Ainsdale Picture Postcard Past

Posted by Visiter Newsdesk on February 23, 2007 9:49 AM

IN LOOKBACK this week we travel through the decades for a picture special on Ainsdale, when cobbles and dirt roads were a common feature in the village.
Gleneagles Drive resident Colin Hare is an avid postcard collector and he brought these images of the thoroughfares, meeting points and squares in to share with readers.
One popular spot for locals to while away the hours was the Lido Cafe.

The building was converted into Ainsdale Discovery Centre in 1999, but this photograph shows the cafe in full swing, and must have been taken after its 1930 construction.
Certainly there seemed to be no shortage of customers young and old, as children clamber over seats and adults appear locked in conversation.
The grand homes in several of the images belie the quality of the road surfaces and all of them seem to operate as dirt tracks, except the cobbled square advertising traders’ wares and populated by a small group of youngsters.

This shot shows Station Road, looking from the Railway Hotel, an establishment that played an important role in the founding of Ainsdale Cricket Club.
In 1911, the landlord donated the Liverpool Road ground to the people of Ainsdale for “sporting purposes only” and the club continues strongly today, having recently gained the English Cricket Board and Sport England Clubmark Accreditation award.
Another image of Station Road marks one of three thoroughfares in close proximity today.

The first is Shore Road which seems to be little more than a sandy path beaten through the undergrowth, shown here as a horse and cart heads away from the camera, and a couple walk towards the lens.

The next two streets featured have had identity crises since these pictures were taken.

The wide sweeping stretch claiming to be Lancaster Road is now known as Leamington Road.

And not far away from that spot is the street this postcard calls Preston Road but, despite maintaining its Lancastrian theme, it has become the Burnley Road we know today.

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Pic From The Past - Bustling Beach

Posted by Visiter Newsdesk on February 19, 2007 9:49 AM

IN Pic From The Past this week, we glance back at the glory days of Southport as a family seaside destination.
Before the term “classic resort” was even a twinkle in the eye, our town had many attractions that drew visiters from all over the north west and Britain.
We see a bustling bright beach, filled with cars, as sunseekers wander between them, perhaps tempted by a seashore that actually seems fairly close.
In the background, the now redundant Pleasureland site is marked out by the Cyclone’s distinctive timber frame and crowds can be seen meandering between here and the beach.
Standing tall in the distance, and representing perhaps a twin cultural and religious counterpart to Blackpool’s tower, is the spire of the Arts Centre and the grand steeple of Manchester Road’s Holy Trinity church.
Incredibly, this picture is thought to have been taken in April 1960, proving that our town’s popularity stretched far beyond the summer months.

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Interesting facts revealed in a potted history lesson

Posted by Visiter Newsdesk on February 19, 2007 9:26 AM

IT’S amazing to think that a food container could be so well known, almost a century after production ceased.
But the publication of an image of an enamel shrimp pot in Pic from the Past several weeks ago, prompted a flurry of memories and research from readers.
And even two identical pots.

This week, we find out a little more about Mrs Annie Moor, and the site where one of her pots rested for decades before being unearthed by Shropshire historian Don Langford.
Southport businessman Colin Hare brought in one of his own, picked up from an antique and collector’s fair way back in the 1970s.
The 68-year-old told LookBack “I bought it because it’s from Southport, and I have a real interest in and big collection of postcards, so I thought I’ll get one of those then.
“At the time I found a picture of her shop in one of the books, but that was rolled up inside the pot, so I must have cut it out years ago, with a receipt for £2!”
While Ainsdale resident Ian Jones sent in a photo of a Mrs Moor pot he owns, as well as a very similar container used by F Cramptons.
He wrote: “As you can see they were used for selling potted meats in.
“I doubt there is much value in the pots, but they are a nice little collectable item.”
It seems rather ironic that Don Langford’s pot has survived to this day, when the building in which its contents were enjoyed is now just a distant memory.

Tong Castle was a splendid baroque castle that originated in the twelfth century and was the home of the Durant family from 1760 to 1885, remaining inhabited until 1911.
The years that followed were less kind to the majestic pile and it soon descended into rack and ruin.

The death of a youth while exploring the remains sealed its fate and on July 18 1954, 120 pounds of plastic explosives brought the redstone manor crashing to earth.
In 1976, Don was one of a group of archaelogists and historians allowed in to the Capability Brown designed grounds to carry out a dig before everything was completely destroyed to make way for the M54 motorway.

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19th century riddle to solve

Posted by Visiter Newsdesk on February 9, 2007 11:40 AM

THIS fabulous photograph was unearthed among the treasures at Kernaghan’s Books in Lord Street’s Wayfarers Arcade.
But no clues remain, other than a note on the reverse confirming it was taken in Southport.
Certainly the gentleman featured must have been rubbing shoulders with the great and good among his contemporaries, judging by his rather grand carriage and sturdy horse.
But was he just a driver, or a distinguished member of polite society?
It appears to have been taken at some point in the nineteenth century, and the houses in the background glow with a well-kept newness.
The saplings that brighten the gardens may well be among our oldest trees today.
But where is it, and what does it look like now?
Call 01704-398225 if you have an inkling, alternatively email or write to the usual Southport Visiter address. And if you have any quirky, unusual or just plain baffling photographs you’d like investigating in Pic From The Past, get in touch!

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Geoff's 'whaler' of a time

Posted by Visiter Newsdesk on February 9, 2007 11:21 AM

AT JUST 22, Geoff Fairclough answered an advert in the ‘Liverpool Echo’ that took him to the sub-Antarctic and adventures with whalers, bootleg liquor and an American film crew.
The former Hampton Road resident had completed his military service, and was coming to the end of his apprenticeship, when he spotted a notice appealing for diesel electrical engineers on the island of South Georgia, the final resting place of legendary explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton.

