Pakgate Society Issue 51 Autumn 1996 Nantsletter The Borough Of 1995-AYearOf Diury Dates Ellesmere Port & Weather Records Neston's Coat Of Arms ur meetings are held at he beginning of the the Parkgate Hotel, year saw above commencing at 8pm average rainfall, twice unless it is stated oth- the monthly norm fell erwise . If you require transporl to in February. With April came the meetings, please ring the Soci- the sunniest month on record. ety Secretary, Angela Clarke, on May and June had cold nights 336 I069. giving 24 hours nofice. following long, hot days. June was the driest since 1975. July Mondav 23rd September Willinmson Art Gallery - an illus- and August were hot, the 2nd of trated talk by the curator, Colin August having the year's Simpson. maximum temperature of 31.1 degrees. August was the Sundav.6th 9.*f,aber. sunniest month ever recorded. 2.30pm. September broke the pattern Mostyn House Schaol. Represented in the Coat Of Arms:- with rain, the 4th was the year's By special request, Geoffrey Place The Port wettest day. October was the will be leading a tour of Mostyn warmest ever and the driest House School. Meet at the Chapel, Industry by entering the grounds via Grenfell Location since 1969. Dry conditions Park. Prosperity remained through to the end of the year, despite a significant Mondav. 21st October. 7.30pm fall of snow on Christmas morning. December was the ANNUAL GE]'{ERAL We will be coldest for 20 years, the year's lowest -8.4 MEETIAIG temperature of celebrating degrees occurring on the 28th. sfof,cn Please corne and support your Soci- the Society's 25th {rrr.^ hless Gcft,lets u,teadtl,l^ ety as we approach our 25th An- Inside This Issue niversary. Anniversary in 1997 Followed at 8 pm by - March and Pase: would like to do Neston 1840 -1940 2 Hilbre Islands - Vicki Seager, war- Round up, Spring Meetings 2 den of the islands be something special will visiting us 3&4 to give an illustrated talk on the na- News&Views Visit of Mrs 5 ture reserve. in its honour. If Fitzherbert Buggenlane 6 you have any good Parkgate 6 Mondav.25th November CPS Manchester Ship Canal 7 & I "Wrral As We Were" - atalkby ideas, please let us Get On Your Bike 9 Glyn Parry. know. The Purkgute Society Il(}rlIIID ]lP or ilErfoilra4(,-r94(D ,PRTilG '{EE[IIYG, Lbr tfuxc of'7rtu w'ho huven't yet hc<tnl (iufJrev'.s "[{urcl Sc,/!"., ln !;ehruary w.e had a rvell-attended meeting rvith Tom ilIiller, Head of A nerv book w'hich vividly describes Neston's recent Planning Services of the Borough history has just bc.en published. Ir is Ne-sron lg40-1e40 edired Council. ile gave a very full and by Ceoffrey Place from the research ten the of members of fascinating look at the Balcony Burton & South Wirral Local tlisrory Societ-v-. l'louse restrlration and revealed nerv The growth Neston of and its surrounding villages, intbrmation about irs history., Mr including Parkgate, Little Neston. Ness, Raby, Thornron t{ough futiller showed us a human side to and Willaston, has been traced neu,spapers fiom and otlicial the planning department. records but, above all, from people's mernories. :!.e The three authors (Susan Chambers, Edrvard I-lilditch Colin lYells. our local RSPB r+'ar- r,it ild Geoffrev Place) have charted many aspects of Neston lifb. r+'as ":'"The den again rt'{f received in races at Parkgate userJ to be so jol,ous that sixty policemen ffi$1lffi. ,llurch updating us on his work on had to be drafted in from Birkenhead. At the mine. the pit t,, the marshes and future plans. ponies were brought up during a coal strike in t92l and ran races a:. at a sports day held to raise funds for miners' childrcn Amongst .lpt'i1sas,a visit b-v- the historian of the fishermen at Parkgate, there rvere serious l'ears that pollu- the Griffin 'frust rvho had ben tion. or the fear ot'it, would destrol. the tradc' in musscls in thc ssnt ct short notice. and rvho gave 1930s. Amongst the churches. rvas the rir.alrt once so intense an extremelv rvell-delivered talk on that a Church of England curate locked rhe churchyard gates t{) the history of Htxrton Park and the frustrate the tuneral of a nonconfbrmrst child. At the T'orvn tJall. lbrmation of thc Grifiin Trust. soldiers just returned tiom the First World War lbrced a pubhc humiliation on some men u.ho had clodged rnilitan' senice. \\'u' ha.l a !en' disappointing Therie and many other gems ol'infbrmation make rhis book a turn-out tlrr the itlarsh Clearance must for anybodf interested rn Ncston aniJ its surrounding arca. in .-!pril. 