Digital Hearing Aids Chester – Digital Hearing Aids Cheshire

Digital Hearing Aids Chester – Digital Hearing Aids Cheshire

Chester abounds in history.  There are also a few secrets about this town which sits on the River Dee close to the Welsh border.

Some of these secrets are revealed on a walking tour of the town.  The Bear and Billet Inn for instance is well documented as a Grade I listed building of historic interest and is thought to be the finest timber-framed 17th century town house in Chester.  But did you know it is also the birthplace of John Lennon’s Mother-in-law?

The secrets of the towers in the city walls are accessed only by those who take the tour too otherwise they are a no-go area.  The city wall was started by the Romans but continued by the Saxons as fortification around the city.  In fact the wall goes almost all around Chester, the most intact of any remaining city wall.  The five main towers, all Grade I listed, date from the 13th Century.  Both the Water Tower and Bonewaldesthorne Tower which are linked by a spur, were opened as a museum in the 19th Century and closed soon afterwards.

Secrets
Do you have any secrets?  Do you try to hide the fact that your hearing is not very good?  It’s a common position that those with failing hearing are loath to accept the fact.  Castle Comfort Hearing can help you to realise it, test for the degree of hearing loss and equip you to improve your hearing.

You can read more about our free audiology tests and organise one for yourself by giving us a call on 01782 698090 or contacting us using our online form here.

All down to the Romans
Chester’s history began with the Romans who built a fort or castrum here, Deva Victrix way back in 79AD.  We all know the Romans made an impact and it is no different in Chester.  Eastgate, Northgate, Watergate and Bridgegate follow the original roads laid out by the Romans at this time.  The fort itself is 20% larger than other regional fortresses which have led to speculation that the Romans intended it to be the capital.

Part of Chester’s proudest heritage is the Roman Amphitheatre on the southern edge of the town.  It is the only one in Britain and was probably used for army drill originally as well as entertainment.

By the 5th Century the Saxons had taken over and they fortified the city further and gave it the name we know it by today.  Chester was one of the last English towns to come under Norman conquest and they immediately set about building a castle.  What remains of this Motte and Bailey castle today is open to the public.  Much of it was demolished to make way for County Hall, Courts, a prison and barracks in the 18th Century.

Chester Rows and other medieval buildings
You can’t talk about Chester without mentioning the Rows.  They are completely unique to Chester and don’t appear anywhere else in the world.

They are thought to be built on rubble from old Roman buildings.  The undercrofts or crypts – generally used for storage - were built from stone with timber buildings above.  At street level are another row of shops which you often have to step down into.  On the first floor, there are more shops with a covered walkway.  The living quarters are on floors above this.

The Rows date from the medieval period though most of the buildings were refurbished in the Victorian era.  Not much of the originals remain apart from the old stone undercrofts.

Stars in Chester
The current James Bond, Daniel Craig who has played this role for the last 7 years was born in Chester.

Craig is just one of several actors and actresses who claim Chester as their place of birth.  Others include:
·         Basil Radford, a character actor known for roles in films such as Passport to Pimlico

·         The late Hugh Lloyd a comedy TV actor known for his collaboration with Terry Scott in Hugh and I

·         Ronald Pickup who had a part in the first Dr Who and went on to appear in classical theatre productions, TV and film.  He was one of the stars in last year’s, the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

·         The actress and presenter Emily Booth

·         Ray Coulthard best known for his role as Alasdair Sinclair in the soap Emmerdale

·         Emma Cunliffe who has appeared in a number of notable TV series including The Lakes and Clocking Off as well as in Women beware Women for the Royal Shakespeare Company

·         Adrian Bower best known for his role as Brian Steadman, the original PE teacher in the TV series Teachers


Chester’s links to football are long.  Chester City FC was founded in 1887 and lasted until 2010 when unfortunately they went out of business.  Over the years some notable players were part of the team including Cyrille Regis, Lee Dixon, Steve Harkness, Roberto Martinez and Stan Pearson.

Today a new club Chester FC play at the official ground, Deva Stadium which is half in England and half in Wales!

As well as its own team, Chester can also boast a fair few sports people who claim the city as their birthplace:
·         England footballer Michael Owen who currently plays for Stoke but has played for Manchester United and Liverpool

·         Another England footballer Danny Murphy hails from Chester too.  He currently plays for Blackburn Rovers and has played for Liverpool, Fulham and Tottenham Hotspur

·         Nottingham Forest footballer Danny Collins who has 12 Welsh caps also comes from here

·         Another Welsh International player, Andy Dorman started life in Chester

·         As did England and Stoke City player Ryan Shawcross

·         Former Crystal Palace player Antonio Pedroza hails from Chester too

·         Sir Doug Ellis, aka Deadly Doug, the former owner of Aston Villa came from Chester.  Ellis was the first football owner to pay himself a salary and is reported to be worth £10 million mainly from selling his shares in Aston Villa.  He donated £400K to a Learning Hub bearing his name at the University of Birmingham’s Medical School

·         In the rugby stakes brother Patrick and Alex Sanderson both came from Chester

·         Gymnast and Olympic gold medallist Beth Tweddle grew up in Bunbury near Chester

Our Five senses

We have five senses of which hearing is one.  Our senses make us aware of the world around us.  Any loss or impairment of any of our senses, especially if it is permanent, is difficult to deal with.

 Here’s a thought.  Use your sixth sense to realise that there is something you can do to improve your loss of hearing.  There are many causes of impaired hearing from genetic to environmental noise damage, from ageing to earwax.  If you can’t hear as well as you used to, it’s time to get your hearing checked.

Call us on 01782 698090 so that we can organise a free hearing test with an audiologist who understands the intricacies and mechanics of the ear.  The test is simple and will measure the loss of hearing in both ears rather like an optician measures how well each eye sees.


If you need an aid to help you hear, the audiologist will recommend the type of hearing aid and show you how to fit and clean them.  Don’t suffer in silence get in touch now!

