January 2008 Archives

HERE are some more old photographs supplied by former auctioneer and Crosby resident Billy McMahon.
The first, dating back to 1929, shows the Crosby Carnival held at the Marine FC ground, in College Road.

Crowds are gathered at the event held on May Day.
Another black and white snap shows the Royal Court Pierotts performing at Blundellsands.

Richard David Roberts, from Waterloo, features on another photograph after winning the sack race in Waterloo.

And a postcard handed in by Billy shows part of the chemical lab at Merchant Taylors’ School, Crosby.

Do you have any old photographs you would like to share?

A BRIGHTON-LE-SANDS resident has been sharing her memories of the Plaza after following our cinema series.
Doreen Smith says she has two great memories of the Crosby Road North cinema, one more recent and another from over three decades ago.
She said: “The first was a few years ago when we went to see American Pie after my husband had heard great reviews on the radio.
“When we went in, we could see were the oldest by about 40 years.
“We soon realised that it was probably not for us, but it was all right until a boy on the side aisle and a couple of rows in front spotted us and the nudge nudge went along the row until they had all turned around to have a look at us.
“My husband came up with the idea that he would go out pretending to get a drink and for me to follow him.
“You’re joking I said, you’re not leaving me here on my own.
“So we both got up and fled to the Liver where we had a drink and a good laugh.�
And Doreen’s second memory of the Plaza, from 34 years ago when it was known as the Classic, was another cinema trip which didn’t go according to plan.
She explained: “My husband and I were very regular picture goers and went to see a film just after the birth of our first baby and had left my husband’s sister and brother-in-law babysitting.
“About half way through, a lady came and asked if we were Billy and Doreen and then told us that my sister-in-law was on the phone.
“Unfortunately they could not stop the baby crying and asked could we please come home.
“The lady, who may have been the manageress, said that we could come back any night in order to see the rest of the film at no expense to us.
“When we asked how she knew to approach us she said that as we were such regulars and sat in the same seats that she had no problem finding us.
“Of course when we got home the baby had stopped crying and slept through the night and we did indeed go back to see the film.
“We still go to the Plaza, although not quite so often, but we are glad that we still have the cinema in Crosby and thankful to the volunteers.�

By LYNDSAY KOHBERG
MORE people have been sharing their memories of former cinemas after reading our four-part series.
Clive Pownceby from Crosby commented on the picture we printed of Queens Cinema staff.
He said: “I notice the staff picture from Waterloo Queens shows promotional dress and lobby cards relating to San Demetrio London – one of my favourite non-comedic Ealing films which would date this photo to 1943, the year of the film’s release.
“I used to see this propaganda film a lot on TV repeats as a child and the tale is based on a true story.
“The pictures were so important to my mum and dad in the 30s – it was their night out, their glitzy escapism and hark back to a simpler time.�

Les Thomas, from Waterloo, said he has many happy memories of all the cinemas we featured.
He added that his favourite picture houses in the late 1940s and early 1950s were Queen’s and The Winter Gardens.
Les said: “Queen’s had an emergency exit in Cross Street, still there today, where my friends and I used to bunk in (enter without paying after one of us had paid to go in) and opened the door for the rest of us to get in free.
“Sometimes we were caught and banned from the premises, but most of us got in again by paying.
“Saturday matinees always featured a cowboy film such as Hopalong Cassidy, the Cisco Kid, Johnny Mack Brown or The Lone Ranger.
“Occasionally the film broke down, always at an exciting moment of the film, we would bang our seats and shout ‘put a shilling in the gas will yer’.
“That was the moment when some of the audience dropped glass stink bombs to show their disapproval.
“These bombs were usually purchased from The Wizards Den in Moorfields on the Saturday morning.�

MEMORIES readers are being asked for information on a historic pocket watch chain and fob.
Graham Johnson, from Hertfordshire, came across the item in his brother-in-law’s possessions who died last year.
However, Graham and his sister are unaware where he got the silver fob and chain from.
He describes the circular fob as “highly ornate� with a gold shield inset onto it.
Engraved on the back is the inscription CHFL, GRIFFIN SHLD, HIGHTOWN SS, RNRS UP, 1931-32.

