Chester Society for Landscape History

September 2009 Newsletter Number 45

Bridgnorth

Contents

Chairman‟s Message 2 Chester & the Landscape Development of NE 3 Massey Park, Thelwall 10 Don your wellies ... 12 A..Z of Landscape History 13 Curzon Park 17 Lionel Munby 20 Can you help? 21 South-west 22 Field Visit Reports 26 Society Snippets 34 Summer Barbecue 35 Editor‟s Corner 36 Message from the Chair

Welcome to the autumn edition of the morning to work up an appetite and society‟s newsletter. As you will see plenty of wonderful food to be sampled, this is our largest edition with our this could easily become a popular widest range of contributors to date. annual event! Our study/field visit to Whalley Abbey and its environs is In my new role as chairman I should rapidly approaching. I am sure this visit like to thank Ray for the professional will live up to expectations. Let us hope way in which he chaired the society the weather is kind! A really big thank over the last few years. Under his you to everyone who has been involved chairmanship the society has continued in the organisation of all these events. to flourish and he will be a hard act to follow! Thanks Ray. Preparations for the 2010 programme of events are now well in hand and details Our spring season began with the very will be published in the January sad news that June (Fearon) had died newsletter. following a short illness. Her unexpected passing was a great shock to Sharon Varey many of us. Quite a few CSLH members attended a memorial service in Tattenhall parish church in February to celebrate her life. Although often away on her travels, June always made a very valuable contribution to our committee meetings. June is, and will be, very sadly missed.

Our society continues to thrive in 2009. We now have 148 members. Our spring lectures were well attended and all our field visits, described in more detail elsewhere in the newsletter, were oversubscribed. Our summer BBQ was a great success. With a short visit in the

Page 2 Page 3 Chester and the Landscape Development of North East Wales (Part 4 - Post Medieval)

Henry VIII‟s Act of Union of 1536 brought an end to the political landscape of North East Wales that had endured since Edward I had drawn up the Statute of Wales (1284). The county of created in 1284 had been administered as part of the King‟s palatinate of Chester allowing the Crown to retain control of the county‟s valuable lead and silver reserves while the new marcher lordships of 1282, created to act as buffer states on the border of North Wales, were swept away and the castles erected to control these lordships at Holt, , Ruthin and Denbigh became redundant although some remained in use as private residences. The lands of the marcher lordships were consolidated as the new county of Denbighshire.

These political changes heralded a new focus in the relationship between Chester and North Wales based upon economic co-operation rather than conflict and military dominance. The lead mining industry of Flintshire was an area of activity where there was a close relationship between the city and port of Chester and North East Wales. This relationship contributed to landscape change both in the hill areas where mining was carried out and along the coast where the mining activity of the hinterland gave rise to a series of smelters and port installations related to the trade in lead, zinc and coal.

The mines of the area had been in decline during the 15th century but there were signs of a revival in the late 16th century1 that brought about a degree of landscape change. William Radcliffe, a London-born man, had acquired the mineral rights of the Rhuddlan and Coleshill areas of Flintshire from the Crown in 1589. By the end of the century, Radcliffe was sending pigs of lead from his smelter at Mold to his warehouse in Watergate Street, Chester prior to being shipped out to London via the Dee Estuary. Radcliffe also took his lead directly from his Mold smelter to an anchorage at Wepre Pool on the Dee2. A former mayor of Chester in 1672-3, merchant Gawen Hudson, purchased 300 tons of potters‟ ore from Halkyn (presumably for use as a glaze) for storage in his Watergate Street warehouse in 1665. This consignment had been smelted at Mold.

The Grosvenor family of Eaton near Chester acquired Radcliffe‟s mines and Mold smelting mill in 1601 and also bought the mineral rights to the Crown lordships of Coleshill and Rhuddlan outright in 1634. In 1664, the Grosvenors acquired further mineral rights and subsequently bought the freehold of Crown lands in the Lordships of Bromfield and Yale in Denbighshire3. The Grosvenor family‟s

Page 3 appreciation of the potential of North Wales mineral resources may have been enhanced following the marriage in 1628 between Sir Richard Grosvenor (2nd baronet) and Sydney Mostyn, daughter of Sir Richard Mostyn whose estates included much of Flintshire‟s rich deposits of lead, silver, zinc and coal4. From the 17th century the lead mines in the areas controlled by the Grosvenors gave substantial financial returns, so much so that the term “Grosvenor Mines” became synonymous for wealth5. Other landowners were attracted by the prospect of good returns. The Hughes family of Trecastell owned and worked the lead mine at Talargoch near Prestatyn in 1573. In 1642, the Myddletons of Chirk Castle were partners in one of the Grosvenor mines at Maeshafn in the Alyn Valley6. The lead was smelted locally. In 1602 lead ore from the Halkyn area was being smelted at Thomas Jones‟ mill at Flint and the lead produced sent by sea to Bristol and Holland. Thus the expansion in lead mining in Flintshire after 1660 was triggered not only by good market conditions but also the initiative of local landowners. The huge costs of lead mining incurred through greater investment in draining the mines and processing greater quantities of ore was met to a great extent by co- operation between landowning families such as the Grosvenors, the Myddletons and Mostyns together with wealthy local merchants7.

The whole of the Dee Estuary coastline formed part of the Port of Chester. The first record of Flintshire ores being transported by sea dates from 1582. The coastal trade in lead grew during the 17th century with records indicating shipments to London, Bristol and Rotterdam in 1679. As a result of the success of Chester as a port, merchants in the city accumulated considerable wealth. It is therefore no surprise to find these wealthy men taking an active interest in lead mining on the Flintshire coast, which provided valuable cargoes for their ships.

One such merchant was Daniel Peck. Peck owned lead smelters at Leadbrook and Flint by 1699. One of his furnaces was supplied with coal from an adjacent colliery. Apart from shipping lead from the Dee, Peck was also a Cheshire salt refiner and mineral agent for the Mostyn family and employed to buy silver wherever it was available by the Mines Adventurers‟ Company. He was for a time, Deputy Receiver of Crown land revenue in North Wales8.

A letter book survives recording Peck‟s trading activities in the period 1703-59, when his vessels were trading with Ireland and Bristol, and were also heavily involved in the importation of wine. It is possible that Peck was related to Jasper Peck, the North Wales landowner who was Sir John Trevor‟s agent dealing in mineral leases during the later 17th century. Despite an obviously wide range of contacts Daniel Peck hit financial problems and he was declared bankrupt in the early years of the 18th century. It has been claimed that this was partly because his lead smelters could not compete with the London Lead Company‟s state-of-the-art reverberatory furnace at Gadlys near Bagillt which opened in 170310.

Page 4 Page 5 The costs of mining lead were high. Drainage, smelting and transport costs were considerable and grew as mines became larger and deeper. Until the advent of limited liability in the second half of the 19th century, only large chartered joint stock companies offered investors any degree of security. Perhaps the best-known local examples of such companies were the London Lead Company (1695) and the River Dee Company (1740). Even so, the collapse of the South Sea Company in 1720 made investors wary of the risks involved in venture capital. Chester was the source of a considerable amount of such venture capital employed in the mining of Flintshire lead. It had long been the practice of Chester merchants to finance maritime trading by dividing the ownership of ships into thirty two or sixty four parts thus spreading the risk involved. Many of those buying into the ship were not just merchants but local tradesmen11. This practice was later adopted in the purchase of leases in the lead mining industry and in spreading the costs and risks of a mining venture. This practice also encouraged the development of local commercial business networks along the Welsh coast and into Chester.

