The Memorable Year of 1987

1987 was a memorable year in many ways for the Village of Christleton. Popular Rector Charles Mack had died very suddenly in late 1986, and we were still mourning his loss, when Jim & Lucy Partington decided to put their Butchers Shop up for sale. Somehow the Village Green area lost its sparkle. It was dark and there were no welcoming sounds of laughter coming from Jim’s Shop anymore, which had always been a focal point of Village Life. People would trust Jim with keys for their houses for delivery vans/postmen to deliver goods. The no5 buses stopping outside brought regular trade. When it closed, the village mood seemed to change. Jim had been the fount of all knowledge about the village. If you wanted to know something, ask Jim.

By co-incidence I had been working with the children from the Primary School on the BBC Electronic Domesday Book Project. The idea was to create the story of life in our modern world, to compare with the portrayal of the Village in 1066, which was first published in 1086. We were to record in word and picture, life in Christleton over the school year 1986-87. With the help of a friend, a Photographic Printer, I undertook to photograph and record the village with 1000pictures. These were then displayed in various exhibitions over the village and City. Working with students from Chester Training College as it was then, we recorded the children working in, and speaking about the village. You can see a picture of the children at Chester College with Cliff Boddy looking at the BBC disc for our area, which they had seen working first hand in the college that morning.

During the year we recorded buildings, people and events and I’m including a few of them with this article. One of the new features of the Village was a Beefeater Inn at the Trooper, including small enclosed spaces for family parties. Brian & Hilary Devenport were the Hosts and it was just a fun place for families to visit. They also became heavily involved in the life of the village, promoting a 6 mile race to raise funds for the Pit Project as well as a special well used to collect money for Save our Chester Swans campaign led by Jackie Leech. (There is still a pleasure launch on the river, called The Jackie in her memory.)

Personalites of 1987, included Headteacher Phil Hodges seen standing outside the High School, Frank Poston, Captain of the Bellringers, Gertrude Wright and her work with Tibetan refugee children in Leh Ladakh, Mabel Kirk from Kirk’s Nurseries in Littleton, Cliff Boddy Chorister and Verger at St James, Gerald Goodyer, Sacristan and Sunday School Teacher, Ted Griffiths, a great plantsman who produced varieties of flowering plants for Wisley, the National Horticultural Garden Headquarters in Surrey. Also featured are Jim & Lucy Partington. Within the Village, events such as the Church Tower being under scaffold, having urgent repairs, a trench for a new Gas pipeline was being dug through the village, and a new telephone system was being fitted into the Village Telephone Box. Butlers Mill had closed by this time and had been converted to living accommodation, but narrow boats always seemed to be moored alongside. Dean’s Marina and ancillary workshops were still in operation around Rowton Bridge, with boats and pleasure cruisers being serviced. The Fete and Fun run will be dealt with in future articles, but the Fun Run featured was very popular as there was a French Exchange taking place at that time and almost 600 people took part that year, a race starting from the Ring O Bells. I’ve included images of the Harvest Service that year, a very popular event in the church & school calendar, together with the Flower and Pet Service held in July.