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Marston Murmurs The Newsletter of Your Marston Parish Council March 2019 Marston Railway Heritage Walking or driving along Ollershaw Lane today, seeing the swans, water birds and fishermen on the banks of the flashes, it is hard to imagine how the area once looked. An area crossed by rail lines and working barges lined up along the canal and the steam rising from the salt pans and gangs of men and women working. The rail connection between the salt districts of Northwich began in the 1860's, with a branch line from Lostock Gralam to the salt mines and works at Wincham and Northwich terminating at Marston Hall mine. A further line was opened to the Barons Quay works and this was known as the 'Northwich Salt Branches'. The salt branches connected the Marston Hall Mine, the Adelaide Works, the Ollershaw Lane Works and the Alliance Works which developed a series of sidings that ran into the centre of the works. From here the tramway snaked around and joined sidings in Northwich on the main Chester to Manchester line. Henry Ingram Thompson built a new track which served The Lion Salt Works; this was not designed for trains to run on but for the coal and salt wagons that brought their goods up to the works using the windlass housed in the pump house which is still visible there today. The windlass was powered by the steam engine in the pump house. Salt wagons used to wait in the sidings at the bottom of Cross Street and the house at the end of the street today is called 'The Sidings'. By the 1930's after the closure of the Adelaide Works due to subsidence, the Wincham and Marston Line served only The Lion Salt works until the lines were finally closed and removed in the late 1950's. Page 1 March 2019 Main Story (continued) and Parish News The image on the front page is of a small steam engine used on the line running from the Marston Branch terminus towards the New Cheshire Salt works at Wincham to cross the canal to the right. The train was called 'English Crown no 1' and was a Peckett 0-4-0 saddle tank engine built by Peckett & Sons Ltd of Bristol. Pecketts was a small, but well known builder of steam locomotives. The company took over the Fox, Walker & Co. Engine Works which began in 1864. By 1890 the two companies had built over 400 locomotives. They continued to produce steam engines until 1958 when the demand for steam engines all but died out. The map above shows a part of the rail network in Marston ========================================================= Demolition of the Coronation Building. This is the old salt warehouse on the left of the Ollershaw Lane canal bridge. We have started discussions with CWAC regarding the matter. Complications arise from the fact that it is a registered site of historic interest and also that it suffers from severe flooding. Our initial thoughts are that a community meeting area could be sympathetically built on the site, either an open roofed building with picnic tables or a more ambitious enclosed building. A small lock-up shop selling essential household items could also be included. There is much available advice on setting up and funding such a community asset and we would hope to attract funding from various sources. What any such project essentially depends on is support from the local community and crucially agreement from CWAC and Heritage England. We would like to hear from those of our residents who would support such a venture and would welcome fresh ideas. Please get in touch! Page 2 March 2019 Parish News Acoustic Music Events at The Salt Barge Nick and Sara-Jayne are certainly stepping things up at The Salt Barge these days. The revised menu is a joy to sample (try one of their home-made pies!) and we have had a number of excellent bands playing on Friday night which include many local talents such as The Assets, Chris Taverner, Frank Quilty, and Danny Woods (Neil Young tribute) with more to come in the now regular Friday evening spot. Those of romantic bent will have enjoyed the special Valentine Day’s meal while being entertained by local resident Jayne Stead and her “Pastry Shoes” band. And Sunday’s regular acoustic evening with Iain, Terry and Mark has a growing following. Keep it up Nick and readers please come along and give your support and have a great time! And across the Road – The Salt Works Sessions Over the last few months we have been treated to some incredibly talented musicians as part of The Lion Salt Works Sessions organised by Ian Dutton. December saw the contemporary folk/acoustic duo Gilmore & Roberts combine award-winning song writing with astounding musicianship. Last month we had multi-award winning folk musicians Sam Kelly and Jamie Francis performing original folk and blues songs. There are a number of such events being held over the year: Rod Clements (Lindisfarne) & Ian Thomson Saturday 11th May Merry Hell (acoustic) – Friday 20TH September Martin Simpson – Saturday 23rd November Tickets can be obtained from: [email protected] or ring 07796 175437. ============================================================= "Spring is when you feel like whistling even with a shoe full of slush." Doug Larson "Spring is nature's way of saying, "Let's party!" Robin Williams March brings breezes loud and shrill, Stirs the dancing daffodil. Sara Coleridge (1802–1852) Page 3 March 2019 Parish News and Issues Here we summarise news and issues within our community. Please get in touch with feedback or comments about matters you feel strongly about or think we should include. ==================================================================== The Marbury Park /Forge Brook Bridge. We are still assembling the petition and have gained over 200 signatures. If you haven’t signed one yet please do, contact one of your Parish Councillors. ==================================================================== Update on Planning Application for the “Tour and Store” caravan storage site - 18/04713/FUL – Temporary change of use from scrap metal yard to caravan and general storage. We are waiting for this application to be called into the Planning Committee when residents will be able to attend to voice their opinions. ============================================================== Caravan Fire in Marston The risk of a fire being started in a tumble drier became reality for an unfortunate Marston resident last month. A tumble drier in an adjacent outbuilding caught fire which spread and destroyed the resident’s caravan. Luckily he was not hurt. Fires can occur if lint or other fine material passes through the filter and gathers near the heating elements or motors. Various safety notices have been published regarding driers and include: Always register a new appliance with the manufacturer so that you can be contacted easily if a safety recall is required. To register all your appliances, regardless of age, visit www.registermyappliance.org.uk Clean lint and fluff from the filter and round the door after every use. Watch out for scorching or burn marks. Check for loose or worn wires. Have your drier serviced annually by a qualified engineer. Don't leave driers, dishwashers and washing machines on overnight. If possible, unplug or switch off appliances at the socket overnight and when going out to avoid the risk of an electrical fault causing a fire. For a fee, Marston resident, Peter Eliott (07766 764703) has offered to do a quick check to specifically examine any build-up of fine fibrous material around the heating element and motor but check first with any unexpired warranty that you may still have on your drier. Page 4 March 2019 Summary Minutes of Marston Parish Council Meeting th 20 February 2019 The council would like to apologise to those residents who attended on the evening of 13/2/19. This meeting had to be re-arranged for the 20/2/19. Due diligence was followed and notice of the change of date was published in the newsletter and also on the website (unfortunately this update was not successful). If any residents wish to discuss an issue they can attend the next meeting on 13/3/19 or one of the PC Surgeries (dates and times are on page 10 and can be found at The Salt Barge pub, in the Church Hall, or on a noticeboard), or have an informal chat with a councillor at our Tuesday coffee morning. Setting up of events diary & fundraising targets The council have created a plan of scheduled community and fundraising events throughout the rest of the year. Keep a look out for details in the newsletter. Development of Church Hall refurbishment project plan The Church Hall is still in need of further refurbishment including new heating, looking at the ceiling and roof, replacing internal doors and making the car park more user friendly. This will of course cost a considerable amount of money and so we will need to fundraise. Details will follow in future newsletters. Neighbourhood Plan The council are still in discussion with Wincham regarding the completion of a Neighbourhood Plan. The council would welcome input from residents, so please get in touch. A detailed article will appear in the next newsletter. Developments over planning applications on land behind Ollershaw Lane This is still ongoing and the council have no further news. Litter and fly tipping There have been numerous reports of fly tipping and excess litter along Ollershaw Lane. Our very own chair, Marion Potts, has removed some of this litter herself and contacted CW&C to arrange further removal. Please report any problems to CW&C (Street Scene - 0300 1237026) or get involved by tidying up your area.