Digital Hearing Aids Warrington – Cheshire Digital Hearing Aids

Digital Hearing Aids Warrington – Cheshire Digital Hearing Aids 

Almost a quarter of a million people live in Warrington in the North West of England.  It stands on the banks of the River Mersey almost exactly half way between Liverpool to the West and Manchester to the East.

Warrington was made a ‘new town’ in 1968 when the population was only half as big.  Essentially being designated a ‘new town’ meant Warrington would be developed and take the overspill from its two large neighbours.

There was already a thriving population in Warrington back in Roman times.  As we know the Romans liked to establish an infrastructure, so the choice of location for Warrington was at the lowest crossing point of the River Mersey.  After the Romans, the Saxons inhabited the area so that by the Middle Ages, Warrington had become an recognized market town.

Like many other towns in this area, Warrington really grew once the River Mersey was made navigable during the Industrial Revolution.  This was followed by the expansion of the railways and the building of the Manchester Ship Canal.

Industry in the area
Since the Middle Ages it has been a centre for the production of both textiles and tools.  As Warrington embraced the new industrial age, it became a centre for the production of steel and in particular wire, brewing and tanning and also the chemical industries.  Its old link to textile production also continued.  With the development of steam engines and the recognition of steam power, Warrington was quick to use it not only for transport but also to power its mills.

Warrington’s history with wars
The very last victory of the Royalists in the Civil War was fought and won here.  St Elphin’s church is said to bear marks made by cannon balls from both sides as a result.  The two conflicting armies – Oliver Cromwell’s and the Earl of Derby’s (the Royalist) – both stayed in the town.  Cottage Restaurant on Church Street is believed to be where Cromwell stayed.  Whilst Derby stayed close to what is now the Marquis of Granby Pub, according to the plaque displayed there.  Cromwell’s army also fought off Charles II in the Battle of Warrington Bridge in 1651.

During World War II, Warrington was home to several service barracks.  In fact the largest US servicemen’s base outside the USA was stationed here at Burtonwood RAF Base.  It was actually opened in 1940 as a British RAF base used for servicing and storage.  The USSAF took it over in 1942 and 18,000 servicemen were stationed here by the time the war was over.  Visiting celebrities such as Bob Hope and Humphrey Bogart came to entertain the troops here.  The base continued to be used for storage until 1993.

Interesting fact: houses, shops and a school were built to accommodate the American servicemen.  The houses were called Tobacco Houses because the currency which paid the lease was American tobacco!

During the troubles in Northern Ireland, Warrington became the focus for two IRA bomb attacks.  The first bomb exploded at a gas storage plant in the town.  The second had more repercussions as the bomb blast in the town centre killed two children and seriously injured four people, whilst another 52 received lesser injuries.  The children who died were three year old Johnathan Ball and Colin Parry who was twelve.  Colin’s father Tim Parry has since set up a Peace Centre in memory of the boys.

Listen up!
The sound of those canons in the Civil War or the WWII aircraft could all have had an effect on the hearing of those close by.  Hopefully no one reading this has suffered that kind of impairment.  But if you are finding hearing difficult, we might be able to help.  Just call Digital Hearing Aids on 01782 698090.

Who do you know?
With such a large population it is little wonder that a good proportion of the rich and famous hail from Warrington.  See who you know from the list:

·         The 18th Century natural philosopher Joseph Priestley taught at the Academy in the 18th Century

·         The first mayor of Warrington, William Beaumont also founded the municipal library

·         Banjo and ukulele player George Formby lived in Warrington

·         Ian Brown, the lead singer of the Stone Roses was born here

·         Actor Pete Postlethwaite was born here too.  He started his career at the Everyman Theatre in Liverpool alongside Julie Walters, Bill Nighy, Antony Sher and Jonathan Pryce.  He had a long career in films and TV appearing in some classics such as The Usual Suspects, Romeo & Juliet as Father Lawrence and too many more to mention

·         Actress Sue Johnston of the Royle family and Brookside also hails from Warrington

·         As does Chris Evans who is well known as a DJ and TV presenter

·         Singer Kerry Katona once a singer with Atomic Kitten comes from Warrington

·         As does Homes Under the Hammer presenter Martin Roberts

·         It was also the birth place of comedian Pete McCarthy

·         Record producer Pete Waterman lives near Warrington as does actor Andrew Wyment

·         The dancer who won Britain’s Got Talent in 2008, George Sampson was born in Warrington

·         The list goes on with Tim Curry, an actor and singer who was born here

·         Chris Moyles sidekick Comedy Dave too

·         Growing up in Warrington was the order of the day for the late fashion designer Ossie Clark

·         And of course numerous sportsmen: cricketers the late George Duckworth, Neil Fairbrother;  footballers James Chester and Stephen Foster, British champion jockey Paul Hanagan, racing driver Neil McGrath and Australian Rugby League player and selector, Bob Fulton

·         Lastly the infamous Rebekah Brooks the journalist and ex chief executive of News International was at school here

How did you hear about us?
What do you know?  Do you know for instance that you don’t have to suffer in silence with limited hearing?  You don’t have to remain isolated from conversations or struggling to hear the TV.  We can advise and test your hearing to see what help we can be.  Why not give us a call on 01782 698090 for a chat and more information?

