VERNON COOPERS, STANWAYS AND WOODBINES 1970

Another excellent shot from the camera of Jack Stanier and a companion shot to the one shown here. It's 1970 (as evidenced by the 'Back Home' World Cup poster in Vernon Coopers window). To the right of Vernon Coopers is Stanways fish shop with its lettering removed but the name just about still visible. Adjoining this we can get a better view of an establishment we've mentioned a few times before - Harold Woodbine Ltd in its original Lower Street premises. It's obvious from the configuration of this shop that it was once  separate premises; probably two or three small cottages. Note that while Vernon Cooper promotes the virtues of Ferguson and Ekco sound and vision, Harold Woodbine favours Philips.

Vernon Cooper advertisement from the Northwich Chronicle of Saturday May 16th 1953, urging people to buy a TV set in time for the Coronation which took place on June 2nd. Note that the address is given as 'Wheelock Street, Middlewich' and that there were also Vernon Cooper shops in Winsford, Crewe, Sandbach and other local towns

Here's a little reminiscence from me about Harold Woodbine's which featured in an earlier posting:

I still remember the excitement when I called in to order a record album in 1963
(actually, we didn't call them 'albums', we called them L.P.s)
The record seemed to take weeks and weeks to arrive but when it did, I played it
until the grooves were white with wear. It was 'With The Beatles'
(the mono pressing, of course). A year earlier my eldest brother, Glynn,
had brought home 'Love Me Do'. The perfect ending to this story would be
for me to say that I thought this early 'waxing' was great, but I didn't.
I thought it was boring. By the following year I'd obviously changed my
mind about this Liverpool beat combo. (original comment from Facebook)

Moving to the extreme right of the picture we can see the very edge of the Town Hall complex of buildings and, to the left of that, the JayGee Fireplace building which is now  Town Bridge Estate Agents. Left of this is the North-Western Gas Board showroom and, to the left of that, the first signs of demolition along the row as the showroom manager's house is reduced to rubble.
To take this picture Jack stood outside what is now Pineland*. If we were to take a picture from this viewpoint today we'd see mostly dual carriageway with the Bullring bus interchange to the right of it. (see 'Now & Then: The Bullring . Link below).
There are a few interesting little details about Vernon Coopers shop which will replay a bit of clicking and double clicking: First of all, above the 'Ltd' on the left hand side is a small sign directing people down Pepper Street to The Vaults and its car park. Secondly, what might appear at first to be a satellite dish on the left hand wall is, in fact, a STOP sign for the Pepper Street/Lower Street junction, placed at this height to make it visible from further down Pepper Street.
And if you look to the left hand side of the building's tall chimney, there is a fine array of vintage VHF TV aerials. The giant X is for band one, BBC 1 on channel 2 and the other, classic 'ITV' aerial is for band three, Granada Television on channel 9. Incidentally, if you should happen to have a surviving ITV aerial on your roof, you could use it for receiving DAB radio, as the aerials are exactly the same. Somewhere, by this time, there must also have been one or more modern  aerials for 625 lines UHF (with colour on all three channels).

* Update: Pineland has now joined the long list of closed businesses in Middlewich (Sept 2014)

See also: LOWER STREET 1970
               LOWER STREET 1969
               NOW and THEN THE BULLRING
               PEPPER STREET/LOWER STREET JUNCTION EARLY 1970s

Facebook feedback:

Ian Hill-Smith What's the road leading out of the right of the pic, Dave?

Dave Roberts Hi Ian. The road in the right foreground is Hightown which is still more or less in the same position, although the traffic flow now runs in the other direction - i.e. towards Lewin Street, The road leading off into the distance (and the Town Bridge) is now the bus lay-by and part of St Michael's Way.

Originally published on 1st September 2011

Re-formatted and re-published 30th October 2018

THE VAULTS, DEWHURSTS AND VERNON COOPER 1970

This excellent photograph by Jack Stanier will help us clear up any remaining confusion about the Vaults and its car park. On the  extreme left is the building currently housing two hairdressing shops - Razor Sharp and J et Cie. Immediately to the right , and set back from the road, we can just see the frontage of The Vaults. The part of the building fronting onto Wheelock Street at that time was an off-licence, and beyond that were the notorious 'Black Bar' and, at the end of a long corridor, the vaulted bar which gave the pub its name. Alternative access to the pub was provided by a passageway which ran from  Pepper Street (behind the Dewhurst building) to the pub's back door. 
(Editor's note: According to Bill Eaton (see comment below) this is incorrect and there was no back entrance to The Vaults at that time. So the current back entrance to the pub must only have been created in the 1970s, after the demolition of the surrounding buildings.)
The next right, of course, is Dewhurst's butchers and its associated house (it is not clear whether the house was accomodation for the butcher or under separate tenantship). Then we can see the very narrow Pepper Street which led away from the town centre to Seddon's Salt Works, Powell's clothing factory, the telephone exchange and, ultimately to Webb's Lane. The Dewhurst's block was demolished to make way for The Vaults' car park.
Then came Vernon Cooper's TV, Radio and Electrical, a close rival in every sense of the word for Harold Woodbine TV and Electrical which was only a few doors away until it moved to number 28 Hightown in what is now the Church of England's 'drop in centre'. The  business,by the way, is no longer there,but now operates from Sandbach.
There are many points of interest in the Vernon Cooper Shop. Firstly, it is obvious from comparison with older photographs that this is the same building as the old 'Black Bear Inn' - the distinctive window over the 'Vernon Cooper' sign being the chief indicator. 

