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| The Middlewich Meteors May 1957: L to R - Elvin Bowyer (washboard), Alan Birchall (guitar), Peter Birchall (guitar), Peter Wilson (double bass), Freddie Moores (banjo), and Brian Eaton (guitar) In front is Edward Tattersall (guitar)
by Dave Roberts
The Middlewich Diary is always at home to talk of Middlewich music matters and from local legend FREDDIE MOORES comes this salutary reminder that music in Middlewich didn't begin twenty-five years ago with the first Folk & Boat Festival.
In fact, although this article is about Middlewich music 1957 style, it goes without saying that there have always been people around town making music of one kind or another. An older generation, for example, will tell you all about Percy Bailey's Band which played dance music at the old Middlewich Town Hall on Hightown for many a Saturday Night Dance, with Percy famously propping the latest edition of the Evening Sentinel up on his piano's music stand to keep up with the local news as interminable waltzes, quick-steps and fox-trots filled the smoky air. 
The old Middlewich Town Hall
So, to be clear, we're talking about the start of the modern era of Music In Middlewich in the1950s - the age of Skiffle and Rock 'n' Roll!
Fred kindly loaned me this historical souvenir which features not only a copy of a press cutting from May 1957 about the Middlewich Meteors but also one from 48 years later when Freddie was trying to get hold of a copy of the photo he remembered being published all those years before. There's also an 'ode' to the band (or 'group' as they would, undoubtedly, have been called in those days) which was probably written by one of those young musicians.
We're happy to reproduce these historic documents for the electronic generation and preserve them for posterity.
Let's begin with Fred's 2005 appeal to the local Guardian for information about members of the band, and for a copy of that elusive photograph.
The first thing to note is that Fred was talking to the 'wrong' newspaper - perfectly understandable after all those years, and given the tendency of the Guardian and the Chronicle to wax and wane in popularity locally, seemingly taking it in turns to be the local paper of choice for Middlewichians.
NORTHWICH GUARDIAN
Winsford & Middlewich Edition
Wednesday April 13th 2005.
FRED ON A MISSION TO BE REUNITED WITH BAND
A MIDDLEWICH musician is looking to be reunited with his former band mates nearly 50 years after they first formed.
Fred Moores of Shropshire Close is looking for members of his old skiffle band The Middlewich Meteorites (sic)*, and is trying to source a picture of the band which he believes was taken in 1956 or 1957.
Fred, 67, said: 'The picture was taken at the back of the White Bear pub which is where we used to practise.'
Fred says the picture, which appeared in the Guardian (sic), features guitarists Eddie Tattersall and Brian Eaton, as well as washboard and bass player Peter Wilson.
Fred, who played the ukelele and banjo, would love to know if anyone has a copy of the picture and would also like to hear from his former band mates.
He said: 'We were only aged between about 15 and 17. It was just before we went into the army in 1958. We took part in a few contests at Mr Smiths in Winsford. I'd just like to know where they all are and if anyone has a copy of the picture.'
If you were a member of the Middlewich Meteorites (sic)*, or know someone who has a copy of the picture, contact reporter Gemma Sproston by ringing 01606 813624, email gsproston@guardiangrp.co.uk, or write to 15 Market Street, Northwich, Cheshire CW9 5DT.
*You'll note that we rather sniffily use the term sic to indicate that we are reproducing the Guardian's use of 'Meteorites' even though we know it to be wrong. It's very likely, of course, that Gemma Sproston, who is a very good journalist, only used the name Middlewich Meteorites because that's the name she was given by Fred who himself believed it to be the name of the group. It was, after all, a long time ago - Ed.
Fred's appeal obviously bore fruit because also included in his souvenir is a cutting from The Chronicle of Saturday May 18th 1957 (how long is it since the publication of our local papers switched from Saturday to Thursday?)
To put this piece of Middlewich history into context, remember that the Middlewich of May 18th 1957 was somewhat different to the town we know today.
Middlewich Station was still open to passengers and 'The Dodger' was still whisking passengers from Middlewich to Northwich in as little as 7 minutes. It would only continue to do so, however, until the last day of 1959.
The Alhambra was still open for business as a cinema and there were, as now, many pubs, but the only place you could get something to eat or a cup of tea was Heathcote's Cafe in Lewin Street.
