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The Friends of Hilbre Newsletter
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The flat roof of
the telegraph station would have been caulked and pitched, the 2 iron
masts were fitted with 4 semaphore arms which could be manoeuvred into any
angle by a winch inside the building. The telegraph station building on
Hilbre now has a pitched roof and is used as the Interpretative Centre for
the islands.
Excavating the Site for the Composting Toilets
Archaeologists from the National Museums Liverpool spent some days out on Hilbre in September and October excavating the area for the new composting toilets. The site is alongside the slate shed in an area which everyone had thought had been a dump.
It certainly was a dump! We found old sherry bottles, beer bottles, wooden bits from boats, metal lumps off engines, old roof slates, plastic bags and crisp packets. It was all 20th century rubbish.
To our surprise and delight, we also found some real archaeology. Underneath the rubbish the sandstone bedrock had been smoothed and flattened to make a superb floor. The floor is covered with chisel marks left in the effort to smooth off the floor.
There are two matching rectangular features cut into the sandstone floor which we are still trying to interpret. One of these features is close to a natural cleft in the rock which had been carefully filled in with hand-made bricks to level off the floor. There are also channels cut into the floor near the walls which may be for drainage. Finds during the excavation include a few pieces of 17th
century pottery and clay tobacco pipes. At the moment we are unable to say
what date the floor and rectangular features are and are presently carrying
out research to try to understand them.
At our AGM in May this
year, we elected Sue Craggs as the Treasurer of the Friends of Hilbre,
with many thanks to Neil Kelly for his sterling work in the last few
years. In spite of his increasing work load, he remains on the committee
as Assistant Treasurer. Local History Day Courses on Hilbre 2008
Advance Notice Task and Lunch - August 18th To thank our ‘Friends’ for their support, we provided our annual volunteers lunch for all members attending the Hilbre task on Saturday 18th August.
Many friends old and new joined us on this day and we accomplished a variety of tasks; pointing the lifeboat station, clearing the vegetation by the boat house.
As usual we enjoyed a wonderful lunch, provided by Barbara with lots of tasty homemade dishes. A great time was had by all. Back to 'Inside this issue'.
Lewis Jones - Telegraph Station Keeper and Humanitarian
Lewis Jones was born in
1858 on Anglesey, the son of a clog-maker, and the youngest of 9 children.
His first job was in a shipbroker’s office in Liverpool as a boy “quick
with figures” for 6 shillings a week. Later, Lewis became an employee of
the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board and he was offered an apprenticeship
with Mr. Roberts, the Telegraph, based on Eilian Mountain. For economic
reasons the authorities moved this telegraph to the top of Point Lynas
lighthouse; Mr. Roberts and Lewis Jones became 2nd and 3rd officers under
the lighthouse keeper between 1875 and 1879. Lewis worked as 2nd Assistant
there between 1879 and 1884. During this phase of his life Lewis married
”one of the most beautiful maidens in Anglesey” and wrote that “never was
a couple better matched”. Sadly, their two children died during this
period.
Left: Theodolite
and Hilbre Telegraph Station.
Lewis Jones became an honorary representative of the Royal
Alfred Seamen’s Institution and obtained pensions for certain old seamen
and widows of seamen in Anglesey and Caernarfon. Mrs. Lloyd George’s Fund
benefited from the proceeds of a concert he organised to “provide comforts
for the Welsh soldiers”. Lewis and his wife were also involved in helping
the Convalescent Home for children in West Kirby. The couple attended the
English Presbyterian Church in Hoylake and later joined a Welsh-speaking
Cause established in West Kirby. He served as deacon and treasurer for 30
years and administered the Marriages Act of 1898 in the chapel for four
years.
Lewis Jones and his wife lived on Hilbre Island until their
retirement to Cemaes, in Anglesey in 1923. The couple returned briefly for
a reception held in his honour in West Kirby which hundreds of people
attended. Lewis was presented with a glowing testimonial in the form of
“…a very beautiful album containing an address woven in exceptionally
finely…” He was also presented with a wallet containing a cheque to buy a
Hillman car; his wife was given a motoring coat, cap, gloves and cushion.
good wishes to all friends of hilbre in 2008 Contributions to the Friends of Hilbre Newsletter Do you have a memory to share? If anyone would like to make a contribution to the Newsletter please e-mail it to thefriendsofhilbre@hotmail.com. The editor reserves the right to amend/abridge articles and letters. Articles should be between 50 to 350 words in length. Always check the tides before going out to Hilbre. Tides change each day. Use the safe route, it is dangerous to use any other route. For full details of when to cross safely and the safest route to Hilbre see our Planning your visit to Hilbre Island page. PLEASE RESPECT THE WILDLIFE ON HILBRE ISLANDS LOCAL NATURE RESERVE PLEASE NOTE: All articles and photographs in this web site are © COPYRIGHT of Friends of Hilbre unless specifically otherwise stated. |
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The wall of the slate
shed went down another metre to rest on this sandstone floor. The floor is
enclosed within four walls which were all uncovered during the excavation.
The lower part of the slate shed wall showed evidence of a blocked up
doorway which suggests that the area excavated may be part of a two-way
complex, the second room being under the floor of the slate shed. 
In
1884 Lewis was promoted to Bidston Hill Station where the family spent 15
“wonderfully happy months”. In 1885 Lewis was appointed head of the
station which was on the slope of Foel Mountain, between Prestatyn and
Gronant {1885-1888}. At this time Foel Nant Station and Hilbre Station
were the only 2 remaining working telegraphs of the dozen which formerly
used to transmit sea news from Holyhead and Liverpool by means of
semaphore. 
