Poynton Local History
See the wonderfull model of Poynton
The volunteers have been painstakingly making a giant model of Poynton as it looked c1900. The model has come to life over the past few years and is now a wonderful tapestry of life in those time. Click here to see the progress. The pictures were taken by one of our young members of the "Friends" association and we think he has done a great job, many thanks.
The following extract about Les Cawley, one of the founders of the Anson Engine Museum, tells of his love of the area resulting in the wonderful collection of photographs and memories housed in the museum to this day
Leslie (Les) Cawley Les was born in 1919 at 215 Stockport Road Ardwick, Manchester. His mother died when Les was only 4 years old, his father remarried and the family moved to Poynton in 1924.
He loved life in a coal mining village, especially observing all the workings and activities around the collieries. There was always plenty to keep him occupied - as a boy he was allowed inside the engine houses but only when they were winding coal not men. “Big Ned” the huge Cornish pumping beam engine at Hockley held a particular fascination. He and his friends knew it was pumping as they left the “old school” (now the social centre) to go home, because the water in the brook behind the school would be discoloured and they would rush up to see it running.
He would listen intently at the miners “stories”, often told whilst waiting for a “tuppeny haircut” at Billy Butterworth’s stone cottage at Newtown. Billy was also the sawyer at Towers Yard, the administrative and workshop focus for all the collieries.
He was largely a self-taught, self-sufficient individual. Having used and worked on many makes of tractors, cars, wagons, motorbikes and stationary engines he acquired a marvellous mechanical knowledge. His great interests were local history mining and industrial archaeology, particularly in the fields of mining and engineering.
He had a wry sense of humour and a wonderfully “infectious” chuckle. His memory was quite phenomenal, and he could remember the most incredible details of things past and present. Consequently he had a never-ending fund of (true) stories which he exchanged with his many friends and acquaintances.
Extract from an article on Les Cawley
© Geoff Challinor
The volunteers have been painstakingly making a giant model of Poynton as it looked c1900. The model has come to life over the past few years and is now a wonderful tapestry of life in those time. Click here to see the progress. To zoom out and in to see the detail follow this link. The pictures were taken by one of our young members of the "Friends" association and we think he has done a great job, many thanks.
Poynton A Coalmining Village – online version here >>>>
Enjoy Walking? Click here This walk is one of several great local walks in the book "East Cheshire Walks: from Peak to Plain". Reproduced by the museum with kind permission of the author. Book available in our gift shop.
WALK AROUND POYNTON’S MINING HERITAGE
Poynton Town Council has created a walk to celebrate the rich mining heritage that the village possesses. Few visitors realise that Poynton once had the largest coalfield in Cheshire, with 74 pits.
Although coalmining ceased in 1935, there remain many clues to this former industry and the walk is designed to provide a glimpse into Poynton’s fascinating industrial past.
Refreshments and toilets are available along the route. There are 2 downloads of the walk available:
* ADDITIONAL WALKING MAPS are available from Poynton Civic Hall. They are 50p each or £3.00 for a set of 8.
