Is Birkenhead still as grim as it used to be ?

[LEONARD]

'Cocky watchman', haven't heard that since I was a kid. The cocky watchman in Walton Hall Park had a gammy leg and walked with a limp. He was known as Johnny the runner.

Walton Hall Park, up to the 1970's had those ace drinking fountains.

Great after a game of footie with ya mates from Grandison Road.

 

[larbert toffee]

That would have been the honk from Bromborough dock when it was landing palm oil for the Lifebuoy soap at Levers. Prices candle factory also stunk the place out. If you were nifty enough you could walk along the foreshore front New Ferry and dodge the cocky watchman on the lock gates and make it up to Bromborough power station.

The stench from the tannery was pretty bad as well.

 

[tommytowne]

The stench from the tannery was pretty bad as well.

Spot on. If the wind was southerly direction down New Chester Road we caught it good style.

 

[Methuselah]

Walton Hall Park, up to the 1970's had those ace drinking fountains.

Great after a game of footie with ya mates from Grandison Road.

Have drunk a few pints out of those. There was one next to the football pitch we played on. Good park that, spent most of my growing up in there. During school holidays we used to be in there nearly all day, apart from going home for dinner.

 

[tommytowne]

Have drunk a few pints out of those. There was one next to the football pitch we played on. Good park that, spent most of my growing up in there. During school holidays we used to be in there nearly all day, apart from going home for dinner.

Back to Wool territory on a similar story. In the school holidays we'd decamp up to Victoria Park for the day and play footie as long as we could. Because the fountains under a wrought iron canopy had been vandalised, we had to improvise if we wanted to have a drink of water. You needed three lids to do this. We went to the public toilets which although in a terrible state still functioned. One of us on the shoulders of another to depress the ball valve on the cistern causing it to overflow with the third kid trying to catch the water coming out of the overflow in a pop bottle.

 

[larbert toffee]

Back to Wool territory on a similar story. In the school holidays we'd decamp up to Victoria Park for the day and play footie as long as we could. Because the fountains under a wrought iron canopy had been vandalised, we had to improvise if we wanted to have a drink of water. You needed three lids to do this. We went to the public toilets which although in a terrible state still functioned. One of us on the shoulders of another to depress the ball valve on the cistern causing it to overflow with the third kid trying to catch the water coming out of the overflow in a pop bottle.

Brilliant improvisation.

 

[tommytowne]

Brilliant improvisation.

I wonder if those old arses who did the Hatton Garden heist a few years ago had similar experiences when they were kids?

 

[bluebrotha77]

had a quick look on google maps.that thorneycroft/rundle street looks like some kip.

 

[marnie]

They even have a street called CORFU STREET lol lol WTAF.

 

[obc]

are tattooed boys from Birkenhead still really opening her eyes?

 

[Stav1985]

They even have a street called CORFU STREET lol lol WTAF.

There’s a Birkenhead Street in Corfu.

 

[LouReedwalkonthewildside]

She'd be considered a fine piece of totty over there.

 

[larbert toffee]

There’s a Birkenhead Street in Corfu.

Corfu council understand class and style.

 

[tommytowne]

She'd be considered a fine piece of totty over there.

View attachment 68073

That's the bird that ended up on hard times mentioned in the first few posts and won Miss Birkenhead