Then engraved under the main inscription are the initials AW in “very fancy� copper plate style.
Graham said: “I am guessing that CHFL might be Crosby and Hightown Football League and the Griffin Shield must have been a trophy of some sort.
“Hightown SS (Sports Society?) must have been the team that were runners up?
“I guess that the AW was added later and are the initials of the individual owner?
“There are only four Hightowns in the UK.

“Since the silver assay mark is for Newcastle, I am guessing that the fob and chain were made for someone in the north of England.
“The other Hightowns are in or near Congleton and Wrexham.�
Do you have any information on the fob you could give Graham?
If so, email him at hightown@gcjonline.plus.com

VISITORS to the Albert Dock on Tuesday can help to shape the content of the new Museum of Liverpool by sharing their memories of the River Mersey with the museum’s social history team.

Members of the team will be on hand in the Grand Hall at the Albert Dock at 2pm on Tuesday January 15, and want to meet people who have memories to share of living or working around the river and in the buildings surrounding the Pier Head and Albert Dock.

Ultimately, this important research will help explain to visitors, and to future generations of Liverpudlians, how the river has been transformed, and how it has affected the lives of the people of Liverpool.

The research was inspired by ‘Mersey:The river that changed the world’ a collection of photographs by Colin McPherson commissioned by the Mersey Basin Campaign with sponsorship from United Utilities and support from Mersey Waterfront. The exhibition has been on display at the Albert Dock since December, and moves on to The Boat Museum at Ellesmere Port in February.

Hundreds of visitors have so far left postcards detailing their special Mersey memories – everything from tales of high jinks at New Brighton, and memories of the overhead railway, to an apologetic note from someone who was sick over an unknown lady while travelling on the Mersey ferry as a child.

The new Museum of Liverpool will be one of the world’s leading city history museums, setting a global benchmark for museums of its kind. Housed in a new landmark building within the World Heritage Site on Liverpool's internationally famous waterfront, it will be a fantastic legacy of Liverpool’s year as European Capital of Culture.

Joe Edge, Director of the Albert Dock Company said: “The Mersey – the River that changed the world has been incredibly well received exhibition and it was great to see Lord Heseltine back at the Albert Dock as he was the major driving force behind the Dock’s development. We are delighted to be working with Mersey Basin Campaign and National Museums Liverpool on such an important project giving the people of Liverpool an opportunity to share their memories and shape the future content of the Museum of Liverpool�

The museum will demonstrate Liverpool’s unique contribution to the world, showcasing archaeology through to popular culture, while tackling social, historical and contemporary issues.

The social history team will also use this opportunity to share and discuss latest plans for the new museum.

THESE historic pictures show Seaforth in bygone days.
They were handed to Memories by former auctioneer and Crosby resident, Billy McMahon.
The first black and white snap shows Seaforth Park with youngsters playing on swings and a see-saw.

The second features Pensionnat Du Sacre-Coeur De Marie, with young people taking to the grounds to read, play or enjoy sitting on the lawn.

Do you have any old pictures of the area you would like to share with Memories?
If so, contact us at Crosby Herald, 43- 47 Liverpool Road, Crosby, Liverpool, L23 5SD, e-mail lyndsay.kohberg@liverpool.com, call 282 8121 or comment here.

A FORMER Ribble bus driver and conductor has been sharing his memories about working for the company in the ‘60s.
James Mawer, who was a Ribble employee from 1963, met with other drivers and conductors at a special reunion in Litherland recently.
He described it as “smashing� and added: “We had a drink and a chat and were just getting to know one another.
“We may be having another one in May.�

