The following extract is from a letter sent around 1980 to Mr & Mrs Wilson. It is from Miss Grace Johnson who lived for much of her childhood in Upton Park (nos: 3 and then 28) before moving to South Africa in 1920.

We first came to Upton Park when I was about 9. It was a freezing day and I slid along in front of my parents, my hands snug in a muff. The house was on the left, called Fron Deg (no:3)- opposite to the Martyns (no:32) I hear it now has a new frontage but we were quite happy with it as it was. The rent, if I remember rightly, was 25 pounds per annum. There were four bedrooms, two loos, upstairs and one down in the garden. The garden was full of fruit trees of which I remember most,with a watering mouth, the Jargonelle pear and the Cox's Orange Pippin apple as well as tall beurre d'oeil pear trees and Victoria plums and many gooseberry bushes. In those days the only transport to Chester was the "Shanks' pony" which we reckoned took about 40mins or a bus drawn by two horses which left Bache Hall on the hour, parked in the Market Square and left for the return journey in time for the next hour. Father always had his bicycle - I remember his early bike when we lived in Walpole Street was a penny farthing, on which we children were often given a ride with father holding the saddle. The mill was in working order then, with sails revolving with a clanking noise. Dean's shop was a very useful asset famed for its delicious bun-loafs. Once as I walked home from school, I heard squealing and climbed on a wall to see what was happening in Dean's yard. To my horror they were killing a pig in the most barbarous way. I fled home in tears; shut myself in my room and howled for hours. When I was seventeen we bought a dear little house called Sycamore cottage - on the opposite side of the road. We paid £1000 for it and then had it extended on both sides. Stairs were put up to the attic. The garden became a show piece under my mother's skilled care and father's patient digging. They planted sweet briars on poles all along the front of the house and people passing used to exclaim at the sweet scent especially in the damp weather. We called the house The Briars. The church was 10 minutes away and there were only fields up to the cross roads - half way up on the left was a large granite stone, square and smooth, placed there for old Mrs Longueville to rest as she walked back from shopping at Deans (the Mill bakery). She owned a snuffly pug which was also probably glad of the respite. There was no zoo in those days and only a lovely park like estate owned by Mr B C Roberts. The most usual form of transport then was a bicycle unless one was lucky enough to run to a pony and trap or to the envy of the Johnson children a Governess cart.

These are some of my early memories of Upton, before I left in 1920 to take up a teaching post - Senior Latin - in Johannesburg.

With warm greetings to all Park dwellers.

Grace Johnson

footnote

Bill and Joan Wilson; of no:62; met Grace in South Africa in 1981. At the time she was 91 years old - pictured here with Joan. Grace is reported to be the first name on the Honours Board of the former City and County School in 1902 - now called the City High School.