Occupying one of Rochdale’s most enviable plots – and surrounded by some of the borough’s most impressive houses – sits a dilapidated bungalow that was once considered to be the “dream home”.
But sadly, it’s never been lived in.
The bungalow – situated on the western shore of Littleborough’s Hollingworth Lake – was built in 1998 by retired couple Dr. Stephen Watkins and his wife Elizabeth, who wanted somewhere to relax after their stressful working lives.
The couple never disclosed how much they spent on the building, but it included a bespoke library, so you can bet it probably set them back a fair bit.
However, the property has remained unfinished due to “issues during the construction”.
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The “dream home” overlooks Littleborough’s Hollingworth Lake / Credit: Google Maps
Its sad history has even been cited at Westminster as an example of what can go wrong for people who build their own homes.
Since 2001, the property has been the subject of a lengthy legal battle over the quality of the building work and its safety for occupation. It finally came to an end in December 2018 after two decades’ of disputes – first with the firm that built the property, and then with the National House Building Council (NHBC) which they had taken out a ‘Buildmark’ warranty and insurance policy.
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Finally, the claim – involving surveyors and the financial ombudsman – was settled, and the sum paid out by the NHBC was enough to finish the property. Unfortunately in December 2018, the Watkins found out that Rochdale Borough Council wanted to CPO (Compulsory Purchase Order) the bungalow.
Rochdale Borough Council has described the bungalow as a “blight on the borough”, and said it believes the property “detracts from its surroundings and spoils the outlook”.
And now, two years later, this CPO has been successful.
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The home was built in 1998 by retired couple Dr. Stephen Watkins and his wife Elizabeth
A planning application has now been submitted to “finally remove the unoccupied bungalow from the shores of Hollingworth Lake” and build two detached, four / five bedroom houses on its site, with off-road parking for three or four cars.
The design and access statement reads: “They are large, detached houses, on good sized plots, which reflects the existing character of Lake Side.
“They would benefit from adequate parking and amenity and, as such, would not represent overdevelopment of the site.
“The proposals would also provide an additional, new dwelling in this attractive location.”
Manchester City ‘strongly condemn’ racist abuse towards first-team players at Everton
Danny Jones
Manchester City Football Club have released a statement following yet more troubling racist abuse in the Premier League this May bank holiday.
Pep Guardiola’s side faced Everton in a fixture that ended in a 3-3 draw, which could prove pivotal in their pursuit of leaders Arsenal.
Sadly, however, one of the main stories to be taken from the game once again revolves around abuse and discrimination.
Match officials were quickly made aware of racial remarks directed at winger Antoine Semenyo on the day, and, unfortunately, defender Marc Guehi has also been the subject of hateful messaging online in the aftermath of the result.
Sharing a short, but simple and emphatic statement, the club wrote: “Manchester City strongly condemns the racist abuse directed towards Antoine Semenyo at yesterday’s match.
“We welcome the swift action taken by Everton and the police to identify the individual responsible.
“We are also incredibly disappointed to hear that Marc Guéhi was subject to a series of vile racist social media posts last night.”
They go on to add that they will “continue to offer our full support to both Antoine and Marc and never accept discrimination of any kind in our game.”
Everton themselves have since confirmed that local authorities swiftly identified at least one individual alleged to be responsible for the unacceptable behaviour.
As mentioned in their own post, the culprit is said to have been a 71-year-old man who was quickly flagged by fans and stewards inside the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
While this may be the first incident reported at the Toffees’ new home ground, regrettably, it’s just the latest in a long line of similar cases raised not just in English football but the top flight, specifically.
It goes without saying that we’re sorry to hear that stuff like this is still happening, and we send our strength to all those who continue to be affected by this despicable treatment.
As ever, ‘the beautiful game’ is for everyone and racism has no place in society, let alone football – kick it out once and for all. In other news surrounding Man City, there’s also been some controversy surrounding their upcoming FA Youth Cup final.
Rare picture of David Bowie’s legendary one-off gig in Stockport unearthed
Danny Jones
A rare picture taken from the night of the late, great David Bowie’s legendary one-off gig in Stockport has been unearthed by a local whilst digging through his loft.
Imagine having that kind of history just squirrelled away in an attic…
As revealed by Stockport Music Story, after being supplied with the image by David Maynard, the snap was shared more than half a century on from the much-mythologised moment in Greater Manchester music history.
In fact, it was put on display and posted on social media quite literally 56 years to the day since Bowie played his only Stopfordian set on 27 April, 1970.
Maynard himself is featured in the newly discovered photograph (second from the left) and was one of the select and lucky few who were in the room for that very special show.
Organised by a group of teens on behalf of the Stockport Schools’ Students’ Union, the performance took place at the long-gone Poco a Poco music venue and club over in Heaton Chapel.
The storied space hosted many big names over the years – Gerry Marsden, Freddie Starr, Hank Marvin and more – but sadly closed in May of 1987 following a fire.
It went on to become the popular Hinds Head pub, which still serves punters to this day, but once had the honour of hosting a true artistic great and British icon.
For anyone wondering, this is indeed the same night on which David Robert Jones (yes, that’s Bowie‘s full birth name) missed his train home and had to sleep on the railway platform.
Here’s a BBC segment covering the tale back on its 55th anniversary in April 2025.
It may be a small and somewhat curious claim to fame, but native love the legend of it all nonetheless.
As for the other individuals pictured alongside him, Stockport Music Story (SMS) said: “The names of the people we know are David Maynard (2nd left), Roz Wood (3rd left), David Bowie, Bill Frost (2nd right), Stewart Rigby (right).”
They go on to add: “It would be amazing to find out who the other people in the photograph are and what they remember from that night.” We sincerely hope they do.
You can now see the plaque up close and personal at Stockport Station for yourselves and as for SMS’s growing archive of the region’s creative culture, you can find out tonnes more about other pieces of SK heritage right HERE.
Emily Sergeant -
27th May 2021 
