The forgotten story of the husband and wife who helped build Wythenshawe and gave their name to Simonsway
In 1926 Sir Ernest Simon and his wife Shena bought Wythenshawe Hall and 250 acres of the surrounding estate and gave it to the people of Manchester 'to be kept forever as an open space'. At the time the wealthy social reformers were one of the driving forces behind ambitious plans to build what would become Europe's largest council estate on nearby countryside.










