CHRISTMAS GREETINGS FROM THE NAVIGATION INN 1917

Pat Nancollas/Malcolm Hough

Here's a small reminder of how Christmas cards looked  a hundred years ago. This card which was sent from the Navigation Inn in Middlewich  by Mrs Ida Malpass is tiny, measuring only 10cm by 7cm (approximately 4 inches by 2 1/2 inches), but its lack of size is made up for by the elaborate way it has been made.

Its sentimentality is, perhaps, partly explained by the fact that the Great War was in its penultimate year. Many postcards of the same era also carry similar messages showing a collective yearning for some sort of security after long years of war and the heartbreak of separation and loss.

A card such as this would have been very expensive to produce and to purchase and only the relatively well-to-do, or people 'in trade', such as Mrs Malpass, and her husband George (landlord of the Navigation from 1903-1928) would have been able to afford such extravagances.

We're grateful to Malcolm Hough, who runs the House Of  Feathers in Wych House Lane for passing these items (along with many others which will see the light of day in the Middlewich Diary in due course) to us.

Pat and her husband Derek are regular customers of the House Of Feathers and Pat, knowing of Malcolm's interest in the history of Middlewich, lent him the Christmas card and the photo of Ida, who was Pat's great-grandmother. 

According to Malcolm, Ida's husband George was also landlord of the nearby 
Talbot Hotel in Kinderton Street for a time.

We have looked at the Navigation Inn before in the Middlewich Diary, notably in this entry:


NAVIGATION INN circa 1894

The pub, which was in Mill Lane, off Kinderton Street, was, according to Ken Kingston ('Middlewich Hospitality', Middlewich U3A Local History Group 2014), at one time called The Coffee House, then the Canal Coffee House, the Canal Inn, the Bridgefoot and finally, from around 1816, the Navigation.

The Navigation Inn, on the corner of Kinderton Street and Mill Lane around 1894. Middlewich Town Bridge and the Trent & Mersey Canal are behind the building
Paul Hough Collection

Acknowledgments:

Malcolm Hough

Pat Nancollas

Ken Kingston

This was the first Middlewich Diary entry produced in Queen Street,
Christmas Eve 2015

First published Christmas Eve 2015
Revised and re-published 23rd December 2017, 12th December 2018, Christmas Eve 2019.

MIDDLEWICH PAST & PRESENT EXHIBITION APRIL 30th 2016 (ARCHIVED)

ARCHIVED

The Mayor of Middlewich, Ken Kingston, in association with Middlewich historian Allan Earl and Kerry Fletcher, the Town Council's Heritage Officer, is presenting an unmissable exhibition at the Town Hall on Saturday 30th April featuring many rare photographs of Middlewich in the past with modern images for comparison.

Ken Kingston and Allan Earl            Photo: Middlewich Town Council

There are also objects from Middlewich Heritage's extensive collection together with rare archive film footage.

Photo:Kerry Fletcher

Kerry is Middlewich Town Council's Heritage Officer. Find out more about her work here

And here's a link to another ongoing local history initiative:

THE MIDDLEWICH VIRTUAL MUSEUM

Whether you're a long time resident or a newcomer to our town this is a golden opportunity for you to find out more about Middlewich's history, which stretches back to the Roman era and beyond.

Middlewich U3A Local History Group

Ken Kingston is the author of Middlewich Hospitality, a fascinating history of licensed premises in Middlewich. Find out more here

Photo: Allan Earl/Middlewich Guardian

Allan Earl has long been a recognised authority on the history of Middlewich. He is the author of Middlewich 900-1900, Middlewich 1900-1950 and Profiles of Middlewich. 
In this Middlewich Diary entry we take a look at his work:

ICONIC MIDDLEWICH BOOK NOW OUT ON CD

SEE ALSO: MIDDLEWICH HERITAGE SOCIETY

Photo: David Hubbard/Middlewich Guardian.

And, on the same day, Middlewich's involvement in the Civil War, and the two Battles of Middlewich, will be commemorated with the unveiling of a permanent marker outside the Town Hall. The ceremony will be performed by the Mayor, Cllr Ken Kingston.

Here's a report on the event from our friends at the Middlewich Guardian:

 BATTLEFIELD MARKER TO BE UNVEILED IN MIDDLEWICH

MIDDLEWICH TODAY'S REPORT AND PHOTOS ON THE UNVEILING COMING SOON!

TOWN MAYOR'S CIVIC DINNER 2016 (ARCHIVED)

ARCHIVED

Middlewich Town Council

MIDDLEWICH HOSPITALITY (BOOK)

Courtesy of KEN KINGSTON

Here's news of a new book on Middlewich.

The book,Middlewich Hospitality, written by Ken Kingston and published by the Local History Group of Middlewich U3A. comprises 

• a short history of Brewing and Innkeeping from the earliest times;,
•  the developing legal framework in the UK;
•  the types of licensed premises;
•  the details and histories of Middlewich public houses for which records exist and
•  a listing of the licensees of each public house.

Copies are available from Mike Walton at mike-walton@hotmail.co.uk

With thanks to Joy Leathwood