Early lead mining landscape showing the hamlet of Pwll Clai, Halkyn mountain

In 1736, two partners, James Parker, a mercer and alderman of Chester, and Thomas Lloyd “gent” of Chester took a lease on mining land on Halkyn Mountain. Another Chester tradesman, Richard Richardson I, a gold and silver smith, had wide interests in the lead industry of North East Wales. He was a partner in the Maes-y-safn mine near Mold from the 1720s. The Richardson family also owned the Llanerch-y-mor (on the Flintshire coast) and Pentrobin (Hawarden parish) lead smelters12 and invested further in lead mining at ‟s “City” lands from 1744, Llanferres in 1746 and Graig, (Llanarmon yn Ial) in 174613. After Richard Richardson I‟s death in 1769, his two sons inherited his Llanferres estate with its mineral rights and other lead mining interests. A record of 1761 tells us that Richard Richardson II (1717-89), mayor of Chester 1757-8 and son of a prominent gold and silversmith and investor in the lead industry, bought shares in a ship

Page 5 known as the „Chester Trader‟ from a local druggist. The work of the Richardson‟s is displayed in three display cases in Chester‟s Grosvenor Museum, which describes Richardson II as the greatest of Chester‟s silversmiths. This raises the question as to why Chester‟s most prominent silver smiths of the 18th century would want to invest in lead mining and smelting. The answer may lie in the fact that silver is a by-product of lead smelting, hence their possession of two Flintshire lead smelters. This suggests that there may have been a working link between Chester‟s silversmiths and the miners and smelters of lead and silver ores in Flintshire.

Following a technological breakthrough, lead smelters began using local coal rather than charcoal. One early example occurred at Flint in 1696 run by Chester merchant Alderman George Mainwaring, who formerly handled the shipping of lead from the Dee Estuary. Joseph Duke, also of Chester, had an interest in a lead smelter at Minera and the Maes-y-safn (Maeshafn) mine in Llanferres, a venture in which Richard Richardson II also held shares. A lease dating from 172214 indicates that outside investors were investing in this mine that was run as a partnership between two Chester merchants George Prescott and William Langton. Other businessmen and landowners subsequently made investments. The new partnership sank two new shafts close to the centre of the present day village of Maeshafn the growth of which owed much to Chester-based investment.

In the lead and zinc mining area of Minera near , apart from the Grosvenors, the other important landowners were the city companies of Chester. A wealthy Chester butcher, Owen Jones, who had been born in poor circumstances in Northop, had acquired these lands in the early years of the 17th century and had bequeathed them to the city companies on his death in 1659. In the early years of the 18th century, new discoveries of lead ore deposits were found and exploited on both the city lands and those of the Grosvenors. By the close of the 17th century, a distinctive settlement pattern was emerging in the Minera district. Traditionally, miners here had been granted a plot of land on which to build their houses, which was later, declared free of Hearth Tax. Consequently a pattern of scattered cottages set within their own land emerged, remnants of which can still be detected in today‟s landscape. The stone built Cornish engine house of a mine located in the City Lands and known as the City Shaft or Meadows Shaft survives and has been restored as an open-air museum. The shaft formed part of the Minera Mines Company operations and was sunk in 1847. In its late 19th century heyday, the shaft was used for pumping and raising ore. At 375 metres in depth, the shaft was the deepest lead mine in North East Wales.

On the hill top of Mountain, which rises steeply above the City Lands of Minera, the remains of a mine known as the South Miners Mine are located. The Chairman of the company was Sir Edward Samuel Walker of Chester (1799-1874). He was a partner in the Chester lead works of Walker, Parker & Co., and also had a

Page 6 Page 7 City Shaft engine house, Minera c.1912 financial stake in a lead smelter at Bagillt and lead mines at Dyserth15. Walker also enjoyed public recognition for his achievements. He was Mayor of Chester in 1838 and received a knighthood in the 1840s. Later in life he went on to receive the title of High Sheriff of Nottinghamshire.

In one case, a North Wales industrialist went on to achieve recognition in Chester. Benjamin Perrin was an important individual in the development of the lead mining and smelting industry in the first half of the 18th century. A lease of 1726 records him as a partner in mines near Loggerheads16. In 1728, Perrin owned a lead smelter at Bagillt and a red lead manufacturing works in the Greenfield Valley. A lease dating from 1736 shows that Perrin was actively exploiting the lead ores in the parishes of Llanarmon yn Ial and Llanferres. In a later lease, he was described as a “merchant” and “gent” who resided at “Farme” in Flint, possibly identified as the farmhouse known as “Fferm” near Bagillt (GR220738). His partner was John Comberbach, an alderman of Chester17. In 1738 he acquired a one-quarter share of mining rights on Halkyn Mountain at what was called the “potato garden works”. In 1743, the Coalbrookdale Company supplied a steam engine to Benjamin Perrin to work the Llyn-y-pandy mine near Loggerheads in the Alyn Valley, which is thought to be the Newcomen steam engine that worked the “Perrin's Shaft” (GR 9706570.)18. By 1748, Benjamin Perrin‟s address is given as Chester indicating that he had been sufficiently successful to purchase a residence outside the mining areas. His social standing in Chester was clearly significant since he held the office of Sheriff of Chester in 1742-3. In 1722 Perrin married Jane Adams, a granddaughter of one of the well-established Chester Comberbach family. Perrin died at Chester in 1761.

During the 18th century the Panton family engaged in lead and silver mining in the Bagillt area of Flintshire. The first Paul Panton was a descendant of an old Flintshire family from the Coleshill area who acquired the house and estate of what

Page 7 was later to be called “Plas Panton,” Bagillt, through marriage to Mary Griffiths, heiress to the estate, in the 1720s. His interest in lead mining probably stems from the mid 1720s19. His better-known son Paul Panton II (1727-1797) was often referred to as Panton “the elder”. Panton II was a barrister and antiquarian and a close friend of fellow antiquarian, Thomas Pennant. Like his father, and many of his ambitious contemporaries, Panton married an heiress, Jane Jones of Plas Gwyn in Anglesey (1756). Despite inheriting the large Plas Gwyn estate, he continued his father‟s interest in lead mining in Flintshire owning the profitable Milwr and Talargoch mines. A member of the Panton family of Plas Gwyn, Anglesey, Eliza Panton, married Colonel Delves Broughton and resided after 1815 at Hoole House, Chester where she created the well-known garden that featured in an earlier edition of this newsletter.

Lead smelter at Flint

Most of the lead smelted in Flintshire during the seventeenth century was sent by sea to London where some of it was re-exported to the continent. However, there were alternative markets. In 1684, the Grosvenors were exporting lead ore to smelters near Bristol from the Dee Estuary20. Later, these exports consisted of lead pig smelted in newly built smelters at Bagillt and Flint. Exports of lead from Chester to British ports such as Liverpool, Bristol and London increased from 249 tons in 1700 to 4204 tons in 1740. Exports of lead to foreign destinations were also steadily increasing in this period21. Lead from the Gadlys smelter near Bagillt even reached the Far East. From 1728, regular shipments of Flintshire calamine (zinc ore) to London feature in port returns.

