Neston

This lovely old building stands in Leighton Road, close to its junction with Wood Lane. There are records of millers in Neston dating back to 1672, and the Mostyn Estate map of 1814 indicates two windmills in the area, but one was demolished in 1822 following severe storm damage. The sails of the mill last turned towards the end of the 1880s, but from 1975 to 1990 it had a new lease of life when it became home to a glass engraving business. It has since been renovated with a new roof and turned into a lovely one-bedroom residence by the owner, Mr Blackburn, who lives in the cottage just visible to the right of the mill.
An extract from from"The Wirral Photographic Memories".

We are looking south-east along Neston’s main shopping street, with the wall of St Mary and St Helen’s church on the immediate right. The road is still rather narrow and congested, but the scene has changed quite considerably in the intervening years, with many of the buildings being demolished, replaced or altered. With the silting up of the River Dee and the decline of Chester as a port in the early 19th century, Neston began to thrive as a market town and coaching station.
An extract from from"The Wirral Photographic Memories".

With so many workers arriving here in the 1800s from Ireland there was a strong Roman Catholic presence and this enormous church was built in the 1870s to serve that congregation. For the first 23 years it was also a collegiate church for Jesuits with, at one time, 32 priests, 22 scholastics and 17 lay brothers.
An extract from from"Widnes and Runcorn Photographic Memories".

There have been several Ditchfield Halls near here. In the 1500s and 1600s the Dychfield family that lived here were strong Roman Catholics and refused to attend the Protestant services at their local parish church at Farnworth. Instead they built their own chapel but they were still fined for not attending the official church services! The last Ditchfield Hall was demolished in the 1960s.
An extract from from"Widnes and Runcorn Photographic Memories".

It would have been near here that the ferry landed. The first ferry was established in 1178 by the baron who owned Halton Castle on the southern side of the estuary. His estates included lands on the northern side and, apparently, the ferry was set up primarily so his tenants could cross the river more easily in order to pay him their taxes.
An extract from from"Widnes and Runcorn Photographic Memories".