Digital Hearing Lichfield – Digital Hearing Staffordshire

Digital Hearing Lichfield – Digital Hearing Staffordshire

The most significant visual site in Lichfield has to be the 800 year old, unique three-spired Cathedral.  Lichfield Cathedral is the only medieval one with three spires also known as ‘the ladies of the vale’.

Despite suffering damage during the Civil War, the Cathedral has some magnificent stained glass windows and one of the most complete Closes of all English Cathedrals.  The Cathedral is dedicated to St Chad and St Mary.  Chad was the first bishop here in 669.  The original church on this site was a wooden Saxon one which was replaced by a Norman stone Cathedral and then by the present Gothic one.  Building started in the late 12th Century with the Lady Chapel not completed until the 1330s and the Chapter House later still.  In the Chapter House you’ll find great stone carvings and it holds the Cathedral’s ‘treasure’ the Lichfield Gospels.  These manuscripts date from the 8th century and are illuminated – reminiscent of the Lindisfarne Gospels.

Lichfield Cathedral came under siege three times during the civil war but it took until the 19th Century for restoration work to be completed.

The Lichfield Angel
The Lichfield Angel is a carving of the Archangel Gabriel dating from around 730 AD, the same as the Lichfield Gospels.  It was found as late as 2002 in the nave and thought to be part of the chest that originally contained the relics of St Chad.  It is on display in the Cathedral.

Old relics
Does your difficulty with hearing make you feel like an ‘old relic’ whatever your age?  Certainly hearing impairment can be associated with aging but there are many other causes from genetic, a build up of earwax, working in an extremely noisy environment and more.  Here are Castle Hearing Aids we can assess what the damage is and where possible offer you help to hear better.

Our free at home hearing test is just the start of getting your problem identified and sorted.  The test is simple and conducted by a professional audiologist using headphones and a computer.  Once the diagnosis is received, you can decide how to proceed and if hearing aids are a possibility, we are on hand to advise.

For more information please take a look here or give us a call on 01782 698090 and message us using this online form.

The famous of Lichfield
Charles Darwin’s grandfather lived in Lichfield in the 18th Century.  Erasmus Darwin was a scholar of the time, a practising doctor, scientist and botanist, inventor and poet.  His house in the Close is a now a museum with displays, interactive features and an herb garden.

Writer Samuel Johnson also known as Dr Johnson was from Lichfield; his writings including the English Dictionary have had a lasting influence on English Literature.  He was a celebrity of his time with his writings and actions often reported in the newspapers much as current-day celebrities.  He suffered ill-health in several forms from depression, testicular cancer, gout and was posthumously diagnosed as suffering from Tourette Syndrome.  There is a statue to Dr Johnson in Lichfield’s Market Square.

You can learn more about him at his Birthplace Museum, the house where he grew up now with a Grade I listing.

David Garrick was an 18th Century actor, playwright, theatre manager and producer.   He was born in Lichfield and was a pupil and friend of Samuel Johnson.  His acting style was realistic and both the Garrick Theatre in London and in Lichfield are named after him.

The poet Anna Seward lived most of her life in Lichfield.  There is a plaque dedicated to her in Lichfield Cathedral.

Elias Ashmole politician, astronomer and astrologist came from Lichfield.  He founded the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford.

Joseph Addison co-founder of the Spectator Magazine grew up in Lichfield after his father was made Dean.

Actresses Helen Baxendale, Sian Brooke, singer Siobhan Dillon, Richie Edwards bass player with The Darkness and Stone Gods, Phil Ford TV writer noted for 2012 Dr Who, Bryn Fowler bassist with The Holloways, all hail from Lichfield.

Sportsmen with connection to Lichfield include professional golfer Robert Rock, motor cycle racer Gary Mason, Matt Murray one time goalkeeper for Wolverhampton Wanderers and Adam Christodoulou, British Racing Driver.

Historic buildings
We’ve touched on a few, but Lichfield has 230 listed buildings including some good examples of Georgian architecture.  Here are a few of them:
·         The Lichfield Clock Tower - this tower is Grade II listed and dates from the 19th Century.
·         Lichfield Heritage Centre – housed in an old church, it shows off 2000 years of Lichfield history.
·         The Bishops Palace – this Queen Anne style building replaced the original mediaeval one which was built in the 14th Century.  The building is now used by Lichfield Cathedral School
·         The Hospital of St John – was once an ancient chapel and is now a care home.

·         There are a number of houses in the Close which are Grade II listed
·         The George Hotel and the Angel Croft Hotel are both Grade II listed

The Letocetum Roman site and museum
Owned by the National Trust this site was once a Roman fort of some significance.  It soon developed into a settlement and grew into a Roman-British town conveniently placed along the Roman Watling Street.  It became a staging post for travellers.  When you visit it now you can take guided tours of the site to see what it would have been like in Roman times.  The museum here houses exhibits of Roman archaeology found on site.

The Staffordshire Hoard
3,500 pieces of Anglo-Saxon silver and gold metal work were discovered in a field near Lichfield in 2009.  There are plans to have part of it on display at the Cathedral.

Hard of hearing
For those of you with any kind of hearing impediment, take a good look around our site to learn how we can help you.  Don’t just take our word for it, take a look at what others say in this video.

The next step is easy.  Get in touch with us so that we can explain about our free hearing test and how we can help you.  You can call 01782 698090 or you can message us in privacy.

Digital Hearing Rugeley – Digital Hearing Staffordshire

Digital Hearing Rugeley – Digital Hearing Staffordshire

How do you define a town or city?  Is it by its geographical location, its history or its people?  Rugeley in Staffordshire might say all three.

William Palmer
One of Rugeley’s most famous or should that be notorious people was William Palmer, a local doctor also known as the Rugeley Poisoner!  He was accused of murdering his friend John Parsons Cook, found guilty and hanged in 1855.