From the mid 17th century there is evidence of production of coal for export in Flintshire where coal mined close to the coast was taken by boat from local creeks on the Dee Estuary to Ireland and upstream to Chester. In North Wales during the mid 17th century, the Flintshire coal industry was able to export coal via the River Dee to markets in Ireland and Chester so creating much faster growth in the industry here than in neighbouring Denbighshire which was remote from navigable rivers22.

Page 8 Page 9 A number of Chester-registered vessels were involved in the slave trade but made their voyages from Liverpool23. The Dee ports were also involved in the slave trade during the second half of the 18th century. Brass ornaments and trinkets made in the brass works of Holywell were sent to Liverpool for export to West Africa. Ray Jones References

1 C.J. Williams, “The Mining Laws in Flintshire and Denbighshire”, Bulletin of the Peak District Mines Historical Society, 12 (1994), p.36. 2 J.N. Rhodes, “The Lead Mills at Mold”, Journal of the Flintshire Historical Society, 25 (1971), p.23. 3 C.J. Williams, “A Handlist of Grosvenor (Halkyn) MSS”, Clwyd County Record Office, Hawarden (1988), p.3. 4 D. Newton & J. Lumby, The Grosvenors of Eaton (Eccleston, Jennet Publications, 2000), pp.7, 9. 5 A.H. Dodd, The Industrial Revolution in North Wales (Wrexham, Bridge Books, 1990), p.18. 6 T. King, “The Maes-y-safn Lead Mine”, Transactions of the Denbighshire Historical Society, 54 (2005), p.33. 7 W.J. Lewis, Lead Mining in Wales (Cardiff, University of Wales Press, 1967), p.63. 8 A. Kennett, Chester and the River Dee (Chester, Chester City Council, 1982), p.11. 9 C.R.O., CR 352. 10 Lewis, Lead Mining in Wales, p.86. 11 Kennett, Chester and the River Dee, p.12. 12 King, “The Maes-y-safn Lead Mine”, p.35. 13 Grosvenor (Halkyn) MSS. Flintshire County Record Office, Hawarden. D/ GR/109. 14 F.C.R.O., FRO/D/GR/31. 15 F.C.R.O., Grosvenor (Halkyn) MSS. D/GR/234. 16 F.C.R.O., D/GR/33. 17 F.C.R.O., Grosvenor (Halkyn) MSS, D/GR/34; D/GR/35; D/GR/111; D/GR/39. 18 P. Frost, Clwyd Metal Mines Survey “Llynypandy” (Welshpool, CPAT, Report No. 88, 1994). 19 F.R.O., Grosvenor (Halkyn) MSS D/GR/194. 20 Williams, “A Handlist of Grosvenor (Halkyn) MSS” Clwyd CEO Hawarden (1988), p.3. 21 Lewis, Lead Mining in Wales, pp.10, 307. 22 Dodd, Industrial Revolution in North Wales, p.18. 23 R. Craig, “Ships and Shipbuilding in the Port of Chester in the 18th and early 19th century” Transactions of the Historical Society of Lancashire & Cheshire, 66, (1966), pp.45-49.

Page 9 Massey Park, Thelwall, Cheshire: An unaltered Edward Kemp designed park

In the mid-19th Century, wire drawing was an important industry in Warrington. In 1848, following the death of John Rylands (who had been a partner in Greenings Wire Drawers), his three sons formed a new company called Rylands Brothers. Their business was highly successful and, around 1870, the brothers, John, Thomas and Peter moved out of Warrington and came to live in Thelwall where each built a new, grand house. Peter Rylands was Chairman of the company and besides wire drawing, his main interests lay in politics and public service. He became a chief magistrate, served as Mayor of Warrington and was elected Liberal MP for Burnley. For his Thelwall residence, he bought about 33 acres (13ha) of farmland bordering the Bridgewater Canal in order to create a park with his house at the centre. Never a man to do things by half, Peter Rylands commissioned the leading designer of the day, Edward Kemp, to set out his park. Kemp‟s plans, which are in Warrington Library, included not just parkland but a walled kitchen garden with a range of service buildings including stores and glass-houses supplied by John Webster of Wavertree1. Kemp began work in January 1874 and the park and buildings were completed by the time of Peter Rylands‟ death in 1887. The park remains unchanged to this day. Edward Kemp (1817-1891) trained at Chatsworth under Sir Joseph Paxton who was Superintendent of the gardens of the Duke of Devonshire and whose name will always be associated with the Crystal Palace as well as the glass-houses at

Page 10 Page 11 Chatsworth. It was Paxton who produced the basic design for Birkenhead Park, beginning in 1843, but it was Kemp who, on Paxton‟s recommendation, came to Birkenhead and supervised the construction of that park, becoming Park Superintendent in 1845 at an annual salary of £150. He lived in the Italian Lodge and over the following decades it was Kemp who was responsible for the planting of Birkenhead Park and for overseeing its development. In 1850, the American landscape designer F.L. Olmsted came to Birkenhead during a tour of Europe and was greatly impressed by Birkenhead. Many of the features he saw were later incorporated into his winning design for New York Central Park. Whilst living at Birkenhead, Kemp accepted commissions to design parks and gardens, several of which were in Liverpool or Cheshire but few survive. Massey Park is not only a survivor but has never been altered. Only two generations of Rylands lived at Massey Hall and when, in 1948, the second Peter Rylands died, the hall and park were bequeathed to Lancashire County Council „for educational purposes‟. The park was let for grazing, the greenhouses and other outbuildings were allowed to decay while the Hall was converted into a specialised boarding school. In 2007, that school was closed and the estate was put up for sale. Warrington Borough Council having been alerted to the significance of the park, conducted an extensive survey. Tree Preservation Orders were placed on about 57 specimen trees (almost certainly supplied to Kemp by Caldwellls of Knutsford in the 1870s) and around 8 stands of trees were similarly protected2. The park (as yet unsold) is designated Greenbelt but neither this designation nor the TPOs confer absolute protection to what is still an intact and mature if unloved Kemp park.

Mike Taylor

References 1 Warrington Library, Local History Section, Roll SR164, Plans for P. Ryland Esq., Massey Hall by E. Kemp, January 1874. 2 Warrington Borough Council (Massey Hall) Tree Preservation Order 457, 24th January 2009.

Page 11 Don your wellies and use your eyes!

It was with great sadness that we learnt of the death of Margaret Gelling earlier this year. She was an expert on English place names, having spent in excess of sixty years drawing out the subtleties of their etymologies. There are probably few members reading this page who have not referred to her work at some point in their research. Those of you who have been associated with the CSLH since its early days will remember that Margaret Gelling spoke to the society on two occasions (1991 and 1998).

Margaret was born in Manchester in November 1924 before moving to Kent as a child. She studied English at St Hilda‟s College, Oxford where she was encouraged by Dorothy Whitelock to investigate place names. This is where her “obsession”, as she called it, began. She started working for the English place name society, initially as a research assistant in 1946. Founded in the 1920s, the EPNS at this time concentrated its efforts upon habitative names that were associated with settlement, as these were believed to be earlier and more interesting than other place names. Through a life time‟s work, Margaret Gelling showed the importance of topographical names in understanding the landscape and place name studies. She established that the Anglo Saxons had many words for topographical features. To take but one example, her research demonstrated there were in excess of 40 words for „hill‟ depending on its shape, size and angle of slope. In an age without maps these linguistic subtleties would have acted as a precise description of the Anglo Saxon landscape and these distinctive names would have been important for navigation.

