A day out on Witton Street …… history … shops … and some pictures

 It wasn’t planned, but in the space of a few days we visited Northwich twice.

"Records, books & collectible items", 2023

The quest was for a new tennis racket and while Tina went shopping, I went wandering along Witton Street, and in the process clocked the former cinema, the old Post Office, and a heap of shops.

Many of which have made their way onto the blog and as you do, I decided to bring them back again together offering up a melody half timbered buildings, drinking places, shops waiting to happen and the odd charity outlet.

And that is about it.

Ghosts signs, 2023

Plaza Cinema, 2023

Love and St Wilfred's, 2023

The Penny Black, 2023

Location; Witton Street

Witton Street, 2023

Pictures; history … shops … and some pictures, 2023, from the collection of Andrew Simpson

A pint …… four stamps ……… and an option on a telegram please

There are many ways of saving a redundant public building.

Now I don’t share the politics of the owner of Wetherspoons, but I must acknowledge the company has saved more than a few iconic buildings which otherwise would have been demolished for a heap of town houses, or apartments.

But it has survived.

The blue plaque which sits beside the main entrance, tells me that it was designed by H.M. Office of Works in 1914 and is a listed Grade ll building.

 

I have yet to find out when it closed, but I know that before it was built the Post Office was on the opposite  side of Witton Street.

I do know that it was "A timber-framed building designed to be lifted up in the event of subsidence. It has recessed plaster panels, and a tiled roof. The building is in three storeys plus an attic. Its architectural style is Elizabethan with ornate decoration. Above the entrance is an oriel window"*

To which I can add that "It was built between 1914-19, as the town’s main post office.  Although the building was finished in 1915 it was not opened and used because of the First World War taking place.  Instead it was left closed until 1919, after the end of the war, when it was finally opened.  It was the town’s ‘largest liftable building’.  It became a public house in the 1990s and takes its name from the world’s first-ever adhesive postage stamp".**

*Listed buildings of Cheshire; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Listed_buildings_in_Northwich

**Northwich Townscape Heritage Progect, Listed Buildings, https://www.northwich-th.co.uk/buildings/listed-buildings/

 

Location; Northwich

Pictures; the former Post Office, Witton Street, Northwich, 2023, from the collection of Andrew Simpson

OK …. you can come in now …. stories of the “Flicks” in Northwich

It is as they say … all in the detail, and it was the detail that drew me to the former Plaza Cinema on Witton Street in Northwich.

My cinema Treasure tell me that “The Plaza Cinema was opened by Cheshire County Cinemas Ltd. in December 1929. It was designed by local architects William & Seager Owen, and is a typical late-1920’s style cinema. There is a particulary good ornamentation of two cherubs supporting an early film camera which are set into an arch over the main entrance”.*

It continued to show films to Northwich audience’s until it closed around 1965 and was converted into a bingo club it finally closing in March 2011.

And for a while it remained “dark” and unused until a group of enthusiasts set about restoring what is a art deco Grade 2 listed building.**

And for those who want more on just what it was originally like I suggest you follow the link to the Historic England’s site which offers up a detailed description and a reference to Andrew Richardson, `Cheshire County Cinemas', in Picture House, no.11, Cinema Theatre Association, winter 1987-8, pp.15-16.***

I could say more but that would be to steal the research of others, but I will add that the owner,  “Will Godfrey, whose grandfather opened the cinema, said:

'It is such a beautiful building. We are trying our best to restore it. Our aim is to provide a hub for the arts, music and community of Northwich. It will be a great asset for the town.'"**

And in conversation with a local shop keeper it appears the Plaza continues to put on live shows, which the observant will spot from the posters in the glass fronted noticeboards, which both also advertise Pzaza Bingo, which is a nice restoration feature.

Leaving me just reflect that in 1947 according the Kinematograph Yearbook Northwich had a population of 18, 728, who had a choice three picture houses.  

These were the Pavilion on Hayhurst Street which could seat 717, the Regal on London Road, with a capacity of 1,059 and the Plaza which offered up 1,213 seats.  The Plazza offered continuous showings during the week and two shows on a Saturday charging between 9d and 2s 3d.

