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 WELCOME
to a personal website about Nantwich - the place where they pay you to
live! Or so some wits say (see
here). The town is served with a number of excellent
websites, and I like to think of this is one of them! (For a list of the
others see this
page).
My website is a mixture of
random
 thoughts
and ideas which appeal to me, as well as details of the events that are
happening in town or the immediate villages - and more.
It doesn't cover Crewe and what
I have always thought of - since my days in local newspapers - as
"Crewe's villages".
I hope that you like the website, and I would welcome your thoughts.
This site is meant for expats (to keep them in touch with home), for people who
have yet to visit the town, and for locals seeking information (on the What's On
pages, for instance) or are just interested in local happenings.
I update the site as often as
possible, so please visit again.
lPictured above, left:
a sign in Crewe Road proclaiming our success in the
Britain in Bloom competition in recent years. Above,
left: blossom time at St Mary's Parish Church. Above, right: an autumnal view of
St Mary's along The Gullet.
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Alderman Doug Butterill is Chairman of
Nantwich in Bloom Committee and Company Secretary of
Greenspaces South Cheshire (UK) CIC.
He is also a
Dutton Medal winner.
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Read the views of the experts
WHILE I am, of course, the main
writer on
my personal website I welcome
contributions from the experts
listed
in this panel.
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Jeff
Stubbs is Chairman of both Nantwich Civic
Society and the newly-formed
Greenspaces South Cheshire (UK) CIC.
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James Thompson is Executive Director
for Greenspaces South Cheshire
(UK) CIC. Previously he was Nantwich Riverside Project
Officer and his articles for that venture can be found
here.
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A THIRD
page from Nantwich Litter Group joins reports
by local organisations
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Paul
Simpson is the Nantwich Group Leader of the Family History
Society of Cheshire. Who better to answer questions
about family tree matters? Go to his "Family
Lines" page if you have a question.
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Nantwich historian Andrew Lamberton
is the man to ask about a Nantwich building or a moment in
history. See the This and That page
or his own page:
Ask Andrew.
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IF you would like to ask Paul or
Andrew a question about family trees or local history please be
aware that your e-mailed question and the subsequent reply will
be published on the appropriate page for the interest of other
visitors to this website as well as yourself. "A Dabber's
Nantwich" website cannot give personal replies to questions - we
like to share the information that the experts come up with. If
you send in a question it will be assumed that you agree to this
without any check being made to see that it is all right to use
it. No permission will be sought to use the question.
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NANTWICH NOW MARKET TOWN
PROJECT
This body, which was a driving force behind the 2007 Summer
Muster for the Battle of Nantwich,
and helped to obtain funding
for things such as the new Riverside bridge, has now run its
allocated
course and no longer exists.
But references to it on pages such as
this one remain as they were
written at the time. Beverley
Cope was Project Manager of Nantwich Now Market Town Project.
After
a spell as the old Crewe and
Nantwich Borough Council's Publicity Officer she has now moved
on
following local council re-organisation.
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NEW ITEMS ON THIS WEBSITE
How much of
pub was "The Potting Shed? | Civic Hall
belongs to Nantwich | the current
shops position |
opera
performances
| What's on updates
| website listings updates
appeal
for details of the last soldier in Crewe and Nantwich to have served in
the
First World War
See What's On for the
town's market days
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Remember the Lingard Arms?
PROBABLY NOT !
But you might recall it as Enoch Moulton's greengrocery shop which
survived until the 1950s. Andrew Lamberton does and he was able to
answer a question about the building from a website visitor.
More
Update: Heaps clothing factories In Nantwich
are also mentioned in this feature.
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What do they
teach pupils nowadays?
WHAT are these
children doing in an area of open land to the south of Nantwich?
Whatever it was, they were joined by the Town Mayor of Nantwich, Cllr
Arthur Moran, and other adults.
More
ALSO: news of a big event on The
Square in connection with the Diamond Jubilee beacon |
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A tour of church centre
GIVEN that it
has been open for three years, and a new Minister took over more than a
year ago, I thought it was about time I featured Nantwich Methodist
Church Centre. It is a fascinating building which has made the most of
the original Wesleyan Schools. More
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Housing number doubles
THE number of
houses envisaged for the riverside site from land next to the Weaver
Stadium up to (nearly) Reaseheath College has doubled. And there could
be more. This is on top of two other planned housing developments.
