WINSFORD MAYOR'S CHARITY VARIETY SHOW 2018

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CEREBOS SALT SHAKER AND PEPPER SHAKER

If you own the copyright on this photo, please let us know

by Dave Roberts

Sometimes the most poignant reminders of our town's long salt town history are the simplest and the most mundane. 

Salt and pepper shakers like this were at one time so commonplace as to pass almost unnoticed.
Millions of kitchen and dining room tables were once graced by them, though not all of them were used as promotional items. 

Plain glass ones with no logo on them were ten a penny.

And most of them, of course, didn't have  the word 'salt' (or 'pepper') on them, either - their glass construction and distinctive metal tops making it very difficult to get them mixed up.

All the different brands of salt had their own versions of these items (I used a 'Sifta' salt shaker just like this one at a Methodist church in Elworth only last year) but there's something very nostalgic about this particular set, and for a very personal reason.

It reminds me so much of childhood days when my Dad was foreman electrician at the works in Booth Lane  and the Cerebos name ran through all our days like Blackpool runs through rock.

And that classy blue Cerebos logo was all part of the mystique (though, it goes without saying, we wouldn't have known a 'mystique' if one fell on us).

The word 'salt' doesn't appear on the salt shaker to distinguish it from the pepper.
It's a simple advert for Cerebos Salt.

Presumably the pepper is just labelled 'pepper' because, to many people, any old pepper would do.

But don't run away with the idea that there was (and is) no such thing as Cerebos Pepper.

It's still on the market today. Here's a rather upmarket  version of it...

...using the classic Cerebos trade-mark and even, somewhat disconcertingly, the
See How It Runs catch-line which, you'd have thought might be reserved exclusively for that free-running table salt.

In fact, next time you need to buy a gift for that special person in your life,  you might consider  buying a complete Cerebos gift set...

THE 'FLOWER OF GLOSTER' ON DVD

Illustration: Amazon

By Dave Roberts

Britain's canal system is now so much a part of the 'leisure industry' that many people alive today have never known it in any other way.

In the 1960s the whole network was in transition from an industrial carrying facility to the system we know today, largely given over to pleasure cruising and holiday-making.

In fact if the 'leisure boom' had never happened our canal system might now be just a memory, and the courses of old canals given over to nature trails and country walks in the same way that many - too many, some would say - old railway lines have.

In 1967 Granada Television in Manchester made a children's drama documentary on colour film.

In fact this was the first colour programme made by Granada. Colour TV came to BBC2 that same year, but it would be 1969 before BBC1 and ITV moved to colour. So the programme makers obviously had an eye on the future, though, ironically, to my knowledge this programme has never been seen again on any TV channel.

The Flower Of Gloster tells the tale of a group of youngsters moving an old narrowboat, converted for cruising use, from a boatyard in Wales to London.

Many people will have fond memories of watching the series on 405 lines in black and white the year it was made.

Almost inevitably the boat's journey along the network brings it to Middlewich, where the Shropshire Union meets the Trent & Mersey, or as producer and narrator Bill Grundy (long before his Sex Pistols encounter) puts it, 'where the Welsh canal meets the Trent & Mersey'.
There's a memorable encounter with the one of the legends of the waterways, 'Chocolate Charlie', who boasts of his boat being 'twenty years old', giving it a birth date of around 1947. Now, of course it's seventy years old. A reminder of just how long ago this series was made.

We have a vague memory of  the youngsters getting into trouble with a lock-keeper  for trying to get the boat through a lock during the hours of darkness. Seemingly moving boats in the dark is a serious transgression of the rules, or was in working days at least.

They should be grateful that Auntie Maureen never caught them at it.

The Flower Of Gloster is a precious record of Britain's canals in the 1960s and we can heartily recommend that you order your copy now!

ORDER YOUR COPY FROM AMAZON

Middlewich canal country, mid-sixties

For a full description of this photo see this diary entry

P.S. There's a real life mystery surrounding the NB Flower of Gloster, of the kind which we love here at the Middlewich Diary. Canal enthusiasts have, apparently, argued long and hard for decades about the boat's true identity, and whether or not she still exists. Some say she was originally a horse-boat called  Vulture,  others that she was nothing of the sort.

 Did she later become a hotel boat? Was she broken up in the 1990s? We'll probably never know. 

And there's a subsidiary mystery about the original films which, like most of Granada's archive, ended up with ITN and lay abandoned there for decades. As recently as 2011 canal aficionados were mourning what was then thought to be the almost total loss of this iconic series. Rumours abounded that only two episodes had survived and that copies of those episodes could only be obtained 'at a cost of £4000'. Thankfully those rumours proved groundless and we can now enjoy the entire series in colour at a fraction of that extortionate price.

