Minor updates

I've just made some minor changes to this blog. I've re-arranged the pages (those tabs across the top) and their content. I've put a link to the first journal the Society published (Publications tab) and I've added a page counter. This counter shows readers how many other people are viewing the site.

Please feel free to let me know your views on this blog, either by leaving a comment onto this post or emailing me directly.

Pots of Orchids

A reminder that the Cheshire Gardens Trust will be holding a lecture on Saturday 25 February, 10 for 10:30, in the Community Centre, Tarporley. The lecture is 'Pots of Orchids: The Spode-Bateman Connection' by Pam Woolliscroft.

Members should have had an email about this but more details can be found by following lecture link.
              Non-members are welcome but booking is essential

Habitats and Hillforts

Our next meeting (23 Feb) will be a talk on local hillforts and more details will follow nearer the date.

Andrew Needham has pointed out that a new Sandstone Ridge Trust has just received charitable status with support from CW&C (see last week's Chester Chronicle 26 Jan, p3).

Please follow Habitats and Hillforts link  for more information on this initiative to protect and enhance our local environment.

Lost Heritage - lost country houses

Whilst looking up about Oulton Park (following Mark Bevan's fascinating talk), I came across the following website Lost Heritage

The author (Matthew Beckett) is compiling a list of the lost country houses of England including many in Cheshire.

Oulton Park from 'Downton Abbey' to motor racing

It was very pleasing to welcome new members to a packed Tiverton Village Hall as the Society enjoyed a fascinating illustrated talk on  Oulton Park by local historian Mark Bevan. Mark's well crafted talk, brimming full of lively anecdotes, covered the history of the estate over the past few hundred years from the time when it was the home of the Egertons to the start of motor racing. Mark took the theme of the 'real life Downton Abbey' as he described the fortunes and tragedies of one of the wealthy aristocratic Cheshire families, the Grey-Egertons. During the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, the family had amassed considerable wealth and land, and had built a magnificent Palladian mansion full of priceless treasures. Tragedy struck during the first World War when twin sons were both killed on the Western Front and the dynasty was broken. Even more tragedy struck when the house itself was destroyed by fire and when 6 people (servants and a Tarporley fireman) died trying to recover the treasures. The derelict estate was requisitioned during the second World War to become a major US army post prior to D-day. Mark also described how, through the efforts of the local Mid-Cheshire car club, motor racing was first introduced in the 1953. An evening enjoyed by all.

For more on Mark's talks follow Mark Bevan

For more on modern Oulton Park follow circuit

For more on the history follow Wikipedia Oulton_Estate

A violent storm

Doug hopes this item will be of interest to members.

In this age when we would appear to be changing the world at large with the manner in which we live our lives, I bring to your attention this note  (link to note) of 1687, taken from the Cheshire Sheaf, a true wealth of information, purely out of interest, and from residents in those long gone days from the area of our TBDHS.

It is as written at that time and is not representative of my typing abilities!!!!.

(and just as another useless bit of info, he, the Sir John, is back in my family ancestry

Regards, Doug

Thanks

I am pleased so many people have responded to Ann's invitation to view this blog. The stats below show a healthy interest.

This blog is public; that is anyone can view it. Currently only committee members can add posts but I'm happy to allow any other Society members to contribute. You just need to email me. Anybody can add comments to a post, though you need to have a Google account or similar.

I will be at the next Society meeting on Thursday and I will be happy to answer any questions after the talk. In the meantime, email me at paul.bujac@virgin.net if you have any problems.

If you are interested in the mechanics of blogger go to blogger help

A Tarporley Photographer

One aim of this weblog is to share information. Bob Welch notes that last year the Society had a query from a Mr Ellis who contacted us after reading our first Journal. Bob's research resulted in this answer.

"As a collector of postcards of the Bunbury/ Tarporley area I am well aware of the man and I have quite a lot of his postcards in my collection.

Anyway Frederick Harold Haines ( usually referred to as Harold ) was the only son of Frederick Haines and his wife Jane.He was born in Yorkshire and his birth was registered in Selby in 1876.

His father was a Wesleyan Minister and so moved around the country in the course of his ministry. In the 1881 Census the family were living at Leftwich, Northwich. So far I can't find him in the 1891 Census but in 1901 he is recorded as living in Edgbaston,Birmingham as an Ironmongers Assistant.

However, within a few years  he was living in Tarporley as a Photographer. Although mainly a portrait photographer, he also produced postcards for sale from about 1904 onwards. Most of his postcard photos were of the area within a few miles of Tarporley although he also produced a series of North Wales around Flint and Denbighshire".

In the 1911 Census he is living at 29, Eaton Road, Tarporley with his widowed mother and an unmarried sister.

He later produced series of postcards. One series was called the "Beeston " Series and another the "Clovelly" Series named after his art studio at the Eaton Road address.

As far As I can find out he never married and died in 1945.

Now to the picture "Glyndwr Hotel". After consulting a friend who is a dealer and something of an expert in N.Wales postcards we came to the conclusion that it was probably in the Mold, Flintshire area. Further enquiries showed that the Hotel is in fact the Owain Glyndwr Inn at Gwernymynydd, Mold, an establishment that is still in business today.

According to a pictorial history of the village http://www.gwernymynydd.co.uk/Gwernymynydd_Book.pdf  the year was 1938 and they were expecting the visit of the Duke of Kent to come and open a wooden hostel for unemployed men from Liverpool. (The area, especially Loggerheads and Moel Fammau has been attracting visitors and walkers for years.) Apparently at the last minute the Duke had to go to a funeral and so in the end never visited the area."

A welcome and a reminder

Welcome to this new weblog which the Society hopes will help publicise its activities.

A reminder: Our next meeting will be a talk given by Mark Bevan on the 'The Egertons of Oulton Park'.

Usual place: Tiverton Village Hall

Usual time: 7:30 pm