CONTINUING now with our look at lost pubs and taking a rest from documenting ancient murders, although there is another next week.

This week we start with the large post-war pubs that served the towns well but have now gone. 

We begin with the earliest, the Beech Tree at Barnton that was initially on the other side of Runcorn Road, that will be on the left when heading for Bartington. 

This pub had traded from 1871 to 1939. During the last century, it was called the Beech Tavern for a while. 

As a foretaste of things to come, Private Samuel Martin, the son of the licensee Sarah Martin was killed in Iraq on Sunday, April 9, 1916. His body lies in the British Cemetery in Basra to this day. 

Northwich Guardian:

The Beech Tree, Barnton

In 1939 the clouds of war were gathering across Europe as Hitler flexed his muscles. 

Trees were painted with white rings; gas masks were being issued, and the older generation flocked to join the LDV or Local Defence Volunteers. 

It did not look good; the coming war would be horrendous; gas and bombs would be dropped on Barnton. The town’s dignitaries got together, had a meeting, and decided to build a pub. 

They intended making it a big pub, one that could take the place of all the others in this small village. 

For once the planners looked ahead, or rather it was probably just luck that they built on such a scale. 

The pub that they built was to have ample room to cater for the hordes of new residents who would descend after the war. 
No one knew at the time of the estates that would be built in the post-war years to house people from the surrounding cities. 

They did not know that this would happen at the time, but when it did, they smiled knowingly; Barnton had a new pub and a big new pub at that. 

The new Beech Tree was opened a few days before war was declared. 

Coincidentally, the Eagle and Child pub in Northwich closed and its full licence was transferred to the new Beech Tree. 

It was a beautiful and busy pub, but that was not enough to protect it from the urge to build houses and more houses. 

It was left to rot for several years from October 2014 and then demolished to make way for the houses. 

There are other lost pubs in Barnton for another day.
Over now to Weaverham and The Salter in Lime Avenue that was opened in 1957. 

Olive Turner was the landlady who was followed by Edna Turner who took over until 1964, followed by Eric King who reigned from 1964 to 1974. 

Weaverham had just seen a massive influx of residents, many of whom worked at the ICI, and several large council estates were built and still being built. 

It was a big pub with a function room upstairs. A space that became one of the first discotheques in Cheshire, if not further afield, and featured some of the top acts of the 60s and 70s.

Acts like Tom O’Connor, George Roper and a band that was to become one of the top bands, Smokie. My brother discovered them there when they were called Kindness, and they went on to have many hits. 

On June 4, 1998, the bulldozers moved in and the 50-year-old pub was demolished to make way for houses.

Our final large and relatively new pub to go the way of the first two was the Pillar of Salt in Clifton Drive, Leftwich. 

Built in 1957 on the Leftwich Estate for Peter Walker & Co Brewers. They owned the Cumberland Arms in Leicester Street, Northwich and it closed in 1957, on closing, its licence was transferred to the new Pillar of Salt. 

Northwich Guardian:

The Pillar of Salt in Leftwich

The Chairman of Northwich UDC Miss M Hassall opened this new pub, and it proved popular for many years providing refreshment and entertainment. 

But despite attempts to attract more customers, the pub was closed in 2011 and converted into a McColl’s convenience store, that still serves the community but in a different way.