Many thanks for following our Middlewich Diary throughout 2017.
There's much more to come in 2018! Best wishes to everyone for the New Year!
WELCOME TO THE MIDDLEWICH DIARY. Please note that due to a change of URL certain 'blue links' on some Middlewich Diary entries do not work. These are being repaired as time allows. Apologies for the inconvenience.
INDEX
Sunday, 31 December 2017
Saturday, 30 December 2017
RIVER WHEELOCK FROM THE MIDDLEWICH BRANCH CANAL EARLY 1970s
Taken on a Summer day in the early 1970s, it shows the River Wheelock meandering its way from the aqueduct which takes it under the Shropshire Union Middlewich Branch and flowing on alongside Nantwich Road, later to run under a bridge in Chester Road just outside the town and borough boundaries, on its way to join the River Dane near the narrow canal aqueduct not far from Croxton Lane.
The combined rivers then flow on another five miles or so to join the River Weaver at Northwich.
The Chester Road bridge, is perfectly level, so that many people will not even realise they are crossing the River Wheelock as they drive in and out of Middlewich. The bridge was rebuilt a few years ago, resulting in it looking even less like a bridge than before.
In the middle distance can be seen the little bridge which takes Mill Lane across the river on its way to Stanthorne. The whole footpath from Nantwich Road to Stanthorne is, by the way, a public right of way, although the owners of Stanthorne Mill (the white buildings seen to the left of the photograph) always made a point of disputing this in former days.
Close to this bridge is a weir which you can see here in a black and white photograph taken around the same time, or possibly a little earlier. The weir is very difficult to photograph these days, so overgrown has it become - a point we were making here, when we were looking back at the general area as it was in 1967.
In fact a quick glance at Google Earth will show that the whole course of the river, certainly between Nantwich Road and Chester Road, has become completely engulfed in trees, making it very difficult to follow.
I originally thought that this was a recent phenomenon but, in fact, as a glance at page 52 of Allan Earl's Middlewich 1900-1950 (Cheshire Country Publishing 1994) will show, these trees have been here for many years and were at one time being cultivated by Boosey's Nurseries until the First World War intervened and they were left to run wild
The village of Wheelock, by the way, was named after the river and Middlewich's main street was named after the village.
To see the aqueduct this picture was taken from go to SUC AQUEDUCT OVER THE RIVER WHEELOCK 2012
First published 30th December 2011
Re-published 30th December 2017
Friday, 22 December 2017
MIDDLEWICH IN WINTER 2017
 |
| Snow is not a very common feature of the Middlewich winter scene. Our low-lying and sheltered position on the Cheshire plain between the Derbyshire hills to the east and the Mersey estuary to the west usually means that we are protected from the worst of any snow showers (though we do get more than our fair share of rain). December 2017 was somewhat different, though, as exceptional circumstances brought a dusting of snow, transforming the town and bringing with it some great photo opportunities. At just after 8 o'clock on the morning of the 9th of December, Jennifer Jane Snelson, who works on Hightown, was able to capture this classic view of Middlewich town centre in the snow. Our magnificent Christmas tree takes centre stage, unusually seen with its lights switched off. This photo first appeared on the Middlewich Community Group. |
 |
Jim Moores of the Canals & Rivers of Middlewich Facebook page (link in the left hand column) took this frosty early sunrise shot of the junction between the Trent & Mersey and Shropshire Union (Middlewich Branch) canals. The relentless road traffic in Booth Lane thunders on, while the canal sleeps.
|
 |
A couple of miles outside Middlewich, spanning the SUC Middlewich Branch as it winds its way through the Cheshire pasture lands towards Nantwich, is bridge no. 26, known locally as 'Norman's Bridge'. Norman's Wood lines the towpath to the right. Norman's Bridge carries Coal Pit Lane, which runs from Stanthorne crossroads to join Chester Road just outside the town boundary. The picture-postcard scene is captured beautifully by Natasha Harrop.