Digital Hearing Aids Widnes – Cheshire Digital Hearing Aids

Digital Hearing Aids Widnes –  Cheshire Digital Hearing Aids

Oh yea, oh yea!  No it isn’t the town crier we just want to highlight the fact that if you’re living in the Widnes area and are suffering from difficulty with your hearing, then Digital Hearing Aids can help.  We can’t necessarily promise to return your hearing to what it was, but we can professionally test your hearing and offer advice about aids.  Give us a call now on 01782 698090.

All about Widnes
Widnes owes a lot of its development to 19th Century entrepreneurs and chemists.  Prior to the Industrial Revolution, Widnes on the north banks of the River Mersey was just a collection of villages.  This is almost a mirror of its neighbour over the water to the south, Ellesmere Port.

The men who brought development to the area include:
·         John Hutchinson actually established the very first chemical factory in Widnes.  He was just 22 years old.  He is famous for producing alkali by the Leblanc Process.  Hutchinson later established a second factory in the area.

·         Chemist John McClellan is responsible for one of the first chemical factories in Widnes, producing borax and later soda ash, saltcake and bleaching powder.  He came from nearby Liverpool.

·         William Gossage was essentially an inventor with 50 patents to his name.  He opened an alkali factory and a soap making factory In Widnes.  The Gossage brand of soap became well known.  Gossage himself became famous for inventing the Gossage Tower, which absorbed the polluting waste gas caused by the Leblanc Process.  Gossage discovered that the air pollution could be avoided.  He experimented by filling an old windmill with twigs and brushwood and pouring water over them.  Adding the gas, the vast surface area of water absorbed 90% of it.  The liquid acid produced could then be poured directly into the canals and rivers.  This solved air pollution but resulted in water pollution instead!

·         Another chemical factory owner who produced alkali was Frederic Muspratt.

·         Holbrook Gaskell and Henry Deacon were in partnership and produced first soda and then alkali in Widnes.  Gaskell’s cousin’s wife was the author Elizabeth Gaskell who wrote Mary Crawford, North and South and Cranford.

·         Henry Deacon was a chemist who searched for alternative methods than the Leblanc Process to produce alkali.  He submitted 29 patents for his works.  He employed Swiss chemist Ferdinand Hurter and together they discovered a better way to produce chlorine using the by-product of the Leblanc Process, Hydraulic acid.

 With the many developments of the chemical industry in the area, there was no shortage of workers despite the fact that the area consisted manly of villages.  Irish workers arrived from across the Irish Sea as a result of the potato famine.  Immigrants fleeing persecution in Poland and Lithuania arrived from Eastern Europe.  Closer to home, it offered work for many from across the border in Wales too.

 The forming of Widnes
As we mentioned, it wasn’t until the 19th Century that Widnes became a town.  Prior to that it was a collection of villages including Farnworth, Appleton, Ditton, Upton and Woodend.

Towards the end of the 18th Century the Sankey Canal was built, which linked St Helens and the River Mersey at Sankey Bridges near Warrington.  It was the first artificial canal built in Britain, but is no longer in use.  Over the next few years the canal was extended and the St Helens and Runcorn Railway opened which connected St Helens to Woodend.  The end point of both canal and railway were at what became Widnes Dock, the first railway dock in the world to be established.  These developments meant that transporting materials to and from the area were much easier.

Spike Island and the Catalyst Museum
Today what remains of Widnes Dock form part of Spike Island; this area was the island formed by the Mersey Estuary and the Sankey Canal.  It is where all the chemical factories were built; since they have all ceased operation and been abandoned, along with the rail lines, the canal and the dock area, it has been reclaimed.  Now it is a woodland, wetlands and green space with the one remaining factory used as the Catalyst Science Discovery Centre.  This is the world’s only museum solely devoted to the chemical industry.

The warehouse which the Catalyst Centre uses once belonged to John Hutchinson.  It was known as Tower Building, later becoming the head office for Gossage Soaps.  The museum houses hands-on exhibits and gives a complete overview of the chemical industry.  It also offers an insight into career possibilities within the industry and has a rooftop observatory.  This features exhibits about recycling and of course magnificent views of the reclaimed landscape.

Historic traces
With such a short history, Widnes doesn’t have the glut of historic buildings you find in many British towns.  There are several churches in the area that are listed, such as St Luke’s in Farnworth, St Mary’s, West Bank and St Michael’s, St Marie’s and St Bede’s.  The latter are all Roman Catholic churches.  Railway stations, Widnes North and Hough Green, are both listed as is Widnes Town Hall.

