Memorial to Robert Platt in Chester Cathedral

Robert Platt (11 November 1802 – 13 June 1882) was born in

Stalybridge Stalybridge () is a town in Tameside, Greater Manchester, England, with a population of 23,731 at the 2011 Census. Historic counties of England, Historically divided between Cheshire and Lancashire, it is east of Manchester city centre and no ...

Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a ceremonial and historic county in North West England, bordered by Wales to the west, Merseyside and Greater Manchester to the north, Derbyshire to the east, and Staffordshire and Shropshire to the south. Cheshire's county t ...

, the son of cotton manufacturer George Platt and his wife Sarah. He was educated in

Chester Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Loca ...

, and entered the family firm as a clerk and manager at the Bridge Street Mill, Stalybridge. On the death of his father in 1831 he assumed sole control of the business. In 1839 he married Margaret Higgins of

Salford Salford () is a city and the largest settlement in the City of Salford metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. In 2011, Salford had a population of 103,886. It is also the second and only other city in the metropolitan county afte ...

, daughter of William Higgins. in 1839. He expanded his business by the extension of the Bridge Street Mills and the construction of Quarry Street Mills. After acquiring Albion Mills, Platt moved to "Woodlands" on Mottram Road, Stalybridge. Platt was well known for philanthropic activities in Stalybridge and

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

, being a patron of the arts, a supporter of the local Mechanics' Institute and local churches. In December 1857 Platt and his wife were honoured by their workforce with a tea party and presentation at Foresters' Hall. His other charitable work included bequests to

Chester Cathedral Chester Cathedral is a Church of England cathedral and the mother church of the Diocese of Chester. It is located in the city of Chester, Cheshire, England. The cathedral, formerly the abbey church of a Benedictine monastery dedicated to Sain ...

and donations to

Owens College Owens may refer to: Places in the United States *Owens Station, Delaware *Owens Township, St. Louis County, Minnesota *Owens, Missouri *Owens, Ohio *Owens, Virginia People * Owens (surname), including a list of people with the name * Owens Bro ...

. A portrait of Robert Platt is today in the possession of the

University of Manchester , mottoeng = Knowledge, Wisdom, Humanity , established = 2004 – University of Manchester Predecessor institutions: 1956 – UMIST (as university college; university 1994) 1904 – Victoria University of Manchester 1880 – Victoria Univer ...

His best known act of philanthropy was the gift of the Stalybridge Public Baths to the town, which opened on 7 May 1870. On 6 February 1871 a pair of sculptures by the artist John Warrington Wood were unveiled at the baths. The white marble busts of Mr and Mrs Platt cost £200 and were funded by public subscription from the inhabitants of Stalybridge. Accepting them on behalf of the town for placement in the Public Baths given to the town by the Platts, the Mayor stated that they were "beautiful models of the generous donors." Alderman Kirk said that although they were "very good specimens of art" the bust of Mrs Platt was perhaps "not so good a likeness as the other, but taking them together they did very great credit to the sculptor." Robert Platt acquired a house at "Dean Water" in

Woodford Woodford may refer to: Places Australia *Woodford, New South Wales *Woodford, Queensland, a town in the Moreton Bay Region *Woodford, Victoria Canada * Woodford, Ontario England *Woodford, Cornwall * Woodford, Gloucestershire *Woodford, Greate ...

, Cheshire. He was granted arms by the

College of Arms The College of Arms, or Heralds' College, is a royal corporation consisting of professional Officer of Arms, officers of arms, with jurisdiction over England, Wales, Northern Ireland and some Commonwealth realms. The heralds are appointed by the ...

. His arms are described: :BLAZON: Per fesse dancettee Argent and Gules a pale and three frets, one and two, countercharged :CREST: A demi wolf Gules, semee of plates, armed and langued Azure holding in the dexter paw a wreath Argent and Gules :MOTTO: ''Labitur et labetur'' Today, the Platts are commemorated by a

blue plaque A blue plaque is a permanent sign installed in a public place in the United Kingdom and elsewhere to commemorate a link between that location and a famous person, event, or former building on the site, serving as a historical marker. The term i ...

at "Woodlands".Blue Plaque - Robert and Margaret Platt
/ref> and the marble busts are in the possession of the Astley Cheetham Art Gallery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Platt, Robert 1802 births 1882 deaths English philanthropists People from Stalybridge 19th-century British philanthropists