Percy Crosland

Percy was my dad's dad.
The above picture is at The Lea, Walmersley Bury ,Lancashire and was taken in 1956.
The Lea had been a large country farmhouse, but was now on the outskirts of Walmersley I remember it had a very large kitchen and seemed a very exotic place to a young boy. There was an old disused indoor pool at the bottom of the garden which I guess had been used upto the outbreak of World War 2.
Grandad employed both a handyman "old George"(In fact old George was the first person I ever remember dying!) and a gardener,there was also help in the house from a lady called Lily .
Percy Crosland was from Yorkshire, and lived as a child at 7 Oakes Rd, Lindley, and at 214 New hey rd, Lindley,Huddersfield. (a picture of how it looks today above- the white door is 214) with his Dad; Beaumont Crosland and his mum Ellen Crosland (born 1862)and brother Herbert Crosland. I have established his ancestors had been involved in various parts of the textile industry since at least the 1840's.
Percy went to university and trained as a chemist & he together with Herbert Crosland his brother, founded Crosland and Pickstone. Percy had the brains and ,if you google Percy Field Crosland you will see links to articles he wrote in the Chemistry Society Journal- Though you have to pay to read them so I haven't bothered!

Percy was the first Crosland for generations to leave the Huddersfield area and go to university and he made good ! He became very wealthy and could afford to buy fine art and send his children to private schools and holiday in Europe,
His first wife Muriel died young and dad heard the news of this while on active service in the war. Percy later married Eunice.
This marriage was strongly disaproved of by my father but they stayed together until Percy's death

Percy died(I think in Bournemouth) in the 1960's following a heart attack and Crosland and Pickstone only survived him by some twenty years
Eunice survived much longer and died near Wrexham in February 2001