Ashton-under-Lyne, Besseges (Valves, Tubes & Fittings) Ltd

The construction of our present building was completed in 1996 on Turner Lane, Ashton-under-Lyne and our trade counter entrance is located on the last portion of Jackson Street. The remains of the original cobbled road are located under the hardstanding of our yard, on the approach to the trade counter door. The other half of the existing street is on the other side of the fence, adjacent to the local Robinsons Brewery House, the Junction Inn. To find out more about our location here in Ashton-under-Lyne and its fascinating history, click ‘Read More’ or talk to our excellent sales team.

The strangest fact associated with our location in Ashton-under-Lyne is the story of Turner Lane’s very own serial killer, Mary Ann Britland; Mrs Britland, who was later hanged in Strangeways prison for her crimes, managed to murder twice without the crimes being detected. On arriving to live at 133 Turner Lane, Ashton-under-Lyne, the Britland family found the home was infested with Mice. Mary Ann Britland went to the local chemist for the poison to lay down for the rodent infestation her intention though was to poison her Husband for his life insurance; although I don’t have all the details it came about that her plot had been discovered by her Daughter Elizabeth Britland so Mary poisoned her 19-year-old daughter and the Doctor who attended to Elizabeth put the death down to natural causes.

This occurred in March 1886, and by 3^rd May 1886, Mary Ann’s husband, Thomas Britland, was also dead due to epilepsy; after each death, Mrs Britland claimed the life insurance of the victim. Mary Ann’s crimes would probably have gone completely undetected had she not poisoned her final victim, already a double murderer she took the life of her namesake Mary Dixon the wife of her lover Thomas Dixon; this crime was committed after an act of kindness by Mrs Dixon who invited Mary Ann to stay with them after the death of her daughter and husband.

Following the death of Mary Dixon on the 14^th May 1886, suspicions were raised, and the poison bought by Mary Ann Britland previously was found by a pathologist in lethal quantities in the body of her final victim. Mary Ann Britland was arrested and tried on three counts of murder, and following a two-day trial, was found guilty and sentenced to hang.

On the 9th of August 1886, Mary Ann Britland, now a serial killer in modern terms, was the first woman to be hanged in Strangeways Prison, Manchester, but even after being found guilty due to overwhelming evidence against her, she still protested her innocence. The homes of the victims of these horrific crimes are no longer standing on Turner Lane, Ashton-under-Lyne, but our trade counter is located only yards from the places of these terrible events. Look out for future newsletters for further snippets of local history around our location in Ashton-under-Lyne, and contact us for all your valves and pipeline requirements.

For All Your Pipeline Requirements – Besseges VTF, Ashton

Ashton-under-Lyne and Besseges (Valves, Tubes & Fittings) Ltd are synonymous with the town, being our home for the last 28 years. For the many Tameside businesses that know us, we are key suppliers of all their valve and pipeline requirements, offering excellent trade counter and delivery services across the borough and beyond.

Working with our own transport and national carrier service, we can provide deliveries from across the entire UK Mainland on a next-day basis (subject to stock availability and time of order). We can also deliver outside the UK Mainland and across the wider world if required. Whatever your pipeline requirements are, we are sure we can provide the level of service and product quality your business is looking for.

We thank the Tameside Image Archive for their assistance in producing this blog post.