WINSFORD
& DISTRICT HISTORICAL SOCIETY
What do you know about the history of Winsford and how it
impacts upon the 21st century face of the town? This is the question
being posed by the Winsford & District Historical Society as
part of an awareness campaign to raise the profile of the town’s
past in order to increase membership and attract new archive material.
“Winsford has altered so much and we want to reflect and record
the changes,” says secretary, Mary Curry. “From the
expansion of the 1960s we now have second generation families, born
and bred with their roots here, and we want to encourage all townspeople
to look beyond the modern façade to a town with a fascinating
history.”Formed in 1966, the society’s original aim
was to collect, collate and preserve
historical information about Winsford and the surrounding areas,
and today, forty years on, this remains one of the major objectives,
but as Mary explains:
“Although we’ve subtly changed our approach, we still
see our role as preserving the past for the future. It’s so
important that in a hundred years from now those who live in Winsford
know where their town came from.”
The archives already preserved by the society help to show how Winsford
developed, from the ancient townships of Over and Wharton, into
the 19th century hub of the salt industry and later, in the 1960s,
to become a New Town. These archives are available to be viewed
at Winsford Library by making an appointment on 01606 557983.
The society is aware of a gap in their material and that they are
in danger of having very old photographs and memorabilia, but nothing
sufficiently up to date. It is easy to forget that our own lives
form part of history, just as those of our ancestors did. Whilst
continuing to collect from earlier times, they desperately need
new, more modern material.
Fortunately, the society has joined the technological age and, as
well as
having its own website, it now only requires to digitally scan photographs
and
documents. People are rightly very sensitive about donating original
material and modern technology certainly overcomes this problem.
The society website, www.winsfordhistorysociety.co.uk,
has added a new dimension to Winsford’s history and is becoming
a resource for those researching their family trees. “We are
not directly involved in genealogy, but we can provide information
on local history and photographs of many properties and businesses
which can be of great interest to researchers,” says Mary.
Winsford & District Historical Society meets at Winsford Library
on the first
Monday of each month (unless a Bank Holiday). At most meetings there
are
guest speakers. Membership is £10.00 per annum, or £15.00
for a couple.
Single meeting visitors are asked to contribute £3.00. Visitors
are always welcome. The current programme of talks is available
at Winsford Library or on the web page.
The society may be contacted on 01606 557983, or by e-mail at thesecretary@winsfordhistorysociety.co.uk
VISIT
THE WINSFORD HISTORICAL SOCIETY WEBSITE