More |
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Work begins on site
SEVEN years after nearby residents feared a
tree might be felled to make way for a housing development, work begins
on the site. More
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Now there are four . . .
THERE are four
totems (the correct name for station nameplates) commemorating awards from the Cheshire Best Kept Stations competition on the wall of
Nantwich railway station - thanks to the hard work of the Nantwich in
Bloom Committee. In a ceremony at the station the latest totem was
fixed to the wall. More
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 Food
outlet all set for annual event?
A SEPTEMBER
completion date is promised for the new food outlet that Marks and
Spencer are planning for the old health centre site in Beam Street. That will
mean it will be able to be associated with the annual Nantwich Food
Festival. Demolition has started on the old health centre.
More.
Picture courtesy of Eventus Properties Ltd.
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How many Ts in Gullet?
Any confusion
about how to spell the name of one of the town's streets - The Gullet -
is cleared up, literally, following the new coat of paint on the
building to which the street sign is attached. The work included the
street sign, of course. More.
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Jazz Festival weekend programme
ONE of
Nantwich's big annual events - the 16th Nantwich Jazz, Blues and Music
Festival - takes place over the Easter weekend (April 5 to 9) and
includes Tony Christie. There is a new event this year - a Family Fun
and Music Day on The Square on Easter Monday.
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Picture recalls old street scene
AN old picture
of a popular summer event in Nantwich has given a website visitor a
record of her grandmother's house. The lady contacted Andrew Lamberton
for help and his personal photo collection produced the picture.
More
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 Has
time been called for old pub?
SOME people know this building as The
Potting Shed (its real name is/was Ye Olde Vaults). Now it is a party
music venue called Retro. Soon it could have a new name and a new use.
This is one of two Nantwich sites that could have new owners shortly.
More
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 The cost of taking our assets back
SO now we know.
Taking over the running of various assets in Nantwich - including the
Civic Hall and the public toilets - will add about £67 to the annual
bill of local families. That's how much the council precept will rise to
meet the additional costs. More
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Hopes of restoring aqueduct
 THE
poor face of Nantwich presented to visitors entering the town from the
north, as a result of the poor condition of the aqueduct, may be set to
be improved. The aqueduct, which carries the Shropshire Union Canal over
Welsh Row / Chester Road, is rusting and has sprung leaks. British
Waterways say they have money to repair the faults, but not to repaint
the structure. With other funding possible, Nantwich Town Council may
also come to the rescue. More.
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Crier
back in town
AS well as the local websites and the press
to spread the news, Nantwich now has a town crier once more. It is
around 15 years since there was a crier in town and the new one will be
carrying on where the previous one left off - telling visitors and
shoppers about local businesses and events.
More
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Council decides to bid for town assets -
except one
NANTWICH Town Council has decided to make a
bid to acquire several Nantwich assets - including the Civic Hall
(pictured) - that Cheshire East Council is looking to offload. But they
have declined, for the moment at any rate, to try to take over The
Gables. More
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In search of war heroes' details
THIS soldier is
one of more than 1,000 from the Nantwich and Crewe areas who were killed
in the First World War. His great nephew is preparing a book but is still looking for
information on other Nantwich and Crewe First World War soldiers. He and
his co-author are preparing the book on
behalf of Cheshire East Council.
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Lottery grant for riverside group
A GRANT for
£8,000 has been made by the Big Lottery Fund to one of the Nantwich
groups that look after the town's riverside areas - Riverside Concern.
It will enable more work to be carried out and will give local people a
chance to volunteer to help. More
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Confrontation on the Greenway
I HAD always thought that any confrontation
on the Greenway - the pedestrians' and cyclists' pathway connecting
Nantwich and Crewe - might be people not understanding the set-up and taking
cyclists to task for "riding on the footpath". But I found myself in a
clash with a rider over which side of the Greenway I should walk on!
More
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Half of town's toilets close
NANTWICH used
to have four public toilets - not a great many given the number of
visitors to the town - but now we are down to two. Automatic toilets
became out of date with no council funds to replace them. The other one
is on a large car park. More.