It would seem Cook was not the first person of Palmer’s acquaintance to die in mysterious circumstances.  His wife and brother and even four of his own children had died all before they reached a year old.  Friends from whom he borrowed money and his mother-in-law from whom he and his wife expected to inherit a fortune, all died quite suddenly.  The money was to feed Palmer’s horse gambling addiction.

Strychnine was the poison of choice used to murder Cook after a day at the races when Palmer lost and Cook won.

George Edalji
On the other side of the legal coin, George Edalji was wrongly convicted of the 8th Great Wyrley Outrage.  His case has been immortalised in Julian Barnes Book ‘Arthur and George’ for it was Sir Arthur Conan Doyle who investigated the case and cleared his name.  What was Edalji accused of?  Slashing a pony with a knife – malicious injury.  Edalji was a lawyer and Conan Doyle fought successfully to clear his name.  It was still thought though that he had sent threatening letters until a labourer confessed to sending these letters over a period of 31 years many years later.

Conan Doyle’s clearing of his name became the foundation of the Criminal Appeal Courts.

Christina Collins
Christina Collins’ body was found in the Trent and Mersey Canal at Rugeley in 1839.  Three bargemen were charged with her rape and murder – they had agreed to take her from Liverpool to London to meet up with her husband.  Two of the three were hung and the third sent to Australia.
When her body was discovered, she was carried up a steep flight of sandstone steps leading from the banks of the canal.  These steps although replaced with concrete ones are still referred to as the ‘bloody steps’.  They were said to ooze blood and her ghost has been seen there.  Christina’s grave still stands in St Augustine’s church graveyard in Rugeley.

Author Colin Dexter used the story for the basis of one of his Inspector Morse stories which was broadcast in the TV series in 1998 called ‘The Wench is Dead’.

Have you ‘heard’ of them?
It’s a common term isn’t it?  Have you heard of them asks if you’ve heard the stories, hearsay or know of these people.  It doesn’t literally reflect on your hearing however if this is a concern then you should get it checked out.

At Castle Hearing Aids we can offer all manner of advice including free professional hearing tests to assess the level of your hearing.  Remember there are many conditions that can cause our hearing to diminish.  These range from being subjected to a continuously noisy environment, to earwax to age-affected impairment.  Whatever the cause or your concern we can help you.  If hearing aids are the best option, they will help you feel less isolated and enable you to feel included in conversations.  Give us a call today on 01782 698090 or contact us here.

Where to find Rugeley
Rugeley can be found close to Cannock Chase and next to the River Trent in Staffordshire.  It sits between the towns of Stafford, Cannock, Lichfield and Uttoxeter.

Historically this market town was once a mining town though its last colliery closed back in 1990.  Whilst this caused considerable unemployment, Rugeley is now on the ‘up’.  Regeneration of the area has resulted in the Towers Business Park where business is building.  One of the big players to occupy space on Tower Park is an Amazon.co.uk fulfilment unit which has generated a fair number of jobs.

Rugeley’s history
The name Rugeley is thought to be derived from the words Ridge Lee which means ‘the hill over the field’.  The term dates from the mediaeval period.  Over the years the town has been known as Rudgeley and Ridgeley and was listed in the Domesday Book.

It was once an area of ironworks and glass production.  During the Industrial Revolution, Rugeley thrived because of the transport links that came into play namely the Trent and Mersey Canal and the railway.

Although there had been small coal mining pits in the Rugeley area for some time, they really came into their own in the 1950’s with deep shaft mining as was general in this area of the Black Country.  Rugeley also became a major electricity generation centre a decade later with two big power stations, inspiringly known as Rugeley A and Rugeley B.  These were coal-powered stations.  Power Station B is still there with a method of desulphurisation in place so that it complies with environmental legislation.

St Augustine’s Church was built on the site of a much older one in 1822.  The previous church had been named the Old Chancel.  The graveyard at St Augustine’s has links with the notorious of Rugeley.  John Parsons Cook murdered by William Palmer has a grave there; the Palmer family vault is there where William’s wife, his brother and four of his children are buried.  Palmer himself was buried in the precincts of Stafford Jail after his hanging.  Another of Palmer’s probable victims Leonard Bladen is also buried there.

The body of the murdered Christina Collins was also buried at St Augustine’s and her gravestone still stands.

Opposite the graveyard is the house Palmer was raised in!

Other celebrities with connections to Rugeley

·         Marti Pellow lead singer with 1980s band Wet Wet Wet lives in the area

·         Noddy Holder of 1970’s band Slade also used to live here

·         Footballer and manager Steve Bull used to live in the area

·         Horse trainer Tom Coulthwaite had stables just up the road from Rugeley in Hednesford.  He trained three Grand National winners – 1907 Eremon, 1910 Jenkinstown and 1931 Grakle.  Tom died in 1948.  There is a steeplechase named after him at Haydock Park


Hearing Aids
Do you always have to ask people to repeat things or do you miss the punch line of a joke?   Not being able to hear clearly is definitely very frustrating and makes you feel excluded and isolated.  If you are suffering like this, you can call us on 01782 698090 for advice.

A simple ‘at home’ hearing test could be all you need to get you sorted.  Read all about us here and get in touch.  If you don’t want to call us in case you can’t hear what we’re saying, you can contact us via this online form.

Digital Hearing Tamworth – Digital Hearing Staffordshire

Digital Hearing Tamworth – Digital Hearing Staffordshire

The market town of Tamworth in Staffordshire is the second largest town in the county after Stoke-on-Trent.  It takes its name from the River Tame which runs through the town.  Tamworth is very proud of its heritage as the ancient capital of Mercia, home to the King of Mercia.  Mercia was one of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms covering a vast area which is now known as the Midlands.

Losing not your marbles, just your hearing
If you’re a local with a hearing problem, why not contact Castle Hearing Aids.  Our HQ is just up the road in Stoke-on-Trent.  In fact we can help wherever you are with home visits from a professional audiologist to test your hearing.

Hearing loss can have many causes from a build up of earwax which is easily removed with the right treatment to long-term damage or deterioration.

