Tales of subsidence and flooding in old Holloway, Northwich

The area suffered greatly from subsidence and flooding over the years. The large black and white hotel was built in 1776 and originally known as the ‘New Eagle and Child’; its name changed to the Sportsman in 1820.

Despite suffering the effects of subsidence, it lasted until 1976 before it was finally demolished. Locals will remember the excellent cheap shop that was situated in that location.

Over the road was a car showroom and petrol station built in 1920 to replace a large building that subsided, and it is believed to be the first showroom of its kind in Northwich.

Castle Hill

During the 1950s, the car showroom moved to larger premises next door, making way for the retirement flats that we see today.

The old showroom, which still has the word ‘GARAGE’ set in the leaded glass above the door, became a carpet shop and then a bar, one of its later names being The Bridge Inn, it is now a locksmith.

A short way past the Sportsman Hotel up Castle Hill and using a hand-tinted postcard showing the Wheatsheaf pub and across the road the restaurant owned by Mrs Mary Platt, dining rooms, wedding breakfasts, picnic parties, balls and so on, cyclists catered for, game and other meat pies made to order.

The original Wheatsheaf was a large and impressive residential hotel with stabling for 70 horses.

Castle Hill in 2015

In 1888 it started to subside to the extent that beer barrels and men in the cellar were left floundering in liquid brine. Because of this, the pub was transferred to the site of the Cheshire Cheese beerhouse, which was just 50 yards away.

In 1889, it was decided to build a new pub. A single-storey one was built at the rear of the old Cheshire Cheese/Wheatsheaf. Eventually, the old Wheatsheaf succumbed to subsidence after remaining open for a while with wooden props holding it up. The new Wheatsheaf nearer the river remained open until the late 1980s (although Sir John Brunner refused permission for it to have access on to the towpath).

Now looking down Castle Hill towards the Town Bridge during the worst days of the subsidences.

A large crowd watches as the workmen start to dismantle the building that has simply slid back into the ground. It also shows how the building was built mainly in wood.

Castle Street

This was in the expectation that it would eventually subside, and if it did, the people in it would not be harmed to the same extent as they would in a brick building.

This is a prime example of the devastation caused to some regions of Northwich resulting from brine pumping. Much has already been written about the period when buildings simply slid into the ground beneath them.

At the Winnington Hill junction is the mosshaselhurst Solicitors building that has ridden the storm and is still there. It originally had steps leading to the front door; the door is now level with the footpath!

The large building next door has gone to make way for the garage, as mentioned above. An example now of just how busy the lower end of Castle Street was.

Then, of course, in those far off days, the Guardian office was situated here.

The route into Northwich takes us across the Town Bridge; this was the second bridge of its type, the first being Hayhurst Bridge on Chester Way.

That was built in 1898, and the Town Bridge in 1899, both were designed by Colonel John Saner. The two bridges were the first two electrically powered swing bridges in Great Britain and were built on floating pontoons to counteract the subsidence.

The path alongside the river from the side of the bridge leads to Furey Wood, a one-time waste tip for Brunner Mond and then a corporation tip. It has been reclaimed and turned into a beauty spot with a Green Flag award.