It may come as a surprise to some that Margaret Gelling never held an academic post. However she lectured widely, wrote extensively and produced three of the county surveys of place names (Oxfordshire, Berkshire and ). Her books appealed to a wide audience and according to her nephew, Adrian Midgeley, “she was delighted to think that the public, reading her books, would suddenly learn to read their habitat, and see it with completely different eyes”. Margaret was a firm believer that “when it came to understanding English place names, there was no substitute for donning your wellies and using your eyes”.

Sharon Varey

Page 12 A ... Z of Landscape History

P is for …Place-names

Dunham on its Hill

There were many words for 'hill' in Old English, but it wasn't till the late Margaret Gelling and Ann Cole pointed it out that place-name scholars realised that an eminence called '-hill' (OE hyll) has a spikier outline than one called '-don' (dun), that a '-hoe' (hoh) is heel-shaped, a 'ness' (næs) nose-shaped, or that a 'hope' (hop) is a blind valley opening high up off a larger valley. John Dodgson had already determined eight separate meanings for OE hamm, including 'land projecting into water', 'river-meadow', 'dry ground in marsh', and 'cultivated plot in marginal land'. There are many apparent meanings for halh ('nook'), including 'settlement in a slightly sunken – so hidden – position'.

Why not visit Cheshire: Dunham (42m), Farndon (26m), Bowdon (23m), Bosden (76m). Over (Winsford) is a classic ofer/ufer, 'site on the tip of a flat-topped hill-spur'. Shropshire: 7 hops for the price of one in Hope Dale sw of Much Wenlock: Presthope, Easthope, Wilderhope, Millichope, Middlehope, Westhope, Dinchope; halh as above between Telford and Albrighton at Sheriffhales, Haughton, Shifnal, Kilsall and Boningales. North-east Wales: Flint, named (using the OE word) for the rock on which the castle was built; Sealand, a polder – the Dee canalised 1737, but natural silting meant the name is recorded 1726; Ewloe, 'hill or mound near source of stream': two streams merge to form Wepre Brook just north of the castle hill, which Hywel Wyn Owen has suggested was wēoh-beorg, 'temple-hill'.

Page 13 Further information J. Field, Discovering Place-Names (4th edn, Princes Risborough, Shire, 2005); M. Gelling, Signposts to the Past: place-names and the history of (2nd edn, Chichester, Phillimore, 1988); M. Gelling & A. Cole, The Landscape of Place- Names (Stamford, Shaun Tyas, 2000). The county volumes published by the English Place-Name Society are essential for serious study, and extremely detailed. The late John McNeil Dodgson completed The Place-Names of Cheshire, parts 1-5 in 7 volumes (Cambridge/Nottingham, CUP/EPNS, 1970-97). Five volumes of The Place-Names of Shropshire (Nottingham, EPNS, 1990- ) had been published at the time of Margaret Gelling's death in April, and one more was in production. The nearest equivalent for north-east Wales is The Place-Names of East Flintshire (Cardiff, University of Wales Press, 1994). The best general dictionaries are currently A. D. Mills, A Dictionary of English Place-Names (Oxford, Oxford University Press, 1991) and H. W. Owen & R. Morgan, Dictionary of the Place- Names of Wales (Llandysul, Gomer Press, 2007).

Q is for … Quarries

Parc-y-meirch quarry has destroyed Dinorben promontory fort

Quarries are as old as tool-making humankind, and their influence on the landscape is long lasting. The granite roadstone quarry at Penmaenmawr is still in business. On the hills above it, you can still find traces of the Neolithic stone axe factory that ceased trading some time ago – though the evidence of the trade is still extant. Good stone has always been at a premium, even in stony areas: the red sandstone of Rhuddlan and Conwy castles probably came from near Chester. Quarries can range in size from tens of hectares to a small rock-scrape in the corner of a field that can be identified as a road-mending quarry allocated on a local enclosure map.

Page 14 Why not visit Cheshire: the remains of gritstone quarries at Mow Cop, where curved tooling marks can be seen. There are numerous sites in Chester itself including Edgar‟s Field, Handbridge and the former coach station. There are also 18th century industrial remains at Old Alderley stone quarry; the Kerridge Tramway at Bollington. Shropshire: Llanymynech Heritage Area – 19th century limestone quarries and limeworkings; The Quarry in Shrewsbury – once a medieval quarry, now a park; Haughmond Abbey – where there are quarry faces and hollows. North Wales: National Slate Museum, Llanberis; Minera quarry (lead/zinc/limestone) with its battery of Hoffman limekilns; Halkyn Mountain: limestone, hydraulic lime (used in Liverpool and Birkenhead Docks), chert (used in the Potteries), 'marble', clay and sand quarries scattered among the lead mines: see www.cpat.org.uk/projects/longer/histland/holywell/hoindust.htm .

Further information P. Stanier, Quarries and Quarrying (Princes Risborough, Shire, 1985); M. Williams, The Slate Industry (Princes Risborough, Shire, repr. 1998). See also R. Merfyn Jones, The North Wales Quarrymen 1874-1922 (Cardiff, University of Wales Press, 1999). N. Harrison, Rock Around Wirral: a guide to the geological sites of interest in the natural landscape and to the building stones in some towns of the Wirral peninsula (Liverpool, Liverpool Geological Society, 2004) and Rock Around Chester: a guide to the building stones in the city of Chester (Liverpool, Liverpool Geological Society, 2006).

R is for … Railways

LNWR settlement at Saltney Ferry (Mold Junction)

Driving along the A55 towards Bangor, just past the Colwyn Bay junction, you may think you‟re travelling through a modern cutting. However you‟re driving

Page 15 through the Ballast Pit created during the construction of the Chester to Holyhead Railway. Later this big hole was a goods yard and coal depot, and now it contains the Bay View Shopping Centre. Nothing changed the landscape of Britain like the building of the railways. New dedicated railway towns were created such as Crewe and new stations sited away from the old settlement centres attracted development and industry (Congleton and Sandbach), or created completely new villages (Llandudno Junction).

Why not visit Cheshire: Crewe and Crewe Heritage Centre; Frodsham and Helsby stations (both grade II listed); the Wirral Way on the track bed of the West Kirby branch of the Birkenhead Railway, with the restored Hadlow Road station. Shropshire: Shrewsbury railway station, Oswestry Transport Museum (Cambrian Railways); Gobowen station (grade II listed); the Severn Valley Railway from Bridgnorth to Kidderminster via Hampton Loade and Highbury. North-east Wales: Stephenson's Conwy railway bridge and breach of the town walls, and his Britannia Bridge over the Menai Straits; Holywell Junction station (now disused), by Francis Thompson, 1848; Henry Robertson's -bychan (Newbridge) railway viaduct near Chirk.

Further information F.G. Cockman, Discovering Lost Railways (5th edn, Princes Risborough, Shire, 1988) and Railway Architecture (2nd edn, Princes Risborough, Shire, 1988); London Transport Museum, Metro-land 1932 Edition (Harpenden, Oldcastle Books, 1987) – with more detail in A. Jackson, London's Metropolitan Railway (Newton Abbot, David & Charles, 1986). See also the section Railways in the Landscape in J. Simmons, A. K. B. Evans & J. Gough, The Impact of the Railway on Society in Britain (Aldershot, Ashgate, 2003).