Commentary by Dave Roberts SEE ALSO: WINTER IN MIDDLEWICH 2016 |
Wednesday, 20 December 2017
THE BOGOTA BOYS AT MIDDLEWICH CARNIVAL 1949
 |
| © Phillip Shales 2011 All rights reserved with acknowledgments to Kerry Fletcher and Dave Thompson of Middlewich Town Council |
By Dave Roberts
Here's another vintage picture from the Phillip Shales collection. It's a scene from the 1949 Middlewich Carnival procession as it passes along Lower Street. In the background are several buildings we've seen before in our Middlewich meanderings but never before at this particular period in time.
They are, from left to right, the White Bear, Dewhursts butchers, the shop later to become Vernon Coopers - does anyone know when Vernon Coopers moved into this shop and what kind of shop it was before they took it over? I have a feeling that 1949 is a little early for the radio, TV and electrical retailer to be there - and Stanways fishmongers (or 'fish dealers' as the sign on the premises would have it).
Don't forget, also, that the 'Vaults' was still there, set back from the road and hiding in the space between the White Bear and Dewhursts. Many people mistake the Vaults for a new building which replaced what was on the site before but no - it was there all along.
To the left and right we can see evidence of the huge crowds following the procession. And there are still more taking in the scene from the upper windows of the shops, which is something people rarely do nowadays. As we've seen before, large numbers of people attend events in our town centre these days, but in former times masses of people approaching football crowd proportions thronged the town centre and the streets leading to it.
Which neatly brings us to the 'float' taking centre stage.
As far as I can make out, the 'Bogota Boys' must be a reference to the World Cup which was revived for 1950 (amid much controversy, apparently) and the qualifying heats would be taking place at the time of the 1949 Carnival. I can't, however, find any reference to a team from Bogota having qualified for the contest, and to be heading off for Rio De Janeiro where at least some of the matches were played (hence the sign saying NOW TRAINING FOR CUP TIE AT RIO).
The link with Rio is an interesting one; both Rio and Middlewich have always been famous for their carnivals, although it has to be said that one of them knocked the other into a cocked hat. Poor old Rio.
I'll leave it to those better versed in football history to decide why this particular team of Middlewich athletes should have decided to name themselves after a Colombian team.
Our Bogota Boys look much more likely to be heading to the British Legion than footballing glory in Brazil.
One of the hand made signs on the truck says, quite rightly:
HELP THE LEGION TODAY. YOU MAY NEED THEIR HELP SOME DAY.
But they do appear to be a genuine football team. Another sign says
Facebook feedback:
Such a stunningly evocative picture of a long lost era couldn't fail to provoke a lot of comment. Here's some of it -ed.
Geraldine Williams This is such a good photograph showing how important an event the Carnival was in those days with people turning out in force. I can just about remember when the King and Queen drove along Wheelock Street as part of their tour of the country celebrating the end of the war. The street was packed for that historic event too. My father had an electrical shop in Wheelock Street and fitted coloured lights round the window. Of course he wasn't allowed to have them switched on because of the restrictions on power still in force but Dad flicked the switch on and off as the royal car passed by and they caught the King's eye, much to Dad's satisfaction. I don't think anyone had ever heard of Bogota before the football connection. The Old Crocks football match on Good Friday was an annual institution but I can't remember who their opponents were. The shop at the corner of Pepper Street was once a crockery shop owned by a family from Winsford called Dutton, probably about the time of this photograph. My mother was keen to start collecting Wedgewood crockery - the original blue with the raised white grapevine border - which the Duttons sold but her entire collection comprised of two dishes so I don't know whether it was because the Duttons sold up or mother's funds ran out!!
Andrew Tomlinson They couldn't be the Bricker Cup winners, could they? There were major riots and unrest in Bogota in 1948 - could they have picked the name as some strange pun?
There does seem to be some kind of cup or trophy on the roof of the lorry's cab.
And does it really say that W E Jones' phone number is Middlewich 26 on the door?
By the way, the 1950 World Cup was held in Brazil and England went out in the group stages, famouly losing 1-0 to the USA!
Geraldine Williams Didn't the England team do their training in Bogota to acclimatise for the World Cup?
Andrew Tomlinson Are you thinking of 1970 in Mexico? In any case that wouldn't have been in 1949. I still think this team looks more like a Bricker Cup side.