A hearing test to asses your problem is simple – you just wear a set of headphones and are played a number of quiet sounds so that your hearing ability can be tested.  If the test shows that you have a problem be it mild, moderate or severe, we can take a mould of your ear on the spot to equip you with a hearing aid.

Why not give us a call on 01782 698090 or send us a message here for more information.

Back to Tamworth
Tamworth has several claims to fame from infamous pigs to its castle’s ghostly activities featuring in TV’s Most Haunted Series 3.

The ‘Tamworth Two’
Technically the infamous ‘Tamworth Two’ were not actually from Tamworth, but in fact from Malmesbury in Wiltshire.  The brother and sister duo were of course Tamworth pigs, a breed that originated in Sir Robert Peel's Drayton Manor Estate at Tamworth, but more about him later.
The Tamworth breed was a result of interbreeding of Sir Robert’s original herd with 'Irish Grazers' from Ireland in 1812.  It took until 1865 for the Tamworth breed to achieve English breed recognition.  By 1882 Thomas Bennett of Rossville, Illinois imported Tamworths into the USA; the breed now exists in the UK, USA and Canada.

Back to the ‘Tamworth Two’.  These cunning little piggies made a name or should we say two names for themselves – Butch and Sundance – by escaping a grizzly end at an abattoir in 1998.  On being unloaded from their owner Arnoldo Dijulio’s lorry, the 5 month-old piglets squeezed through a fence and swam across the River Avon to freedom.  Whilst they spent the week on the run, the media and public interest grew.  Reporters arrived from Japan and the American NBC Network to cover the story.  Once the public and media learned the owner still intended to take Butch and Sundance to the abattoir on recapture, they offered huge financial payouts to save the pigs.

We think you’ll agree this is the stuff movies are made of.  In fact the Daily Mail had the foresight to gain exclusive rights to their story by buying the piglets.  They were believed to be worth £40-£50 each.

Thanks to the Daily Mail’s intervention, Butch lived to the ripe old age of 13, dying in 2010 and Sundance to the age of 14, dying in 2011.  They spent the rest of their less eventful lives at the Rare Breeds Centre in Ashford, Kent.  But their memories will live on if the staff has anything to do with it, as they hope to put up a plaque in Butch and Sundance’s honour.

Tamworth Castle
The castle has seen a lot of action over the centuries and played home to many royal families too.  It is now recognised as a Scheduled Ancient Monument, with its buildings being of much historical, archaeological and architectural importance.  Tamworth Castle has what is believed to be the largest and oldest Norman Mottes.  It has a very rare integral square tower and polygonal shell keep, containing a 15th Century open hall with a wide-span tie beam roof.

In Anglo Saxon times covering the period 401 to 1066, there is evidence of a Buhr – a fortified Anglo-Saxon town - containing a site that is thought to be where the reigning King’s palace was built.

During the Medieval times which spanned 1066 to 1485, Robert le Dsipenser, The Lords Marmion and The Freville family lived in Tamworth Castle.  It is thought the original motte and bailey castle was built in 1070 during the period when Robert le Dispenser inhabited the Castle.

In Tudor times dating from 1485 to 1603, Tamworth Castle was the Ferrers’ family abode.  They transformed the castle into a Tudor home, complete with a timber tie-beamed great hall in 1437.  In 1576 during the Stuart period, Lord Humphrey II removed medieval structures from the castle and generally remodelled it to reflect his wealthy status.

When the English Civil War of 1642 to 1649 broke, the castle was garrisoned for King Charles.  However in 1643 the Parliamentarians led by Cromwell laid siege to the castle; after two days it was captured.
Quieter times were in store for Tamworth Castle from 1688 to 1754 with 2 noble families responsible for its keep.  Firstly the Shirleys, followed by the Comptons.  Ironically neither family modified its design or structure in any way or lived at the castle, choosing to rent it out to tenants instead.

The Georgian period from 1714 to 1837 saw George Townshend I inherit the property.  A survey revealed it was in a state of bad disrepair, but it wasn’t until his son George II inherited it that substantial repair and renovation was undertaken.  This included replacing the Tudor windows with Gothic ones and removing the top attic floor of the Elizabethan wing.  As with all castles, the work was not cheap and his estate was declared bankrupt on his death, with the renovation incomplete.

From 1837 to 1901 during Victorian times tenants Miss Hester Wolfestan and later Thomas Cook resided at Tamworth Castle before the Townsend family sold it in 1897.  It was bought by Tamworth Corporation, later known as Tamworth Borough Council for £3,000 and became a museum in 1899.

Today the castle is renowned for its paranormal activity, attracting groups of curious overnight guests and featuring in series 3 of the Most Haunted television show.

The Robin Reliant
Tamworth is also famously the home of the Reliant Motor Company formed in 1935.  The company concentrated initially on building three-wheeled cars.  Later they progressed to the four-2wheeled Scimitar racing cars.  The company closed in 2002.

However, the Robin Reliant has an unenviable place in British culture where it has been the butt of many jokes including those of Jasper Carrott.  Two of the best known Reliants appeared in Only Fools and Horses – the ‘dirty yellow van owned by the Trott brothers’ - and the light blue van which seemed to literally be the ‘butt’ for Mr Bean getting crashed into or tipped over by a mini!

One has appeared in Fifth Gear and Top Gear and reference is made to it in Cars 2.

Notable people from Tamworth
Tamworth isn’t short of the rich and famous through history as we’ve seen.  Here’s a few more:

Thomas Guy though born in London lived here with his mother after his father’s death.  He went onto open a London bookshop and became a bit of an entrepreneur for Tamworth, building Alms Houses and a Town Hall when representing them as MP.  Later he built extra wards for St Thomas’ Hospital in London and acquired some land where Guys Hospital, named after him, was founded and built at the beginning of the 18th Century.

Sir Robert Peel who we already know bred the Tamworth pig is far better known for serving as Britain’s Prime Minister for two periods in the 19th century and even more famously for founding the ‘Peelers’.

