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May Visit: Wrexham Walking Tour

This green, guided tour of Wrexham followed the Trust’s literary excursion in November with David Ebsworth into 1884 Wrexham and Chester.

Green Badge Guide, Peter Evans (pictured below), revealed the history and highlights of the city including the tomb of Bishop Lloyd’s infamous great-grandson, Elihu Yale who founded the American College, in St Giles Churchyard (see below).

The walk started at the Vasco Da Gama Café in Lord Street for morning coffee and was green because we caught Bus 1 to Wrexham and walked the 1.5 miles, getting fitter too!

Thank you Karen McKay for this report and the photos of Wrexham street art and Peter below at the tomb.

   

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2025 Judges Special Award presented

The Chester Civic Trust has presented its 2025 ‘Good Bad and Ugly’ Special Award to Okells Hoole for their work restoring and bringing to life the former Co-op building in Walker Street.

The awards which this year celebrate the Chester Civic Trust’s 65th year, recognise the best changes to the Chester property and civic scene and encourage higher standards of design and maintenance in Chester’s public realm.

The Co-op in Walker Street opened in 1906 and included a grocer and butcher together with a shoe and clothing store on the upper floor. Latterly it became a convenience store and also accommodated Co-op Funeralcare. The store closed in July 2017 ending 110 years of the Co-op on this site. The empty building started to become dilapidated and run down.

The judges said; “It is great to see that Okells has refurbished the building to provide a new shop selling plants, homeware and gifts together with a café. This is a really good addition to the vibrant Hoole local shopping quarter.”

George Okell, Okells Director added;

“We’re really pleased to have received the Civic Trust award and we’re grateful to everyone who put their hard work into this renovation. With the building always having been there to serve the community around it, we wanted to do just that, bringing it back into use by offering our mix of home, garden and gift products along with fresh food and drink in a neighbourhood cafe. Having worked on the space over nearly two years, it’s amazing to see it being used and we look forward to seeing it evolve.”

Photo above: Christine Russell Chair of Chester Civic Trust presents the Judges Award for 2025 to Okells Hoole. LtoR: Fern Thomas, Operations, Mabli, Front of House, Christine Russell, Chair of Chester Civic Trust, Jordan, Retail Assistant and George Okell, General Manager at Okells Hoole.

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May Lecture: The Arts and Crafts Movement in Manchester

Barry Clarke gave a fascinating afternoon talk on The Arts and Crafts Movement in Manchester yesterday.

Barry has recently been involved in the publication of a lavishly illustrated book on this subject (see above).

The Northern Art Workers’ Guild in Manchester was organised in 1896, twelve years after its London predecessor. It involved many people with connections to visits which we have made. Edward Wood, whose work we saw in Middleton, was a luminary. Barry Parker was originally from Manchester, and we saw his work in Letchworth Garden City. The Clarion Guild of Handicraft organised a show in Chester in 1903 at which the Peasant Arts Movement exhibited. We saw their work in Haslemere, Surrey.

Even if you did not attend any of these visits Barry’s talk introduced you to these practitioners and many others.

Refreshments were served after the talk within Bishop Lloyds Palace.

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