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Back in time to Birkdale

Posted by Visiter Newsdesk on March 2, 2007 9:05 AM | Permalink

AFTER last week’s picture special on Ainsdale it seemed only fair to give Birkdale a moment in the LookBack spotlight.
Here we span the centuries to glance at the village from its embryonic stage when the thoroughfares were little more than paths beaten through the sand-dunes, to the settling in of civic institutions like the town hall.
Our oldest dated picture shows the Ash Tree Inn near Birkdale Common, and currently the site of the present Portland Hotel, on the corner of Bedford and Kew Road.

This painting is the handiwork of a Mr R Beattie and dates back to 1857, when the landlord was Mr Rimmer, son of the W Rimmer who kept the Cross Keys in King Street.
According to legend, its great attraction in the early days was Fiddler Harry, who had a farm two miles away on Bickerton Road and would frequently visit the Ash Tree to play for dancing parties.
Moving forward to 1903, and the impact and wealth generation of the industrial revolution have led Birkdale away from crumbling inns to a grand town hall.

Similar in style to Lord Street’s Arts Centre, the building was demolished to make way for shops, homes and the current Birkdale library, which still stands today in its place.
Birkdale Civic Society chairman, Ralph Gregson said: “It was demolished in the late 1960’s at a time when everything old was thought to be ugly, and Southport lost a lot of very impressive buildings.
“Birkdale’s Town Hall was originally home of the Birkdale Urban District Council, formed in the late 1880s.
“It continued to operate on behalf of the people of Birkdale through until 1912, when it amalgamated with Southport.
“The Town Hall remained there and was used as a library as well as various offices of Southport County Borough.
“It was then demolished and replaced with bland dwellings and shop fronts, something the residents of Birkdale still regret today.”
Moving into the commercial centre of the village in the early years of the Twentieth Century, three pictures show the famous verandas firmly established amid bustling market scenes.