Named and shamed?
Widnes does find itself mentioned in books and songs though.  In the 19th Century author Robert Sherard wrote about the Industrial Revolution and referred to Widnes as ‘the dirtiest, ugliest and most depressing town in England.’  It seemed it hadn’t improved much some 100 years later when Paul Simon is rumoured to have written Homeward Bound whilst waiting to return to London at Widnes Station.  He said, “If you know Widnes, then you'll understand how I was desperately trying to get back to London as quickly as possible.  Homeward Bound came out of that feeling.”

Belle and Sebastian and Elvis Costello have both referenced Widnes in lyrics – Stars of Track and Field and Watch Your Step respectively.

Famous sons and daughters
As well as the many famous chemists listed above who had connections with Widnes, there have also been a few church dignitaries including:
·         15th Century William Smyth who became Bishop of Coventry and Lichfield and later Bishop of Lincoln; he also built the grammar school in Farnworth

·         Richard Barnes who became Bishop of Carlyle and later Bishop of Durham (16th Century)

·         Richard Bancroft who became Bishop of London and then Archbishop of Canterbury in the same century


Others from the area:
·         Charles Glover Barkla, the 1917 Nobel Prize winner for Physics was born in Widnes

·         Roy Chadwick who designed the Avro Lancaster bomber was born here

·         The late Jack Ashley, Baron of Ashley Stoke and one time MP for Stoke on Trent was born here too

·         The late international rugby league player Vince Karalius hailed from this town

·         Professional snooker player Andrew Higginson also calls Widnes his home town

·         Melanie Chisholm better known as Mel C or Sporty Spice went to school here

·         Paul Sherwin who is a former Tour de France rider was born here

Just a quick reminder for other locals, if you’re reading this and need help with your hearing, either give us a call on 01782 698090 or contact us online for more information about how we can help.

Digital Hearing Aids Ellesmere Port – Cheshire Digital Hearing Aids

Digital Hearing Aids Ellesmere Port –  Cheshire Digital Hearing Aids

Ellesmere Port, as its name suggests is a port and also an industrial town on the Wirral peninsula.  First mentions of settlements in this area date back to the Domesday Book when local villages were listed.  These include Great Sutton, Little Sutton, Pool now known as Overpool and Hooton.  As Ellesmere Port spread, these villages and several others became suburbs of the larger town.

Ellesmere Port started out as not much more than a village itself, namely Netherpool.  Its name changed to The Port of Ellesmere as that became its main function.  It wasn’t until the 19th Century that its name changed to what we know it by today.

The port came into being as a link to the sea for Ellesmere in Shropshire and the Welsh Borders via a canal.  The Ellesmere Canal was intended to link the River Mersey to the River Severn, picking up trade from Wales and the West Midlands on the way.  The canal was never completed due to the common problems of rising costs and less take up than expected.

The canal at its northern end flowed out at Netherpool and is known as the Whitby Basin.  Thomas Telford and engineer William Jessop designed and built the canal during the 18th Century.  Telford was responsible for the detail, including the pioneering Pontcysyllte Aqueduct with its 19 arches.  Today this aqueduct, which is still navigable, is Grade I listed and a World Heritage Site as it is Britain’s longest and highest aqueduct.

The town grew after Manchester Ship Canal was built towards the end of the 19th Century.  The canal leading from the mouth of the River Mersey made it possible for ocean going ships to reach Manchester, 40 miles inland.

Ear trumpet
Imagine if your only option to improve your hearing was an old fashioned ear trumpet.  Not only would you still be struggling to hear what others said, but you’d have the inconvenience of taking this large and unsightly piece of equipment everywhere you went!  Fortunately things have moved on.  Now you could find that a pair of digital hearing aids is all you need to make a difference.  Want to know more?  Call us on 01782 698090.

Ellesmere Port today
Stanlow Oil Refinery and Vauxhall Cars are two of the biggest employers here.  Stanlow was opened in the 1920s and is the second largest producer of petrol for the UK.  The biggest is at Fawley in Southampton.  The refinery accepts oil from ships and processes it.  It uses the UK oil pipeline to transport the fuel around the country.  Stanlow also produces fuel for aircraft, bitumen – mainly used in the construction of roads - and kerosene, more commonly known domestically as paraffin.

Vauxhall has an Opal and Astra assembly plant in Hooton where the RAF base used to be.  They employ more than 2,000 people here and are an important part of Ellesmere Port’s local economy.

National Waterways Museum
Ellesmere Port is home to the National Waterways Museum.  It is housed where the old canal port used to be as the Shropshire Canal meets the River Mersey.  Here visitors can see the large collection of canal boats and an exhibition about the history of boatbuilding.  There are visiting exhibitions in the old toll house, the blacksmith’s forge, the stables where horses and pigs were kept, as well as the Pump House.  This housed the steam engines which powered hydraulic cranes for lifting boats on the canals.

A row of four houses, originally built for dock workers, have been used to illustrate how they would have lived in the different periods between 1840 – 1950.

The original canal locks are Grade II listed, as is the lighthouse at the entrance to the canal.

