by Nick Colley, chairman of Northwich and District Heritage Society

This photograph was taken at some point in the early 1900s but you would be hard pressed to recognise any of part of it today.

It clearly demonstrates the huge changes that Northwich has gone through in the past 100 years.

This change has mainly been as a result of subsidence and as the buildings cracked and leaned and sunk they were gradually replaced with others.

The photograph was taken at the top end of Witton Street, beyond the Green Dragon pub and from roughly where the pine furniture shop is today.

The photographer is looking towards Station Road, which begins just at the crest of the hill ahead.

In the centre distance you can just make out the tall chimney shaft at Penny's Lane salt mine. The new roundabout and its car parks now cover this area.

Closer to the camera, on the left, the lady walking with the children has just passed the ornate columned doorway of the Lord Nelson public house, Nelson’s portrait was on the sign above the door.

It was built in the 1770s and was an impressive three storeys plus cellars, double-fronted property.

From the late 1890s through to the early 1900s it suffered badly from subsidence, and by 1906 the licensing magistrates wanted it to close but it wasn’t until 1922 that it finally closed its doors for good.

Next door to the Lord Nelson, just in front of the lady, is the Congregational Schools building that was erected in 1874 but eventually it too succumbed to subsidence.

On the opposite side of the road is another public house, The Foresters Arms.

This was built in 1891, replacing an earlier building. At the time this photograph was taken it was run by its final licensee, Eddie Kettle, who had the pub from 1909 until it closed in 1932.

When the older photograph was taken this stretch of road contained several pubs.

The Green Dragon is just behind the photographer and the Cock Inn and the Bowling Green Hotel are ahead at the crest of the hill and in between are a selection of shops and businesses. A far cry from the scene we see here today.

For more local history photographs visit the Northwich History Past and Present Facebook group