The Black Bear in 1900
(illustration from Middlewich 900-1900 by Allan Earl - Ravenscroft Publications 1990)

There are signs on the outside of the building advertising long-lost brands from the golden age of domestic TV and Radio - FERGUSON is one and EKCO Radio & TV another - EKCO being a contraction of EK Cole, a radio manufacturer of Southend-On-Sea.
If you look carefully into Vernon Cooper's window you can see why we have been able to pin this photo down to the year 1970. An advertisement there reads 'BACK HOME', the slogan of that year's England World Cup team and goes on to say something  like 'Choose Us For Colour' or 'Cheer Us In Colour'.  Does anyone know exactly what it does say? Colour TV had started three years earlier, in 1967,on BBC2 and in 1969 on BBC1 and Granada.
Finally, it would be nice to know something of Vernon Cooper himself. I recall hearing many years ago that he had something to do with motor racing, but present-day Googling brings up nothing but talk of Welsh Rugby Union Players.

First Published 14th August 2011
Updated and re-published 14th August 2016

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MIDDLEWICH TOWN WHARF circa 1970

by Dave Roberts

An area of Middlewich which keeps coming back to haunt us all. The Town Wharf, as pictured by Jack Stanier, some time around 1970. Jack was taking colour slides at around the same time as I was, and very often chose the same subjects as I did. So it was quite natural, really, that we should both have been drawn to the Town Wharf, which even in the early 1970s, had obvious potential as a focus for tourism, particularly, of course, with regard to visitors arriving by boat.
For this particular slide Jack made his way down to the end of Seabank. The blue-brick base for the old footbridge we talked about here can be seen to the bottom left.
This is still in existence and I tried to photograph it earlier this year, but the whole area has been over-run by vegetation and it's now almost impossible to see this relic of the past, let alone photograph it.
It has to be said that Jack did have the advantage of a better quality camera than I did, using the 35mm format, and was also blessed with a talent for photography, which I singularly lacked (and still do). Those interested in such things might like to know that Jack's picture was shot on Perutz Peruchrome film, which is one I've never come across before.

Update: Researches on the internet indicate that Perutz film was a brand marketed by the much better known AGFA - ed

SEE ALSO: TOWN WHARF CIRCA 1973

MHS REVISITED 1991: 1970 - A YEAR OF PROGRESS

1991

Author's note: When I co-founded the Middlewich Heritage Society with Ian McQueen in 1985 I found myself, as someone who could write a bit, as editor of the society's newsletter. In practice this meant writing a lot of the articles myself, as original material was hard to come by (apart from the sterling efforts of Frank Smith of Ravenscroft and one or two others). I was lucky, however, in that people would send me a lot of reference material which they couldn't (or didn't want to), make into  finished articles for the Newsletter but which I could, utilising my own meagre writing talent, work up into articles which were, at least acceptable. One of these contributors was the late ex-council employee Albert Robinson who had, for many years, kept a scrapbook of just about every reference to Middlewich ever included  in the local press. His family passed on the cuttings to me and I was thus  able to focus on the happenings of particular years to give a flavour of what had been going on on the Middlewich scene in that year. I was always careful to retain copyright on these articles, which is why I'm able to bring them back to life now.

This article was first published in the MHS Newsletter of  November/December 1991 and looks back to the year 1970 (for some reason the article ends quite abruptly in September) when, as always, big things were about to happen. Note that in both 1991 and  the balmy days of 1970, 'vandalism and rowdyness' were a big problem. The difference being, of course, that no one in those years had yet thought up the term 'anti-social behaviour'. 

The disco scene (to which I would be making my own small contribution a few years later) was just getting into its stride, the new fire station was about to be opened and there were plans for a new library. 

Incidentally, dyed-in-the-wool Middlewichians will not need to be told that 'Wilfrid' as in UDC Chairman Wilfrid Faulkner is NOT a misprint.

According to Harry Dale Middlewich was, as it has been ever since, 'on the brink of great things'. 