Actually the 1,000 strong police constables were also known as ‘Bobbies’ and were employed by Peel when he established the Metropolitan Police Force in 1829 to cut down crime.  This initiative wasn’t popular at the time but within 50 years all cities in Britain had their own Police Forces.  Peel developed the principles by which today’s police force operate.

Julian Cope who was brought up in Tamworth was lead singer with Teardrop Explodes and has continued to make music ever since.  He is also an author of books on archaeology and antiquarianism and has written his autobiography too.

The band Wolfsbane was formed in Tamworth with lead singer Blaze Bayley who went on to form Iron Maiden.

·         Tony Coton, a former Manchester City goalkeeper came from Tamworth

·         Former West Brom player Bob Taylor and Paul Merson (Aresenal and Aston Villa) played for Tamworth FC for a short time.  Other players from Tamworth include Wales International star Ashley Williams, Derby County’s Martin Taylor and Aston Villa’s Marc Albrighton

·         Nuclear physicist Ernest William Titterton was born nearby

·         Children’s book author Julia Suzuki also comes from here

·         Local seaman Colin Grazier rescued important documentation about the German Enigma code and was posthumously awarded a George Cross in WWII

·         The Black Lady, a 9th Century nun, was said to haunt The Lady’s Chamber at Tamworth Castle

Don’t forget
We are here to make life easier for you, to help you hear all about great Staffordshire towns like Tamworth.

If you think we can help your ‘mutt and jeff’ condition, just contact us on 01782 698090 or see here for more information.

Digital Hearing Aids Cannock – Digital Hearing Aids Staffordshire

Digital Hearing Aids Cannock – Digital Hearing Aids Staffordshire

Cannock sits just under 30 miles south of Stoke on Trent where the HQ of Castle Hearing Aids is based.  Though Cannock seems to have an identity crisis for many years.  In the 11th century at the time of the Domesday Book it was called Chenet.  About 50 years later it was referred to as Chnoc and a little later Cnot.  Add another 50 years and the town became Canoc.

From this strange history it is thought that the name Cannock is probably derived from the Norman pronunciation of the Old English Cnocc.  This word meant ‘hillock’ and may well have referred to the nearby Shoal Hill.  I wonder what that was called back then.

Hearing difficulties
Having difficulty hearing unusual names is perhaps one of the first difficulties you might notice if your hearing is beginning to struggle.  Other signs might be the volume you need the television at to hear – which might be too loud for others.  If you think you might have a problem, it’s best to get it checked out.  It could be due to earwax which is simple to remove.  If of course your hearing is beginning to deteriorate for any other reason, a professional audiologist can advise you.

We can arrange a free hearing test for you in your area.  Just give us a call on 01782 698090 or if it’s easier fill in our online form to arrange a free appointment.

The delights of Cannock Chase
Cannock is just north of Cannock Chase an ‘area of outstanding natural beauty’.  In fact this area lies between the towns of Cannock, Lichfield, Rugeley and Stafford and is the smallest area in Britain to hold this accolade at just 26 miles².  But it easy to see why.  The area features woodlands, heathlands and wetlands with interesting flora and fauna.  As well as being home to 800 fallow dear, you can also find the Migrant Nightjar here, a very rare bird.  Others you might be able to spot include Bramling, Yellowhammer and Bullfinch.

Many varieties of Vaccinnium grow here including the Cannock Chase Berry.  You might be more familiar with other varieties - blueberries, huckleberries and cranberries.

This area provides not just natural beauty but many ways you can enjoy it.  Its 6 visitor centres all focus around different activities and there is certainly something for everyone from a steam train to fishing.  The Forestry Commission even stage concerts here in the summer months.

Walking and cycling trails are very popular.  Most are accessible to all but a few offer a more challenging experience like the ‘Follow the Dog’ and the ‘Monkey Trail’ for serious cyclists.  There are also trails that cater for those with disabilities and one centre even has electric scooters for those with mobility problems to use.

There are many walking trails including the Heart of England Way and the Staffordshire Way.

You can fish at the Fairoak fishing pools or walk the Route to Health to see the sculptures.  There’s boating and sailing at Chasewater where you’ll also find crazy golf and pedal go-karting as well as the steam train.

Of course if you prefer to see the beautiful natural surrounding from above you can GoApe!  This attraction allows you to swing through the trees pushing your adrenalin levels higher!  Tree-top  bridges, tunnels and zip wires take you across these routes.  Or try out the segways to get you around on the ground.

Take a look at local history at the Museum of Cannock Chase which celebrates the area’s industrial heritage in the Coal Mining Gallery, the Miner’s Cottage gallery based on Victorian times and a 1940’s room.  You can also see the Coal Face gallery and a history if toys exhibit here.

All of the visitor centres have good facilities from cloakrooms to cafes to gift shops.  There are picnic benches in some areas for you to further enjoy ‘the great outdoors’.

At the Chase’s southern edge are the remains of an Iron Age Hill Fort.

Shugborough Hall
At the opposite edge is Shugborough Hall described as the country’s ‘best upstairs downstairs experience’.  The mansion house is set in 900 acres of parkland and maintains its interior as it was complete with a working Victorian servants’ quarters.  There is also a Georgian farm and mill as well as a beautiful restored walled garden.  Amongst these different settings you’ll find costumed ‘guides’ who will tell you stories about the house and its earlier inhabitants.

Now you can also see some Lord Lichfiled’s private rooms.

There are added attractions too to make sure the whole family enjoys the experience from a rare breeds farm to an old fashioned sweet shop on site.  No attraction would be complete without a restaurant/café, a gift shop and other facilities.

More recent history
Cannock Chase hosts a number of War Memorials.  These include cemeteries for German and Commonwealth war victims.  The former is a memorial to World War I whilst the Commonwealth Cemetery recognises those who died in both World Wars.

There is a also a memorial to those who died in the Katyn Massacre of Polish Prisoners of War by the Russians (1940).