Blue Planet Aquarium
The Blue Planet Aquarium can be found at Ellesmere Port’s Cheshire Oaks Retail Park.  It is home to fresh water and marine life.

If you’re brave enough you can dive or have an ‘encounter’ with a shark.  Kids can spend a day on the ‘Blue Water’ team feeding the many kinds of marine life, including the rock pool inhabitants and the Rays.  Kids get to meet a diver and see the Aquatheatre Show too.

Blue Planet is home to seven types of sharks, Angel fish, giraffe catfish, rays, trigger fish, piranhas, dogfish and many more.

Famous faces with Ellesmere Port connections
·         Comedian Russ Abbott grew up here

·         Writer and TV reporter Hardeep Singh Kholi lived in the area at one time

·         Steps group member Lee Latchford Evans grew up in Ellesmere Port

·         John Prescott one time Deputy Prime Minister (1997 – 2007) went to school here

·         19th Century artist Joshua Shaw was born in Ellesmere Port

·         Johannah Leedham was team captain for the Olympics women’s basket ball team – she comes from Ellesmere Port

·         Ian Prowse can call Ellesmere Port his home town.  He is a singer/songwriter with Amsterdam and at one time the band Pele

·         Lillian Beckworth the author grew up here

·         Opera singer Rita Cullis was born here

·         And just a few footballers have a connection with this town including: the late Sam Chedgzoy, the late Stan Cullis who started playing as a schoolboy in Ellesmere Port, retired player Dave Hickson, the late Joe Mercer was born here, retired player Rob Jones grew up here and former England player now manager at Shrewsbury Town, Graham Turner.

No need to suffer in silence
If you live in or near Ellesmere Port there’s no need to suffer in silence.  If you think that your hearing is not as good as it used to be, then please get in touch with us.  Hearing loss can be caused by many things and can be irritating when you cannot hear clearly what is being said either in person or on the TV.  Don’t leave it any longer, give us a call today on 01782 698090 to see how we can help.

Digital hearing aids Rotherham – South Yorkshire Digital Hearing Aids

Digital hearing aids Rotherham – South Yorkshire Digital Hearing Aids 

Rotherham in South Yorkshire is just less than 50 miles from Stoke on Trent as the bird flies, which means it is in the area for all the Digital Hearing Aid help that residents may need.  If you fear that your hearing is deteriorating, get in touch with us for advice.  Call us on 01782 698090.

All about Rotherham
Although Rotherham has a population of 117,000 it is only 6 miles from another huge conurbation, Sheffield.

The local economy is said to be thriving which is quite an achievement in the current climate.  As proof, Rotherham’s Advanced Technology Park is home to Rolls Royce and Castings Technology International, which provides research and technology for the cast metal sector.  The Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre, part of Sheffield University, is based here too alongside Nuclear AMRC.  The park known as the AMP is also home to the TWI Technology Centre, Performance Engineered Solutions, 3-D Printing company Materialise, technology product manufacturer Arclad, sophisticated laboratory equipment producer Struers and Xeros, the polymer bead cleaning company developed out of the University of Leeds.

You can tell by the type of companies housed at this park that Rotherham’s main concentration is on technology and high profile techniques for the modern world.  Things weren’t always this way of course.

Earlier industry in Rotherham
Industry through the ages in Rotherham and the surrounding area has been about base materials.  Iron ore has been mined in the region since Roman times; coal was the main industry by the time of the Industrial Revolution bringing Rotherham to the fore back then.  This in turn meant that the rivers that define Rotherham, The Don and the Rother also became part of the important Sheffield and South Yorkshire Navigation System.  This connected rivers and canals so that coal, iron and steel could be transported.

The Walker family based in Rotherham, built their iron and steel empire in the area - iron was very important.  Their product was used for many cast iron bridges and also used on HMS Victory.  By the 19th Century there were many local cast iron foundries supplying developments of the time.  Amongst these, the first successful, commercial iron plough was produced in Rotherham by Joseph Foljambe.

In the 18th Century Beatson Clark & Co established a glass works here.  They produced and exported glass medicine bottles.  The company still supplies glass containers to the same industry today.

Grain milling was also a common activity in the area.  In fact Rank Hovis only closed their mill in 2008 – it was the last one in Rotherham.

Historic Rotherham
Rotherham didn’t really come to anything until Saxon times, when it was established as a small market town with market day every Friday and an annual fair.  An extra market day on Mondays was acquired by the monks of Rufford Abbey in the 13th Century, after the local but absent lords gave all their Rotherham possessions to the Abbey.

By the 15th Century the Archbishop of York, Thomas Rotherham, arranged for The College of Jesus to be built in his home town of Rotherham.  His inspiration was the colleges of Oxbridge.  It was the first brick building in the area and taught theology, grammar, writing and singing.  The college alongside the newly built All Saints Church (now Rotherham Minster) gave the town a very modern feel at the beginning of the 16th Century.

Unfortunately the college did not remain open for long.  Its fate around 50 years after it was built fell foul of the monarch Edward VI who dissolved it and took all its assets.  Very little of the old college has survived to the present day, though part of its walls remain encased in other buildings mainly in the still named, College Street.

