Haslington, Cheshire

Harmel House, High Street, Haslington. and Castleigh House

I am researching my Sims-Hilditch family tree. Does anyone remember Edwin Sims Hilditch at Castleigh, Haslington around 1931? And at Harmel House, High Street, Haslington around 1946? Are they on the Frith photos?

Edwin's and Ada's (nee Knott) son Tom Sims Hilditch's name appears on the Haslington war memorial. I believe his boat was torpedoed in 1941 - can anyone tell me more?

Haslington village Post Office

My Grandparents ran the post office in Haslington for many years (not sure how many exactly). Their names were Harry and Connie Jones, they built the business up from nothing and delivered newspapers, ran the post office and made their own ice cream which my mum always said people came from miles to buy. They were always up at 5 o'clock in the morning sorting out the newspapers and delivering them as well as running the post office.  They had three children, Nancy, Bob and Dorothy, they were all brought up in the village and helped in the shop, and knew everyone in the village with living at the Post Office. Of course the village was a lot smaller then. Across the road from the Post Office, on the corner, was a Smithy, where I can remember horses being shod and the sound of the anvil as they put the shoes on the horses.

Congleton Town and City Memories

The sham castle on Mow Cop is clearly visible from much of Congleton.

Congleton Town and City Memories

The photographer was looking eastwards from the entrance. At this time, all but the uppermost section of the east window had clear glass. Stained glass was introduced later in 1922. Although not discernible in this picture (perhaps because of the glare from the windows), there are two oil paintings by Edward Penny on either side of the window, which were painted in 1748. They depict St Paul and St Peter.

Congleton Town and City Memories

Later photographs from the 1950s show no change to the building apart from the addition of a hanging sign at the front, and the replacement of the gas lamp-post with an electric, concrete one. This scene looks practically the same today. Smaller timber-framed buildings can be seen in Lawton Street, Moody Street and Little Street. Others exist but are hidden by later frontages. A few more survive in the surrounding countryside, and a couple of miles along the Manchester Road is the timber-framed Marton Church, one of the earliest and most complete examples in the country.