Many Old Buildings Survive
Many of the old buildings associated with the Gandy family and in particular Isaac are still standing in the village of Penketh, despite the fact that the population har grown considerably since Isaac lived there.
MAP OF PENKETH
The above map shows the position of Penketh on the northern bank of the Mersey River. Widnes is three miles to the west, and Warrington three miles to the east. Liverpool, the port for people travelling to North America, is about 12 miles west of Penketh. The Liverpool to Manchester railway line goes through the village, north of Greystone Heath. Isaac lived with mother Elizabeth, sister Elizabeth and brothers Peter and James in Ash Cottage, opposite the Heath in 1841, when it was inhabited by wild donkeys.
The photograph below shows Greystone Cottage in Chapel Road, originally called Red Lion Lane after the Red Lion Inn. Chapel Road is named after the Methodist Chapel there.
Located along the lane from Greystone Cottage was another important part of the local shoemaking industry -the Penketh Leather Company, a tannery to supply the cobblers and shoemakers with raw materials for their trade.
The three cottages in Cobblers’ Square named after a member of the Gandy family were located next to Greystone Cottage until their demolition in the late 1950’s. The old tree in the square can be seen on earlier photographs. It could have been growing there when Isaac lived in Penketh. Ash Cottage today is shown in the photograph below.