Mike Headon

Page 16 A Short History of Curzon Park, Chester

The Curzon family, whose family estate was Keddlestone Hall in Derbyshire, acquired the lands now known as Curzon Park and Chester Golf Club, by virtue of the marriage of Assheton Curzon to Elizabeth Hanmer in 1756. She inherited the land from her father upon his demise. The land at that time was a farm known as Brewers Hall - an anglicised version of its original 13th century title of Brueres Halgh. Little of note appears to have taken place on the land during this period, apart from the Parliamentarians sighting a large cannon at the farmhouse to bombard the Royalist held City during the Civil War siege of 1645-46. To commemorate the event a plaque has been erected on the site which is now the seventh tee of the golf course.

Assheton‟s grandson, Richard William Penn, eventually inherited the farm together with the titles of Viscount Curzon and Earl Howe from his grandfather and father respectively and it was he who decided to develop the area. In September 1846 an advert was placed in the “Chester Courant” advertising the sale of leasehold plots on the north side of Deva Crescent which we now know as Curzon Park North. Chester at that time was enjoying a short period of railway led economic prosperity. The city was regarded as a desirable place for the gentry to live. Hemingway‟s History of Chester written in 1831 states

There are few places where the gentry form such a high proportion of the community...all the elegant amusements and establishments that grace the most distinguished towns and cities may be found within the city and are patronised by the higher classes with the utmost zeal.

Penn may have been encouraged to develop the area by the opening of the Grosvenor Bridge in 1832 for this enhanced access to the lands south of the River Dee which hitherto could only be reached via the Old Dee Bridge in Handbridge. Improving access to the south bank was not the primary purpose of the bridge which had been constructed in a vain attempt to recapture the lucrative London – Holyhead coach trade that had been lost with the with the opening of Telford‟s quicker route via Shrewsbury, now known as the A5. He was also encouraged by the arrival of the railway to Chester in 1840 with lines to Birkenhead and to Crewe. He envisaged that the railway would appeal to Liverpool merchants wishing to commute to Chester. In fact the opening of the first section of the Chester – Holyhead line in 1846 created a junction with the earlier North Wales Mineral Railway Company line from Wrexham at Saltney. Saltney prospered as a result and was to become Chester‟s premier industrial zone by virtue of its access to rail

Page 17 and river. One early Curzon Park resident was William Woods, who established a very successful chain and anchor foundry there. There was a direct path from Deva Crescent to the Saltney wharves and sidings via the pedestrian way under the railway - a route which still exists in part.

Sale and development of the Deva Crescent plots must have been rapid. By 1851 “there were a line of nine large detached houses along the river cliff and three others built near to the entrance to the estate”. The western end of Deva Crescent branched into two separate bridges over the railway both of which still exist. Curzon possibly intended further housing development on what is now golf club land via one bridge whilst the second bridge was for access from the farm to the farmland south of the railway. Curzon Park Lodge, now The Lodge, which controlled access to the estate via a gated barrier across Deva Crescent must also have been built at this time. The original footbridge across The Dingle was “a pretty little suspension bridge”.

The Dingle Footbridge c.1900

Subsequent development of Curzon Park was slow. The 1873 OS map shows only two buildings on Park Road, now called Curzon Park South, and no further houses on Deva Crescent. By 1900 only two more houses had been built on Deva Crescent and 12 more in Park Road which then only extended westwards as far as The Gables, the present day Convent. Construction of further houses beyond 35 Park Road did not occur until after the Second World War.

Development on the north side of Hough Green was more rapid. The land was owned by the City Corporation which started selling plots in 1853 and by 1861 the

Page 18 census records that nos. 2 – 62 were built and occupied. In 1879 a horse drawn tram service from Saltney Station to Chester Station opened. It was electrified in 1903.

By 1912 it was clear that the demand for exclusive property in Chester was smaller than the supply on offer. Consequently, Curzon advertised the sale of the remaining 72 acres of Curzon Park together with the sale of the freeholds of existing properties. At this time Chester Golf Club, which had been formed in 1901 on land at the Bache, was looking for a new course and acquired the land that it now occupies north of the railway. More of the club‟s history is recorded in the club‟s Centenary published in 2001. The sale of the rest of Curzon Park land was not successful. The “Liverpool Post” of 29 September 1919 announced that a syndicate had purchased 50 acres of Curzon Park for industrial development! The syndicate had obviously not realised that among the residents of Curzon Park there were a number of councillors and former Mayors. Although no planning policy existed beforehand, the Council hastily adopted one which restricted development to residential use only. As a result the syndicate sued the Council for damages and put their holding back on the market.

In 1921 a syndicate of prominent residents invited others to invest in a company to buy the undeveloped acres of Curzon Park to protect it from undesirable development. They proposed to divide the area into housing plots and produced a draft layout which included a railway station on Earlsway which would, of course, been attractive to commuters. The idea did not prosper.

The City Council had earlier been interested in developing public housing on the site with the aid of government mortgages but the government had to withdraw the offer due, no doubt, to national economic circumstances. However, in 1925 the Council purchased 52 acres and drew up a plan.

Between 1925 and 1939 several different developers built groups of houses on the western end of the estate. During the Second World War land on the north side of Curzon Park South was used for allotments. The land which is now The Paddock was reported to be a rough field with tennis courts and a pavilion. Some houses were taken over and used as billets or military offices. Curzon Park South was completed after the war with the development of The Paddock, The Serpentine and Westfield Close. In more recent times several of the larger houses have been divided or converted into apartments. The Victorian phase of the estate is now a conservation area and the broad tree lined verges are a significant feature. Some of the trees are reaching maturity. It is to be hoped that efforts will be made to conserve them and retain the attractive nature of the estate.

Page 19 Curzon Park from the South c. 1930. Clive Howard

If anybody has any further information about the estate Clive would like to hear from them. Contact him on 01244 676635 or by email [email protected].

Lionel Munby - a man of the landscape

Described as a „local history giant,‟ Lionel Munby died earlier this year, aged 90. Amongst his most well known publications were The Hertfordshire Landscape (1977) and Reading Tudor and Stuart Handwriting (with A. Crosby and S. Hobbs, 2002).

Born in Leeds, Lionel studied at Hertford College where he obtained a first in modern history in 1939. Following the war he was appointed to teach at the University of Cambridge‟s Board of Extra-Mural Studies. Lionel encouraged his students to become actively involved in their learning: reading documents, deciphering old handwriting, studying maps and walking fields. He wanted them to explore and discover for themselves the local history of their own communities. In addition to numerous publications, Lionel founded the Hertfordshire Record Society and was editor of The Amateur Historian, later renamed The Local Historian. He was also involved in the British Association for Local History.

Page 20 Can you help?

Peter Boughton at the Grosvenor Museum is currently researching the work of George Cuitt. He has contacted CSLH to ask if we can help him identify the location of the engraving shown below. Entitled „Mill near Chester‟ (c.1816) Peter thinks that the water mill may have been located on the River Gowy. Although the church tower in the top right of the engraving might be a clue to the mill‟s location, Peter suspects that the tower may be „seriously misleading‟.

If you have any ideas please get in touch with the editor.

Page 21 South-west Cheshire - Landscape Continuity1

South-west Cheshire‟s settlement pattern has remained largely unchanged since the mid-eighteenth century. The area is bounded on the west by the River Dee, the Peckforton Hills (Mid Cheshire Ridge) to the east and south, the Wych Brook to the south and the A534 from Broxton to Farndon on the north. It remains, as does much of Cheshire, a patchwork landscape of dispersed villages and dwellings within a rural setting, albeit one with a growing commuter base. How was the area‟s landscape continuity preserved for so long?

