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Goldenhill 1896, continues from the Home Page.

32 shopkeepers, 5 shoemakers, 4 pubs, 11 beer retailers, 9 farmers,

2 builders, 2 hairdressers, 1 pottery maker, 1 crate maker,

1 fried fish shop, 2 wheelwrights, 4 tailors, 5 butchers, 1 fishmonger, 1 furniture dealer, 2 pawn brokers, 1 tallow maker and 1 plumber.

The number of shops has risen again, shoemakers have increased, a fried fish shop has appeared, a fishmonger is in business, a furniture dealer is doing well.

Mrs Anne Evanson the tallow chandler and soft soap merchant is trading in John Street, consider the fact that tallow is made by heating animal fats, she was probably not a very popular neighbour.

William Fogg is listed as the sergeant instructor to volunteers, strange you might think, but there was actually a Volunteer Battalion, 1st Prince of Wales, North Staffs detachment stationed in the village.

The office in charge was Captain W. H. Grindley, that rings a bell and the acting chaplain at that time was the Reverend T. Nunn.

I assume they were housed in the old barracks between what is now Albany Street and Gilbert Street.

As I remember these were very small 2 up, 2 down cottages with minimal facilities.

They were demolished in the late 50s or early 60s and most of the residents were re-located to Middleport where a new council estate was created.

James Lewis is the postmaster and stationer.

A national company has arrived, The British & Colonial Meat Company Limited has a branch in the High Street.

Frozen meat from America, New Zealand and Australia first arrived in England in 1877on refrigerated ships.

Let’s see who keeps the pubs now, Annie Baskeyfield has the Nelson, John Colclough, the Red Lion, and Henry Dale the Wheatsheaf.

My paternal grandmother, Frances Arnold came from Bollington in Cheshire, her mother died when she was just a baby.

Her mother’s sister Frances Beard and her husband Edwin raised her as their own child.

Frances and Edwin had a shop in Temperance Place, I wasn’t aware of that until I started this project.

How times change, William Jeffreys is a toy dealer, the first one in the village I should think.

As I look at the list of names several of them have survived through time, have a look and see if any are familiar to you.

Baskeyfield, Beech, Birchenough, Buckley, Clare, Collinson, Dale, Davies, Dudley, Ebrill, Eplett, Hall, Hancock, Jeffreys, Lewis, Longshaw, Millington, Nixon, Plant, Redfern, Reeves, Rhead, Sillito and Whittaker.

Things are getting more civilised, we have the same number of pubs but fewer beer retailers.

There is a resident surgeon and military presence but no police force in evidence.

A fried fish shop, which I assume also sells chips has appeared, they should make a fortune.

The fishmonger is able sell reasonably fresh fish because the transport

system can get his produce here in a relatively short time.

There is street lighting powered by gas and quite a lot of houses have gas lighting now.

The main sewers are operating and most of the old septic pits are gone.

The new houses which have been built should have a cold water tap in the scullery and a flushing outside toilet, ooh what luxury.

There is still a lot of poverty and new laws are about to take effect regarding young children working in factories.

These laws are the result of surveys carried out in the 1840s, these things take time, nothing changes does it?

Look for the “Scriven report 1840”, on the internet, it is frightening to see the conditions men, women and children lived and worked in.

The next historic leap should take us into the 20th century, where we can look forward to electricity, radio, unsinkable ocean going liners, flying machines, motor cars, penicillin and world wars.

Perhaps we won’t leap too far, just to 1904 and sample the delights of changing from Victorians over to Edwardians.

David Wood