It was 1952 and after three months travelling between hemispheres on an old whaling vessel, Geoff arrived.
He told LookBack: “We ended up in Lees Harbour – and calm water – and were met by the customs man down there. I came out and looked straight in front of me and there was just this wall of ice.
“I looked up and up and up and it was just this big huge ice cliff where the ship had tied up.”
Geoff moved into digs at Discovery House, Shackleton’s former dwelling, and set about assessing his new home.
He said: “It was bleak with wild conditions but very, very interesting.
“It was the beginning of the winter and all the whalers had gone so the place was pretty deserted, I just sent a telegram out saying I’d arrived.”

Geoff was introduced to the island’s magistrate and sole policeman, who spent his summers tracking down whalers distilling bootleg liquor, and soon settled into the routine of Grytviken’s “close community”.
The small town had a cinema and library, and annual sports tournaments would see residents test their football, skiing and rifle-shooting skills.

But the way of life was interrupted one morning with the appearance of a strange ship, the Kista Dan.
Geoff, now 77, said: “We all woke up one morning and somebody said there was a ship out in the bay – it was built like an oil tanker.
“We put out in the dinghy, rowed over and a couple of people were hanging over the side, and they said ‘hey there, how you doing?’
“And we thought, they’re from America, what they doing down here?
“The film crew came over, including Welsh actor Stanley Baker, and we went over to the ship and all had rather too much alcohol!”
The crew was there to film the 1954 adventure picture, Hell Below Zero, also starring Alan Ladd, Joan Tetzel and Basil Sydney and set aboard a vessel from the Antarctic whaling fleet.

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Kingsway the place to be seen in Southport, you bet!

Posted by liam on February 2, 2007 2:02 PM

IT’S far from over, and the doors remain open, but news that The Kingsway could be replaced by apartments prompted a nostalgic archive hunt.

On its inception, the famous nightspot was known as The Kingsway Casino and was run by gambling magnate Mr George James.

George James came to Southport after returning with his family, penniless, to his home town of Port Talbot in South Wales.

He had gambled away his money in London and was forced to start afresh.

But the vice that cost him so much turned to be the making of him when gambling laws were relaxed in 1961.

He immediately focused on establishing The Casino Club in Port Talbot, bringing huge success, and modelled on the seemingly altruistic mantra of a man who’s had plenty of experience on the other side of the croupier’s table.

At the time, and possibly with a glance over his shoulder at the Free Church Council who opposed the venture, Mr James said: “We don’t cater for people who want to come in and lose their pay packets.

“We want no-one to get out of their depth. People are not encouraged to go into the gaming room, but the facilities are there if they require them.

“We want people to enjoy themselves, for this is entertainment where a man and his wife can come to town with five pounds in their pockets, have a meal, a few drinks, dance and see a show and still have a couple of pounds left.

“If they want to try their luck in the gaming room with what remains they might lose their two pounds or on the other hand they might win enough to more than pay for the evening out.”

It was a philosophy that worked, and a year later the Prince of Wales club opened in Cardiff, followed by the Charlie Chester Casino Club in Piccadilly, London, the Casino Club, again in Cardiff, and culminating in the biggest venture – Southport’s Kingsway Casino Club.

Offering a 2,000 seat restaurant and three floor shows a night with international stars such as Adam Faith and Sandie Shaw, huge success quickly followed.

Gaming would start at 2pm and continue until 7am, with blackjack, roulette, dice and poker keeping the tables busy and the money rolling in.

Unsatisfied, George bought out the failing 2,000 seat Grand Cinema on Lord Street and swiftly transformed it into another haven for gamblers, with a casino, bingo hall and amusement arcade.

The business passed into George’s son, John’s hands and the Grand remains a casino to this day.

What do you remember about the Kingsway, and what part did it play in your life? Call LookBack on 01704- 398225 for a future feature if demolition plans get the green light

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A truly courageous team with nerves of steel

Posted by liam on February 2, 2007 2:01 PM

THIS week’s Pic From The Past is a double header, while last week’s prompted a flurry of responses from readers.

Southport resident and LookBack correspondent Joan Richer found these photographs but doesn’t know where they came from or who those featured are.

All we do know is the image shows No6 Bomb Disposal, and appears to have been taken shortly after the Second World War.

The bombs certainly look big enough to cause serious damage, but judging by the men’s faces and their willingness to pose so near, they had carried out their work successfully.

Which it seems, from how well known she remains almost a century on, is exactly what Mrs Moor did when potting her shrimps.

Several readers contacted LookBack to confirm that last week’s enamel pot formerly housed the ever-popular Southport delicacy, and that Mrs Moor’s were among the best.

Sandgrounder Ted Whitley said: “It was a bit before my time, but she used to sell potted shrimp, and may have continued into the ‘40s.”

While Jennifer Smith wrote: “I have a Southport Directory dated 1896 – there is a Mrs Annie Moor listed in the directory, at 8 Nevill Street, the address being described as an Italian Warehouse.

“She is also listed in the ‘Trade Section’ as being a ‘Potted Meat Dealer & Confectioner’ at 29a Chapel Street and ‘Grocer’ at 8 Nevill Street, with a residence 33 Arbour Street.

“A point of interest regards Nevill Street being spelt with an ‘e’ at the end on the pot, but without in the directory.”

Shropshire man Don Langford found the item while on a three month dig in 1976, prior to the 1982 construction of the M54 near Tong Castle.

He said: “That’s fantastic. The people who lived in the castle, a baroque building, would have been pretty rich and have this sort of thing sent to them.”

But where were Joan’s pictures taken, and who are the individuals involved? If you think you know, call 01704-398225, or write to the usual Southport Visiter email or postal address

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