October 2008 Archives

A SERIES of photographs have been submitted showing scenes of Waterloo and Seaforth from the past.
The marvellous pictures, sent in by regular Memories contributor Tom Heath, show what life was like between the 1900s and 1950s.

They include a photograph of a scene on South Road, dating back to around 1945, which shows the blacksmiths shop that used to be based there.

Another photograph shows South Road and Crosby Road North, which was taken in around the 1940s.
The overhead railway in Seaforth Road is also pictured in a photograph taken in around the 1950s.

If anyone has any memories of shopping in South Road in years past or photographs of the railway in Seaforth they are very welcome to send them in to the Memories page.
Police officers in uniform are also pictured outside the old Seaforth Police Station in Seaforth Road in the 1900s.

Readers with any memories or photographs of the station are also asked to get in contact.

OLD cinemas that once existed in Waterloo and Litherland are featured in Memories this week.
Pictures have been submitted by Crosby Herald reader Tom Heath from the 1930s and 1940s.
Queen's Picture House, which was once in South Road, in Waterloo is pictured in around the 1940s or 1950s.
Built within a row of shops, The Queens Cinema had a hall that could up to 660 people.

It was opened in 1913 by Waterloo Picturehouse Co Ltd and in 1920 was sold off to Wirral Picturedromes Ltd.
The cinema eventually closed in 1959 and the building was taken over by Thomas Hall to be turned into a furniture shop.
A photograph appeared in Memories on October 9 about The Corona Cinema in College Road, dating back to around the 1940s.
In response, a 65-year-old Crosby reader has told of her memories of visiting the old picture house for the very first time as a child to see Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
She insisted on taking a big doll with her and her father ended up with it on his knee.
There was also a dance held at the hall above the shops next to the cinema every Saturday night.
Readers are also being asked for information about a cinema that is pictured, that used to be in Linacre Road in Litherland.

It is not believed to be The Gainsborough Cinema but anyone who remembers the picture house or has any memories of the venue is asked to get in contact.
South Road is also pictured in around the 1940s as well as a picture from the same decade of the Tram Station in Crosby Road South in Waterloo.

Another photograph has been submitted of the old Seafield House on the Seaforth shore, which is believed to have been taken in around the 1950s.

Anyone with information about the places in the photographs or anyone with pictures is asked to send them to Lyndsay Young, Crosby Herald, 26-32 Tulketh Street, Southport, PR8 1BT, email lyndsay.young@liverpool.com or call 0151 282 8117.

THE series of photographs of cinemas across Crosby and Waterloo continues this week.
Tom Heath, who regularly submits photographs from the past has sent in some pictures of venues in the 1940s and 1950s.

The former Regal Cinema, which once stood in Church Road, in Litherland is pictured in the 1940s. It was a cream and terracotta building situated on the corner of the road that cost around £30,000 to build and was originally owned by Plaza Cinema Ltd, who had several venues in Preston and Southport.

The old Winter Gardens Cinema, which was based in Church Road in Waterloo is pictured in the 1950s.
A photograph of The Gainsborough Cinema in Bootle has been submitted which was taken in the 1950s, which was named after a famous painter called Thomas Gainsborough.

Many film fans may also remember The Odeon in Crosby Road North which was originally called The Plaza and is now open under the original name.

A PENSIONER has told of his memories of bomb attacks in Waterloo during World War II.
Robert Routledge, of Hyde Road, has responded to a Memories appeal that appeared in the Crosby Herald on October 2.
The appeal was made by Burdett Road resident, Wayne Kelly, who was looking for information about the attacks.
He has submitted a photograph of one of the holes in the railway bridge at the end of his road, which he thought may have been made by machine guns.
Robert, who lived in Somerville Grove as a child during the war, said the holes were actually caused by shrapnel from an exploded bomb.
He said: "It was definitely a bomb.
"The bomb landed in the garden on the other side of the road.
"It landed in the middle of the grass - I was only a kid at the time."

He recalls that there were also explosions in Somerville Road as well as Sweden Street and how dairy farm cows were killed.
Shops in a section of St John's Road were also virtually obliterated and the roof was ripped off his own home.
Robert said: "The big thing to do then was collect shrapnel.
"I found a big piece of shrapnel and mine had a German Eagle and I swapped it with a mate of mine for a tea chest full of straw, which had mice in it."
He also found an unexploded incendiary bomb while he was playing on the beach in Waterloo with friends.
They wanted to polish it and took it to Brooke Motors, where they asked to use a vice.
The owner was unaware they had a magnesium bomb but luckily caught them before they managed to open it with a wrench.
Robert said: "He came walking down the stairs and nearly had palpitations.
"We could have burned the place down - talk about health and safety."
Les Thomas, who lived in Sweden Street at the time and now lives in Mount Pleasant in Waterloo, also confirmed the railway bridge was attacked by enemy planes.
That night he was sheltering with his family in the communal air raid shelters in Ropers Field near the railway.
He said: "The following morning my three brothers and myself walked along the cinder track looking for shrapnel and noticed the shell holes in the bridges structures.
"Also, we found fragments of the shells."