I'm just talking to Mum now and she seems to think there was a team called 'The Old Crocks' who played once a year for a cup - she can't remember who they played, but thinks it was against the same team every year, and the game was played Easter Weekend, although she can't be 100% certain.
I seem to remember similar matches to the one Mum thinks she can remember, being played on the same day as the Bricker Cup final. The reference to Rio will be the FIFA World Cup for certain, as 1950 was the first year that England took part.
Daniel Preston Relatives of ours lived in the upstairs flat at the Vernon Cooper building in the 1950s. They were my dad's cousin and her family. I can remember my second cousin playing with his lead soldiers by the fire.
Dave Roberts By coincidence, I knew the family which lived there in the late 60s/early 70s. They were Frank Ryder and family, formerly of the ICI farm near Wimboldsley. Their son Stuart, now sadly passed away, was my first 'best friend' at Wimboldsley School when i started there in 1957.
First published 20th December 2011
Re-formatted and re-published 20th December 2017
Don't forget, also, that the 'Vaults' was still there, set back from the road and hiding in the space between the White Bear and Dewhursts. Many people mistake the Vaults for a new building which replaced what was on the site before but no - it was there all along.
To the left and right we can see evidence of the huge crowds following the procession. And there are still more taking in the scene from the upper windows of the shops, which is something people rarely do nowadays. As we've seen before, large numbers of people attend events in our town centre these days, but in former times masses of people approaching football crowd proportions thronged the town centre and the streets leading to it.
Which neatly brings us to the 'float' taking centre stage.
As far as I can make out, the 'Bogota Boys' must be a reference to the World Cup which was revived for 1950 (amid much controversy, apparently) and the qualifying heats would be taking place at the time of the 1949 Carnival. I can't, however, find any reference to a team from Bogota having qualified for the contest, and to be heading off for Rio De Janeiro where at least some of the matches were played (hence the sign saying NOW TRAINING FOR CUP TIE AT RIO).
The link with Rio is an interesting one; both Rio and Middlewich have always been famous for their carnivals, although it has to be said that one of them knocked the other into a cocked hat. Poor old Rio.
I'll leave it to those better versed in football history to decide why this particular team of Middlewich athletes should have decided to name themselves after a Colombian team.
Our Bogota Boys look much more likely to be heading to the British Legion than footballing glory in Brazil.
One of the hand made signs on the truck says, quite rightly:
HELP THE LEGION TODAY. YOU MAY NEED THEIR HELP SOME DAY.
But they do appear to be a genuine football team. Another sign says
THINKING OF LAST YEAR'S GOOD FRIDAY SUCCESS, THE OLD CROCKS KEEP IN TRAINING, EVEN WHEN IT'S RAINING
In accordance with another long standing Middlewich tradition the truck (or 'lorry', to be more in keeping with the spirit of the times) was provided by W.E. Jones of Middlewich, something the firm would continue to do for many years to come.
And there's another Middlewich link here, in that the lorry was made by the then only sixteen year old ERF Ltd at the Sun Works in nearby Sandbach. (the company later had a more direct involvement in Middlewich when it moved its spares and repair facilities here in the early 1970s). You can just make out the 'sunray' ERF logo underneath that hand-lettered sign on the front of the vehicle.
If you want to get your modern-day Middlewich bearings, that lorry would be just to the right of the access road that now runs from the Bullring past The Vaults and out onto St Michael's Way.
And finally, just take a look at what is occurring as the Bogota Boys make their way along the streets of post war Middlewich.
And finally, just take a look at what is occurring as the Bogota Boys make their way along the streets of post war Middlewich.
Their lorry is a tipper and the driver has, for the amusement of the crowd, decided to operate the tipper mechanism, humorously threatening to decant the Bogota Boys onto Lower Street.
We all get a bit fed up with Health & Safety requirements these days, but sometimes you can see where some of them came from...
UPDATE (31st December 2016) We have now found out the identity of the lorry driver. It's none other than Ivor Niblett (Senior), father of Ivor (Junior), Jessica, Don, Nicky and Chris. Or, as Don himself put it, in fine old Middlewich style, 'our owd chap'.