The open-pan salt works were still going strong, with Seddon's in Pepper Street - just a matter of yards away from the Meteors' rehearsal room - belching out black smoke and white steam all through the week. The other Seddon's works in Wych House Lane and Brooks Lane were also thriving, as was Murgatroyd's Brooks Lane works. This venerable method of salt-making would continue for another ten years (nine in the case of Murgatroyd's) before falling to progress in the shape of the British Salt works which replaced them all in 1969.
And Fountain Fields - now re-christened 'Tesco Park' by a new generation - which seems to have been there forever was, in 1957, a mere five years old. UPDATE: In the never- ending story of Middlewich things change, as they do in all towns. Tesco replaced their main Middlewich Store with a short-lived branch of their budget store 'Jack's' (named after the company founder Jack Cohen) which was intended to compete with Lidl and Aldi. Middlewich people, of course, took it all in their stride and 'Tesco Park' seamlessly became 'Jack's Park'. Tesco's experiment in budget stores didn't last long and the store lay derelict for a while. At the time of writing (16th May 2023) the store is being extensively re-furbished (in fact 'rebuilt' would be a better word) and will, in the fullness of time, become a branch of 'Home Bargains'. 'Home Bargains Park' would be a weird and clumsy renaming. My guess is that 'Jack's Park' will keep its name, leading to speculation by historians in the distant future as to who 'Jack' was.
Middlewich then was a dirty, dingy, smoky little town just crying out for some great entertainment - something Fred and friends were determined to provide...
THE CHRONICLE
Saturday May 18th 1957
They aim to 'rock' the town in a big way
MEET THE MIDDLEWICH Meteors, the skiffle group that is currently 'rocking' the town three or four nights a week at its practice sessions. You can see them in action at their headquarters - a room in what was a stable block in the ancient coaching yard behind the White Bear Hotel.
The group had originally planned to form themselves into a harmonica gang. Then came the skiffle craze. Nobody wanted to listen to harmonicas*, so the seven friends set about acquiring the necessary instruments.
The double bass is a simple matter of a tea-chest, a wooden pole and a piece of string. The washboard is of a kind any housewife can buy at a hardware store. The guitars were all bought second-hand.
So far the group has only had one official booking - they played at the British Legion Club a fortnight ago - but they are on the look-out for future engagements.
(the photo illustrating this story is reproduced at the top of the page)
The White Bear Hotel in the early 1970s. In a former stable building behind the pub the sound of the Middlewich Meteors was born in 1957.
So where did the long-lost cutting come from? I'm making an educated guess that it was bass player Peter Wilson who kept it for almost half a century. Also reproduced in Fred's souvenir is a short poem, signed by 'PW' Is this also Peter Wilson? If so, he obviously, like Fred, never forgot his time as one of the MIDDLEWICH METEORS!
ODE TO A SOUND
One time when lightning struck in Middlewich
And the MIDDLEWICH METEORS emerged from the sky,
Was the single moment in the world of Skiffle
When each player soared nine miles high,
Freddie, Eddie, the two Peters, Brian - and Alan and Elvin too;
We don't forget those that shone as bright in our souls as they will always do,
An era we all belonged to that will never come again,
Arte those times of joy and fun that forever will remain,
And in this hour once more together in minds and thought , and heart
Forever we rekindle the flame that began its throbbing youthful spark. PW
And a quick glance at the music chart (an institution which had at that time only been running for five years) gives us an inkling into the music which inspired the formation of the MIDDLEWICH METEORS fifty-eight years ago.
Selected number one hits of 1957:
11th January Singing The Blues - Tommy Steele
12th April - Cumberland Gap - Lonnie Donegan
17th May - Rock-A-Billy - Guy Mitchell
28th June - Gamblin' Man/ Puttin' On The Style - Lonnie Donegan
12th July - All Shook Up - Elvis Presley
1st November - That'll Be The Day - The Crickets.
*'...nobody wanted to listen to harmonicas' Very ironic, really, as Fred is well-known today as a master of the blues harmonica. Together with his equally talented son Craig, Fred formed Moore & Moore Blues a few years ago. Fred and Craig are also members of the Salty Dog Blues Band
Many thanks to Fred for sharing this fascinating piece of Middlewich musical history with us.-Ed
First published 1st August 2015.
