History Walking Tour June 2017: Difference between revisions

 

The development of the Shropshire Union Canal and of industry along it, followed by the arrival of the railways and the building of Chester General Station, have helped to shape the lives of the people across Boughton and Hoole. This article introduces a selection of the interesting history explored on the tour with Phil Cook, and could be useful to anyone who also wishes to revisit the areas covered.

 

== From the Junction of Hoole Lane and Boughton ==

Arriving at the junction, standing outside the Health Centre, it is hard to imagine it as the open undeveloped land it was in the early 1800s.

 

 

 

[[File:11PRD5 Canal 1920s.jpg|left|thumb|283x283px|''<small>The Shropshire Union Canal at Boughton c.1920s</small>'']]

The construction of the canal during the 1770s, the building of the Leadworks and shot tower in 1800, the arrival of the railways in 1840, followed by construction of the water company’s reservoir, filter beds and water tower, led to this area becoming densely packed with industry and with housing.

In August 2016 local newspapers reported that a second redevelopment plan for the Leadworks and Tower area, designed by Broadway Maylan, award winning architects, had been approved to commence. This followed a serious fire in the tower in December 2015. On completion of the new scheme the base of the shot tower will become a Heritage Interpretation Centre with a focus on the historical elements of the Leadworks site.

 

[[File:11PRD8 Boughton Map 1881.jpg|thumb|373x373px|''<small>Ordnance Survey Map of Cheshire 1881-2 Boughton Sheet (available online)</small>'']]

 

The first meeting of The Chester Ragged School Institution had taken place on the 6th September 1851. Its objective, reported in the Chester Chronicle, was to provide instruction for the children of the poor; those who were prevented, by their circumstances, from all other means of improvement, other than by elementary education and industrial training.

In 1941, during World War 2, it replaced the Air Raid Precautions (ARP), and also included wardens, firemen, the Auxiliary Fire Service (AFS) and the National Fire Service (NFS), fire watchers, rescue, first aid, stretchers and covered industry.

 

Hoole Lane was the well-established route to Guilden Sutton, traditionally known as St. Ann’s Lane. It was informally called Workhouse Lane after the opening of the workhouse in 1878, but this name did not last.

 

Brindley Place has replaced the buildings destroyed in an explosion and fire. The new complex is named after James Brindley, the great canal builder who surveyed the route of the Chester Canal to Nantwich and Middlewich in 1770.

 

 

The small chapel with a spire dates from the early 1880's. It was St. Paul’s mission, linked to the Church and its parish. It is thought that it may have been provided for the use of the travelling population of canal boatmen and their families. The Mission is also the work of John Douglas, now converted into houses, next to the lock keeper’s cottage.

The re-alignment of Station View Road has been considered many times. The bridge over the canal at Hoole Lane was rebuilt in the early 1920s, but any re-alignment would require the widening of the bridge over the railway. Additional land has been purchased for this purpose. The existing bridge is narrow and without footpaths and requires reconstruction. After the Second World War, it was felt that, should the reconstruction be achieved, the road could be connected with Hamilton Street by widening Crawford’s Walk, creating a traffic link between Boughton and Hoole.

 

The brick arch on the canal side of the Westminster Road Bridge dates from the opening of the Chester & Crewe Railway on 1st October 1840, when the Chairman of the Crewe & Chester Railway Company was Jack Uniacke, the Mayor of Chester. The principal contractor on the line was Thomas Brassey. A note in the plans, dated November 1836, requires the road to be raised by 12 feet in order to pass over the railway line. The Act of Parliament which authorised the line was one of the first signed by Queen Victoria, ten days after her accession to the throne on 20th June 1837. Prior to the introduction of railways, it took a couple of days to reach London from Chester in the fastest stagecoaches, but, by 1848, it was possible to reach London by train in six and a half hours.

[[File:11PRD10 Chester Station 1962.jpg|left|thumb|310x310px|''<small>View from Chester General Station 1962 - Water Tower and Westminster Road Bridge over the railway line in the distance</small>'']]

There have been three major fires in the area of Lightfoot Street in living memory. On 8th May 1972 the brakes of a freight train failed, and it ran into Chester Station, carrying kerosene, sulphur oil and petrol. One of the tank wagons exploded and a major fire broke out, leading to the evacuation of properties in Lightfoot Street. Fortunately, the train had been routed into a bay in order to prevent its derailment, which might have led to much worse consequences.

 

 

After crossing the railway bridge towards Hoole, on the east side was the British Rail Staff Association Club, complete with its own miniature steam operated outdoor railway. Railway workers formed a close-knit community, working and socialising together. Anti-social working hours affected the way of life of railway families from the area until the mid- to late- eighties when employment patterns and transport changed significantly with the greater reliance on the car.