Editor's Note: Other photographs found in the same computer file as this one have been proved to actually come from the 1952 Carnival. Because of the 'World Cup' connections mentioned above, we've decided to leave this one dated as 1949. If you have any information as to the true date of this photo, please get in touch.
UPDATE (31st December 2016) We have now found out the identity of the lorry driver. It's none other than Ivor Niblett (Senior), father of Ivor (Junior), Jessica, Don, Nicky and Chris. Or, as Don himself put it, in fine old Middlewich style, 'our owd chap'.
Editor's Note: Other photographs found in the same computer file as this one have been proved to actually come from the 1952 Carnival. Because of the 'World Cup' connections mentioned above, we've decided to leave this one dated as 1949. If you have any information as to the true date of this photo, please get in touch.
Facebook feedback:
Such a stunningly evocative picture of a long lost era couldn't fail to provoke a lot of comment. Here's some of it -ed.
Geraldine Williams This is such a good photograph showing how important an event the Carnival was in those days with people turning out in force. I can just about remember when the King and Queen drove along Wheelock Street as part of their tour of the country celebrating the end of the war. The street was packed for that historic event too. My father had an electrical shop in Wheelock Street and fitted coloured lights round the window. Of course he wasn't allowed to have them switched on because of the restrictions on power still in force but Dad flicked the switch on and off as the royal car passed by and they caught the King's eye, much to Dad's satisfaction. I don't think anyone had ever heard of Bogota before the football connection. The Old Crocks football match on Good Friday was an annual institution but I can't remember who their opponents were. The shop at the corner of Pepper Street was once a crockery shop owned by a family from Winsford called Dutton, probably about the time of this photograph. My mother was keen to start collecting Wedgewood crockery - the original blue with the raised white grapevine border - which the Duttons sold but her entire collection comprised of two dishes so I don't know whether it was because the Duttons sold up or mother's funds ran out!!
Andrew Tomlinson They couldn't be the Bricker Cup winners, could they? There were major riots and unrest in Bogota in 1948 - could they have picked the name as some strange pun?
There does seem to be some kind of cup or trophy on the roof of the lorry's cab.
And does it really say that W E Jones' phone number is Middlewich 26 on the door?
By the way, the 1950 World Cup was held in Brazil and England went out in the group stages, famouly losing 1-0 to the USA!
Geraldine Williams Didn't the England team do their training in Bogota to acclimatise for the World Cup?
Andrew Tomlinson Are you thinking of 1970 in Mexico? In any case that wouldn't have been in 1949. I still think this team looks more like a Bricker Cup side.
I'm just talking to Mum now and she seems to think there was a team called 'The Old Crocks' who played once a year for a cup - she can't remember who they played, but thinks it was against the same team every year, and the game was played Easter Weekend, although she can't be 100% certain.
I seem to remember similar matches to the one Mum thinks she can remember, being played on the same day as the Bricker Cup final. The reference to Rio will be the FIFA World Cup for certain, as 1950 was the first year that England took part.
Daniel Preston Relatives of ours lived in the upstairs flat at the Vernon Cooper building in the 1950s. They were my dad's cousin and her family. I can remember my second cousin playing with his lead soldiers by the fire.
Dave Roberts By coincidence, I knew the family which lived there in the late 60s/early 70s. They were Frank Ryder and family, formerly of the ICI farm near Wimboldsley. Their son Stuart, now sadly passed away, was my first 'best friend' at Wimboldsley School when i started there in 1957.
First published 20th December 2011
Re-formatted and re-published 20th December 2017
Tuesday, 19 December 2017
SANTA'S SLEIGH ROUTES 2017 (ARCHIVED)
And thank you to Middlewich Round Table for inviting Santa to tour Middlewich once again this year. To find out more about the Round Table and the excellent work they do, not only at Christmas but all the year round, take a look at their website:
Once again this year the Round Table collected food on behalf of
Marc Holmes writes...
On behalf of The Salvation Army in Winsford I would like to say a HUGE THANK YOU to the community of Middlewich and also to Santa and his snowmen of Middlewich Round Table for your generosity, support and donations over the last couple of weeks.
