Century old artefacts open a fascinating window to Coppice's past

Some of the documents and artefacts that Jignasha discovered

As her cherished Grendon Avenue home in Coppice approaches its 100th birthday, Jignasha Patel figured she'd take some time to reflect.

And that's when Jignasha discovered some amazing photographs, documents and artefacts that offer a glimpse of what Oldham looked like a century ago.

Jignasha said: "I only found out recently that my house is turning 100 years old this year.

"The first occupancy date on the deeds is July 11, 1922.

"I was cleaning out the space above what used to be the scullery once upon a time, and found some very old items including a pair of glasses, perhaps from late 19th century, a wedding invite dating 1908, a photograph, letters, receipts, a doctor's prescription - the list goes on.

"I started building a family tree for the very first occupants who were born in the 19th century and whose children went to the same school my children go to today.

"I imagine the nearby houses would have been built at a similar time - what kind of people might have lived here and what was happening in Oldham when these houses were built? 

"I am fascinated by the historical items I have found and my desire to build the family tree was merely to satisfy my own curiosity about the people that once lived here.

"I found two letters, one from Agnes Robinson (née Fenton) in 1947 after she moved to Nottingham with her husband Leonard, written to her mother and father, Mr Robinson Fenton, one of the four children of Ann Fenton, widow of James Fenton, and who was thought to have been the first occupant of this house, born in 1845.

"The other letter is to Robinson Fenton and his wife Emily Fenton (née Whipp) in 1915 - I'm not sure from who.

"The couple that we bought the house from shared a bit about the previous occupants - the first two families were two generations of the same family, then an unrelated dentist before the couple who were there 36 years, now us.

"We received the house from the previous owners in immaculate condition and beautifully decorated, the original structure maintained apart from the addition of an outbuilding (the garage) and even still housing some of the original features."

If anyone out there recognises the family names mentioned above and would like to be reunited with any items Jignasha has discovered, please contact the Chronicle newsdesk (details below) and we'll put you in touch.

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