If you travel through Leycett today from the bottom of Leycett Lane (turning off Keele Road) you will see a large blue pit wheel in memorium of all the miners that worked and died at Leycett Colliery.It is a very well kept memorial and is a credit to the people who retain it.
As you will notice there is a large bungalow on the left hand side,this is where Mr & Mrs John Pile live,they have lived there for many years now and i'm sure they could tell a thing or two about Leycett folk.After their bungalow there is a little turn off which takes you to a few little old houses which sit behind the Crewe Arms Hotel,my Grandmas Uncle Sam Tomkinson used to live in one of the houses and next door lived a lady called Daisy Cork.
Carrying on along the lane you will pass a small fishing pool on your left hand side before approaching the Ponderosa Farm which used to be owned and worked by Farmer Dicks.His land carries on up to the entrance of what used to be the pit managers cottage at the beginning of Park Terrace (The Cricket field houses).The next house along was allocated to the Under manager at the time of the pit but now belongs to the Sinclair family.As you go along the row you will see a large oak tree,this is where my Dads family home was until 1997.At the end of the row you can turn in,heading towards the Cricket club which is a long building with lots of benches outside which are dedicated to past cricket team members such as William (Bill) Hill,Les Hough & Lenny Broadhead (who used to live at 121 Park Terrace, next to my Grandparents).You can climb over a style behind the Club house and take a long walk in the woods which will take you down to the red sheds,part of the old colliery where hay bails used to be stored.
If you carry on past the cricket field on Leycett Lane you will see a large new house which was built in the 1980's i believe.Before the house was there used to stand two blocks of two houses,in the first house you come to lived Les Hough's family ,next door to Les lived his brother Reggie Hough and his family.In the next block lived a man called Albert 'Crack' Hollins,and next door to him was Royales's house.
The next building along was (and still is) Woodlands County Primary school,which was originally a church.The school is still just about standing today and can be seen from the main road,next to the school is the school house which has now been extended backwards and sideways to make a larger area for the owners vehicles.On the opposite side of the road is Leycett Waste Management site ,before this was here used to stand St Saviours church (the 'Tin Tablernacle'),which was a red corrugated iron church.The church stood infront of the Miners Welfare Institute ,which has also been knocked down to make way for the 'tip'.When the church was knocked down all the timber from inside was removed and used to adorn the bar at the cricket club,this has now been replaced and modernised,altough there are still some remnants above the entrance to the club.There was also a bridge behind the institute that led you to Finney Green and Aggerhill,this too has been removed,along with the audley branch line tracks which used to run down the lane.
As you carry on along Leycett Lane past the school house you can now see on your left hand side,where Front Street used to stand is a large grassed area planted with Silver Birch and is now home to roaming sheep.There is no sign that Leycett Village ever existed in this place.Past the grassed area there is a large white gate closing off a driveway which leads down to the Old Offices,sinkin's yard and Harrison Woodburn cottages.This was also the entrance to the Colliery many years ago (as you can see from the colliery photos).The big house on the left as you go round the bend is called the Station House and was occupied by Mrs Cooper and her family until recently.At the side of the Station House is the original Wooden station hut which is now used for general storage,years ago this was jokingly named 'the Station House Hotel' as it was lived in by 2 men called 'Smash' and 'Tush' (Tush had also lived in the wooden hut in the school yard).
Next door to the station house lives a man called Dave lawton who moved to Leycett in order to run the local butchers in the village.Opposite Mr Lawton and Mrs Coopers house are two houses on the opening to Finney Green,one of the houses used to be owned by Mr Harry Mulliner and family who were a big cricket family.The houses are still there today and are in good repair.
As mentioned earlier The Old Offices and Harrison Woodburn cottages were behind the Staiton house ,today it is only Harrison Woodburn cottages that remain as the Old Offices were demolished along with the rest of the village.My Father was born at the old offices/sinkin's and his mother before him and her father.

This is a photo of the rear of Park Terrace taken in July 2007 - Oh how it has changed.
(Photo - © Kathryn J Ing)



(Photo - © Kathryn J Ing)