The Salvation Army Eventide Home, Penketh

Today’s blog entry for the West Warrington memories Project shows another long gone Penketh building, the Eventide Rest Home, opened by the Salvation Army in 1935. The site is now occupied by Southlands Avenue.

The home was created at ‘Southlands’ in Hall Nook, the property having been left to the Salvation Army by the late Mr. James Aitken in his will. Aitken left his widow the right to live in the house rent free for one year following his death, at which point it was to be handed over to the Salvation Army for use as an old folks’ home.

He had already given £3,500 before his death, the interest on which was to pay for the future upkeep of the property.

The home was set up to take 23 residents who did not have to be members of the Salvation Army. It was to operate as a residential home rather than a nursing home, and was aimed at women “who would ordinarily be living lonely lives”.

A report of the opening of the home states that it stood in roughly 5 acres of grounds and had over 60’000 spring bulbs planted in its gardens.

The picture below, taken from the Warrington Guardian, shows the official opening of the home by Mrs Bramwell Booth of the Salvation Army (centre), to her left is Mrs Aitken, the widow of the donor, and to her right are Mr and Mrs Charles Parker of Penketh Tannery.

This article was originally posted on Wednesday, March 29th, 2017.