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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ICONIC MIDDLEWICH BOOK NOW OUT ON CD

by Dave Roberts

We were delighted to see that Allan Earl's definitive history of Middlewich in the first half of the last century has now been re-published in CD form. 
Allan kindly sent us a copy of the CD version of Middlewich 1900-1950  as a 'thank you' for helping to publicise his books on The Middlewich Diary.
He writes, 'From the number of requests for copies of Middlewich 1900-1950 it would appear to be the most popular of my literary efforts, closely followed by Profiles of Middlewich' (see below).
Plans to re-publish the book in its original form had to be abandoned as the cost would have been prohibitive, so the decision was taken to convert the pages into PDF files and publish the volume in CD form. The CD is now available priced at a very reasonable £10. If you're interested in buying a copy let us know and we'll be pleased to put you in touch with Allan.

The CD is also available from

CHESHIRE COUNTRY PUBLISHING

as are many other books and CDs of interest to those interested in the history of Cheshire.

The original book from 1994 (Cheshire Country Publishing ISBN 0 949001 10 4)

Above is our own, well-thumbed copy of the original Middlewich 1900-1950, the standard reference book on the history of the town during that period. The book starts with Victorian Middlewich, taking in the Boer War and the Coronation of Edward VII and chronicles the development of the town's schools and public works during a time of progress. Chapter two profiles many notable Middlewich persons, including William Boosey, Joe Smallwood, the Rev. John Fortnum and, of course, Charles Frederick Lawrence who did so much to chronicle Middlewich history in the late Victorian era. Chapter three takes us through the period of The Great War and contains the full Roll Of Honour for Middlewich. Later chapters chronicle the unemployment and industrial unrest of the 1920s and the start of wholesale demolition, road-widening and redevelopment in the 1930s which gave us the basic layout of the town which is still recognisable today. The second world war is, of course, covered in detail  as is the development of the salt industry by the likes of Henry and Ralph Seddon, Richard Yeoman, L.A. Simpson and G.L. Murgatroyd which paved the way for today's modern vacuum salt plant, keeping Middlewich at the forefront of salt manufacturing in Britain. There are numerous photographs and illustrations from Allan's own collection and a fold-out map of the town in 1909 with a key indicating salt works (working and disused) and other buildings and landmarks in the town.

Other books by Allan Earl...

Middlewich 900-1900, published in 1990 (Ravenscroft Publications ISBN  1 873139 01 2)

The sister volume to Middlewich 1900-1950, published in 1990 and covering the period from the Anglo-Saxons to the Victorians. The book contains many photographs and illustrations and a fold-out map of the town in 1898 with a key to the important places in the town at that time.

Profiles of Middlewich. Published in 2006. (CC Publishing ISBN 0 949001 31 7)

A large format (A4) book featuring over a hundred rare photographs, prints, posters and postcards from Allan's own collection.

ALLAN EARL

Born and bred in Middlewich, Allan is President of Middlewich Heritage Society and a member of the Record Society of Lancashire and Cheshire. Allan is renowned for his talks on Middlewich and district, as well as his broadcasts on local radio.
His interest in local history stems from his time as a local government officer (Middlewich U.D.C.) and over the years he has amassed an outstanding collection of Middlewich illustrations, ephemera and memorabilia.