It has been my privilege to have come and collected your donations of food/gifts/toiletries and the amount collected is mind blowing! My car has been full 3 times (and almost overflowing tonight!)!
This Christmas we have noticed the need for support even more than other years. We have already supported more than 200 families with food parcels, (which include festive goodies and a gift for every member of the family) with more going out over the next few days.
In addition to the food parcels we will also be opening up our hall on Christmas Day to those who would otherwise be on their own, where they can enjoy a Christmas dinner, fun and fellowship.
Thank you just doesn't seem enough!
Without your help we wouldn't be able to help so many people. It really does make a difference to their lives.
God bless you all and we wish you all a very Happy, Healthy Christmas and New Year.
 |
| Photo used with permission |
 |
| To finish our Santa Sleigh run in 2017 we donated a very special trike for a very special young man ! Santa's sleigh and the snowmen delivered William his dream transport allowing him to have a little of his own mobility. This could not be achieved without all our Round Table, our family, friends and those in the community who support the work we do. Happy New Year all !! - Middlewich Round Table, 2nd January 2018 |
Santa's sleigh routes for 2017 were...
First Published 4th December 2017
Re-published 11th December 2017
12th December 2017
13th December 2017
14th December 2017
15th December 2017
17th December 2017
18th December 2017
19th December 2017
Re-published 11th December 2017
12th December 2017
13th December 2017
14th December 2017
15th December 2017
17th December 2017
18th December 2017
19th December 2017
Sunday, 17 December 2017
CHRISTMAS POEM 2017
by Rachel Hughes
'I'll have one. Then just another...
'Oh, go on then! It's Christmas time, brother!'
A couple of shots, a few more pints.
'I'm not paying for a taxi...I'll be all right!'
'I'll be home soon, love!' - She's asking again.
'I ain't walking, it's started to rain...'
Laughing and joking, the time passes by,
Enjoying the company stood by your side.
'I really must go now; my tea's in the dog!
And it's been a few hours since I finished my job.'
As wobbly legs take this Human across the road,
It tells itself it's in 'driveable mode'.
Key's in the starter, the mirror's in view.
'I'm on my way home love! I love you, I do!'
Driving along with thoughts of its bed,
The drunk-driving human hits a tree up ahead.
A knock on the door wakes the family inside.
Tears start to fall from the loved ones' eyes;
'How has this happened? I can't believe...
'Why would our loved one decide to leave?'
An individual's act; a choice that was made,
Another human life that could have been saved...
Think of the others you'd leave behind,
At any time of year, not just Christmas time.
©Rachel Hughes, November 2015
(reproduced with permission)
Editor's note: We thought this excellent poem by Rachel Hughes deserved as wide an audience as possible, partly because of the time of year, and partly because of the powerful writing and the message it gets across. A message which can't be repeated too often. It first appeared on the Middlewich Community Group on Facebook - DR
Thursday, 14 December 2017
MIDDLEWICH YOUTH THEATRE PRESENTS CINDERELLA, DECEMBER 16th 2017
MIDDLEWICH YOUTH THEATRE ON FACEBOOK
UPDATE:
AFTERNOON PERFORMANCE NOW
SOLD OUT!
Please call 07868 663529 to enquire about
evening availability
Monday, 11 December 2017
AN AWKWARD TURN TO THE LOMPON
 |
| We believe this image to be out of copyright. If you own the copyright, or know who does, please let us know. |
A what? Middlewichians (or 'Middlewichers', which seems to be the favoured current term) of long-standing might just understand why I have used this particular title for this posting. It's another one of those familiar postcards of old Middlewich scenes we all grew up with and 'An Awkward Turn To The Lompon' was the title/description hand-written on the original negative, although it's missing from this particular print, which we’ve borrowed from the invaluable Paul Hough Collection.
So what does it mean?
I always, without really thinking it through, had a vague idea that it might, in some way, be a corruption of 'lump pan' but this, of course, is a dead end. The nearest lump pans were some distance away in Wych House Lane Pepper Street
But the word 'lompon' does have a kind of authentic Cheshire dialect ring to it, so I consulted A Glossary Of Words Used In the County Of Chester published by Robert Holland of Frodsham in 1885 and found this:
LOMPOND (or, as it should probably be spelt, LOM POND) - the pond in a farm yard into which all refuse runs.