The ancient parishes and 34 townships (now civil parishes) of south-west Cheshire

The main characteristic in the area‟s landscape pattern has been the preservation of agricultural land from the effects of building. This started with the major eighteenth and nineteenth century landowners, was continued by twentieth century planning laws and continues today in both planning and conservation decisions. We can look at how the landowners and subsequently planners largely preserved south-west Cheshire‟s landscape.

The area was dominated by large landowners until the early twentieth-century. The major landowners affected building development through their influence on transport infrastructure, the consolidation of land during the eighteenth and

Page 22 Page 23 nineteenth centuries and the sale of land during the early-twentieth century.

Landowners influenced the development of settlements through their reactions to the location of the transport infrastructure; turnpike roads, the canal, the railway and modern main roads. They decided which eighteenth-century minor roads should be turnpiked. The placing of turnpikes, mainly, but not entirely around the perimeters of the area, benefited some settlements such as Malpas, Cuddington and , but isolated others such as Tilston and Edge, even though a few minor roads acted as popular through routes. When a canal was proposed, local landowners joined with other Cheshire landowners to decide its route. Two central routes through south-west Cheshire were rejected because of potential financial and physical difficulties and, apparently, objections from local landowners. The canal (now the Llangollen Canal) subsequently traversed only a small part of the area‟s south-eastern corner. It only affected its nearest settlement of Tushingham and helped to stimulate its growth. Several major landowners, in particular Thomas Tyrwhitt Drake of Malpas, objected to the proposed route of the railway through the western side of the area. Although some farmers would have benefitted, Drake was concerned it would adversely affect his agricultural land. Therefore the railway was routed through Malpas. It had little effect on most settlements in the area and only limited effect on the station towns of Broxton and Malpas (Hampton Heath). Under use of the railway eventually led to its closure in the mid-twentieth century, thus slowing the growth of those settlements close to it. During the late- nineteenth and early-twentieth century, only three of South-west Cheshire‟s roads on the area‟s borders were designated as main roads which encouraged motor traffic to speed through or around the area rather than stop in it. Local landowners‟ objections to transport innovation therefore stunted the type of development often associated with new transport infrastructure which meant that landscape patterns were largely undisturbed. Only later in the twentieth century did the increased use of private cars make isolated settlements such as Edge accessible without relying on the area‟s limited public transport.

The acquisition and sale of land was a further way in which the area‟s major landowners helped to preserve the area‟s landscape patterns. During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries landowners attempted to consolidate their estates through land purchase and piecemeal enclosure and the resulting land was generally used for agricultural purposes with little building taking place. Parliamentary enclosure, which took place in the Bickerton Hills, Cuddington and Larkton, similarly had little impact upon settlement development, as the newly enclosed land was predominantly agricultural. The acquisition of land by larger landowners led to the stultification of settlement growth in townships under landowner control. Expansion was thus limited to larger settlements in townships such as Malpas, Farndon and Tilston that were generally freer from landowner control. When financial problems caused the sale of the large estates in the early twentieth century

Page 23 the land was mainly sold as working farms. This encouraged the growth of small farmers but provided only limited building opportunities.

The waning powers of major landowners and the gradual increase in small owners of individual house plots led to some limited building growth. However, building tended to take place in townships with already established settlements, such as Farndon, Malpas and Hampton, as it was still considered important to preserve agricultural land as much as possible as the area‟s major industry. However, improved transport facilities and more diverse work opportunities led to the start of a growth in commuter housing towards the end of the nineteenth century and early twentieth century.

During the second half of the twentieth century control over land use moved out of the hands of major landowners to local government planning authorities and it was they who exercised increasing control over landscape patterns. W. Chapman‟s A Plan for Cheshire set the tone for post-war rural development2. The increased counter urbanisation trend after World War Two contributed to some settlement development, but this was mainly in townships with already expanding settlements permitted by planners such as Farndon, Broxton, Malpas and Tilston or smaller settlements such as Macefen and Clutton. These locations were specifically chosen by planners because of fortuitous proximity to certain amenities considered necessary to a viable settlement. A few additional individual houses or small nucleated groups appeared but generally the dispersed settlement pattern of small nucleations and isolated farmhouses persisted. Settlements that prospered were the larger ones that had already proved themselves sustainable. Their viability in the nineteenth century, partly due to the presence of a pub, had attracted bus stops, shops, schools and churches or chapels and this had persuaded twentieth-century planners to select them as part of contemporary schemes to develop larger settlements.

From the 1970s limited expansion was permitted by local planning authorities but again this was concentrated in selected already expanding settlements as well as smaller settlements with a viable commuter base such as Bell O‟Th Hill, Shocklach and Edge Green. This, coupled with the introduction of conservation and environmental legislation, continued the bias towards preserving the existing landownership patterns.

By the late-twentieth century landownership no longer came with the right to develop land as the owner wished; permission had to be sought from local authorities or the government. Building, when permitted, had to conform to type and was preferably infilling within specified settlement boundaries of which Tilston is a good example. As most of the land in the area was agricultural, the scope for building outside settlement limits defined by planners, unless strictly for

Page 24 Page 25 agricultural need, was limited.

The major landowners‟ preference for selling agricultural land as viable farms rather than building land meant that with the arrival of twentieth-century planning laws dedicated to preserving agricultural land the eighteenth- and nineteenth- century landownership patterns were largely preserved. The major landowners had therefore indirectly determined twentieth-century landownership patterns through the placing of transport infrastructure and directly by their control over the land.

Present day settlements in south-west Cheshire show the effects of permitted growth. A few eighteenth- and pre-eighteenth-century buildings exist in settlements throughout the area but their number is not as great as might appear by a visit to Malpas or Shocklach. There has been an increase in modern building to cater mainly for incomers who live in the area but work elsewhere. However, although building has been allowed in a number of settlements within the constraints of planning regulations, conservation and environmental laws, it is the original larger settlements in the townships such as Malpas, Broxton, Farndon and Tilston that have seen the most twentieth-century growth and continue to do so in the twenty-first century. However, the former market town of Malpas, as the central place and largest settlement, is the only settlement in south-west Cheshire to have a full range of basic amenities. (Even Farndon, the next largest town in the area has few amenities compared to Malpas.) Eighteenth- and nineteenth-century landownership patterns are preserved in the outlines of modern estates and transport routes. This is particularly evident in Malpas, Tilston and Shocklach where the several modern estates have been built within and are shaped by the boundaries of eighteenth and nineteenth century fields.

Together, landowners and planners, keen to preserve agricultural land, have preserved the area‟s landscape continuity in spite of limited building. However, south-west Cheshire is becoming more popular as a commuter base and modern housing continues to be built within planning limits, although these are being stretched. Whether south-west Cheshire will maintain its characteristic dispersed settlement pattern within its agricultural landscape is debateable. Like other areas of the country it faces the problem of how to provide acceptable housing in adequate numbers for both local people and incomers.

Polly Bird

References 1 This article is based on P. Bird, “Landownership and Settlement Change in south- west Cheshire from 1750 to 2000” (University of Liverpool, PhD, 2007). 2 W.D. Chapman, A Plan for Cheshire (Chester, 1946).

