Digital Hearing Aids Crewe – Cheshire Digital Hearing Aids

Digital Hearing Aids Crewe – Cheshire Digital Hearing Aids

Crewe was once the centre of the railways in the UK.  Not centre as central but centre as in one of the most important hubs in the industry.  Crewe Works is the big engineering facility for British Railways built in 1840 to manufacture and maintain locomotives and rolling stock.  A small ‘village’ of 200 houses was purpose built at the same time to house the staff, many of whom transferred from the original depot of Edge Hill in Liverpool.  This meant an influx of 800 men, women and children to the area.

This era when the railways were emerging meant that Crewe Works was constantly busy.  By 1845 the Grand Union Railway who had built the depot had merged with several other railway companies and space was at a premium.  In fact by 1948 1,000 men were employed here and one locomotive per week was in production.

Two decades later carriage manufacture was moved to Wolverton in Buckinghamshire and Earlestown in Merseyside.  By the end of the steam era, Crewe Works had built more than 7,000 locomotives.  After 1957 it was responsible for building a number of diesel trains too.

At its most thriving, Crewe Works employed more than 20,000 people, but by the end of 2005 numbers were down to 700.  Crewe Works suffered at the hands of privatisation with much of the site sold off for redevelopment.

As such a busy hub, Crewe Railway station just a mile from the centre of the city was one of the largest in the North West.  It still has 12 platforms in use and fast links with many large towns and cities in the UK including London, Manchester, Liverpool, Cardiff, Glasgow and many more.  It also links to Holyhead for the ferry connections to Ireland.

Can you hear us?
Can you imagine how noisy those engine sheds must have been?  Did you know that working in a noisy environment can be one cause of hearing loss?  In fact there are several causes of impaired hearing and anyone can suffer with this condition.  Of course our old friend – or enemy – old age can also play a part.  But if you find yourself asking people to repeat what they’ve just said, or are struggling to hear all of a conversation, then it might be wise to get your hearing checked out.

If you think you might have a problem get in touch with Hearing Aids Stoke on Trent to talk about free audiology tests which measure the hearing ability of each ear.  We can also talk to you about hearing aids.  Please call us for more information on 01782 69 80 90.

Other engineering in Crewe
Crewe was also home to Rolls Royce car production for well over 50 years.  When they sold up, the sale was split with Volkswagen securing a deal to produce the engines and BMW the grille and marquee.  Volkswagen declared more of an interest in the Bentleys also manufactured by Rolls Royce at the time of sale.  These are still produced in the factory in Pyms Lane by Volkswagen.

Other industry
Small arms ammunition is produced for the British Armed Forces in nearby Radway Green.  IT production – Fujitsu -  gas and chemical production and ice cream van manufacturers Whitby Morrison also operate in the area.

Crewe Heritage Centre
Once called Crew Railway Age, the renamed Crewe Heritage Centre can be found on part of the old Crewe Works site.  In this old railway yard you’ll find 3 signal boxes including the large, electrically operated Crewe North Junction signal box.  Visitors are able to go inside this box and operate the signals for a real hands-on experience.

Visitors can also participate in Brake Van rides at specific times and events.  There is a lot to see including a miniature railway which shows off steam, diesel and electric trains.  There are lots more exhibits in the Main Exhibition Hall which highlight this area’s history in locomotive production.

You can also catch a glimpse of the prototype of a Bentley Continental GB car.

A bit of culture
Crewe can also boast a share of historic buildings like the Grade II listed Lyceum theatre of Edwardian origin.  Although built in 1911, it still has a full programme of shows of all types.

Grade I listed Crewe Hall is a Jacobean mansion which can be found in the east of the town near Crewe Green.  It was built in the early 1600s by Sir Randolph Crewe.  It is now a hotel, restaurant and Health Club.

Famous sons and daughters of Crewe
·         A few famous players have a link to Crewe’s football club – Crewe Alexandra FC – who are called The Railwaymen.  Crewe has a reputation for developing young players.  These include retired Geoff Thomas, Danny Murphy from neighbouring Chester who now plays for Blackburn Rovers, Craig Hignett also retired, David Platt now team coach for Manchester City, Doncaster Rovers player Rob Jones, Celtic manager Neil Lennon, Dean Ashton now retired and Nick Powell who plays for Man U
·         Retired South African player Bruce Grobbelaar also played for Crewe for a while
·         Actor Richard Beckinsdale who died tragically early from a heart attack at the age of 31, worked at Crewe Repertory Theatre before finding TV fame in series Rising Damp and Porridge

·         Suffragette Ada Nield Chew was working as a tailor in Crewe when she had letters published in the local paper complaining of poor pay and conditions.  She later took an even more active role in women’s suffrage
·         A recent inhabitant of Crewe is Chris Hughes one of the regular contestants on the BBC’s Eggheads quiz program.  Chris, once a railway worker, is also a good karaoke singer with a 4 octave vocal range!
·         Australian Olympic medallist for swimming Neil Brooks was actually born in Crewe
·         Golfer David Gilford was also born here and has been in European Tour and Ryder Cup teams
·         Cricketer John Morris also born in Crewe played in 3 Tests and several One Day Internationals

·         Local actor, model and singer turned fundraiser Adam Rickitt is probably best known for playing Nick Tilsley in Coronation Street
·         Gymnast Beth Tweddle from the Crewe and Nantwich Gym Club won a gold medal at the World Championships in Qatar earlier this year and a Bronze at the London Olympics in the summer

We know this has been simple as you’ve been able to read all about Crewe’s railway background and its industries historically.  If it would be more difficult to hear someone tell you all about it, you’re missing out.  So get those ears checked out today – you might be surprised to learn how we can help you.

Give our local office a call on 01782 69 80 90 or use our online form to explain your problem to us.