'Ihe Willaston Venture Scout Unit saved the da1'and did a conrmendable job. There iras no- j:,+.1..',,. ticeahll' less debris than in previous ,*'X... vcars. rvhich is probably due to thc ,n, i action of clearance over time and . .,1.--J-, , ."4i".-. .'- 'r thc l3orough regular litter ;1'': ' Council's .1,-:. .. ',:+-ri-.rJ :i. ,r.r1:.-r.i1.i\11,.;: _ .: ir., I,ET." pick" fbr nhich 1r'e are terygrateful. _:_- -. .j. .,.i:t,:.j 1i/i{:{q ; . .,: ,.,-li, Y )ilr':'r'" | !a:' Clive Edwards' knorvledge of the The book has 120 illustrations. 1{;;4"' nearlv all olthern previousll' jazz mtx'ement's development tra-s :,unpublished, anct a cover designed ,-r.$ffit, hl David Scott. T'he group ama:zing al our talk in ,t/ari Those been ffi--'has able to keep the cost ot'publication dorvn because one of us rvho haven't followed jazz t|.r"*. David lr{orris, jilff,;:g: ha-s done all rhc rypesening on his nsver knerv there was so much to it! rt";g0oITIDUter- *'.]#'Ji.".i*Neston 1840-19.10. place, Edited by Ceoflte-1,, cosrs Geoffre;* Place led a series of ivalks throughout .irnq with the Ohilsifu;*"t I Blackeys Lane. Ncsron. South Wirral L6-t 9XA numben attending grorving as his lirme spread. This led to a fburtt iralk heing added" l'ug,a ) *ai :t' !, :,i- The P*rkgute Society \ ftlEtil, /ililID UIEtfff Contrihutert bjt Geatfrel, Plsce The Future of St. Tltonttrs' Tlre Donkejt Stunel You mal- hsve rcad in the Some readers lverr: rtispi*ased that rve puhlished . rn our papsr$ that Neston Rnund 'l'able last Nervsletter. rvhieh "Sue .lonss' article expressed th* pcint of' h*ld * r,ompctition ;rrnong local vierv ol'' those r,vho r.vish to see the building demolish*ri {}ne schncls and 3'outh groups to sug* rnemher read it rvith "dismar, and misgir,ings'' ancl accused its gest prniec{s which rvould improve argument of heing "distor{ed". And it h*.s to tre safd that Su* ths local scen*. 'l"he winntng idea. .lones clrose t* isnore (and elseivh*re t* belititei the linglish e*rning a priz"* frlr Parkgate Pri- l{eritage report rvhich ;:>aints a }"}"lore optimrstrc prcturc Y*t, r)r&rv Schr:al" came Iom .losie fiom our *xp*rienc* *ith lJalctrrry House. rvhicli r,l,as saved aller ilickinson" then *gccl ten, rvho an Lhgiish l{r:ritage report corrected the tatalll damnrng repo( suggested a .lisplay l-roard lirr the of allegedlv independent survsy.ors- lve have learned that sur- Llonkey- $ttrnd that could expiain rrevs rnust he treated r.r'ith caulion. rvhat Parkgatc rvas all ahout" The RoLrnd 'l'able's chairman, Davfd [{o*'ever. it r,vill dtr nqr go*d to look l.rackrv*rds *r cn. Munro^ th*n asked the Parkgate over spilt milk" Wc hehev* the u,av fortvard is t* encouragc the Sr,lciet-v rvhether such a plan rvas 'l"hornas' vierv that St. can have a usrlful future and to explore acceptahle and- il'' so. irt '*vlrat lbmr" r+avs of nchieving this. I'lris Societt, has startecl discussinris rvhich are likelr,- to rontinue tiir some consideral:l* tirne" If it is Some Years ngo we had possible to find agreement {or a programrte of repair $nd *x- ciis*usscd the possihility of a tension" the recent firrmatitrn iif thi: Piirkgate Prcsela{ion'l'rust. "riu*finder'q,tn the Donkey Stand descrihecl trel*iv, n1a\i prfivt: to be ol invalualile h*lp. - a prlaque to explain what yor"r are Iooking at and perlraps a telescope. It nrav he h*lpliri to sel. out the case Inr refaining tht: llul nr: lirurnce rvas then tbrth- huilding, fcr rvhatever us*. It is al'histori*al interest as a I.rsted c*ming and th* idea nas dropped" 'l'able []uilding, anrJ most penple agrec that it looks attractive. ]:]ut it lrlorv that rhe l{*und is gen- also ltrntts part af a groilp of old and inlercsting huildings - the *rously offcring funds icr a siririlar school, Coastgr"rard Certtages, N,4ostvn Cottagc" []r:*ckleigh and idea. \\,'e were very pieased to the rvalls ol' School l.*nr: - ali at the heart *J' the l]arkgate suggest. ilot a notice bcard, but an Consen,ation Arsa. and the Ioiis *f"an)"rine rvould dir"r.rinish th* int*rpretative panel of the tvpe ol: group. T'he Point is made ruell Lrv the follorving exr-.erpt ltorn the tcn ;rlae:cd at ancicnt nronuntents" "'Con F:ngl ish l k-ritagr [.e*ilct. sen atiiln A rsa P mctice" : David h,lunru and fieotTrey Place lr*ve bsen discussing wurvs and I Iistorrc areas ol'drstinctive chilractcr harr' ;r stronq scnse meilns rviih the Sornugh iingineer of"place, and [:l' suggesting cantinuif 5, and srairi]itr: provide tAndrert .Iackman), Colin Wells of points of rel*:rence in a changing u.orld: the-r, represent the rhe [iS]il3 and trvo msmh*rs ol'the familiar and cherished local $L'enc.