VIVID past of community on the banks of the River Dee brought to life by historians in new book. Barry Ellams reports
If letters arrived to streets South of the River Dee with the words Hone Bruge addressed on them residents would say the new postal system had taken a turn for the worst. Yet local historians believe that the village of Handbridge descends from these two Anglo Saxon descriptions meaning Rock (Hone) and Bruge (Bridge)
Handbridge has risen out of the River Dee with generations of families living off the river long before the Romans invaded and paid their own homage to the Dee - as the remains of a shrine to the goddess Minerva in Edgars Field testify.
Bordering on the Grosvenor Eaton Hall estate nestled between Ecclestone and the river, t Handbridge lay at certain periods perilously close to the Welsh border. Over the centuries bands of fervent nationalists used to torch the village to the extent that it became known in the Welsh tongue 'Treboeth' - burnt town.
The village has witnessed dramatic changes reflecting the fortunes of the era - the 20th century being one of the most distinctive times seeing out Queen Victoria, ending with the current reign of Queen Elizabeth.
The village has experienced a lot - from the thriving community of flour mills facing the old snuff and tobacco mills on the opposite side of the river bank to the busy community of pubs, shops, and post offices serving yesteryear's generations.
Residents of the new millennium have got to together to capture some of the great flow of history running through the veins of the village and formed The Handbridge Area History Group
From fireside yarns to photographs and pictures a book entitled 20th Century Handbridge is being compiled that spans some of the most influential 10 decades in its history. The busy residents from all walks of life have sifted through a river of memoirs and tales of the people by the Dee searching out golden nuggets of nostalgia.
The group has been in existence since December 2001 following meetings in St Mary's church and The Ship Inn as part of a road show staged by Chester City council's Chester Community History and Heritage Group.
Headed by Chairman Howard Stevens the members meet to together to research the many idiosyncratic histories springing from the village and put them into order.
Member Len Morgan recalled: 'A constitution was drawn up to provide an opportunity for its members to share their interests in the history of the area and to participate by discussion, re-search and the presentation of papers, documents.' The group includes distinguished historians and authors Len Morgan and Noel St John Williams who have pooled their local knowledge, photographs and writing skills to put together a vivid and detailed history of the last bustling century.
All the loose ends, anecdotes, historical facts, memoirs have been woven into a rich tapestry depicting Handbridge's exclusive history.
Writer and historian Noel St John Williams said: 'A lot of people have put hard work into the book and we cannot thank Emma Stuart from the Chester Community History and Heritage group enough for helping us compile the material and research it.'
There are many characters documented from Gordon Gunson and Charlie Leyfield descended through fishing families who went on to play for Liverpool and Everton respectively in the 20s.
Local boxers Jimmy Walsh who went on to win the British Lightweight title and Fred Tilston who competed in Canada. There is the tale of nurse Margaret Phillips a popular and hard working midwife who it was said 'delivered a generation of Hand bridge children.'
The book documents local hero PC Alfred Jim Cleaver - Constable Alfred Cleaver of Eaton Road, Handbridge was presented with the King's medal for Gallantry at an investiture at Buckingham Palace by King George V in 1934.
In January 1933, he and Sergeant Capper entered a 'blazing inferno' three times in Trinity Street, Chester to rescue five was rewarded with two adults. He suffered burns in the rescue. His heroism was rewarded with two further medals from life saving societies.
On a separate incident on the night of August 14, 1940, Detective Sergeant Jim Cleaver was returning in his car to the police station with a burglar named Jones. They spotted a Heinkel bomber with smoke pouring from its tail, hotly pursued by two spitfires.
The plane crashed in Bumpers Lane. Together, policeman and burglar, rushed to the scene and 'arrested' five members of the Luftwaffe's crack Condor Squadron - Jones' case was suspended and he joined the army.
The local history book has been aided and endorsed by The Duke of Westminster who has written a foreword to the book which is due out on shops later this year.
He writes: 'The contributions of my family to the amenities and social life of Handbridge are well documented in the book, and I am especially pleased that the Eaton archives have been used to add to the story.
'As I look through the pages, I note the depth of research that has gone into the book and the wealth of photographs and personal memoirs provided by the churches, pubs, shops, schools and individuals. Clearly this is a project popular with and strongly supported by the local community.'