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Looping the loop
WHETHER you are
a visitor to Nantwich or a resident, there is a recently refurbished
walk on the western edge of the town which could interest you. It takes
in our riverside area and countryside to the south west. It's
called the Nantwich Riverside Loop.
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Are you are Dabber?
HOW do you know if you qualify to be a
Dabber - someone born in Nantwich? As some people will know, you have to
be born within the old Nantwich town boundaries, but where are these? To
find out, visit this page.
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A building by any other name . . .
THIS town-centre venue has always been the
Parish Hall to me - and many others. But over the years it has had a
number of different ones. None like the latest, however.
More
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Is umbrella tree
still thriving?
THE tea shop(pe) which has been acquiring umbrellas
- and other items - by the dozen is now under new management. Did its famous
umbrella tree go with the previous owners? See the update to the
Letter from Nantwich which tells how visitors to the town are going away
without some vital personal items. Yes, one really did leave their false teeth
behind!
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That sinking feeling
ONE of the town
centre's old building faced the risk of disappearing from the street
scene when cracks suddenly appeared in a shop.
More. |
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 New
addresses
IN the first 10
years of the 21st Century the town has amassed a total of 80 new
addresses - either streets or apartment blocks. Newly-retired postman
Andrew Lamberton has listed them all in a review.
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Pictures of some of the houses are included - as well as a page on
the proposed developments that didn't make it . . . so far.
More.
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Plan for 550 more homes
A LOCAL college
has a plan to sell some of its land to provide a site for 550 more homes
in Nantwich. But it's early days . . .
More. |
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| "Lost"
Colin is found
COLIN Barrow, the man last heard of
by his American family in 1984, has been traced - thanks to "A
Dabber's Nantwich". I was approached by a friend of the family
to see if he could be tracked down because of a forthcoming
reunion. The full story can be found
here. Also, read the story of the woman
who asked for help. |
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See Nantwich (and parts of Cheshire) from
your armchair
OF course, a website is a collection of
pictures and text (there are none of the fancy animations here!) but for
moving pictures of the area, complete with sound, you could buy one or
more of the locally-produced videos. These are obtainable in person when
you visit Nantwich - or some outlets will send you copies by post. Visit
this page for details.
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WHAT IS A DABBER?
They use dabbers in painting, plate making, brass rubbing . . . and bingo. In
fact, anything where you need to dab! It is the name of a particular type of
boat. But here in Nantwich we tend to think of ourselves as Dabbers. Why?
There are various theories. Click on this
link to find out more.
WHAT'S IN A NAME? I am often asked how
I pronounce my name. Is it as in brow, bow, cough, through or Bruges, people
ask. None of the above, it is said as you would say Bruff - which is often how
people spell it if I don't tell them otherwise.
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PICTURES of the town above are: left, the
Crown Hotel in High Street; and right, black and white Tudor Cottage and other
houses in Welsh Row.
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HOW TO FIND ITEMS ON "A DABBER'S NANTWICH"
1, Use the panels above for current items
2, Use the links at the foot of the page for general
interest
3, Use the Contents Pages
for specific items not listed in 1 and 2
4, Letters from Nantwich can include items not
listed in the links panel.
See the letters index.
PICTURE GALLERIES:
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The Big Battle of Nantwich
(2007)
(including two by Andy Gillitt)
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Lost buildings in Nantwich and
outside of town
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Riverside and Lakeside views
and
"The Willows"
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The story of how the Lamb Hotel became Chatterton House
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Nantwich Town FC cup victory parade
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Pictures you have asked to see.
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o My
website doesn't contain a map of the town - but
this one does
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vThis website was updated
on May 15v
You
are visitor
to this website, as
recorded
by
A DABBER'S NANTWICH © 2012 All images and text on this website are my
copyright (except where stated otherwise). You are welcome to use anything of
mine
as long as you contact me first and as long as it for voluntary organisations or
amateur use. Sorry, no commercial use. If you have a website where you wish to
use the image, a credit and/or a hyperlink to A Dabber's Nantwich on your site
would be appreciated. For pictures taken by people other than myself you will
have to make your own arrangements. I cannot give permission for you to use
those.
Contact me on:
dabber@dabbersnantwich.me.uk
Dabber
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