There is a place at the junction of two brooks,the Allum and the Croco at Kinuerton (sic -ed)called Lompon - The Cheshire Sheaf (The Cheshire Sheaf was a regular column featured in the Chester Courant newspaper)
So 'Lompon' was, or could have been, a Cheshire
But, if Brian Curzon is right, here's the enigma: when you turn out of Mill Lane Town Bridge
If we take the picture and flip it horizontally it makes more sense.
In this case Kinderton Street
And, in any case, could a picture like this have been published 'back to front' for so many years without anyone noticing?
(In any case, John Capper has pointed out that, in the reversed version, the sidecar is on the wrong side for the UK
It just doesn't seem to ring true, whichever way you look at it (to coin a phrase). The road in the foreground is much more likely to be Kinderton Street
Perhaps the building on the left (of the top picture) wasn't the Navigation Inn at all. Perhaps the hostelry in question is, in fact, out of sight behind the building on the right? This would make the road in the foreground Kinderton Street
Now we can begin to see why this particular postcard has always puzzled people. We all know what it depicts, or is supposed to depict but, somehow, the pieces won't fall into place properly. We have a nagging feeling that, somehow, in some way, the picture is 'the wrong way round'.
To simplify our dilemma: I've looked at this old postcard thousands of times as a straightforward picture of a motorbike and sidecar travelling down Kinderton Street on its way to pass over the old town bridge. Why, then, is it turning left?
The answer has to be that the alignment of Kinderton Street
But just where was the ‘Lompon' anyway? It must have been a familiar local name, to have been thought worthy of a mention on a postcard. But why would a cesspit be a local landmark? Then again, this is Middlewich...
Was it a reference to the River Croco itself which, as we've discussed before, seems to have been used as a drainage culvert for most of its long history?
On the other hand, the name Lompon, as used here, may have nothing whatsoever to do with cesspits and drainage, and might have another source altogether.
And what about the other brook, the Allum, which is supposed to join the Croco somewhere near here?
Well, actually I have a theory about that which will have to wait for another day.
Incidentally, non-Middlewichers may like to note that the word 'awkward' in our title should be pronounced 'ockud'.Cliff Astles says: Sure this one was taken of the old Middlewich Town Bridge over the Trent & Mersey Canal, some time in the early 1900s, The motorbike and sidecar are a giveaway. This would be well before the new
Town Bridge was built (1931-Ed). The corner of the building on the right may even be the Talbot Hotel.
As is usual with this kind of problem, the actual answer is very simple, and was 'there all the time'.
We have indeed been looking at the picture 'the wrong way round' but not in the way we surmised.
Here's the answer.
The following was originally published as a separate Diary entry. For convenience, we've combined the two entries together.
Here's the answer.
The following was originally published as a separate Diary entry. For convenience, we've combined the two entries together.
 |
| We believe this image to be out of copyright. If you own the copyright, or know who does, please let us know |
The picture above is a section of that aerial view showing the Town Bridge area as it was then, and solving, after all these years, the mystery of where the 'Awkward Turn To The Lompon' photo was actually taken.
It's strange indeed that no one I ever spoke to about this ever made the connection between the two photos, because the truth is plain to see. That's a very distinctive group of buildings.
When we said that we may have been looking at the picture 'the wrong way round' we were closer to the truth than we knew.
It's obvious from the above that the motorbike and sidecar combination was not in Kinderton Street at all, but in Lower Street and travelling in the opposite direction, towards Holmes Chapel.
To drive home the point, and to coin another phrase - X Marks The Spot.
There even seems to be another motorbike and sidecar combination on the bridge in this shot.
So Kinderton Street itself may not have changed its alignment very much in the sweeping changes of 1931, but, on the other side of Town Bridge, Lower Street certainly did. In fact it's still hard to get one's head around that abrupt turn off the bridge. But it has to be remembered that a section of Middlewich churchyard was removed in 1931 to enable the widening of Lower Street. Part of the Town Hall was also demolished at this time, and the building can be seen in its original form at bottom right. In the changes of the 1970s the 'Church' side of the street was left alone, and all the demolition took place on the opposite side of the road.