Page 25 Field Visit Reports

Discovering Medieval Wrexham (Sunday 19th April 2009)

About 40 members met in Wrexham on a beautiful April morning and Ray began by describing the physical setting of the town on lumpy gravel beds in what had once been the delta of streams that carried away melt water from the Welsh hills at the end of the last glaciation.

Records really began around 1200 when the River Gwenfro, now culverted and rather insignificant, formed the administrative boundary between two townships in Wrexham, each surviving until the end of the 17th century and each, at one time, having their own church. The centre of Wrexham suffered badly during the construction of the railways and has fared little better from modern development. It needed an excellent leader like Ray to tease out traces of older settlement. Probably the best view was gained from Madeira Hill where we could look across the Gwenfro valley to the glorious parish church and speculate on the location of the motte - was it under the church or on a hill that had been quarried away to build a railway embankment? We climbed through narrow streets by Temple Row (noting signs of burgage plots) into the churchyard where, in the shadow of one of the most magnificent church towers anywhere (but who paid for its construction?), lies the tomb of Elihu Yale of university fame. A replica of the tower of St. Giles has been built at Yale University to emphasise the connection. We saw crook, thatch and timber buildings that had somehow managed to escape development and then drove to Park where we wandered through woodland that was just coming into leaf, over spring flowers in abundance until we reached a bailey and a motte occupying a spur of land with splendid views across the valley into Wales. What a lovely

Page 26 way to spend a Sunday - it was like being in a picture on a chocolate box lid and things don‟t get much better than that! Mike Taylor

A “Moss” Visit (Saturday 9th May 2009)

Our second visit was to the Fenn‟s, Whixall and Mosses straddling the Shropshire/Welsh Border, part of which are a National Nature Reserve and S.S.S.I., managed by English Nature.

Assembling at the Manor House HQ, we had a brief talk by our leader, Dr Joan Daniels, about the history of the area. Scoured by glaciers, then flooded by melt water, the area has slowly filled with peat (pickled vegetation pH3) forming different layers depending on the climate, deposited on Keuper Marl base with sands, gravel and till from about 200 million years ago. The rare raised peat domes „fix‟ carbon - so peat cutting-----! Prehistoric man and animals were here – woolly mammoth remains, a Bronze Age axe head and three bog bodies! A Roman coin has also been found.

The first recorded turbary, or right to cut peat, dates to 1572, but this practice was probably carried out earlier. An inclosure decree of 1710 was followed by parliamentary enclosure in 1777 and 1779 when the landscape was defined with ditches and tracks. The principal beneficiary was Sir William Hanmer. Peat was only to be cut for the owner‟s use, which could include the construction of a cottage.

In 1851 all this changed. A lease was given by the Hanmer family for 308 acres for a peat works, the peat being superior to Irish Peat. The early 19th century had seen the building of the Shropshire Union Canal from Ellesmere to Whitchurch across the southern edge of the mosses, and during the mid-19th century the railway was built across the northern edge, making the transport of peat practical. A 2ft tram road (horse drawn trucks) was built linking the works to both canal and railway and commercial cutting began – leading to 6 peat works, some of which

Page 26 Page 27 continued until the late 1980s.

Evidence of all this was seen in a fascinating walk, together with the natural habitat of raised mires, mosses, heathers, cotton sedge, cranberries, cowberries, bog rosemary and accompanying birds, mammals, amphibians, reptiles and insects. We have previously seen many types of dragonflies here and even an adder. The site is now being managed to restore the mosses as a growing mire, including the removal of birch and many other saplings. If you haven‟t visited these mosses, DO! Katy Percival

Llanwrst and Gwydir Chapel (Saturday 30th May 2009)

On the sunniest day of the year so far about thirty members met in Lanwrst ten miles up the spectacular Conway valley where the river is crossed by the narrow steeply arched bridge of 1636. We had come to take a guided tour of this small unspoiled town led by the enthusiastic and knowledgeable local guide and historian James Berry. Below the bridge sunbathing crowds disported themselves on the grassy riverbanks. Hubbard1, Pevsner's successor for Denbighshire, concedes generously that stories of the bridge being designed by Inigo Jones are "less wildly impossible" than other such attributions. He is, however, politely sceptical.

Gathered in Ancaster Square in the town centre we learned of the medieval origins of this once fortified market town. Control of the place in early times passed to and fro between the Welsh princes of the day and their Anglo-Norman opponents as they vied for power. Later the Wars of the Roses found Llanwrst on the wrong side and much damage was done. As with many such places the later Georgian period frontages hide internal timber structures of much greater age.

Short, straight and narrow, Church Street leads off Ancaster Square past a fine row of almshouses complete with a Sexton's cottage erected by Sir John Wynn c.1612. Under a tall archway one enters the well tended churchyard of the parish church of St Grwst. The latter is said to have established a church here in the 6th century. The present structure, pleasing to the eye and close to the river bank, is much later. The 12th century stone structure was badly damaged in the Wars of the Roses in 1468 and rebuilt two years later. Originally consisting of one single chamber, the nave and chancel are divided by an outstandingly fine and very rare carved rood screen with a musician‟s loft of about 1500. Sadly 'Health and Safety' killjoys forbid access to this loft.

Annexed to the church and with numerous curious contents is Gwydir Chapel built in 1633 by Richard Wynn of Gwydir. The Wynns it should be said have had great influence in this area and his pedigree is recorded with pride, and at perhaps

Page 28 excessive length, on a marble tablet. A stone coffin is said to be that of Llywelyn the Great (1194 -1240). Monuments to Sir John Wynn (1627) and his wife Sydney (yes, Sydney) compete for attention with Hywell Coetmor's knightly effigy (c.1440). Coetmor commanded longbowmen for the Black prince at the battle of Poitiers in 1356 and was the first recorded Gwydir Chapel owner of Gwydir Castle on the opposite side of the Conway. Now a hotel, the Castle is a fine Tudor house with many historical connections; its panelling was bought by Randolf Hearst in 1921 but this has recently been returned! Emerging into the sun we viewed the remains of a wooden pump mechanism found in the well of a former stable yard - a reminder of life before 'Welsh Water' and piped supplies and dependence on horses.

The fit and strong (observed by those in cars!) now marched in hot sun over the hump backed Conway bridge and up the valley side by a steep footpath to view the place where in 1604 Sir Richard Wynn built a summerhouse - a large stone building now much reduced in size. In 1673 a private Anglican Chapel was added close by for family use and still stands in good condition. Sadly no worship is allowed by the current owner. The fit and the strong now marched back down and over the bridge to join the car-borne for tea and cakes in a cafe in Ancaster Square, whose proprietors were quick to offer a cut price deal to a large party of tourists like us. They certainly could sell umbrellas in Ffestiniog!

Page 28 Page 29

A very pleasurable visit enjoyed by everyone in ideal weather. Do drive up the Conway and visit Llanwrst if you have never been there.