Landmarks
·         The 15th Century Rotherham Minster is Grade I listed and was referred to as ‘the best perpendicular church in the country’ by 20th Century History of Art expert Pevsner.

·         The Chapel of Our Lady of Rotherham is a ‘bridge chapel’.  This 15th Century chapel built on Chantry Bridge, also erected at the same time, is thought to be one of the best preserved examples in Britain.  There are only three of them that still exist.  It was dissolved in the 16th Century by Edward VI and became an almshouse, a prison and later a shop.  It is now restored to its original use.

·         Chantry Bridge was built to carry Bridge Street over the River Don.  The 15th Century bridge had four arches and was just 15 feet wide.  In the 18th Century it was widened and a fifth arch was added.  In the 20th Century a new bridge – Bridge Street Bridge - was built upstream and Chantry Bridge was restored to its original four arches.  The river is wider than it was in Medieval times so Chantry Bridge no longer reaches the West Bank of the river.

·         On the edge of Rotherham, Clifton Park is the home of Clifton Park Museum, once Clifton House.  Built in the 18th Century Clifton House is a Grade II listed building which was once home to the Walker family.  It is now owned by the Municipal Borough of Rotherham.

·         Grade I listed and Scheduled Ancient Monument, Catcliffe Glass Cone stands as a reminder of glass production in the area.  It is the oldest surviving cone of its type in Western Europe.  There are three similar cones still standing in the UK.

·         At nearby Maltby you can see the ruins of English Heritage’s Roche Abbey.  Originally built as another Cistercian Abbey in Norman times.  It is rumoured that Robin Hood attended mass here.  The Monastery was dissolved by Henry VIII in the 16th Century and saw the start of its demise and ruin.

Rotherham’s famous connections
·         John Carr, 18th Century architect from Yorkshire who designed Clifton House

·         Henry VIII and Edward VI for their dissolution of monasteries and churches in the area

·         Robin Hood who attended mass at Roche Abbey

·         William Hague, the First Secretary of State, was born here

·         As was Sir Donald Coleman Bailey who invented the Bailey Bridge

·         Comedians Sandy Powell and the Chuckle Brothers also call Rotherham their home town

·         Lynne Perrie, Coronation Street actress and her brother, comedian Duggie Brown were both born here

·         Actor Dean Andrews and actress Liz White who both starred in Life on Mars,  also come from Rotherham

·         Presenter James May grew up here

·         The talented Christopher Wolstenholme from Muse also calls Rotherham home

·         Retired Arsenal and England goalkeeper David Seaman also hails from Rotherham


Getting checked out
There’s nothing worse than not being able to hear a local hero on the TV whether they are a politician, a comedian, an actor or a musician.  Get your hearing checked out, especially if you think it might be worsening.  We can sort out a professional audiologist to test both ears and advise on aids.  Don’t leave it any longer, contact us today on 01782 698090  for more information.

Digital Hearing Aids Ripley – Derbyshire Digital Hearing Aids

Digital Hearing Aids Ripley – Derbyshire Digital Hearing Aids 

Ripley was once a mining town for coal and other minerals.  These industries took a hold in the 18th and 19th Centuries when the town grew in population.  Today Ripley, which is just 9 miles from Derby, has a population of 21,000.

Ripley is mentioned in the Domesday Book (11th Century) but not in any depth which reflects its status and size, just a few cottages around the village pond.  A hundred years later, King Henry III granted the town a market charter for one market a week on a Wednesday.  The king also granted a three day fair once a year; this annual fair dates back to before the nearby Nottingham’s famous Goose Fair.

Industrialisation and the Butterley Company
The production of corn, both growing and milling, were the two main sources of income in the Middle Ages. The Abbott of Darley owned a mill in the town where the corn was milled.  However the iron and coal mining industries took hold by the 18th Century.  The Butterley Company, owned by engineers Benjamin Outram and Frances Beresford, that opened in Ripley made sure of that.  These two innovative engineers were responsible for the engineering work of the Cromford Canal and also for developing iron rail tracks, including the L-shaped Flange and the ‘cast iron fish belly rail’.

They were also responsible for the Little Eaton Gangway – a single gauge canal wagonway – a pre-runner to the railway.  Butterley Engineering still exists, although other parts of the company have been sold off.

Butterley Tunnel
Butterley Tunnel, part of Cromford Canal, was also an engineering accomplishment of the Butterley Company.  It is three-quarters of a mile long, runs close to Ripley and opened in 1794.  Water from the Butterley reservoir also built by the Butterley Company supplied water to the tunnel.  Today the tunnel and the canal are closed, but the reservoir serves as home to many wildfowl and fish.  Fishing is allowed with a permit.  The railway line for the Midland Railway’s Butterley Line travels across the reservoir on a stone embankment.