Cannock’s history
Cannock from early times was a small rural community concentrating on agriculture.  It was coal mining in the 19th century which changed the area.  Like so many small communities before it, Cannock began to grow with this industrialisation.  Due to it’s close proximity to the West Midlands
Black Country where coal reserves were in good supply, industry flourished.  In fact it was only part way through the last century that the last colliery closed (1967).  This was the end of ‘heavy industry’ in the Cannock area.  Now Cannock serves mainly as a commuter town for large towns and cities nearby.

Who do you know with Cannock-connections?
With connections to at least 13 professional footballers over time and with members of Whitesnake (Mike Galley), Deep Purple (Glenn Hughes), The Prefects (Robert Lloyd), The Wildhearts (Richard Battersby) and Balaam and the Angels bands, you’d be forgiven for thinking that Cannock has something special in the water!

Famous footballers
·         Local boy Andy Bishop plays for Bury and is currently on loan to Walsall where he started out in the youth team

·         Another local boy Luke Chapman  plays for Sutton Coldfield Town

·         Currently playing for Forest Green is Jared Hodgkiss

·         Kris Taylor was part of the Manchester United brigade though he never made the first team.  Now he plays for AFC Telford United


Retired players
·         Malcolm Beard who once played for Birmingham City and Aston Villa was born in Cannock

·         Stan Collymore who was born nearby spent his youth career playing for Walsall before a career that included Crystal Palace, Nottingham Forest, Fulham, Leicester City and Real Oviedo.  He was capped for England 3 times

·         Deiniol Graham who played for Manchester United, Barnsley, Stockport and various other teams and was capped for Wales.  He currently manages Llandudno

·         Another local player who was capped for England was the late Gerry Hitchens.  He played for Cardiff City, Aston Villa, Torino, Atlanta, Chicago Mustangs and Merthyr Tydfil

·         Gordon Lee played for Aston Villa and Shrewsbury Town before carving out a managerial career.  Managed teams include Blackburn Rovers, Newcastle United, Everton, Preston North end and Leicester City

·         Dave Norton played for Aston Villa, Notts County and Hull City before playing for a number of smaller clubs and eventually retiring due to injury.  He managed  a number of teams after this

·         Local boy Geoff Palmer played for Wolverhampton Wanders before retiring in 1986

·         The late Aston Villa player, Alec Talbot was born in Cannock

·         The late Arthur Wharton who came from Ghana trained as a missionary at school in Cannock.  His claim to fame though is as the first professional association black footballer in the UK playing for a variety of clubs including Darlington, Preston North End, Sheffield United and Stockport County.

Other famous folk
·         Richard and Mick Gosling both achieved ‘Britain’s Strongest Man’ accolade in 2003 and 2005 respectively

·         Professional golfer Jim Rhodes hails from Cannock

·         Actors Steve Edge (Peep Show, Star Stories, Phoenix Nights), Carole Ashby (‘Allo ‘Allo, Octopussy, View to a Kill) and Emily Dormer (Casualty, Doctors and Silent Witness) also have Cannock connections

·         Writer Jed Mercurio grew up in Cannock and is best known for TV scripts for Bodies, The Grimleys, Cardiac Arrest

·         Frank Edward Tylecote from Cannock was Professor of Medicine at Manchester University and was the first to find a connection between smoking and lung cancer

·         The late Jennie Lee, Baroness Lee of Asheridge, was one time MP for Cannock and Minister of Education who was a founding force of the Open University


Calling all residents of Cannock and surrounding district – loudly!
Remember if you or a loved one are experiencing difficulties hearing as clearly as you used to, get in touch for us to arrange a free hearing test with a professional audiologist.

Causes of a hearing impediment are many including the one that will get most of us eventually, as we age.  But there are many other causes too.  If you are experiencing difficulty it is good to get it checked to see what can be done to help.

The hearing test is easy and done via headphones and a computer.  After this it maybe that digital hearing aids are the best way to improve your hearing.  Wouldn’t you like to feel less isolated and be able to join in conversations?  Contact us today for help and advise either by telephone on 01782 698090 or by emailing us.

Digital Hearing Aids Nantwich – Digital Hearing Aids Cheshire

Digital Hearing Aids Nantwich – Digital Hearing Aids Cheshire

Whilst hearing impairment is an almost inevitable ‘side-effect’ of getting old, it’s not the only cause.  Working in a very noisy environment can cause damage to our auditory system and now Health and Safety ensures that mufflers are worn to protect workers.  Although this wasn’t always the case.

Not so when listening to or working in the modern music industry with all its electronic gizmos.  Although there is no exact proof of this, statistics for impaired hearing of those below 18 virtually doubled in the 15 years between 1992 – 2007 according to the NHS.  Could this be linked to continued subjection to loud music?

Pete Townshend of The Who admits to suffering partial deafness and tinnitus and considers it is due to working for many years with loud music.  The band played the loudest concert recorded to date in 1976.  So loud it went in the Guinness Book of Records.  Of course it has been beaten to the loudest performance accolade many times since.  Fortunately when the Who played in Nantwich on their year-long tour in 1969, it didn’t break any sound barriers.

So peeps of Nantwich if any of you are suffering hearing loss or think you might be, whatever the reason or cause, get in touch with Castle Hearing Aids to see how we can help.  You can call us on 01782 69 80 90.

All about Nantwich
Like its neighbour Northwich less than 20 miles away, this pretty market town was big in salt production and a mecca for this commodity when the Romans had their settlement at Chester.  By the time of the Domesday Book, Nantwich had 8 salt houses.  This grew to 400 in Medieval Times when Nantwich was probably the second most important town in the area after Chester.  Salt production continued up until the mid 19th century.  It was also used in 2 other industries in the area, tanning and cheese production.

Interesting how fate and history changes things.  Today Northwich is about a third bigger than Nantwich population wise.

