Kays houses/ Westwood cottages?

credit Stephen Dowle

I think we are about to lose Westwood Hall, I had to call out Fire & Rescue to the house last night. It has been completely gutted by a fire, with only a roof skeleton and walls standing. Internal floors have collapsed, such a shame. I used to play in the garden as a kid, my mother's family came from Kay's Houses and a few of them worked at the big house.

That’s sad news, Cadfael, hope no one was hurt. Was the Hall currently someone’s home?

Sad news indeed


https://www.wigantoday.net/news/historic-wigan-building-at-centre-of-preservation-battles-looks-set-to-be-demolished-after-blaze-3666388

There was some kids throwing stones at the windows on Friday evening but they had scarpered by the time the police arrived. Surprisingly that was the first time it had drawn the attention of the local brain deads as far as I am aware. For the record my Security Cabin is about 150 yards from the house.

Cadfael wrote:Surprisingly that was the first time it had drawn the attention of the local brain deads as far as I am aware.

Sadly Cadfael, the above statement isn't true as both Weswood Hall and the ajoining cottage have been systematically ransacked almost on a daily basis since the passing of the cottage's last tenant Carl Lillis almost three months ago now.

Many of the original Victorian architetural features in the Hall such as fireplaces etc had been removed by thieves prior to the blaze as had a number of historical pieces unique to the site belonging to Mr Lillis that will no doubt turn up on fleabay at some point if they haven't already.

Sadly Wigan Council must shoulder some of the blame for what has happened at Westwood Hall as they must be aware that Mr Lillis is no longer with us yet they made no attempt to secure either Westwood Hall or the ajoining cottage since his passing.

There is now talk by Wigan Council of the Hall being 'saved' because it is a Grade II listed building (too late was the cry!) however in it's current A Bomb Domesque state it's hard to see how that would be possible without some form of outside inversment.

No doubt all true Mr H, but speaking for myself I had never seen kids just vandalising it. Obviously thieves are not going to make a racket when nicking the fixtures and fittings. I have seen torchlight in the middle of the night, but I was told that Wigan Kev sometimes set up home there in very cold weather... but I have no evidence of that. It is a bloody shame, that house held a lot of good memories for me. My mothers family came from Kay's Houses.

Yes it is a bloody shame Cadfael and a sad end to a once grand building.
The decaying Westwood Hall and it's mysterious occupant 'Mrs MacAvoy' always held a slight fascination for me as a kid growing up nearby in the 80's as little was known about either other than the stories that we were told by a neighbour and former occupant of the Kays Houses a gentleman by the name of 'Cliff Halliwell' who is sadly no longer with us.

The picture he painted or at least to an impressionable young Mr H that is of Mrs MacAvoy and the interior of Westwood Hall was that of Miss Havisham and Satis House in Charles Dickens Great Expectations.
I did get the chance to take a look inside Westwood Hall and the ajoining cottage back in the early noughties by Carl Lillis as I'd spoken to him many times in passing but sadly I never took him up on the offer, much to my regret.

I have managed to locate the family grave of the MacAvoys and Kays in Ince Cemetery recently as my interest in the Hall was sparked again when I learned that it was now empty. The grave proudly states that the occupants are 'of Westwood Hall' which may sadly be the only reminder that a Hall once stood at Westwood in the not too distant future.

As a final thought I read in one of your posts above that you have played in the garden of Westwood Hall many times as a kid and was wondering if you had as a kid also mowed those huge lawns?
The story goes that Mrs Kay and later her daughter Mrs MacAvoy would get the local children from the Kays Houses to mow her lawns for half an apple each but not before coming out to inspect the work first with a fine toothcomb to ensure that the work was acceptable and merited payment.
Apparantly it would take them all day as the mower they was given was a push mower and belonged in a museum plus the lawns are on a slight incline towards the old power station site so it was easy going down but a 'bugger' pushing it back up towards the house. However despite the hard work and poor reward they always had plenty of willing volunteers so they must have enjoyed doing it.

Anyway hopefully the vandals etc will finally leave Westwood Hall alone now as there is nothing left to damage or take and should Wigan Council choose to put it on the market someone will buy it and make it into a home once again as has been done with both Westwood Lodge and the cottage that used to sit behind it further down Westwood Lane.