THIS week I will conclude my account of Percy Yardley's memories of the High Street of old, and the various businessmen who plied their trade.

I well remember in the 1970s walking up the length of the road, with its boarded-up shops, casting my mind back and with all the memories flooding back from my childhood.

Many people have their own thoughts of shopping in Winsford of old, and thankfully, Percy put his reminiscences down on paper along with other memories.

Last week I mentioned Ike Robinson, barber, and Percy recollects shops leading up to Clough Row, one being Frank Allen's tripe shop where he boiled his own and made chips on special nights and sold two penny worth 'o' bite (small pieces of tripe).

At 85, High Street, was William Wigley's grocers, next door to Kenyon Wigley's coal dealers. On the corner of Clough Row was George Henry Robinson's butchers, and on the corner of the row stood two glacial rocks to stop the wheels of carts damaging the houses, still in place today.

Crossing the road again at 100, High Street, 95-year-old Percy remembers Bob Walker's boot and clog makers, one of many in the town, next to Swift's hairdressers, while Rogerson's glass and china shop was at 116.

I have been looking for a stone hot water bottle, incised with the name ever since I dug part of one up on a bottle tip. Does anyone have one?

Percy says that "rumour has it when cattle were driven through the town that a bull went into Rogerson's through the front door and never broke a thing, giving rise to the saying 'a bull in a china shop'.

We now reach the arcade owned by John Stubbs, and as Percy recalled, "arcade referred to the glass roof at the front. Mr Stubbs had a motor repair shop and as well as a grocers, and a dentist, there was a large room above used by the unemployed during World War Two."

The Brunner library was run by Mr and Mrs Kissack who were "sticklers for silence," ejecting anyone not complying to the rules, only being let back in when you behaved properly.

Library Farm stood next door with Gorst's sweet shop, then came the Golden Lion pub, where the green was noted for its excellent turf. Many county matches were played there.

After the pub was a sweet shop and newsagents called Brooke's. John Yearsley cycle repairs was at 188, High Street, close to Charles Street, known over the years as Cow Lane, directly opposite Dingle Lane.

Crossing back to Clough Row, up a bit was Jimmy Rutter's chemists shop, next to Williams radio and record store.

Breeze's Forge, covered some time ago, came next. In front of the forge was a small tobacco and cigarette shop run by a Miss Dunn.

Previously Walton's in the 1920s, next to a hairdressers, Dingle House stood back off the road and was the surgery and residence of Doctor Leak, who had the first car in Winsford. It was demolished in 1968.

The Rechabites Rest public house was on the corner of Dingle Lane - the opposite corner was occupied by Fowles timber yard.

Still on the same side we came to Tommy Minshull's coal yard. He was a local preacher on the primitive Methodist circle, "never knowing when to finish."

Shops were sparse on this stretch until we came to Chapel Street (approximately where the new library now stands and famous for a character who lived there called Reg Preston). Denis Astbury had a record shop on the corner here.

Opposite Dingle Lane we come to a row of "well-built houses built by Fowles, most originally occupied by members of the family."

Tommy Done's forge came next - we affectionately knew him as "struggy" in our youth. A bakers run by the Kennerley family was next door.

William Henry Kennerley's furniture and household dealers shop was at 232, High Street. The shop is now Foodcraft fish and chip shop. I will cover Percy's memories of the upper part of High Street in a future article.

Most of the premises mentioned were of the 1910-40s era. Many changes of owners/businesses have occurred over the years, but this most favoured part of Winsford's history is still alive in people's memories, and I am always on the lookout for old photos of premises on the High Street and shop bill heads/documents of the same, plus posters etc.

Converted for the new archive on 13 March 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.