I PERUSED the piece in last week’s Guardian concerning the building of 78 new homes at the bottom of Winsford where once stood the Greedy Pig takeaway.

It’s not my job to comment on what could be described as political unless of course, it is historically political.

Well, this week due to the building proposal, I could sail close to the wind.

Northwich Guardian:

By that, I mean that I have included a photograph of the Town Bridge area in the 1947 Winsford flood, then I happened to check the river levels for this year’s floods and find that this area has a flood warning on it, so I snipped it.

There endeth my comments regarding the 1947 flood and the current plans.

It is only fair to say though that Winsford does not suffer to the extent as Northwich.

Northwich Guardian:

And now to the Town Bridge area on the High Street side as can be seen from the old photograph of this area it is apparent as to why it was once called Dark Town, the view up the High Street clearly shows this.

This junction of High Street, New Road and Weaver Street was once a bustling area of Winsford.

Weaver Street had the Magnet cinema, Winsford gasworks and other businesses at the bottom and then up to the junction with Dingle Lane that was mainly a mix of terraced houses and a few large detached ones.

Northwich Guardian:

Later, the Town Bridge area boasted a Woolworths, Post Office, Dickinson shop and Rates Office with shops on both sides of the road including the Co-op and a DIY store.

The lower High Street had many shops and the North West Bank.

Then into New Road which included the coal board offices on one side leading to Hamletts Salt Works, the Navigation pub and the Winsford and Over station.

Northwich Guardian:

On the other side, there was Garners Salt Works.

Then onwards into a veritable myriad of salt works.

Naturally, the names of the premises changed ownership over the years.

For instance, the post office was at the bottom of Weaver Street until the new one, now demolished, was built at the Town Bridge and ended up as the Greedy Pig.