But James was also keen to tell Memories about his nine years on the buses which he describes as some of his happiest.
James, who lives in Anfield but grew up in Seaforth, said: “I started at the Aintree depot but had to go into conducting first.
“I would have been about 23 and you had to be 24 or 25 to be a driver so I had to wait a couple of years.
“I became a conductor then went into driving and had to go to Bootle to sit my driving test.�
The Ribble buses ran across the Crosby and Waterloo areas and beyond before being taken over in the 1980s.
Talking about his time as a conductor, James said sometimes the driver would accidentally leave without them on board.
He said: “We got some buses where you could get on at the front so the conductor didn’t really have to be on the back ringing the bell.
“I said to the driver I’m going over to the shop to buy something and he left me.�
On another occasion when a driver “forgot� James, he enlisted the help of a passing milk float so he could catch up with the bus to board it again.
And when James became a driver, he too ended up leaving a conductor behind.
He explained: “When I went into driving I came out the depot at Aintree with a front entrance bus, thought the conductor was on and shut the door.
“At the first stop over Old Roan bridge I pulled in and people where saying ‘where’s the conductor?’.
“I said he was at the back but he wasn’t because I’d left him at the depot.�
Comparing the buses now to how it used to be, James added: “You could run after a bus and try and catch it, grab a hold of the rail and try and jump on.
“They were a bit slow starting off when you were changing gear.
“People used to try and jump off before stops.
“When you jump off you have to run a bit.
“If the driver knew you were going to do that he would put his foot down!
“You got to know the people and where they got on.�
Do you have memories or pictures of the Ribble buses you would like to share with Memories? Leave your comments here. You don't need a password - just an email address, which will not be published.

A FORMER Crosby resident who has relocated to Bristol has been sharing her fond memories of the area after a recent visit.

Crosby was the childhood home of Margaret Conlon in the 1940s and 1950s.

While on a visit back to the area in June, Margaret picked up a copy of the Crosby Herald and began reminiscing about her former hometown after reading our Memories feature on Central Buildings.

She said: “I recall choosing from Cannels – in 1957 – a special anniversary present for my parents.

“I have a lasting image of that silver tray, with its outstretched handles, perched on the sideboard waiting to slide into action whenever visitors came to tea.�

Margaret also remembers roller-skating past the shops on 36 to 42 Liverpool Road in her “young days�.

She added: “I remember a branch of the district bank.

“The building had a quaint but somehow ornate appearance, its name having been chiselled into the freestone above the windows.

“On the odd occasion I would accompany my father into the quietness of the small banking hall and wait.

“I watched as paperwork and money moved across the vast expanse of polished counter.

“Everyone seemed to speak in hushed tones – never knew why.�

Margaret spotted Frank Schofield’s sports shop in one of the pictures we printed, dubbing it “that Mecca of all things sporty�.

She added: “It was from there that I chose my first tennis racquet with its nylon strings – fairly innovative in 1952.�

Since leaving the area in 1960, Margaret has been on many summer holidays back to the area with her family as they grew up.

Margaret has shared her memories with them including her description of Crosby beach and how it was “years ago�.

She said: “In my mind’s eye, I can still see those concrete pyramids as we used to call them – scaled down versions of the real ones of course.

“They were dotted everywhere along the shoreline – some in groups, others poised at strange angles – part of the wartime coastal defences I understand.

“There’s a lot to be said for a journey back in time now and again and thanks to the Crosby Herald’s article, some of those stored memories from my youth resurfaced.�

Margaret is now asking Memories readers for their help in putting together a picture record for that era.

She would like copies of any photographs taken during the 1940s, in particular those of the roads and avenues in The Northern Road and Endbutt Lane vicinity.

If you can help Margaret, contact her at mail@designcoop.co.uk or comment here.

MEMORIES readers are being asked for their help in reuniting a family.

Colin Jones recently came across a copy of a Crosby Herald article belonging to his father which was published in 1984.

His father, George Henry Jones, had an elder brother Alf, who he assumes grew up with him in Fairbairn Road, Waterloo.

Colin added: “Alf married Edna and they lived in Queensway, Waterloo.

“The last time I corresponded with then-widowed Aunt Edna was about 1990 when I lived in Hong Kong.

“I am hoping you can help me find my three cousins, born to Alf and Edna, the only cousins I have, Audrey, Robert and Daphne who all lived, as I recall visiting once about 45 years ago, in Queensway.

“Ultimately we, my brothers and I, would like to find something about Alf and George’s father, our grandfather, about whom we know absolutely nothing, not even his first name, although have an inkling he died in 1918 during the Great War.�

If you can help Colin, contact him on 01309 672 811 or e-mail waterloojones@o2.co.uk

THESE black and white pictures show a Scouts parade through Crosby.

They were handed to Memories by Crosby resident and former Litherland auctioneer Billy McMahon.

Do you remember the event? Share your memories here. You don't need a password - just an email address, which will not be published.