1903.

In 1904, the house was leased to Francis Boston, the owner of a tannery in Runcorn, who bought it in 1909 for £5,000 . Francis Boston died in 1929, and the house and grounds were put up for auction. In 1931, Frederick Clare and Latham Ryder, local builders, bought part of the grounds for £1,975 . In 1932, Runcorn Urban District Council bought the house and the remainder of the grounds, a total of 11+3/4 acre 1 , for £2,250 . The