First published 6th May 2015
Amended and re-published 7th January 2018

FRED DODD'S GENTS OUTFITTERS SHOP LEWIN STREET, EARLY 1970s

We believe this image to be out of copyright. If you own the copyright, or know who does, please let us know

by Dave Roberts

Sometimes the most ordinary and mundane subjects are the most evocative, as in this picture from the Paul Hough collection taken in the early 1970s.
It shows the long-vanished block of shops and houses which once stood in Lewin Street opposite Middlewich D.I.Y and the entrance to Wych House Lane.
The fact that the picture is in black and white gives something of a false impression and, if it were not for the brand new Middlewich Library on the right, you might almost take this for a picture from the 50s or even earlier. The other giveaway, of course, is the UHF TV aerial on the first cottage's chimney, which dates the photo to no earlier than 1967.

What is it about that F.DODD sign which induces so much nostalgia?

It's the simplest of shop signs, yet very typical, somehow, of Middlewich. Simple, unpretentious and unassuming.  In later years the shop became Yearsleys, who simply adapted the same sign to show their name.

The house at the other end of the block also appears to have been a shop at one time, but I have no memory of it ever having been used as such.
You'll note that the County Council originally, and very optimistically, placed the plastic letters saying MIDDLEWICH LIBRARY at a much lower level than they are now, making them an easy target for vandals. The inevitable happened, and that's why the letters are now very high up on the wall, underneath the eaves.

Our best guess for the actual year this photo was taken is 1971, as that was the year the new library was completed, replacing the one in the old Town Hall.
(UPDATE: Correspondence from Daniel Preston (see Facebook feedback, below) suggests that 1971 is a bit early. Given that the lettering on the library was only in that lower position for a very short time, we've revised the year to 1972).
 Middlewich's new library was a surprisingly early addition to the Lewin Street scene, pre-dating the demolition of the C of E school and Wesleyan Chapel by a few years

Out of shot to the left is The Crown public House (now The Narrowboat), and the whole block of shops and houses seen here has been demolished to make way for a housing development built around a central 'courtyard' (car park) called Longcross Court.

'Longcross', apparently relates to a type of halfpenny coin dating back to the reign of Richard III. I wonder if there is any connection with 'Half Penny Hill' which is just a short distance away?

UPDATE (January 5th 2018)

Photo: Paul Hough

Here, from the Paul Hough Collection, is a later view showing that the terraced houses were demolished before Dodd's/Yearsley's shop.You may just be able to make out the 'Yearsley' version of the old F Dodd sign over the door. In fact the terraced houses had been demolished so long before the shop  that there was time for the area to be grassed over before the entire plot was cleared and  space made for the future Longcross Court. The shop, however, does not look long for this world, and must have disappeared not too long after this photo was taken. We have ascertained elsewhere that The Narrowboat (after its years as The Danes and The Crown) was established in 1992, so this photo can be dated as no earlier than that year. Was it, though, as late as 2000? We think the year shown on this photo is probably the year it was archived rather than the year it was taken.
Note, on the far left, part of the pharmacy, probably in the days when it was owned by Mr Mistry and before the Post Office branch moved in. We would,as always, appreciate any help in dating this photo more precisely.

Here's the somewhat uninspiring roadside elevation of Longcross Court, which replaced the shop and houses. The library can just be seen on the extreme right. Although this modern development somehow lacks the charm of what was there in former days, it did manage to get Middlewich into the news in May 2015 after an unfortunate error by an ambulance crew.

YAHOO NEWS UK 11th MAY 2015

Facebook feedback:


Robert Sheckleston: The Harvey Nicks of Middlewich. My Mum used to get my school uniform from Fred Dodd's.


Michael Tully: Love the 'Harvey Nicks', Rob. I got my first penny round collar there! Not sure anyone should ever share that...


Daniel Preston: In November 1971 I returned from a stint in the Far East to find Lower Street demolished and a new by-pass (St Michael's Way) carving its way through Middlewich.
The coin of the realm had been replaced by pence and an school friend, Peter Britland, was working on the building site for the new library. 
He said he hadn't seen me around for a while. I told him where I'd been.
He said he thought my neck was a bit red.
Just some of the things I recall from November 1971.
If my recollections about the building of the new library are correct, then this photo must have been taken some time after that date.


Dave Roberts: Thanks, Daniel. That would seem to push the date of this picture back to sometime during 1972.


Geraldine Williams: I'm pretty certain that all our menfolk hired their wedding gear from Fred Dodd's for our wedding in 1961.

