69 Stricklandgate
Between Black Hall Yard 67 Stricklandgate and 71 Stricklandgate (now the remaining central Kendal Post Office branch) on Stricklandgate and opposite Library Road.
Curwen, 1900
Black HallWe now come to the historic “Black Hall,” probably the best residence in the town, at the time when Henry Wilson, nominated the first Alderman in the Charter of Queen Elizabeth in 1575, occupied it. For a long time it continued to be the residence of the family, till the year 1733, when the heiress, Miss Frances Wilson, married Francis Drinkel. Their daughter married a Mr. Stephenson, who assumed the name of Standish, and who held the hall till its sale in 1869 to Rainforth Hodgson for £650. In 1579 Henry Wilson, for misconduct, was deprived of his burgesship and his office of justice of the peace. He was buried in Kendal Church on the 29th August, 1592. He presented to the Corporation the two splendid silver flagons that we read of, and which must oftimes have flowed with spiced wine smoking hot as the custom then was, but which were during the dark days thought to be of so little worth that the Corporation exchanged them for a set of common candlesticks.
The ancient building was greatly modernised about 1810, especially by the introduction of sash windows, the only noticeable external feature now being the real old Westmorland chimneys, massive and circular, smoking their pipes in peace, but even these were re-built about 1820. One of the upper rooms is paved with cobbles.
It is now a brush manufactory, and may be known at once by the sign of a bristly hog, elevated over the doorway. Inside it bristles also with numerous rooms, and gloomy crannies literally crammed with bristles, bristles everywhere. The sign of the “ bristling hog,” as like the sign of the clog of the clog-maker, the umbrella of the umbrella-maker, and the smoking man of the tobacconist, is one of the few still remaining of the ancient tradesmen’s signs put up to bespeak the trade carried on within when few could read, and the mere epithet “a brush shop” would be unintelligible.
The brush manufactory business was established in the year 1838 by Grant and Hodgson. The productions have always been highly reputed for their excellent qualities and general characteristics. The works are fitted up with all the best appliances for rapid production of all classes of work, and considerable quantities are turned out both for the wholesale and retail branches of the trade.
Occupiers
Henry Wilson and family from at least 1575 to 1869
Rainforth Hodgson Brush Manufacturers
Thompson Matthews Estate Agents