A READER has told of her memories of the old lift bridge in Litherland that once crossed the Leeds to Liverpool Canal.
In response to an article in the Crosby Herald, on September 25, Freda Hurst, nee Daniels, has told of her own childhood experiences.
A new swing bridge is set to be built across the canal, just metres from where the old one once stood.
Freda, who now lives in Dowhills Park, said: "My three brothers and I used to stand and watch for the barges coming along the canal and see the bridge go up.
"The barges used to go along regularly and the horses used to pull them, it was really interesting."
She also remembers a small blacksmiths near the bridge and along with her brother she used to watch the blacksmith at work.
The blacksmith lived nearby at the top of Sefton Avenue, around the corner from Linacre Road.
Her father also opened animal kennels along the canal bank a bit further along from the bridge.
He used to take care of dogs when their owners went on holiday or into hospital.
In the 1950s her father also used to breed Samoyed dogs and used to collect the fur from their nightly brushing, which would be sent away and would be spun into wool.
Freda said: "My mum used to knit all sorts of creations from this dog wool, it could be boiled as well."
Anyone who has any memories of the bridge or other memories and photographs they would like to share can send them to Crosby Herald, Crosby Herald, 26-32 Tulketh Street, Southport, PR8 1BT, email lyndsay.young@liverpool.com or call 01704 392 1000.

CINEMA-GOERS may have some fond memories of picture houses in the area from throughout the years.
Although many have now closed, the cinemas remain immortalised through old photographs and readers are being called on to share their memories.
Tom Heath, a regular contributor to the Memories page, has sent in a selection of photographs of those venues from the past.

Crosby residents may remember the old Corona Cinema in College Road.
The photographs show the building in the 1920s and also how it looked in around the 1940s.

Film lovers in Seaforth will also have fond recollections of times at The Stella picture house in Seaforth Road.

It is pictured in this photograph from the past, although the exact date is not clear.
Anyone with old pictures of events, staff photographs or any other types of memorabilia from Crosby's old cinemas is asked to send them to the Crosby Herald.
Also anyone with interesting tales they would like to share with readers or stories about interesting films they watched at the cinemas is asked to get in contact.

THE archive at Waterloo Community Centre also contains information about St Thomas' Church in Seaforth.
Muriel Harwood has described her memories of St Thomas' Church in Seaforth, which is contained in the archives.

The information about the church ranges from 1814 to 1976 and includes photographs. In the archive Muriel recalls the Youth Church Parade and how soldiers from local barracks took part, as well as youngsters from children's homes in Crosby Road and Shore Road.
Following the church service the youth organisation would march past, lining up in the Crescent, joined by the Army who led the parade.
The Rev Reginald Lewis was the vicar there in the 1960s and retired due to ill health.
In the late 1960s and early 1970s the Rev Lewis had the bright idea of changing the outside paintwork from white to blue, which did not prove popular with parishioners. The church was closed in 1976 and was demolished in 1990.
It also contains Alice Molloy's memories St Thomas of Canterbury Church in Waterloo and a baptism that was held at the church in 1990.

The archive at the centre in Great Georges Road is open to the public on Saturdays from 10am to midday.
Anyone who has any articles to contribute to the archive or for more information call Brenda Riddick 474 9445.

A SELECTION of photographs and information from the past are contained in archives at Waterloo Community Centre.
The Waterloo Social History Archives are a series of articles and photographs collected by members of St John's Local History Group.
Brenda Riddick, founder of St John's Local History Group, has submitted some of the photos for the Memories page. A section of the archive is entitled the Modernisation of Waterloo from 1960 to 1991.
It shows examples of some of the Scandinavian streets, some of which were once lined with Victorian houses.

According to the records, in the 1880s when Denmark Street, pictured, was built, all the houses had sash windows, cottage entrances and an outside toilet.
In Sweden Street houses had bay windows in the 1960s and in Norway Street some had front garden walls and a vestibule entrance.

Demolition work in 1969 meant many occupants were re-housed to the Brownmoor Park area of Crosby.
The area was eventually cleared for a link road to Sweden Grove.
Three blocks of flats were built on the south side on Denmark Street and St John's Court was built in St John's Road.