First published 4th January 2012
Revised, amended and re-published 5th January 2018

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LEADSMITHY STREET EARLY 20th CENTURY

We believe this photograph to be out of copyright. If you own the copyright, or know who does, please ket us know.

Leadsmithy Street veers off to the left and Lower Street to the right in this pre-1931 photograph of the area in front of St Michael & All Angels Church, before wholesale demolition and road-widening altered the scene for ever. We know it's pre 1931 because that was the year in which the old Middlewich Town Bridge was demolished in order to make way for the present concrete 'Cheshire County Council' one, but the dress of the lady just seen peeping round the corner on the left seems to suggest a date some time in the Edwardian era.

The parapet of the old bridge can be seen on the right, forming part of the 'awkward turn to the Lompon' which we musing over towards the end of last year - it's the same corner that that intrepid motorcyclist and his sidecar passenger were rounding here.
Incidentally, our enquiries into what and  precisely where 'The Lompon' was seem to have stalled, but no doubt the answer will emerge in the course of time.
The motley collection of buildings huddling around the Churchyard is very interesting. Why, for instance, should the cottage in the centre of the picture have that large flat frontage to it? It's a parapet frontage, and there are whole terraces of houses built in this way in Nantwich and other towns.
But why would one solitary house be built in this form in the centre of Middlewich? Was it just built that way because a local builder was following the latest fashion?
To the left of the row of shops and cottages in the centre of the picture can be seen the Leadsmithy Street entrance to the churchyard, which survives to the present day. Note the lovely old Victorian lamp above, on the corner of Leadsmithy Street.
In the right background the old Town Hall can just be glimpsed. The extreme right hand side of this building, along with part of the Churchyard and all of the buildings in the foreground, were demolished in 1931 to make way for the new, widened, Lower Street leading from the new Town Bridge.
This, in its turn, gave way to the southern end of St Michael's Way in the 1970s.
And, as always, giving us our bearings in the background is Middlewich Parish Church.

Note: This is one of two versions of this famous Middlewich postcard.

See: A TALE OF TWO POSTCARDS

Facebook feedback:
Geraldine Williams: That parapet frontage is certainly a mystery. If there had been a row of buildings it would have made more sense as I understand that the idea was to disguise the roofs and make the buildings seem taller and more attractive. Then aesthetics would have kicked in and the church would have been spared the hotchpotch of chimneys which spoil its outline. You can say what you like about the restrictive present-day Planners but they do have a point! But as a stand-alone, that house looks ridiculous as all the side of it is exposed and it doesn't look as though there had even been an adjoining house. There would seem to be a little alleyway between the buildings and the church wall. Wonder what that was called?
Re: The Lompon: previous speculations mentioned the Croco and the Allum.
There is, of course, an Allumbrook drive in Holmes Chapel, and an Allumbrook Farm at Brereton, but maps don't show the brook anywhere - but there again they didn't show the Croco either! just the canal...

Originally published 3rd January 2012
Re-published 4th January 2018

A TALE OF TWO POSTCARDS

Or: Spot The Difference!

by Dave Roberts

You could be forgiven for thinking that we had already shown you this classic Middlewich postcard here, but close inspection tells us that this is not the case. The lady in Edwardian dress we saw earlier is nowhere to be seen and a young gentleman carrying a large bundle of some kind (perhaps it's his washing?) is standing in the road eyeing the camera rather suspiciously.
Here, to save you the trouble of flicking back and forth, are the two postcards side by side:

The two versions were obviously taken on different occasions but within a few years, or even months, of each other as there is very little difference between the two, except in small details.
The viewpoint in the second version has been shifted slightly to the left, so that we see the left hand parapet wall of the Town Bridge, rather than the opposite one.
The shop in the centre of both photos, and next to the Churchyard gate, has become festooned in advertisements (or had said advertisements removed, of course, depending on which order the pictures were taken in) and there are some differences to the windows of that strange house with the parapet frontage which we talked about in the first entry. In fact the windows shown here may have been drawn in to make them stand out, so suspiciously white are they. Re-touching, as it was called, was common practice at the time - a kind of early and very primitive version of Photoshop.
The two pictures were also taken at different times of the day, judging by the shadows, and at different times of the year. In the first version, the Town Hall can just be glimpsed through the trees on the right, but in the second it is hidden behind thick vegetation.
And this gives us a chance to answer an outstanding query from Geraldine Williams about the strange, spidery shadow on the wall of the house on the right in the Paul Hough version. Geraldine is wondering if it could possibly be the shadow of a telegraph pole, and I think that's precisely what it is.
The telegraph system had been in operation for quite a few years when the photograph was taken and required many copper wires (far more than a modern telephone line). And, of course, even if we assume the photo to have been taken before the first war, telephones too were becoming increasingly common at that time, adding to the jumble of wires running through the streets.
If you take a look at this aerial view of the area at the time you can see several tall telegraph poles with multiple cross bars on them.