So let the 1991 edition of the MHS Newsletter take you back to....

1970 - A YEAR OF PROGRESS

(Further gleanings from the late Albert Robinson's collection of cuttings)

by Dave Roberts

Photo: Cheshire East Council

Middlewich's brand new Civic Hall was the venue for a special dance on January 3rd 1970 as 'Grandads - Your Big Saturday Soul and Tamla Scene' presented 'CIRCLE' with JOHNNY B. GOOD spinning discs in an extravaganza to welcome the new decade. And all for a special price of only five shillings, saving a shilling on the normal price.

1970, promised UDC Chairman Wilfrid Faulkner, was to be a 'year of progress'. The town was looking forward to the opening of the new fire station in March (the station actually opened at 14.13 on the 4th August 1970 and received its first call out two minutes later at 14.15, according to ex-fireman Bill Ward -ed) , together with start on work to provide a new County library. Interestingly, it appears that the site originally chosen for the library was behind the council offices on what is now the civic centre. It is not recorded whether or not Mr Faulkner put in an appearance at 'Grandads - The Nutty New Nightspot' but this is very doubtful. The council were concerned with more mundane and down-to-earth matters. They were, for example, much taken with the idea of building - wait for it - a swimming pool and included a sum of £2000 in the provisional estimates for Council spending for that year.

Middlewich was represented in the New Year's Honours list when Mr E K Willing-Denton became Mr E K Willing-Denton O.B.E. Middlewich Council wrote to congratulate him on his award.

Sadly, after a trial period of only four weeks, the Nutty New Nightspot was no more and Grandad and friends left the Civic Hall due to 'rowdyism' by 'outsiders'.

Later in the year, legendary DJ Jason Judge ('as heard on Radio One') took over and appeared with Dr Kitch The Fabulous Soul Man. This was state-of-the-art disco entertainment with 'Flashing Lights', 'Jingles', 'Soul' and 'Reggae' (or 'Raggae' as the Middlewich Chronicle would have it).

Meanwhile, in the council chamber, life went on in an altogether more sedate fashion. The General Purposes Committee placed an order for two gross of galvanised dustbins at 36 shillings each, for re-sale to the public at £2 each.

In May Councillor Harry Dale took over as UDC Chairman at the age of 59.

Middlewich, he said, was 'on the brink of great things'.

Lest we are tempted to let Middlewich's current problems with vandalism and rowdyism get out of proportion, it is worth remembering that much the same thing went on in 1970.

In June a 'rampaging gang' broke windows in the Council offices. On another occasion notices were taken from doors on the ground floor. Council officials reacted in their usual laid-back fashion.

'It looks as though we will have to paint notices on the doors,' said surveyor Donald Stubbs.

'Mac' Telfer raised the subject of a Swimming Pool again in July and said that councils in some areas were able to provide pools at very low cost by 'joint community action'. A figure of only £9000 was quoted. The council referred Mr Telfer to the Swimming Baths Sub-Committee.

September was the month in which the France-Hayhurst Recreation Room was officially opened by Mr Dale and his Vice-Chairman Clarence Costello. The building had cost £2,600 to build on land donated by the late Captain France Hayhurst of Bostock Hall.

Photo: Cheshire Fire & Rescue Service

Despite its grand-sounding official name, even the local paper was moved to point out that everyone called it the Fountain Fields Pensioners' Club

The Council were also, at this time, much aggravated by  motorists who had taken to parking on the new access road to the civic centre and fire station.

Councillor Faulkner put it succinctly: 'It's no use having a fire engine if you can't get it out'.

As September drew to a close, the Cheshire Education Committee was talking about a revised framework for secondary education in Middlewich. One of the facilities the Committee thought might be needed for Middlewich was - a swimming pool...

© Dave Roberts/Salt Town Productions 2011

LOWER KINDERTON STREET AND THE TOWN BRIDGE 1970

This Agfacolor slide from 1970 shows the lower end of Kinderton Street, where it joins Leadsmithy Street on the Town Bridge. The scene is still very recognisable today, of course, but was a lot less cluttered  forty one years ago. On the left is the parapet of the Croco Bridge, made of those off-white bricks we mentioned in this posting and above that is the house (now much gentrified) on the right hand side of  Mill Lane (not to be confused with the one off  Nantwich Road), which runs down to the mill between the bridge parapet and the bungalow and is now used almost exclusively by anxious car-owners taking their vehicles to fail their MOTs at Town Bridge Motors. The bungalow itself, for many years the abode of Mr and Mrs Dickenson (or was it Dickinson?), is still there, and on the right we have a tantalizing glimpse of a long gone building which I recall as a disused shop belonging to Percivals the removal company. See this posting.
What is striking about the scene in 1970 is the relative tranquility of it all. To take a similar picture today, without a single car in evidence, you'd have to go in the middle of the night. Also absent is any sign of the traffic lights and pedestrian crossings which are now such a feature of the area. But remember, this was before the Kinderton Street redevelopment took place. In fact the traffic lights came on the scene surprisingly late: we have pictures showing the area in 1973 with no sign of them. Also nowhere to be seen are the various tin signs and bric-a-brac advertising cheap MOT tests and the like which came along with Town Bridge Motors.
The lady in the centre of the photo was a near neighbour of ours in King Street called Maggie Cannon..
Also in the picture, by the way, is one of the old-style sodium street lamps painted in a discreet MUDC green. Someone once started a scurrilous rumour that, following the adoption by the council of tangerine and delft blue as its official livery, these lamps were to receive similar treatment. Now who would start a silly rumour like that?