Nantwich was important enough to feature on the Gough Map, the oldest route map in existence dating from the mid 14th century.  It later maintained its importance as one of the main coaching routes from London to Wales and Ireland.  During the earlier invasion by the Normans, the town had been burnt to the ground by them leaving just one building standing.  The Normans built a castle here before the end of the 12th century next to the River Weaver.  No castle remains today though its site is probably under the Crown Inn in today’s town.  The Castle was influential in how the town was laid out.  By the end of the 14th century Nantwich was important for its tanning industry which also used salt and had a weekly cattle market.

The next big event in Nantwich’s chequered history was the 20 day fire in 1583 which left just one building standing in the town, Churches Mansion.  History says that Elizabeth I supported the rebuilding of the town by donating £1,000 worth of timber.  The traces of this are still clearly visible in the timber framed houses throughout Nantwich.

The Battle of Nantwich
During the Civil War a battle between the Parliamentarians under Sir Thomas Fairfax and the Royalists led by Sir John Byron, took place on 25th January 1644.   The Parliamentarians won and thwarted King Charles I attempt to have a stronghold in the North West.

The Battle is still celebrated to this day in Nantwich.  Locals call the day Holly Holy Day and the English historical association, The Sealed Knot performs a re-enactment.

Historic Buildings
This town has one of the largest collections of historic and listed buildings in the county after Chester.  Most of these are in the centre of the town which is now a conservation area.  This area follows the boundaries of the old medieval town.

Grade I listed St Marys Church is the oldest building in the town and also thought to be the oldest medieval church in England.  Details include a Lierne vaulted ceiling similar to the one in Chester Cathedral, amazing carvings on canopies over the choir stalls and 20 misericords.  These are small wooden shelves below the fold up seats.  They are sometimes referred to as Mercy Seats and were installed for those who had to stand for long periods during a service.

Churches Mansion was built by Thomas Cleese in 1577 for the merchant Richarde Churches.  It remained in the Churches family for 350 years before being let to tenants and finally sold.  In latter years it has been a restaurant and is currently the home of Adams Antiques.

Once a coaching inn in much use by those travelling to or from Wales, The Crown Inn is also Grade I listed.

As well as the medieval timber-framed buildings, Nantwich also has some good examples of Georgian architecture such as the Dysart Building, actually a terrace of 9 houses.  These can be found in Monks Lane and are Grade II listed.  Similarly listed is Townwell House, also Georgian in origin.  The latest building to receive a listing is a 17th century French Baroque style one at 1 – 5 Pillory Street.  The building was actually built in 1911; reference is made to its curving corner and its porthole-like windows in the roof considered a tribute to the Lusitania liner, which had been built a few years beforehand.  The building was built for a local grocer and is currently a furniture store.

Cheshire Cheese
Cheshire Cheese is the oldest cheese in production in England, first mentioned in the 16th century.  Typically it is semi-hard and crumbly and takes about 4 – 8 weeks to harden.  By the 18th century about 12,000 tonnes was produced each year; the Royal Navy used it as a ship’s provision.  It was aged for longer too so that the cheese was harder and better able to withstand long journeys by road and ship to London for resale.

Every year Nantwich hosts the International Cheese Awards for 2 days at the end of July.  This show has global participation and is the largest of its kind in the world.  It attracts 3,700 cheese entries and 40,000 visitors.

Attracting celebrities
Nantwich has done its fare share of attracting celebrities hosting a charity football match earlier this year with stars from TV including Emmerdale’s Danny Miller and Lyndon Ogbourne, Eastenders’ Matt Lapinskas, Elliott Tittensor from Shameless, Hollyoaks’ James Sutton and Ben Ryan Davies from Waterloo Road.   Others including Ray Francis, Anthony Hutton, Marvyn Williams and Danny Young also put in an appearance.  The charity was Once Upon a Smile.

Two years ago the town hosted a session of Celebrity Masterchef that was filmed at Mill Island.

Before that in 2007 the series Most Haunted: Midsummer Murders visited 2 local locations in an attempt to solve 2 separate historic murders at Hack Green Nuclear Bunker and Churches Mansion.

Local celebrities include the 19th century architect George Latham, 19th century surgeon Sir William Bowman, poet John Milton’s 3rd wife Elizabeth Minshull, Joseph Priestley theologian and chemist who discovered oxygen, 17th century botanist John Gerard and Dario Gradi, Crewe Alexander football manager.

Calling all Dabbers
Yes a Dabber is someone from Nantwich thought to have its origins in the local shoe making trade.
If you are ready to acknowledge that you might be a little hard of hearing, it’s time to take the test.  We can offer free hearing tests with a professional audiologist.  The test is simple.  Just a matter of wearing ear phones and having each ear tested for its ability and level of hearing.

Digital hearing aids, a real development from their analogue ancestors, can make a vast improvement to your ability to hear although they will take a little time to get used to.  Once you’ve got them you’ll wonder why you didn’t get them earlier.  And not only will it make your life easier, but it will also improve it for those around you who won’t need to keep repeating themselves!

Want more information?  Take a look here and give us a call on or send us a message using this form.

Digital Hearing Aids Northwich – Digital Hearing aids Cheshire

Digital Hearing Aids Northwich – Digital Hearing aids Cheshire

Northwich is one of the Doomsday Wiches.  The others are Middlewich and Nantwich also in Cheshire and Droitwich in Worcestershire and all were mentioned in the Doomsday Book.  The suffix wich or wyche attached to a place name denotes that there was some ‘special function’ or production in the town.  Salt is one of these ‘special functions’ and Northwich has a long relationship with salt!

How did you hear about that?
Yes you did hear us correctly, Doomsday wiches and salt.  It all sounds a bit make-believe doesn’t it?  But it’s the truth about this pretty market town.

If you live here or in the surrounding area and are reluctant to accept that you might have a problem with your hearing, don’t panic.  We offer free hearing tests with a professional audiologist.  In fact accepting you have a problem no matter its cause, is one of the first steps you need to take.  Once you’ve done that, getting your hearing tested takes you closer to making life easier again at work and socially.  And makes life easier for those close to you or who have to work with you too.