Re-published 1st August 2017 to mark the 60th Anniversary of the Middlewich Meteors. Reformatted 29th July 2020 Re-formatted, amended and re-published 16th May 2023
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Showing posts with label 1950s. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 1950s. Show all posts
Tuesday, 16 May 2023
MEET THE MIDDLEWICH METEORS!
Monday, 7 September 2015
PARK ROAD PRIMARY SCHOOL 1950s
by Dave Roberts
Recently we started the Middlewich Diary Photo Group on Facebook in order to give everyone an easy way to upload photos for possible inclusion in the Middlewich Diary.
This has the added advantage of making the photos instantly accessible to all and also makes it easy for everyone to add additional information for all to see.
Also, when time allows, we can post photos from our own vast collection of Middlewich pictures along with links to relevant Middlewich Diary entries and other websites and, we hope, stimulate discussion from Middlewichians past and present.
In fact, some interesting discussions have already been started concerning the photos uploaded and we invite you to take a look and also join the group if you'd like to.
Even if you're only an interested spectator it's a great way to learn more about Middlewich and we guarantee you'll find it fascinating.
On September 7th 2015 Rex Edward Lees uploaded the above photograph to the Group. It's the sort of photo many of us have tucked away in drawers, in shoeboxes in the bottom of wardrobes, and in hundreds of other disregarded and forgotten places.
Inexplicably, some local Facebook Groups which claim to be recording the history of Mid-Cheshire are scornful of school photos, with one group totally banning them.
This we find hard to comprehend.
Each battered and dog-eared school photograph you might find in some forgotten corner of your house is a record of a moment in time.
Such photographs show the people of (in our case) Middlewich as they were with their whole lives before them, long before they became the people they are today. They're part of the history of our town.
We welcome your school photographs, just as much as we welcome photographs of salt works, long-lost buildings, local events and everything else which goes to make up the history of Middlewich.
Rex's photo shows a class from Park Road Infants School some time in the 1950s.*
*This was the description Rex used when he originally posted the photo. See update below -Ed.
The teacher (right) is Miss Falkener and Rex has promised to supply the names of at least some of the pupils shown here. Perhaps you can help him out in putting names to faces?
Park Road Infants School, as the name suggests, was at the end of Park Road, off St Ann's Road, and was on part of the site now occupied by the Willowmere Development.
It was quite separate from the adjacent Park Road Primary School which has been rebuilt to form the Park Road School we know today.
UPDATE:
After seeing this photo Paul Maddock said,
These pupils look too old for infants. I was at this school from about 1958 before moving up to Secondary School at King Edward Street.
I remember the headmaster was a Mr Mathias.
The infant school was on Lewin Street. My gran lived on Park Road with my uncle next door in the semi-detached houses before the terraced ones.
I think Paul's right. On looking again these children do look a little old to be described as 'infants'. So this must be Park Road Primary School and not the adjacent Park Road Infants which, we assume, took over from the Lewin Street school when that closed - Ed.
Friday, 17 January 2014
CANAL SCENE FROM THE 1950s
by Dave Roberts
Here's an extraordinary picture, originally posted on Facebook by Bill Armsden and used here with his permission, showing the Middlewich Branch of the Shropshire Union Canal just a few years before its rural nature was changed forever by housing development.
It's very unusual to see a picture of bygone Middlewich which hasn't been going the rounds for years, and our band of Middlewich Diary experts were soon on the case to pinpoint the location and add additional information, making any further comment from me superfluous. I have, however added an illustration from Google Maps putting the picture into its modern day context. Here, then is Bill's original description from facebook, followed by the feedback which tell us all we need to know.
Bill writes:
Here is another picture of old Middlewich. I think it was taken around 1957 and shows Ernie Paxton and his daughter Josie fishing on t'cut.
It is the horizon that got my attention. The taller building to the right is the old ICI works and the two chimneys could be part of the salt works on Brooks Lane.
But, where was the picture taken? I think it is the Shropshire Union Canal (Middlewich Branch-Ed) and the first bridge is St Ann's Road bridge with Sutton Lane bridge further down.