Many thanks to David Moore, for putting us right on the name of the motor business in Mill Lane which, for some reason, we had down as 'Old Mill Motors'  and to Geraldine Williams for reminding us of Maggie's surname. Maggie lived in King Street, next to Geraldine's husband's aunt, Mrs Battersby - ed


UPDATE - 6th September 2011:
Something quite extraordinary has happened in this area which makes another 'Now & Then' shot a matter of urgency. The bungalow shown in our slide has been updated in a most surprising and unfortunate manner, with gigantic solar panels being affixed to its roof. Energy efficiency is very desirable, of course, but to say that the solar panels look somewhat out of place on this building is putting it mildly. Perhaps something can be done to disguise the panels in some way? We await developments.
See LOOK WHAT THEY'VE DONE TO MY ROOF MA, September 2011

TOWN WHARF WAREHOUSE and OLD FIRE STATION 1970

This Agfacolor slide, taken in 1970, shows the entrance to the council depot which was established on land once occupied by Seddon's works in Wych House Lane. To the left is the British Waterways warehouse which is part of the Town Wharf group of buildings. It's interesting to note that one end of the building, at least wasn't whitewashed at this time. The blue gates to the right of the warehouse form the actual entrance to the council yard and were, at one time, sign-written with MIDDLEWICH U.D.C. DEPOT in red and black shaded lettering,
The building on the right, unfortunately plunged into shadow in this shot, is Middlewich's first fire station which dates back to around 1893. You can probably just make out the words FIRE STATION in the terracotta work above the entrance. Surrounding this are the letters L M B which indicate that the building had been provided by the Middlewich Local Board. Attempts were made to save the inscription when the building was demolished, but failed*. This building was replaced by a fire station in Lewin Street, on the site where the 'floral clock' is now, and then the present 'Community Fire Station' (aren't all fire stations 'community fire stations'?) a short distance away at the top of Civic Way.
*or did they? See comments, below.
(UPDATE: In the November/December 1991 edition of the MHS Newsletter ex-fireman Bill Ward says, in an article about Middlewich's fire stations: 'It is thought...that the terra-cotta work from the front of the building proclaiming M-L-B FIRE STATION 1894 was saved and taken to Sandbach'
This seems to bear out what Dan Kelly says in his comments below. The confusion arose because there had been an attempt to save the whole building from destruction so that it could serve as 'the nucleus for a heritage exhibition' but the Borough Council had it demolished during the negotiations. This is the conservation attempt that 'failed', not the retention of the terra cotta work which, it now seems fairly certain, still exists somewhere -ed)
There's a better photograph of this building on page 32 of Profiles of Middlewich by Alan Earl (CC Publishing 2006)
UPDATE (DECEMBER 2011): We have heard from Peter Cox that, as far as he knows, this terra cotta work is actually currently stored at Middlewich Fire Station.
UPDATE (AUGUST 2016): That's precisely where it is. I have now seen it with my own eyes - ed.

TALBOT HOTEL 1970

When I used to show these slides in public I always described this one as 'a night time shot' - an Instamatic photographer's euphemism for 'an underexposed shot'. A Canoscan scanner and the venerable but still excellent 'Professor Franklin's Photo Effects' have helped a little, but we still have to apologise for the poor quality of this one. It is, of course, The Talbot Hotel in Kinderton Street, which was opposite the Seabank carpark. Other, better slides of the Talbot will follow, but this is included for completeness.

Note that there is a 'road narrows' sign to the right of the picture, indicating that the lower part of Kinderton Street was, at that time, wider than the upper part. In an earlier posting we were speculating on whether or  not Kinderton Street had been widened. The answer seems to be that the upper part was widened, but not by a huge amount; just sufficiently, in fact, to bring it in line with the lower part which connects, via Town Bridge, with St Michael's Way, giving a roadway of more or less uniform width all the way from the Red Lion to the Station Bridge.

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    First published on Facebook on 21st May 2011