During the two hundred years since the company formed, Butterley has been responsible for some great landmarks such as the domed roof in St Pancras Station in London; The Falkirk wheel – the innovative canal boat lift; the Spinnaker Tower in Portsmouth.

Ripley had collieries owned by Butterley too.  Ripley Colliery, Britain Colliery and Ormonde Colliery were three of these; all finished production in the 1940s and the 1970s in the case of Ormonde.  There were at least another nine pits in the surrounding area at one time.  The pit top at Ripley Colliery is now grassed over with just a white arch sculpture and seating.

Echoes of Ripley
Ripley’s past industries may well have affected workers’ hearing.  Even though today’s industries in the area won’t necessarily be to blame, anyone who thinks their hearing is not as good as it used to be should get it checked.  Sometimes ears can be blocked with wax and other times the hearing is impaired.  Whatever the cause, Digital Hearing Aids can test each ear individually and advise you.  Don’t let your hearing go, give us a call on 01782 698090.

Butterley Hall
On the land once owned by Darley Abbey (an old Augustine Priory), the Grade II listed Butterley Hall was actually built for the Homes family in the 18th Century.  It was sold on to Francis Beresford for the Outram family to reside in.  Benjamin’s son James was born here.  Later it was the HQ of the Butterley Company and is now the home of the Derbyshire Constabulary.

Natural attractions around Ripley
We’ve already mentioned Butterley Reservoir and its wildfowl including Moorhens, Coots and Great Crested Grebes; it also has footpaths which lead you around this area to enjoy the wildlife.  There are other areas of natural interest in Ripley too.

Butterley Hill which rises up from the reservoir also leads to the small woodland area Carr Wood.   Other footpaths in the area lead you to Devil’s or Bluebell Wood and in the town centre you’ll find a park named after one of Ripley’s famous residents: Sir Barnes Wallis.

Denby Pottery
Just two miles south of Ripley is the famous Denby Pottery where they have been making their famous stoneware pottery for 200 years.  There’s a free museum where you can see Denby pieces from the past and take a tour to see how it’s made and painted.

Most days there are also cookery demonstrations – the food looks great on the Denby plates.  There is also a restaurant to see the pottery in situ and enjoy some good food.  If you’re a collector, then the first Saturday of every month between 10am – 12.30pm you can have your old Denbyware valued.  Or any other collector’s item for that matter (maximum of 3 items per person).

A visit isn’t complete without visiting the shops – the factory shop for seconds and the home shop for Denby’s finest.

Famous people with Ripley connections
·         Sir Barnes Wallis is from Ripley.  He is best known for his bouncing bomb invention.  These bombs were used in the Second World War to attack the dams in the Ruhr Valley, Germany.  He also designed airships and aeroplanes

·         Bombardier Charles Stone was awarded the Victoria Cross for his service in World War I

·         Benjamin Outram was one of the founders of the Butterley Company.  He was an engineer and surveyor and pioneered the building of canals and tramways

·         Sir James Outram, 1st Baronet – the title bestowed on him by the British Government for his services in India.  His nickname was the Bayard of India

·         William Bourne, businessman and founder of Denby Pottery

Don’t forget
Don’t suffer in silence and isolate yourself.  If you think your hearing has deteriorated get it tested now.  We are on hand to help with a professional audiologist and lots of advice.  See what others have to say about us and then contact us either online or by phone on 01782 698090.

Digital Hearing Aids Sheffield – South Yorkshire Digital Hearing Aids

Digital Hearing Aids Sheffield – South Yorkshire Digital Hearing Aids 

Sheffield was big in the production of steel; so much so that its nickname is ‘Steel City’.  With that in mind it seems even stranger that this big industrial town is also thought to have more trees per person than any other in Europe.  The total count or actually estimation is well over 2 million and maybe as high as 2.5 million.

With that many trees in the city of Sheffield, it won’t seem so strange to learn that there are also 83 parks here too.  Four of these parks are ‘public gardens’.  Sheffield is a truly ‘green’ city.

Sheffield Botanical Gardens
Sheffield Botanical Gardens house 5,000 plants from around the world.  They were first opened in 1836 and were designed by Robert Marnock.  They include what are now Grade II listed glasshouses, which were restored to their former glory in 2003.

You’ll find the national collection of Weigela here; it’s a well known shrub which originates from Asia.  It is also home to the national collection of Diervilla which is closely related to Weigela.  It is a native of North America and was introduced to Europe by a French Surgeon named ... Dierville.  It is also known as Lornicera maackii and more commonly as bush honeysuckle.

Sheffield’s Winter Gardens
The Winter Gardens have been given several accolades – one of the largest temperate glasshouses built in the last 100 years in the UK, the largest urban glasshouse anywhere in Europe, which was opened by the Queen in 2003 and houses more than 2,000 plants.

It also won eight awards for building and design including the Civic Trust’s Green Award, RIBA Millennium Award, RCIS Pro Yorkshire Award for Design and Innovation and several more.

The Peace Gardens
Created as part of the Heart of the City project, the Peace Gardens sit in front of the gothic Town Hall.  The gardens were originally built in 1938 when a church was demolished.

