Follow Up to Our Tarvin History of the Woodfin Store

On Tuesday, 20th November, we published an article in our Tarvin History Revealed series about the closure after 87 years of the Woodfin Store in February 1992 . This article was based on Tarvin History Group's scrapbook of newspaper articles about Tarvin.

The original newspaper cutting mentioned that David Woodfin had submitted planning application to Chester City Council for a two bedroom cottage to be built on the site of the store and we included in our article a current day photograph of the eventual building that occupies the site.

At the time we did not have in our possession a photograph to remind us of what the Woodfin Store actually looked like and so we were not able to compare and contrast the past and the present. We asked if anyone could help out and David himself was the first to come forward with two fascinating photographs. The first shows Davids Grandfather's wife Maria, son Charles (standing) and daughter Daisy standing outside the cottage they lived in at 26 High Street, next door to the present day Ian Littler Pharmacy. The sign above the door show Z Woodfin was already running a cycle and motor repair business from the cottage.

The second photograph is of the Woodfin shop taken in the early 1920 s. The site for shop was rented from Dr. Moreton in 1904 for the rent of £3 year to be paid half yearly. The picture shows Zacchaeus Woodfin was now a cycle and motor agent with "repairs a speciality."

The third photograph was provide by Margaret Dixon of Tarvin History Group and shows how the store as it finally looked before its closure.

Ed: Thanks to David and Margaret for this fascinating trip down memory lane. Click on the photographs, particularly the two smaller ones, to see them in greater detail.