Grandad John Horsfield was born in Fernilee and brought up by his father William and his Mother Harriet Ann Horsfield.
My memories of my Grandad by Tony Edge.
Grandad and Grandma Horsfield moved to Brookfied drive Timperley a convenient location for work. We lived close by I would hop on my bicycle even at 7 years old the roads were not quite as busy as today Grandad was always busy in his garage it was nice and warm heated with a solid fuel stove.
From the window you could see trains passing at the bottom of the garden he had always time for me. Before leaving he would always give me something, bits of radio parts, old Popular Science magazines. Remember him telling me about radio signals received from outer space.
Cheshire became an important location to investigate. Bernard Loval’s and the devolpment of Jodrell Bank Radio telescope.
His cottage at Fernilee used as a holiday home gave us plenty of time together we used the middle cottage. Evenings we had no television great fun with talks and tales. One was the tale about old Ned’s skull found in a cupboard whenever some one moved the skull there would be terrible consequences.
He talked of many happy days spent in Fernilee his dad an engineer working locally on large engines.
On many walks with Grandad he told me many tales as a boy had so much fun in the country playing one favourite pastime was filling a key with gunpowder with nail used as detonator. Playing with electric and electrifying a barbed wire fence and watching the chickens fly up in the air with a mighty shock.
Playing with mercury and floating metal objects. Harriet got quite upset when she found mercury in his pocket frightened the mercury would melt her wedding ring.
Grandad worked with asbestos for car brake linings he gave me a big chunk of asbestos rock and always kept it in my pocket also gave me a bottle of mercury to play with fortunately I never came to any harm. But Grandad did suffer from the working down coal mines and years working with asbestos and had to have a lung removed. As a young man he was very fit and won many prizes cycle racing and he opend a cycle shop.
On some of the long walks in fernilee with Grandad he pointed out points of interest.
Where he learned to swim in the River Goyt a deep section just near the footbridge. One day we walked down the Clough following the brook that flows under the house on Stony Gate. At the bottom of the Clough used to be a huge oak tree with a wrought iron railings we used this as a den.
Following the river down a small valley crossing the brook we came to a derelict barn at the side of the building their was a doorway we went in it had no proper floor just soil looking up it had no floor above just a huge expanse.
To my amazement Grandad said he was born here in this building. Only recently I found out this used to be a coach house. Now an Air B & B holiday let.
Walking a little further on down following the river bank on the side of the old barn Grandad showed me the old coal mine ventilation shaft on shale bank.
The brook eventually joins the River Goyt near the footbridge.
Walking along the River Goyt from the footbridge towards Fernilee reservoir and filter sheds. The river deepens at the bend in the river the ground on the opposite side goes vertically for 30 foot or more Grandad talked about the geology of the rocks pointing out the huge fault line that drops 90 degrees.
At this point the river is at its deepest and widest and children had made a dam with stones. Grandad said I learnt to swim here.
On one of our many walks leaving Fernilee Cottage up the green passed Broklehurst Farm over the old railway line. Yet more tales of the Fernilee Gunpowder works and some of the gunpowder was used in the Spanish Armada. And old ships timbers were used in our cottages. Crossing over the old railway up the steep hill towards Long Hill. Grandad told me the farmer that lived in the farm before the Broklehurst used to make wine out of cow pats. Must have been a bit high and smelly.
Grandad John Horsfield was born in Fernilee and brought up by his father William and his Mother Harriet Ann Horsfield.
John Horsfield (my Grandad) born August the 8th 1887 died 1959
Married Gertrude A Yates. Gertrude sadly died in 1915 at the age of 23 leaving two children Vera (My Mum) and Anne.
John Horsfield married again to his second cousin Martha Ellen Collier in 1920.
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