The fountains commemorate both the five rivers which converge in Sheffield and the flow of molten steel which made Sheffield famous.  There are also several monuments and plaques commemorating Sheffield soldiers and civilians lost in several wars – the Spanish Civil War , The Korean War and of course two World Wars.  The Peace Gardens have also won many awards.

Hillsborough Walled Garden
These gardens can be found at Hillsborough Park which surrounds Hillsborough Hall.  The Park was built by the Dixon family who owned the house in the 19th Century.  The Walled Garden is just one part of the park which also has a boating lake and a bowling green complete with pavilion.  The house is now Sheffield library having been taken over by the City Council.  In the 1990s the Walled Garden was dedicated to the memory of the 96 people who lost their lives in the Hillsborough Disaster.

Hillsborough Stadium was the home ground of Sheffield Wednesday FC.  On the day of the disaster, 15th April 1989, the game was an FA Cup Final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest.  Tragedy struck when an exit gate which had been left open gave access to the crowds waiting outside.  The huge crowd surge caused a crash barrier to break and the disaster that ensued.  The game was stopped just six minutes into play.  As well as the 96 fans who lost their lives, another 766 were injured.

The importance of our senses
As one of your key senses hearing is important.  It alerts you to danger and allows you to take the appropriate action.  Our hearing can be affected by many things some of which cause it to deteriorate.

If you think that yours is less effective than it was, let Digital Hearing Aids help.  We can test to see the quality of your hearing in both ears and if necessary explain how a digital hearing aid could help.  Give us a call on 01782 698090 to discuss.

Steel City
For a place to be nicknamed after its main industry shows it must have been pretty big in that area.  Just to give you an idea of how important steel has been to Sheffield over the centuries, here are the main points:

·         Very early on Sheffield was known for producing knives; Chaucer mentions this in The Canterbury Tales which were written in the 14th Century

·         Sheffield was the main cutlery manufacturer in the UK by the beginning of the 16th Century

·         It wasn’t until the mid 18th Century that the production of crucible steel was discovered, but it allowed for a much better quality of steel to be produced

·         In the same period the technique of silver-plating on copper was discovered and was known as Sheffield Plate

·         By the 19th Century, the Bessemer Process helped to reduce the costs of good quality steel production

·         Steel became the preferred materials for ship building and railway lines

·         The UK supplied the US and Europe during the 19th Century, but by the next century the US and Germany had caught up and we were losing our market share

·         Steel is still produced in Sheffield and is an important part of the local economy

Famous faces
With a population of more than half a million, you’re bound to find many famous faces amongst them.  So here are just a few:

·         Authors Malcolm Bradbury, Angela Carter, A S Byatt, Margaret Drabble and Joanne Harris

·         Michael Palin, famous actor, travel writer and one of the original Monty Python ‘group’ was also born here

·         Charles Boot founder of Pinewood Studios was born here

·         As was the businessman best known as a night club owner, Peter Stringfellow

·         And the clever man who founded Thorntons Chocolates, Joseph William Thornton

·         Actors Sean Bean, Lesley Ash, Donald Pleasance and his daughter Angela and Dominic West hail from Sheffield

·         Patrick McGoohan famous for his lead role in the 1960s TV series The Prisoner grew up here

·         Comedian Eddie Izzard attended the University of Sheffield where he discovered his penchant for comedy

·         Just a few musicians have connections to Sheffield including Joe Cocker, Jarvis Cocker and the band Pulp, Bruce Dickinson of Iron Maiden, Jamie Cook and Matthew Helders of Arctic Monkeys, Joe Elliott of Def Leppard, Martin Fry of ABC, Paul Heaton once of The Housemartins and The Beautiful South, Roisin Murphy lead singer with Moloko, Philip Oakey of The Human League, Martin Ware of Heaven 17 and we could go on ...

And several connected with the steel industry:

·         Manufacturer Benjamin Huntsman who perfected making cast steel i.e. crucible steel

·         Sir Henry Bessemer is remembered for his process – Bessemer Process – for the manufacture of steel

·         Thomas Boulsover perfected silver-plating over a copper base

·         Harry Brearley invented Stainless Steel

Mutt and Jeff
The Cockney Slang for deaf somehow seems a little easier to say than confessing that your hearing is impaired and using the word deaf!  There are many reasons why our hearing can be less effective and none of these are causes for embarrassment.

One thing’s for sure you’ll be pleased if yours can be improved.  So don’t hesitate to give us a call on 01782 698090 for more information or contact us online.

Digital Hearing Aids Dronfield – Derbyshire Digital Hearing Aids

Digital Hearing Aids Dronfield – Derbyshire Digital Hearing Aids 

It is thought the name of Dronfield has a connection to bees!  It is said to mean ‘the land of the male bees or drones’.  Dronfield is set on the River Drone which rises near Sheffield and eventually merges with Barlow Brock near Chesterfield and goes on to join the River Rother.  Which came first, the name of the river or the name of the town?  There seems to be no documentation about how the river got its name ... maybe the town was named after the river?

