| Title | Knottfield House |
| Date | Undated |
| Location | Rawdon |
| Photo ID | N394 |
| Comment | A group of unknown people in the grounds, the house is just out of view in the background. |
Building commenced on Knottfield House in early 1846. John Dawson of Kirkstall Brewery originally lived there, it became the Mitchell Memorial Home after WW1 for ex-servicemen suffering from Tuberculosis. When the need for this facility waned it was taken over by the West Riding County Council as a home for boys, the house was demolished in 1959. Rawdon Crematorium is now on the site (2021), all that remains of Knottfield House is a flight of steps within the crematorium grounds.
M538 – Knottfield House, Post 1918.
Knottfield House – Post 1918
Mitchell Memorial Home, Rawdon.
Christmas time on a ward at the convalescent hospital. It was built as Knottfiled House in 1874, at the end of WWI it became a convalescent home for ex-servicemen with tuberculosis. It was named the Mitchell Memorial Home in memory of a victim of the war. Later it became a West Riding County Council home for boys in care, the building was demolished in 1959 and Rawdon Crematorium built on the site.
Gift of Valerie Hargreaves, donated to AHS from Otley Museum.
H190 – Knottfield House, Undated.
Knottfield House – Undated
A book on Knottfield House presented by the author Judith Gardiner, to the AHS in October 2014.
H191 – Knottfield House, Undated.
H192 – Knottfield House, Undated.
H193 – Knottfield House, Undated.
Previous Comments:
buddyholly
After reading this story we found out that my wife is a distant relative of Judith’s.
Before we knew this conection we missed meeting her by a short time, Judith was staying at Peashill House, in Rawdon, at the same time that we were having a meal there with some friends for our Golden wedding.
We have since been in contact swopping family knowledge.
16 December 2015.
Judith Gardiner
Knottfield House was built in 1847.
1796-7 Land owned by William Thompson
Known as Rawdon Low Mill
Later to be renamed Woodbottom Mill
1840 Ephraim Elsworth
Rawdon Low Mill
1846 October 25
Release of a close of land from T. Hartley & others to Jos. Yewdall. Known as Lower Cockshott
Building commenced
1847 March
Knottfield House completed
Mansion House – Knottfield House
Completed March 1847
Notes: Refer to letter dated Nov 5 1868 from Chas. France (of Milnes and France) West Yorkshire archives
1848 September 24, Sunday
Mention of Knottfield House in the newspaper:
‘The Era’, Sunday Sept 24 1848,
Issue 522, Category Sports
Reference: Yorkshire Newspapers
Joseph Yewdall
1850 Joseph Yewdall – Knottfield Rawdon
Freehold Buildings and land
West Yorkshire, England, Electoral Registers No. 374 Rawdon
1850 November 15
Sale of Knottfield (Nott Field) House to John Booth
Purchase price £1500 including land and buildings
1851 John Booth and Anna Booth
Partner, Worsted Spinner
2 Partners Employing 406 Hands
(Ancestry census)
1852 John Booth
to Knottfield House, Rawdon
1859 West Yorkshire, England, Electoral Registers 1840-1962
1858 John Dawson
Leeds Polling District No. 331 Wortley – Knottfield House, Rawdon near Leeds
(This book was printed 1858 and in issue between 30.11.1858 and 01.12.1859)
1860 November 7
Birth of John & Cecil Dawson Knottfield House
1861 John Dawson and Annie Dawson
Common Brewer and farmer of 70 acres of land, employing 3 men
1862 January 10
Property: a close of land called the ochre Beds at Knottfield containing about 6 acres, 1 rood and 11 perches for 40 years at a rent of £12 a year
1862 July 17
Birth of Ethel Dawson
Knottfield House
1863 September 26
Birth of Alice Dawson
Knottfield House
1867 April 9
Death of John Dawson at Ilkley
1868 April 01
Knottfield House leased to Hermann Averdieck.
1868 April 17
Death of Annie Dawson (neė Whitham)
At St Ann’s Hill Burley
1870 November 30
Hermann Averdieck a becomes a Naturalized British Subject
1871 Hermann Averdieck and Maria Averdieck
Export Merchant
(Ancestry census)
1872 June 01
Hermann Adverdieck purchases Knottfield House and freehold land
1881 Hermann Averdieck and Maria Averdieck
General Export Merchant
(Ancestry census)
1891 Hermann Averdieck is noted as occupying Knottfield House (Electoral Registers)
1891 Caretaker only noted at the house
Fred and Catherine Leary
(Ancestry census)
1893 Charles Henry Drummond
Occupation: Worsted Spinner
Leased from Hermann Averdieck
1896 Charles Henry Drummond
Knottfield, Rawdon – Mansion Knottfield
(All West Yorkshire Electoral Registers, 1840-1962)
1896 Abraham Grandage and family
(1896 directory of subscribers British Phone Books 1880- 1984 telephone #2364 Bradford)
Leased from Hermann Averdieck
1898 Hermann Averdieck transferred ownership of Knottfield House to his son George Averdieck on 10 May 1898
1901 Abraham Grandage and Ruth Grandage
Bradford Stuff Merchant (employer)
(Ancestry census)
1911 Knottfield house noted as uninhabited on Rawdon census
(Ancestry census)
1918 August 13
Trust Deed signed
Knottfield House purchased by Mr George Medley Morrell and his wife Edith.
1918 November 23
On Saturday, November 23 1918 the Mitchell Memorial Home was officially opened.
1936 Newspaper article stating that the home is to be used as a sanatorium for sickly children.
1945 December 18
Board of governors resolved to temporarily close the home and convert it to be used as a remand home for girls.
1946 Home Office approved in principle the use of the Rawdon Memorial Home as a remand home for girls and that it was to be placed under the control of the Nortonthorpe Remand Home Management Committee.
(The remand home for girls never eventuated).
1952 April
Mitchell memorial Home of 19 acres purchased from the West Riding City Council by the Wharfedale Joint Crematorium Committee.
1954 July 16
Public notification by the Wharfedale and Airedale Observer (page 6) that Knottfield House is to be demolished and used for a joint crematorium for Airedale and Wharfedale.
1958 June 2
Foundation stone laid by county Councillor W. Hudson, then Chairman of the Joint committee.
1959 October 30
The Airedale and Wharfedale Crematorium officially opened.
17 October 2021
To see Rawdon Crematorium please – Click Here.
Consolidated by Elaine Ellwood. 6 April 2021.
Last updated: 15 September 2023 – Photo ID: M538. 01 November 2022 – All images updated.