At the top of the photo, Middlewich Town Wharf can be seen, seemingly in those days much more a part of the town centre, rather than being separated from it as is the case today (a situation which, we hope, will change once again when the 'Gateway To Middlewich' scheme finally comes to fruition).
All the buildings around the Town Bridge also went in 1931, of course, and the road crossing it was considerably altered and widened.
We'll be returning to this fascinating 1928 view of our town to study other sections of it in future postings.
Very interesting stuff of course (for some of us, anyway) but we still have to find out why this particular part of Middlewich should be called 'The Lompon'. So on we go...
John Capper I'm glad that has been solved. That 1928 picture is fascinating. Looking at the position of the sidecar on the road in that picture I think confirms it was an awkward turn. It's a good job the roads were quiet then.
Dave Roberts Yes. Were there a lot more motorbike/sidecar combinations about at that time, John? Because that could explain the title. That turn from Lower Street onto Town Bridge may have been notorious among the biking fraternity, and well enough known for everyone to 'get the joke'.
John Capper. I believe there were. An alternative to the family car which would have been unaffordable to a lot of people then.
John Capper I'm glad that has been solved. That 1928 picture is fascinating. Looking at the position of the sidecar on the road in that picture I think confirms it was an awkward turn. It's a good job the roads were quiet then.
Dave Roberts Yes. Were there a lot more motorbike/sidecar combinations about at that time, John? Because that could explain the title. That turn from Lower Street onto Town Bridge may have been notorious among the biking fraternity, and well enough known for everyone to 'get the joke'.
John Capper. I believe there were. An alternative to the family car which would have been unaffordable to a lot of people then.
Re-published 11th December 2017 as a combined entry.
Monday, 4 December 2017
TALBOT HOTEL 1971
by Dave Roberts
Here's a 1971 Kodachrome slide of a building which seems to have a lot of happy memories for many people.
Our previous attempt to show you what the pub really looked like didn't quite work, as the slide in question was of dubious quality.
There are a lot of photographs of this popular Robinson's pub in existence but, as far as we know, very few in colour.
This has led many people to believe that the pub was painted white for most of its life but, as can be seen here it was, at least in its last few years, a pleasing shade of lime green.
This particular photo was taken from the corner of the Seabank car park and the old GPO telephone box which once stood there is just creeping into shot on the right. Now even the chrome and glass BT box which replaced it has gone, a victim of the spread of the mobile phone.
Note the yellow painted gate on the right where in 1959 Twinky, the Roberts household cat, made a bid for freedom on his way home from the vets after an operation. He stayed in the little passageway behind that gate spitting defiance for over two hours.
The Talbot is also mentioned in this posting, where you can see how the pub fitted into the Kinderton street scene.
And the pub also made a slightly unexpected appearance when we photographed the town's war memorial after its re-dedication in November 1972...
We can now see the pub's position in relation to the churchyard which, in those days, had far fewer trees. In fact you can see one of the current trees in its early years between the camera and the pub. Bear in mind, though, that the war memorial was in a slightly different place from the one it currently occupies.
Facebook Feedback
Michael Tully Walked past it on the way to St Mary's Junior School every day.
Carole Hughes Why did it get knocked down? It looks OK. Shame, half of Middlewich went.
Dave Roberts I think it was just in the wrong place when it came to widening the road. If it hhad been a bit further down the hill it might have been spared.
Carole Hughes Sad they had to knock down so many buildings just to widen a road and put a dual carriageway in.
Dave Roberts We were trying to decide earlier this year if the Kinderton Street scheme really was a 'widening' scheme at all.
Some of the road was widened, but not by an awful lot.
Most of the space where the buildings were is now taken up by a wide footpath and landscaping.
Some of the property further up the road (Costello's, Whittaker's etc) was in a very sorry state when it finally got demolished.
But was it allowed to get into such a state because the owners knew it was going to be knocked down?
First published 4th December 2011
Re-formatted and re-published 4th December 2017
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)