Certainly the river has been very important to the town over the centuries.  Many of the early manufacturers here used it in the production of their goods in the form of water wheels.  But more of that later.

Trade through the centuries
Little is known about Dronfield’s early history but it is mentioned in the Domesday Book, though not in any detail.  In the mid 17th Century Charles II granted Dronfield a market charter and for a hundred years or more trade flourished.  Then with the larger, nearby market towns of Chesterfield (six miles away) and Sheffield (just over seven miles away), the market stopped trading.

Coal mining in the area also flourished at this time and into the 19th Century.  Several pits opened in the area; mining at Stubley was mentioned as far back as the 16th Century, Hill Top in the 17th Century and pits in Dronfield in the 18th Century.  None of them are still working today of course.

The area was also known for lead mining and the related grindstone industry which was carried out in the nearby Peak District.  These industries certainly helped to make the local Rotheram family rich.  John Rotheram also held the post of High Sherriff of Derbyshire and bought Dronfield Manor.

Dronfield was also known for wool production supplied by local sheep farmers.  Many people in the area were involved in spinning and weaving this product.  Another big industry was soap making which set up and used the river in its production.  Leather tanning formed another section of the local industries.

Today there is still a working iron foundry manufacturing products mainly for the car industry.  It is also home to AMETREK, once Land Instruments International, who produce infrared measurement equipment.

Changing over time
Have you noticed a change in your hearing ability?  Loss of hearing can happen to anyone and it can be gradual or sudden.  A gradual loss is often harder to realise but if you have any doubts about the quality of your hearing, why not let us get yours tested by a professional audiologist.  We can arrange this for you – take a look here.  If you’d like further information, give us a call on 01782 698090.

Dronfield Manor
Dronfield Manor, now the Grade II listed Dronfield library, had originally been given to William Briewer by King John but had several owners between Briewer and the Rotheram family.  John Rotheram acquired the Manor in 1750.  He left it to his son; on his death it passed to his sister.  She bequeathed it to Joseph Cecil.  It was the Cecil family who occupied it until it came into the hands of the local council in the 1930s.  It wasn’t until the late 1960s that it became home to Dronfield’s library.

St John the Baptist Church
It is the Gothic architecture and its stained glass windows that first make this 12th Century church stand out.  Or perhaps the fact that its spire can be seen from all places in the town.  Inside it hides a couple of secrets too – two misericords.  A misericord is a shelf-like seat found below a folding seat.  It is used as a perch by those who find standing for long periods difficult during prayers.

What is unusual about the two in St John the Baptist is that they were only added last century.  Misericords were a common addition when attendees were expected to stand for long periods particularly during medieval times.

The Peel Monument
Standing at the top of the High Street is a monument to Sir Robert Peel.  The monument was built in 1854 to honour Peel’s repeal of the Corn Laws some ten years earlier.

The Green Dragon Inn
This public house dates from the 14th Century when its use was more sedate.  It was the hall of the chantry priests (priests paid to sing) and the location where the Guild of the Blessed Virgin Mary was formed.  When Henry VIII dissolved the monasteries, the hall became a public house and has remained one ever since.

Rumour, legend or truth?
Close to the Peel Monument on the High Street is a 16th Century home known as The Cottage.  It is believed locally that it was Lord Byron’s home at one time, though there is no evidence to substantiate this.

Speaking of the well-known ...
There are other well-known even famous people who definitely have connections with Dronfield.

·         Actor Vinnie Jones lived here when he played football for Sheffield United

·         It was also home to several other football players, some of whom played for the same club such as Howard Kendal (now retired), Kevin Gage now retired and running the historic Green Dragon Pub in Dronfield, Tony Currie and Paul Tomlinson

·         Other footballers connected with the area are Mel Sterland, Kevin Pressman and the late Peter Springett who all played for Sheffield Wednesday

·         The late Roy Goodall, who captained England 12 times during his footballing career, was born in Dronfield

·         As was current Chelsea player, Gary Cahill

·         Author and travel writer Bruce Chatwin started life at his grandparent’s home in Dronfield.  He went on to become a famous author and was awarded the James Tait Black Memorial prize for his book On the Black Hill in 1982.  He was the first high profile person known to die of an AIDs related illness in the UK in 1989 at the age of 48

·         Musician Dave Berry came from the area.  His hey-day was in the 1960s with hits such as The Crying Game and Little Things

·         Rick Allen, the drummer with Def Leppard, was born in Dronfield.  He overcame losing his left arm in a car accident and continued to perform as a drummer – no mean feat

Don’t stop the rhythm
If you’re struggling to hear the cheers from the sidelines or get the rhythm of the drums, then perhaps you need your hearing checked.  There are many reasons why hearing loss can occur including of course a deterioration with age.  There’s no need to suffer in silence though!  Get in touch with Digital Hearing Aids today – you know we can help.  Call us on 01782 698090.