Gorsey Brow

In the 1800s, Gorsey Brow was the name of the area, or hamlet, surrounding what is now the location of the community centre. Following the construction of the Humphrey Park estate in the 1930s, the name was adopted by a row of four tall cottages on Humphrey Lane, close to the junction with Bradfield Road (formerly Chadwick Lane). This overlay map shows the location and map labels for Gorsey Brow in the early 1800s, 1846 and 2025. 

The cottages were built around 1869–70 by John Taylor, a local landowner who lived at Newcroft Hall. Around this time, a quarrel arose between Taylor and Thomas Chadwick, a cotton merchant who had recently built a large mansion nearby called The Grove. It is said that the cottages were built to block Mr Chadwick's view across the orchards and fields from his home. Although they were initially let rent-free to poor families because they were unfinished, an official record from 1873 (around three years after construction) records that each cottage contained four bedrooms, a parlour, separate sitting room, kitchen, pantry, scullery and full cellar.

The original name for the cottages was Summerfield Terrace. They were known locally as Spite Cottages or Spite Row.

In 1962, a letter addressed to Spite Cottage found its way to Gorsey Brow. 

The Pop Star of Gorsey Brow

August Darnell, better known as Kid Creole of Kid Creole and the Coconuts, is known to have lived in the Urmston area from 1984 to 1993. Local memories place him at 3 Gorsey Brow.

Originally from New York, Darnell enjoyed international success during the early 1980s, with hits including Annie, I’m Not Your Daddy, Stool Pigeon and I’m a Wonderful Thing, Baby. Darnell met his partner, Caroline Brigham, in 1984 while working with Granada Television on the feature-length musical television film There’s Something Wrong in Paradise. While Darnell was the international star hired to appear in the film, Brigham was involved with the local production and television crew working behind the scenes.

The couple settled at 3 Gorsey Brow, where local memories recall that Darnell converted part of the cottage into a home recording studio, allowing him to continue writing and working on music while living in Urmston.

Because of Darnell’s theatrical songwriting style and larger-than-life persona, there has sometimes been speculation that Caroline was a fictional character from Kid Creole’s 1986 hit song Caroline Was a Drop-Out. In reality, the name in the song was inspired by his real-life partner.

Their sons, Lorne Ashley and Dario Darnell, were born in 1987 and 1989 respectively and grew up on Humphrey Lane. Darnell is thought to have moved out of the property in 1993 following the end of the relationship, while Caroline and the boys continued living at the cottage.

Whenever his touring schedule or UK theatre commitments allowed, Darnell would return to Urmston to stay with or near his family and take part in everyday parenting. Local residents recall regularly seeing the brightly dressed “Tropical Gangster” walking his children to school.

By 2001, aged 13 and 15, the boys were using the large cottage rooms as a rehearsal space while forming their early rock bands. They later formed the Manchester-based electronic duo Picture Book and have also worked on projects connected with the Kid Creole name. Dario Darnell is also known for his successful solo electronic music project, Youngr.

The property was sold in February 2007, bringing to a quiet close the family’s 23-year association with Gorsey Brow.