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The present day scene as viewed from above, courtesy of Google Maps. The Long Lane Bridge is just out of the picture to the left, and Ernie and Josie would probably have been sitting on the towpath just to the left of the location of the boat. Centre right is the St Ann's Road bridge with, uniquely for Middlewich canal bridges, a footbridge alongside, added in the 1960s when Hubert Drive and other housing development took place, presumably to give easier pedestrian access to the town centre. On the extreme right is Sutton Lane Bridge. It's interesting to note how the two bridges are skewed at different angles - something which is not immediately apparent from the towpath. Although this stretch of canal is now more semi-rural than rural, it's still a delightful and picturesque place to visit and is always a great favourite with photographers. - ed
Facebook Feedback:
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Bill Armsden That is what I was thinking. In the picture Ernie and Josie are very close to Long lane Bridge, so opposite where they were sitting would be the site where my parents built a detached house, no 27 Long Lane, in 1961.
Robert Sheckleston Yes, it is opposite what is now Hubert Drive, I think.
Cliff Astles The farm building by the bridge was where Joey Berrington lived at that time. He had a donkey which lived around the house and garden. The land was owned by Derbyshires and was used for a variety of root and wheat crops. The Orchard (off St Ann's Road) was a mix of apple and pear trees which were all picked when ready (except for the ones we nicked!) and, on the other side of the orchard was more land that was farmed with differing crops.
And yes, this is where Chris Earl first built houses for less than £15,000, and the reason why I left the Big Smoke to come back to live in Cheshire - Housing! And to marry Barbara Elaine Evans in 1962.
The chimneys are all on ICI land; on what was originally the Brunner Mond factory. The Seddon's works was further away to the left, out of shot.
Bill Armsden Quite right, Cliff. Brooks Lane is a way off to the left of this picture's location.
Editor's note: Yes, those chimneys are indeed part of the ICI works, as evidenced from their location and also from the fact that they are round, whereas Seddon's chimneys were always of square construction. It's very unusual to see a view of the ICI works from this particular angle, particularly in its working days. The works closed in 1962.
Many thanks to Bill for letting us share this photo.
Friday, 22 July 2011
PUPILS AT WIMBOLDSLEY SCHOOL, 1950s
We'd be grateful if anyone could help us identify the other people in the photo.
Second from the left is David Bradley, and I'm on the extreme right; the identity of the little chap third from left is about to be revealed, but who are the other two?
Original Caption
Just for fun, for all you Middlewich aficionados, here's a picture taken at Wimboldsley Primary in the 1950s. The cheeky chappie on the right is, of course, me, as evidenced by the fact that I haven't changed a bit. But there's one other famous - or infamous - Middlewichian amongst those present. Any ideas?
SEE ALSO: PUPPETEERS AT WIMBOLDSLEY SCHOOL 1960s
- Mally Mal The little chappie second from the right looks familiar, but I'm not sure why...
Dave Roberts He's not the one I mean, Mal. To my shame I can only remember the names of two of the people here (three if you include me). It would be nice to name everyone, of course. But one of these mini-scholars is very well known in Middlewich.
Lizzie Rosenfield That wouldn't be a train set you are playing with there would it Dave?? MMM! Enough said!!
Dave Roberts Here's a clue: If you were to replace one of the wooden sticks they're holding with a tin whistle, you might get closer.
Dave Roberts I sometimes think that's where the whole Middlewich 'folkie' thing came from. We had to do country dancing (my partner was Margaret Jones) and also dance round the maypole (where I was one of the few to master the art of 'plaiting'), all to the accompaniment of Jimmy Shand 78s. Dave Thompson went to Wimboldsley as well, I think, a few years later.
Geraldine Williams Can you refresh my memory about Wimboldsley School? I'm sure we used to call it 'Occlestone'. Was it just a village school or was there an element of 'private'? I know there was always a long waiting list for places and that quite a few Middlewich children attended there - presumably before catchment areas set in!
A lot of people did, and do, call the school 'Occlestone' - Occlestone Green is a short distance away down typical leafy Cheshire lanes. As far as I know it was always just a state school, run by the Cheshire Education Committee. And I think it had (and has) many Middlewich pupils because Wimboldsley is a parish within the District of Middlewich. -ed.
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