WITH a £7million sea wall keeping the beach apart from the street, it’s easy to forget that Southport’s grand boulevards were once prone to heavy flooding.
But on this occasion, July 31 1948, it was a sustained downpour from above that left many Sandgrounders searching for their wellies.
LookBack correspondant Jim Ford shared these two pictures having discovered them among his mother’s possessions.
She was sent the pair by a friend who moved to Jersey some time ago, but retained her images of Southport yesteryear.
Jim said: “My mother was at the cinema with friends and when she came out Lord Street was flooded.
“Lord Street was built on a natural lake, and on this occasion the flood was caused by rain water.
“It was a slack in the sand dunes, like there is on some of the sandhills now, and that’s why it’s so wide because it was built on both sides of this lake, so it did flood naturally.
“The old Sandgrounders talk about the reem, which is to do with the water table and salt water that rises up underneath the town.�
In one shot, a car innocently bobs along past the famous verandhas as if window shopping at Bambers, while those safely to the edges seem to be happily continuing about their business.
The other shows a crowd gather around the periphery, as a man and wife trudge through with skirts and trousers rolled above the water.
On the corner is the ironically titled Rainwear House, which must have done a bustling trade on a wet day like this.
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Mrs Susan Bowen wrote...
I well remember that day. To us as children it was not only facinating it was huge fun. I had to paddle to catch the number 9 bus back to churchtown. Yes indeed. Having attended churchtown primary I recall a class photo with the statement "School days are happy days". At the time I thought that was rubbish, now I think differently.
Sue Bowen (Nee Hill)
Posted by: Mrs Susan Bowen | February 1, 2008 11:14 AM