Pickering Bridge

A Memory of Thelwall.

If you took the right turn at Bell Cottage and then right again on the main road then a left up a cinder track you came to the Bridgewater canal that was in the higher part of the village. It was the acknowledged meeting place for the youth of the village. Pete Guthrie used to come up on his scooter, my brother Hugh also had a Lambretta and the dirt track there was ideal for showing off. We also used to gather at Sally Owen's house, called Thelwall Lea in Halfacre Lane and so did the Arnotts, who owned the big house behind the Lea. I remember our sports master from Lymm Grammar bought "The Lodge" in Halfacre Lane only to find that he had bought the lodge of one of his pupil's homes! Can't remember his name but he played rugby for Warrington after moving from Wales. Where are you all now, Chris Spencer, Sally Owen, Pete Guthrie, Johnny Holmes (All England junior shot put champion), Brian Lawrence, Kathryn Hilton et al?
We always preferred to walk in 2s and 3s when going past Bell Cottage due to its history of haunting (good excuse for clinging on to an escort). There was an old tree on the unseen other side of the road that was allegedly the scene of a hanging. The old Thelwall Hall has gone now and Billy Howard built a big estate on the grounds. The Cottage Hotel was still there last time I visited - 2009 - but I never managed to check on the ferry that used to run across the Manchester Ship Canal, rowed by BIll Green who used to get annoyed with us kids using it. He lived in the ferry cottage down Ferry Lane - used to be twopence (old money) return. You could get into Warrington that way.