Originally published 20th January 2012
Re-published 4th January 2018

THE COMPLETE PAUL HOUGH COLLECTION

As you peruse our Middlewich Diary you will, from time to time, come across photos bearing the legend Paul Hough Collection.

In the early days of the Middlewich Diary we asked for, and were given, permission to use these classic Middlewich photos, quite a few of which are familiar in postcard form to those of us who were brought up in the town and are fascinated by its history.

Naturally we asked about the provenance of the images.

Here's what Paul had to say.

They were scanned from a mate's photo album; he was the previous owner of Middlewich Auto Spares in Wheelock Street. A photographer was taking photos of his premises, apparently stables of yesteryear, and sold him the prints. That's as much as I know about them. So I thought it was the correct thing to share them!! 

Which, of course, it was. Bear in mind that Paul is not - as others have in the past sought to do - claiming to hold the copyright on any of these images. The actual copyright in most of these images would be difficult to establish but, if you happen to know who owns any of those copyrights, please let us know.

The modern images are, of course, all copyright © Paul Hough.

We have added the Paul Hough Collection watermark simply to indicate the origins of the photos (something we try to do on all the images we use).

What we weren't aware of at that time, though, was that in 2011 Paul had created a website as a home not only for these black and white photos but also for some of his own more recent colour images.

We're now pleased to present, with Paul's permission, a link to that website. When you get to the site, click on either the left-hand b/w image for the classic Middlewich collection, or on the right hand colour image to view some of Paul's own more recent images. Then click on individual photos to view.

There is also, to the right, a further section containing canal photos which can be accessed by clicking on the colour photo of a traditional canal-boat watering-can. These pictures were taken at the 2011 Folk & Boat Festival.

All that we ask is that if you use any of these images you do what we always do and tag them Paul Hough Collection. That is, after all, just common courtesy.

Please note that Paul's site is now archived, and no longer updated.

Many thanks to Paul for allowing us to bring you this treasure-trove of old and new Middlewich images.

Here's the link:

PAUL HOUGH COLLECTION

Dave Roberts,
Editor.

P.S. Using this collection as a basis, you could start your own Middlewich Diary!


Facebook feedback:

Sheila Hardy Spent many hours scratching in the cinders on the canal-side for coke to burn during the coal strike. My lovely Dad even made us a truck to drag it back up to Webb's Lane. One day my Mum was scratching in a canal boat, well-engrossed. When she looked up, finally, a man had pulled the boat up to Brooks Lane. She had to walk back, and she brought the cinders with her! Those were the days!

(Inspired by the photo [above] of Seddon's Salt Works in Pepper Street, and the Middlewich Gas Works on the other side of the canal and River Croco. This works was originally run by the Middlewich Gas Light & Coke Company -Ed)

THE MIDDLEWICH CHARITY SHIELD, NEW YEARS DAY 2018 (ARCHIVED)

The Middlewich Charity Shield

Murder Mystery To Take Over Town On New Year's Day

A report from our friends at the

Always the very first Middlewich Event of every year, the Annual Middlewich New Year's Day Treasure Hunt is competed for come rain or shine by hung-over Middlewichians, and the prize, since 1992 at least,  has been  the much-coveted Middlewich Charity Shield.

Traditionally the team which wins the shield each year sets the questions for the following year but in 2017 things were a little different.

Melody Smith  volunteered - for one year only - to set the questions for the 2017 Treasure Hunt and guaranteed a great time for all concerned.

During the time she spent organising the 2017 event, Melody managed to put together a brief history of the event, which can be found by scrolling down the page.

We're still interested to find out more about the history of the Middlewich Treasure Hunt. 

The earliest date on the shield, which is  dedicated to the memory of Christina Wakefield, is 1992 when, as can be seen from the list of winners below, 'R&P Jackson' were the victors.

But did this epic New Year trawl around the town actually start before 1992? 

The Middlewich Diary would love to hear more of the history of this cherished Middlewich Institution.

If you can help, please email us at:

middlewichdiary@aol.com

or visit our dedicated Facebook Group at

MIDDLEWICH CHARITY SHIELD FACEBOOK GROUP

(administered by MELODY SMITH and DAVE ROBERTS))

The list of past winners makes interesting reading. 

