Island Cottage

A Memory of Acton Bridge.

My nanna and grandad Noden lived at Island Cottage. Grandad was a bridgekeeper along with Jack Powell and Syd Bebbington at Acton swing bridge from 1945-1960. There was an enormous flood in 1946 when my grandparents were the first to be rescued. The water rose over 12and a half feet.  A Bulldog Drummond film had its location at Acton Bridge when his car was supposed to go into the river and he had to be rescued.  My grandad was standing by with his rowing boat. During the 1950s the River Weaver was a very important waterway and some very big boats went up and down to I.C.I Winnington. Once when the lock gates further downstream got stuck all the water drained out of the the river and all the boats were stranded in the mud. Also the swing bridge got stuck one day and all the traffic had to be re-routed via Winnington Bridge at Northwich.  I used to live at Field Cottage in Acton Bridge, and was a minshall before I married.

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