I VISITED Wincham as I wanted to see The Black Greyhound before it is demolished to make way for suitable or sympathetically approved new residential development.

It stands a sorry sight, as can be seen in recent photographs in the Northwich Guardian.

Standing at the corner plot of Wincham crossroads it was built in 1936 by Greenhall Whitley & Co on two and a half acres of land purchased from Mrs M H Townsend. It seems to have been built to compensate for a public house of the same name which was demolished at Lostock crossroads when The Slow and Easy was built opposite.

Looking at it from the roadside it appears to have been a ‘must go to’ of its day – smart, imposing and in a desirable position.

Some years ago I was given copies of Recollections of old Northwich.

They were dated 1974 and 1995 and were written by a former employee of the architects who had designed the building, Gandy & Co, of Winnington Hill, Northwich.

The employees who designed the plans were Mr King of Castle and Mr Powles of Greenbank, both members of The Royal Institute of British Architecture.

The writer said that as a junior member of staff, he was given the task of pegging out the site. From comments of the planning officer it seems that care will be taken to see a ‘satisfactory outcome’.

Some further information I was recently given was that a custom entertainment building was built on the site, ‘The Ponderosa’ (name of an American TV programme) and the possibility of an Indian restaurant.

Denis Cain Northwich