1 E. Hubbard, The Buildings of Wales: Clwyd (Penguin, University of Wales Press, 1986). Monty Cordwell

Bridgnorth (Saturday 20 June 2009)

Our first field trip with the Society to Bridgnorth was so memorable. Maria and I were given a warm welcome and immediately made to feel part of the group. Graeme‟s encyclopaedic knowledge of Bridgnorth and its environs, combined with his engaging manner brought its history to life. Bridgnorth, on the banks of the River Severn, dates back to Saxon times and is a delightful town on two distinct levels. The Low Town (known as Bassa Villa in the medieval period) was very much the industrial area in earlier times. We began our tour, walking along the river bank and after crossing the bridge, we ascended to High Town by the unique Cliff Railway. That was an exciting experience! High Town was the more desirable and fashionable part in which to live. We were taken to Thomas Telford‟s “new” church of St Mary Magdalene. Behind the church is the ruined castle, originally dating from before the Conquest, but rebuilt at different times – its alarmingly leaning tower being a result of Civil War destruction. Royalist Bridgnorth suffered very much during the Civil War, having been besieged by the Parliamentarians. Colonel Lavington initiated the excavation of a tunnel from the sandstone caves, beneath St Mary‟s Church and the Castle with the idea of blowing up the Royalist‟s store of gunpowder in the church. However, the town surrendered before the tunnel could be completed. Interestingly the sandstone caves were inhabited as recently as the 1850s.

Page 30 The fine mid 17th century Governor‟s house in East Castle Street stands amidst well built Georgian houses. In the High Street we were once again in the hurly burly of a typical Saturday market day. A “new” Italianate style market hall had been built, but never gained favour over the much older building for that purpose. This is still in use today with only the clothes and speech identifying the more modern shoppers from those of their forebears. The medieval St Leonard‟s church is resplendent in its close surrounded by disparate fine buildings. Bridgnorth, because of its geography, has a number of fascinating stone stairways which merit exploration. Cartway takes one down in to Low Town via a series of medieval, Tudor and later houses, shops Castle Keep and inns.

After a good lunch we travelled the short distance to the villages of Quatford and Quatt. Quatford had been the original river crossing before the later Brug (Bridge), later named Bridgnorth. The Norman church retains some original features and the nearby motte is in an ideal defensive position in a curve of the river. Quatt is an estate village – the later Georgian buildings have largely replaced the medieval ones. To my complete surprise, on looking at the list of Rectors, I espied a possible ancestor, a Richard Dovey from 1771. On the way out of the church I was in for an even greater surprise when I noticed a board of benefactors and a Thomas Dovey had left a bequest for the poor in 1601. Further research is needed there, but “my” Dovey ancestors came from Bridgnorth and the Quatford Church

Page 30 Page 31 surrounding small area. This was a definite bonus in addition to an already splendid field visit.

Beverley Webber

Aspects of the north Shropshire landscape or the confessions of a hill fort enthusiast (Saturday 11th July 2009)

I have wanted to visit The Berth for a long time. Any hill fort enthusiast would. It is an unusual hill fort situated on low marshy ground by a lake; it might be more correctly called a valley fort. Possible site of Pengwern, legendary residence of Cynddylan Prince of Powys and thought by some to be associated with King The Berth Arthur. This was a great opportunity to visit The Berth which is on private land and it didn‟t disappoint.

Other places visited were Stanwardine Hall and Baschurch church. Stanwardine Hall is a 16th century manor house and has a long and complicated history. The owners showed us around what must have been almost every room in the house and provided an excellent afternoon tea. I can now appreciate what it must cost to maintain a 500 year old building.

Stanwardine Hall

Page 32 The visit concluded with a walk around Baschurch and Newtown to view several historic buildings. Thanks are due to Sharon Varey and Mike Taylor for organising and leading the visit.

Alan Austin

Cheshire / Staffordshire border (Saturday 1st August 2009)

Unfortunately the weather was awful for our final trip of the year, but to everyone's credit, no-one cried off and no-one went home early (although two got lost in the mist and rain)! The church at Rushton Spencer is a gem - built on a timber frame with a rear gallery where bored kids carved their names in the benches - in the 1700s! The village sits in the bottom of the valley next to the road while the church/churchyard are marooned on the top of the hill overlooking it. Then to a Methodist 'box', very light and airy built by quarry- workers in ten weeks as part of the great Methodist bush-fire that raged around Mow Cop. Finally before lunch, we visited the Bridestones, part of the stone skeleton of a Neolithic long chambered burial barrow. Although many stones have since been taken away the remains are still impressive. The view from Rushton Spencer Church

Page 32 Page 33 After a pub lunch to dry out and refuel, we traversed Biddulph Moor in the rain and mist (very Hitchcock) to the first reservoir to be built in Britain in modern times - Knypersley Reservoir from which issues the River Trent. Nearly all the group insisted on walking right round the reservoir despite the weather and it was well worth it - a lovely piece of landscape. Thanks to Jennifer and Mike Kennerley for an excellent day out.

Mike Taylor

Editor‟s Comment: apologies to Ruth and Julian but unfortunately we had to go to press before their account of the trip reached us.

Society Snippets

Last year the Society supported a nomination for one of our former members, Rhys Williams, to receive an Honorary Masters Degree from the University of Chester. Rhys received this at a graduation ceremony in the Cathedral last November.

Many members will own a copy of his publication West Cheshire from the Air (Chester City Council, 1997). Rhys is now retired but held a number of positions during his career and has spoken to the Society.

We have recently learnt that the University has now introduced a Rhys Williams book prize for the best Archaeology student. This was awarded for the first time recently.

Page 34 Summer Barbecue

A CSLH field trip is a good way to work up an appetite and Ray‟s morning visit to Chirk to explore the church, motte and nearby aqueduct was no exception. Extensively remodelled in the sixteenth century, the twin aisled church of St. Mary Magdalene proved worthy of exploration. Traces of an earlier building on the site were revealed through the presence of a former doorway and window on the south side. The 11th century motte lay just to the south west of the church in the garden of The Mount, an impressive eighteenth century dwelling. Covered in shrubbery, and relatively hidden from the modern world, Chirk motte encapsulated the real essence of exploring semi forgotten landscapes. Although overgrown and less than 6 metres high, it was easy to see how Castell-y-waun could have controlled the local landscape. En-route back to our cars, we stopped to admire the feats of eighteenth and nineteenth century engineers. Telford and Jessop‟s aqueduct, opened in 1801, which carried the Ellesmere Canal across the Ceiriog Valley and Robertson‟s viaduct which was built alongside for the Chester-Shrewsbury railway c.1846-8.

By the time we reached our barbecue venue the sun was shining. With a decked patio, glorious views of the surrounding countryside and picnic tables dotted throughout the gardens, we all agreed this was a great location. Varied and plentiful, the barbecue proved a great success with many returning for seconds! Good food and company en sur ed th at an enjoyable time was had by all. Sharon Varey

Page 34 Page 35 Dates For Your Diary

Heritage Open Days

10th - 13th September 2009 (various locations) A celebration of architecture, history and culture. More details are available from www.heritageopendayschester.co.uk

Cheshire History Day

31st October 2009 at Northwich Memorial Hall Title: Cheshire‟s Working Rivers More details from Cheshire Local History Association www.cheshirehistory.org.uk Come and visit our stand. If you would like to help out on the day please let the editor know.

Editor’s Corner

I hope you have enjoyed reading this longest ever edition of our newsletter. As you can see the editor‟s corner is shrinking as the number of contributions increases. I am delighted that so many people have written articles. Please note that the deadline for any contributions for the next newsletter is 30th November 2009.

Alongside this newsletter you should have received a poster advertising our Autumn lectures. Please display this if you can as our posters have proved very effective in increasing attendance at lectures and in recruiting new members.

Editor: Sharon Varey, Meadow Brook, 49 Peel Crescent, Ashton Hayes, Cheshire, CH3 8DA Email: [email protected] Web: www.chesterlandscapehistory.org.uk

© Chester Society for Landscape History, 2009

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