The term 'usual suspects' springs to mind, with names like 'Poniznik + Bruce, 'S Bailey & T Hough' , 'Bic's Team', 'The Shaws', 'Stitched Up' and many others making up a virtual 'Who's Who' of the Great and Good in Middlewich.

If you were a member of one of these illustrious teams and have memories - happy or otherwise - of taking part in the Treasure Hunt, please don't hesitate to get in touch.

The Boar's Head Hotel in Kinderton Street - starting point for the Treasure Hunt every year

MIDDLEWICH CHARITY SHIELD WINNERS SINCE 1992

1992 R&P Jackson

1993 M&C Lowe, R&P Jackson

1994 Poniznik + Bruce

1995 Worthington family

1996 Wood 'n' Teas

1997 Worthington family

1998 S Bailey & T Hough

1999 Plonkers 2

2000 Year 2K

2001 Plonkers 2

2002 The Shaws

2003 Whott

2004 The Shaws

2005 The Young Ones

2006 Whott

2007 Hough & Bailey

2008 Middlewich Masons

2009 Stitched Up

2010 Otherwise Engaged

2011 Bics Team

2012 Dirty Monkeys

2013 Dave DE & Dozy Kids

2014 Chips

2015 DE & Dave

2016 (no name supplied)
2017 Chubby's Christmas Chickens
2018 WHOT+1

Dave Roberts

Editor


HISTORY OF THE EVENT

by Melody Smith

The New Year's Day Treasure Hunt, with its prize, the Middlewich Charity Shield, was started in 1992 by Terry and Christina Wakefield, who used to run a disco and catering company  and were actively raising funds for local causes and charities in Middlewich.

Tragically, in 1993, a year which proved to be very difficult for Terry and his family, Christine had a fatal fall in her home.

As a mark of respect, and a reflection of her work in the community, Terry dedicated the recently established shield to Christina's memory.

He continued to run the treasure hunt until 1998 when he left Middlewich and moved to the Wirral to enjoy a new life with his current wife.

I recently spoke to Terry by telephone, and he was very pleased to hear that the tradition has stayed strong in Middlewich and that the annual event has continued to be an institution within the community.

He still has links here and visits occasionally.

His daughter has requested that, when the shield is full and needs replacing, she would like to keep it.

Full classified results and scores for the 2018 contest:

(courtesy of David Williams)

P. Pts (tie break) Team name

1. 74 (+1,194) WHOT+1
2. 74 (-2,120) Jones Duo
3. 74 (-2,898) Aussie Chips

4. 73 (-1,246) Two Little, Two Late

5. 73 (-2,455) The Powerful Regans

6. 72.5 The Schmadleys

7. 72 (-120) Time Out
8. 72 (-1,354) Bet You Can't Fit This Name On The Trophey When We Win

9. 71 (-620) Mints Beef
10. 71 (-924) The Fozzies
11. 71 (-1,575) Los Detectoristas!
12. 71 (-2,920) The Unicorns

13. 70 (-2,420) The Table + Friends
14. 70 (-2,455) 4 Legs, 3 Brain Cells
15. 70 (-3,581) Bayer Lederhosen

16. 69 (+649) Samson
17. 69 (-1,620) The Hardley Boys

18. 68 (-161) Lazy Youfz
19. 68 (-2,220) Jacobs Crackers
20. 68 (-4,197) Riddle Me This Sherlock Jones 

21. 68 (-11,120) AdamsTeam
22. 68 (+14,880) Crazy Crew

23. 66 (-3,488) Chimps Champs
24. 66 (-2,620) Morris Clan
25. 66 (-11,120) Team Latham Boys

26. 65 (2,007) Alexandersaurus
27. 65 (-11,120) No Name, Clueless

28. 63 (+232) The Hudsons
29. 63 (-2,220) Team Rock

30. 61.5 A Plague Of Boyles

31. 61 (-1,148) The Bramhalls
32. 61 (-11,120) Haven't Got A Cluedo

33. 59 The Dog's Bollocks

34. 54 Rockers

35. 52 The Descendants

36. 48 Morris Clan

37. 41 Sodding Stars

38. 38 I'm Your Son So you Should let Me Win Please

39. 36 Lillius

40. 17 Abu Hamza's Glove Puppets

WINNERS 2018 - WHOT+1

FURTHER DETAILS OF THE 2018 COMPETITION CAN BE FOUND ON OUR

DEDICATED FACEBOOK GROUP

SEE ALSO: MIDDLEWICH CHARITY SHIELD 2019

First published 3rd December 2017
Updated 8th December 2017
Re-published 1st January 2018