There's a picture of the Ring o' Bells as it is now at a site called 'Olde Worlde Pubs'. I'm pleased to see that in updating it many of the original features of panelling, low ceilings etc have been retained, though it is now 'open-plan'. I'd forgotten the beer garden, which I don't recall ever being used. Stan -----Original Message----- From: eng-lan-warrington-bounces@rootsweb.com [mailto:eng-lan-warrington-bounces@rootsweb.com] On Behalf Of Stan Smith Sent: 23 February 2007 09:53 To: eng-lan-warrington@rootsweb.com Subject: Re: [LAN-WARR] Warrington Pubs of 1920 The Ring o' Bells was, and I hope still is, right next to the parish Church of St Elphins, at the junction where Church Street turns into Manchester Road, an almost right-angle turn, opposite what used to be the enormous entrance gate of Rylands's wire-drawing works, where the red-hot and sometimes white-hot glowing furnaces were sometimes visible from the road. One can imagine these gave its workers, one of whom until 1955 was my uncle Arthur Smith, a wire drawer, a thirst that the Ring o' Bells tried hard to slake. It is in the foreground (on a viewer's right hand) of pictures of the church back to the 18th century, and was originally, I believe, a coaching inn, just before the road left the old centre of Warrington based on Church St. As recently as 25+ years ago the pub retained many of its original features, small rooms, low ceilings, a 'snug' bar and, if I recall rightly, an 'off-license', a small room accessed directly inside the pub door where children could collect ale when sent by their parents. I think the pub was being stripped out and 'modernised' at the time I last visited it, which was probably in 1980, when my dad died - it had been one of his locals and ditto of his family, who lived at the top of Howley Lane, just a stone's throw away. When this area was packed with terraced houses, both 'down Howley' and across the road in the wen of Streets off School Brow, many of whose tenants worked at Rylands's, it must have had a good regular trade, though it must be said there were a lot of other pubs within walking distance - the Brickmakers' Arms on School Brow, the General Wolfe in Church St, and the Marquis of Granby a little further along Church St, and others in the near vicinity. There's a photo of church and pub circa 1955 in the Frith Collection book 'Warrington: Photographic Memories', by Janice Hayes, p. 47. I don't know if this picture is on the Frith website, but it's worth checking. The pub looks little different from its appearance in 18th-century prints, some of which are surely in the Warrington Museum collection. Stan Smith -----Original Message----- From: eng-lan-warrington-bounces@rootsweb.com [mailto:eng-lan-warrington-bounces@rootsweb.com] On Behalf Of Maureen Sent: 23 February 2007 06:30 To: eng-lan-warrington@rootsweb.com Subject: Re: [LAN-WARR] Warrington Pubs of 1920 Hello, I am most interested in Pubs of Warrington. My FAIR family were connected with both the "Millstone" and the "Talbot". Licensees of the Packet House Inn in Bridge for many years from around 1913. My GREEN family were at the Ring a Bells Church. On my Father's side we have Cuerdley Arms, Wellington, & Commercial Inn in the Widnes area. Do you have a special interest in the Pubs of the area and have you any information on any of the above. Would be most grateful for any details. Regards Maureen Qld Aus. Researching Fair,Green,Chambers,Wright, Webster, Grace. --------------------------------- Sucker-punch spam with award-winning protection. Try the free Yahoo! Mail Beta. ** PLEASE CHANGE YOUR SUBJECT HEADING WHEN E-MAILING THE LIST ** ** PLEASE REMOVE "signatures" from your e-mails to facilitate easier searching of the archives ** ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to ENG-LAN-WARRINGTON-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message ** PLEASE CHANGE YOUR SUBJECT HEADING WHEN E-MAILING THE LIST ** ** PLEASE REMOVE "signatures" from your e-mails to facilitate easier searching of the archives ** ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to ENG-LAN-WARRINGTON-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message