Digital hearing aids are a step up from analogue ones and should improve your hearing impediment.  They may take some getting used to, but persevere as it’s worth it.  Want to know more, take a look here.

Remember being hard of hearing, whatever the cause, is nothing to be ashamed of and can happen to anybody at any age with a variety of causes.  If you’d like more information either call us on 01782 69 80 90 or complete our enquiry form, which you can find on our website.

The effects of salt
It was the salt pans in the area that made it important to the Romans.  The salt beneath Northwich wasn’t discovered until the 17th century when the Smith-Barry family were searching for coal!

In history generally salt has always been an important commodity.  It preserved food and could be used for healing.  It is thought that Roman soldiers were often paid in salt.  The Latin word ‘salarium’ is thought to refer to payment of soldiers and is the word that salary is derived from.

After the discovery of salt beneath Northwich, mining began and went on for hundreds of years.  By the 19th century it had become uneconomical to collect salt this way and a technique of filling the mines with hot water to dissolve the salt and retrieve as brine was put into use.  This resulted in destabilising the mines and caused massive subsidence for the town and the surrounding area.

As a result of this subsidence a number of flashes (pools) and meres (shallow lakes) were formed.  It is thought that the timber framed buildings that survive in the town did so because they were more resilient to movement than their brick counterparts.

The Weaver Hall Museum, once the local workhouse, tells the story of salt in the area as well as the area’s broader history  The original salt museum was set up by two salt proprietors, Thomas Ward and John Brunner, in the 19th century when Northwich was ‘the salt capital of the world’.

Knock-on industry
Brunner founded a soda ash production company called Brunner Mond with colleague Ludwig Mond.  The company was based in Winnington near to Northwich.  Statues of both men stand outside the research centre at the works.  The production of soda ash used salt as its raw material and the subsided land was used to dispose of waste from the production producing dangerous lime beds.  As a result the land was deemed unusable.

The chemical industry was attracted to the area on the heels of the salt production.  So as well as Brunner Mond (now Tata Chemicals Europe), ICI opened three sites in the area at Winnington, Wallerscote and Lostock.  It was at Winnington that the production of polythene was accidentally discovered in the 1930s.

In recent years the unusable land has been reclaimed and the Marbury Country Park and the Northwich Community Woodlands have been developed.  Both are open to the public and popular recreational areas.  Four of the old salt mines have been stabilised: Baron’s Quay, Witton Bank, Neumann’s and Penny’s Lane.

Getting around the area
The Romans called Northwich Condate meaning confluence probably due to the merging of two rivers, The Dane which flows into the Weaver in the town.  The rivers were obviously good for trading and a means to carry the precious salt to other markets.  When the Trent and Mersey Canal opened in the 18th century, much concern from the river’s trustees ensured it followed a path north of the town.  Even so it passed salt production sites on its banks and a few years later the Anderton Boat lift was built to connect the two water transport routes.  There’s a visitor Centre at the lift now for visitors who want to know more about it.

Several roads around Northwich follow the original roads set out by the Romans.

Of course whilst all this production was going on, the population of Northwich grew and people needed homes and other facilities.  Northwich is still home to many amazing protected buildings.

Listings
·         St Helen’s Witton is a Grade I listed building which dates from the 14th century.  Even its sundial bears the Grade II listing

·         Two other churches in Northwich carry Grade II status – Church of St Winifred and Church of the Holy Trinity

·         The Weavers Hall Museum is a Grade II listed building

·         The magnificent Town Bridge which dates from 1899 and is one of two swing bridges in the town – the first two ever to be operated electrically.  Town Bridge is also Grade II

·         Several other bridges and locks also bear Grade II status

·         The magnificent timber framed Winnington Hall is not surprisingly Grade I listed.  It was built for the Warburton family in the 16th century.  In the 19th century it became a girls’ school for a time, hosting recitals by Charles Halle and boasting art lectures by John Ruskin.  Later the whole estate was bought by Brunner Mond and both families lived in the Hall.  Now the building houses a series of offices

·         Many of the residences on Dobell’s Road are Grade II listed too


Who do you recognise?
Singers and bands from or with connections to Northwich include:
·         Gary Barlow of Take That and now X Factor judge

·         Tim Burton of the Charlatans

·         Steve Hewitt one time drummer with Placebo hails from Northwich

·         Harry Styles of One Direction lived in the area at one time

·         Northwich was one of The Who’s locations on their non-stop UK tour in 1966

Actors/TV personalities
·         Jennifer Saunders, originally one half of French and Saunders and now successful in her own right,  attended Northwich Girls Grammar School

·         Television presenter Matthew Kelly once lived here

·         Local girl Dani Raynor was a contestant in the 2010 Over the Rainbow TV show looking for Dorothy for an Andrew Lloyd Webber production.  Unfortunately Dani was not successful


Authors
·         Film producer and writer Sue Birtwistle was born in Northwich

·         Crime writer Martin Edwards attended Sir John Deane’s Grammar School in the town.  His father was one time President of the Northwich Victoria Football Club and penned their history

·         Rupert Holmes is a singer-songwriter and author of plays and novels.  He was born in Northwich before moving with his family to New York – he has duel citizenship of the UK and the USA

·         Horror author Stuart Neild was born here

·         The late children’s author Robert Westall  (The Machine Gunners) taught at Sit John Deane Grammar School in Northwich


Deafening entertainment
Whilst we acknowledge that much hearing loss is caused by the aging process at Castle Hearing Aids, we do wonder what effect loud music has on younger sufferers.  It is reported that Pete Townshend of The Who admits to making music that ‘deafens’ people.  In fact in 1976 The Who played a concert that was recorded in the Guinness Book of Records as the loudest concert ever!  You can read all about it here.  Let’s hope no one is suffering due to the concert they played in Northwich.  But as music concerts have got louder, so an increase in younger sufferers has been noted.  Is this just coincidence?

No matter what the cause though, take a look at our information about testing and wearing aids to hear and if you’d like more information, please give us a call on 01782 69 80 90.