Lower Street in 1969. This slide, like the others, has suffered from the ravages of time, so we've probably preserved it in the nick of time. To the left is the old Town Hall, later replaced by 'The Piazza' (a controversial development of which more later) and now by 'The Amphitheatre' which is, at least, an improvement. Everything on the right hand side of the road has gone to make way for St Michaels Way. The building on the extreme right is the Gas Showroom, behind which, as Jonathan Williams correctly said, the gas pipeline from the works to the town made landfall on the Middlewich side of the canal. The Gas showroom was always decorated by the happy smiling face of 'Mr Therm' who has now passed into history. Mr British Thermal Unit doesn't have quite the same ring to it. We are, by the way looking at this view from just outside what was JayGee Fireplaces and is now the Town Bridge Estate Agents. Beyond the showroom, heading into town is a private house, then a building I can't recall at all, followed by Foster's bike shop. Mr Foster was a stickler for bike maintenance and would give you a severe ticking off if you didn't look after your brakes. And quite right too. The workshop, by the way, was set back from the road. The building you can see here, with an advertisement hoarding stuck on it, was 'the showroom'. Middlewich was always well endowed with 'showrooms' of one kind or another.Then came some cottages and, set back from the road and out of shot here, some shops very similar to the ones in Wheelock Street which house Forshaws funeral directors, Cynthia's Cake Shop and a flower shop - a low building with faux 'Cheshire Black and White' decoration. The Lower Street version housed a chip shop and at least one other shop, but I can't remember what it sold. Was it a fishmonger? Does anyone remember? Then came Harold Woodbine's Electrical and TV shop (Harold once told my Dad that he 'wasn't going to bother' stocking colour TV sets as he thought colour was 'just a passing trend'.). Then, I think, a greengrocers shop (or was that the fishmonger?) and finally Harold Woodbine's rival, Vernon Cooper, on the corner of Pepper Street.As you'll have noticed, my memory is getting a little hazy on some of these pictures. Can anyone help out? Please feel free to print off these pictures and show them to relatives and friends.
This picture was first published on Facebook on 22nd April 2011. The original feedback is shown below
- Geraldine Williams:The Gas Board Manager lived in that first house past the Gas Showroom and his wife was a Spirella Corsetiere!! The set-back shops you refer to was a chip shop and a shop which formerly recharged accumulators for radios. After that, towards the corner of Pepper Street was Vernon Coopers/Harold Woodbine's and Stanways Fish Shop.22 April at 18:21 ·
Jonathan Williams I remember the bike shop and recall it being demolished, walking past on the way home from school with my Mum one day. To this day I can visualise the broken glass and brickwork and sniff the horrible smell of the dust and grime and decay.22 April at 20:35 ·
27 April at 14:35 ·
Dave Roberts Well before my time (and anyone else's probably) there was the Black Bear, on the corner of Lower Street and Pepper Street - a building later to become Vernon Coopers TV and Electrical. Any points?27 April at 20:28 ·- Colin Derek Appleton ok i will give you a couple of points for that, there was a pub situated in the middle of lower street called the Whip and Jockey, but i dont think there is anyone in the town still alive who will have drank there !!!
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