual offices.
The total cost of the Cottage Hospital and land (about 2 ¾ acres) was £4,205, which equals approximately £114 per bed. The cost of the nurses’ home was £1.795.
The hospital is supported was voluntary contributions, and the annual expenditure was in the neighbourhood of £2,200.
BALFOUR ROAD SCHOOL –
No longer standing
At the special request of the education Committee, James was appointed architect of Balfour Road School. The main building was two stories, the lower occupied by the boys and the upper by the girls. There was a central hall on each floor with six classrooms and two teachers’ rooms as well as the usual cloakrooms, toilets and storerooms. A separate two storey building in the playground provided accommodation for three special centres:- cookery, laundry and a centre for manual instruction for boys. A small strip of the playground was set aside as a nature study plot.
It was opened in August 1908. The total cost, including £1,318 for site, was £14,127 18s 7d
THE BATHS
This building still stands today
The Council longed to create a swimming baths. James received instructions to alter the Market Hall, which was built in 1854 giving accommodation for a swimming baths, and to cover the external open space for use as a covered market. To accomplish this the old double pitched roof was taken off, central
line columns taken down and cut in two, new bases and caps provided and re-erected to support the market roof. The covered area rather exceeded that of the open market, which it replaced. Three lock-up shops were provided. The baths itself were 3ft 6in at the shallow end, 5ft 6in at the spring board end and 9ft out it is 7ft deep. It is constructed in ferro-concrete. The thickness of the concrete bottom is 12in, and the sides are 7in thick.
At the entrance there were four slipper baths arranged for fresh water or brine. The brine, which is from Northwich, brought from the Salt Union Reservoir, Runcorn Heath, by a pipeline.
CARNEGIE LIBRARY (EGERTON STREET)
(Still Standing )
Runcorn always took a prominent part in the free library movement, and for many years had possessed a small library. The old rooms gradually became obsolete and difficult to work. Application was made to the Carnegie Trust and after a series of negotiations a grant of some £3,000 was obtained. James pressed for an island site, but the Council were reluctantly forced to ask him to prepare plans to suit the very small site, which adjoins the Town Hall. This is to be regretted, but there was no alternative.
The building is late Gothic;. Runcorn red sandstone was used for the west and south elevations, and a good deal of ingenuity had to be exercised to get the requisite light into the building. The van Kannel revolving door has worked well from 1906. The hall floor is paved with ceramic mosaic; the dados throughout are in dark green and brown enamelled brickwork. The reading rooms are 1,420 superficial ft., the reference room 922ft., the hall is 340ft, and the book room 1.910 superficial ft. Portion of the old building had to be dovetailed in to giving the requisite book accommodation. The library is light and cheerful, and is serving a very useful purpose and is very much appreciated by the town. The total cost was £3,000.
James died 29 February 1932 age 69. Regrettably James never married but his memory lives on through the vistas of our town when we look around and see some of his buildings that still stand. A lasting tribute to his memory is Egerton Street library, which is now a Grade II listed building. We owe our thanks for this to the hard work and dedication of retired Chairman of the Historical Society Dr Peter Vardy and Archivist Alex Cowen, ………. James’ work will live on.
*for those who know me James is not my ancestor (I wish he was)