And as they say those were the days.

Location; Northwich

Pictures; The Plaza, 2023, from the collection of Andrew Simpson

* cinema Treasures, The Plaza Cinema, https://cinematreasures.org/theaters/22410

** Iconic landmark The Plaza transformed into new music venue, Northwich & Winsford Guardian, Barbara Jordan, May 12th, 2021  https://www.northwichguardian.co.uk/news/19294445.iconic-landmark-plaza-transformed-new-music-venue/

*** PLAZA BINGO CLUB, 151, WITTON STREET, https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1385195

When you get two for one ….. the ghost sign with history

I wonder how many people in Northwich remember this ghost sign when it properly did the business of advertising Bristol cigarettes.

They were one of the products made by W.D.& H.O. Wills which my Wikipedia tells me “was a British tobacco manufacturing company formed in Bristol, England. It was the first British company to mass-produce cigarettes, and one of the founding companies of Imperial Tobacco along with John Player & Sons.

The company was founded in 1786 and went by various names before 1830 when it became "W.D. & H.O. Wills". Tobacco was processed and sold under several brand names, some of which were still used by Imperial Tobacco until the second half of the 20th century. 

The company pioneered the use of cigarette cards within their packaging. Many of the buildings in Bristol and other cities around the United Kingdom still exist with several being converted to residential use”.*

I am too young to remember “fag cards” but was an avid collector of those which came with packets of tea.  These cards carried on the tradition and like their cigarette counterparts, found their way into albums specially produced to hold them and covered a range of topics from butterflies to steam locomotives, war and sporting “heroes” and much more.

And in a homage to cigarette cards, my tea ones were also called “fag cards” and as well as ending up in albums, were traded in the playground.

Along with that game which involved placing two cards propped up against the wall and attempting to knock them down by flicking more cards at them. The winner was the one that dislodged his propped up card and to him/her went all of the discarded cards used in failed attempts to bring one of the two down.

Needless to say many of the winning hoard were grubby, dog eared and battered.

So, back to the ghost sign which seems to show at least two signs and the name, Robert Cheatoe & Sons which I guess may be the name of the distributor or the owners of the tobacconists, who sold Bristol cigarettes.

I wish I had access to the street and trade directories for Witton Street in Northwich where our ghost sign adorns a gable end, but I don’t and that makes it difficult to locate Robert Cheatoe & Sons and determine if the gable end belonged to them.

As for a date or a series of dates for our sign that is also vague.  I know that Bristol cigarettes were manufactured from 1871 to 1974 which gives us quite a margin of time to play with.

All of which leaves with hoping that someone will remember the ghost sign and perhaps provide answers to when it was painted, if it was hidden by a later adverting hoarding and just who and where were the firm Robert Cheatoe & Sons.

We shall see.

And for those still intrigued by ghost signs, they were painted adverts for a product or business, many of which no longer exist, and appeared on walls and even roves.

Some were later covered up by hoardings and others painted over, but occasionally they resurface as a reminder of lost products. look closely at our sign and you can just see the iron fittings which may have supported a hoarding.

Location; Northwich

Pictures; the Northwich ghost sign, 2023, from the collection of Andrew Simpson

*W.D. & H.O. Wills, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W.D._%26_H.O._Wills#:~:text=The%20firm's%20first%20brand%20was,relaunched%20in%201962%20with%20coupons.

The ghost sign in Northwich which I lost and Ron found

Now I know we are in Witton Street in Northwich not far from the impressive Penny Black which was the town’s Post Office and is now a Wetherspoons.

I have to say that the company has managed to save plenty of old and interesting buildings and while a few purists might disagree I think that is no bad thing.

I wonder however the fate of the ghost sign which Ron tells me he passed “when returning from The Penny Black on Witton Street.”

I went looking for it this afternoon armed only with street Google from 2009 but failed to find it which led me to speculate on whether it has now vanished or maybe I am just looking in the wrong part of the street, all of which is a tad embarrassing given I haven’t even had a drink.

But Ron put me straight.

It is still  there just past the pub and on to Meadow Street.

Picture; ghost sign in Witton Street, Northwich 2015 courtesy of Ron Stubley