Forums Forums Wirral History : Chasing the Past Wirral History Wallasey Village

Lee

I THINK you mean the "Granny Rock" ie a big rock on the Breck - just behind the old Grammar School building which is a bit further down the road from The Ship

The Breck area was a quarry used to obtain the stone used as the base for building Leasowe Road. The suggestion is that the Granny Rock was originally used as a mount for a lifting crane used in the quarry operations - but when those finished the rock had become such a feature that it was left untouched.

I have climbed up to the top many times. The main "face" to climb was that facing east - that was easy. MUCH more difficuly was the south face. There is (or at least was - have not looked for ages) a sort of shallow cut out on the south face. We called it Granny's chair. It was only the very agile that could get to sit in that cut out.

Snod

Ahh Granny's rock ,the memories are flooding back.I used to play in the breck when i was a nipper and have actually climbed Granny's rock and fell off it numerous times.we were up there the other week when i was showing my wife places from my past,we met a lovely lady walking her dog and from what she said and by the amount of bottles and beer cans lying about it is now the local scallies drinking den(shame).there are some amazing views out across leasowe and moreton from up there.Ahh the memories

Granny Rock

Maybe a topic of its own? And some pictures?
Never heard of it

I know what you mean about the litter/ mess up there. I saw it when I went a week or so ago to try to do a modern photo of the old School House to comparee with my postcard pic. A good "communitry service order" for some scallys would be to have to clean that place spotless. OK, off my soapbox

The breck with the Granny Rock was always called the "Boys Breck" by us local kids, to distinguish it from the "Girls Breck" that was is the playing area between Church Hill and St Hillary Drive, neither of which are often frequented roads. Many people do not even know that area exists because it is not visible from the main road - being above the high ivy-covered wall to your left as you drive up St Hillary Brow towards the roundabout for a left turn to Liscard

The views from the Girl's Breck are actually better than some from the Boy's Breck because the view is far less obstructed by trees etc. As an example the following is a print from a painting (Robinson again) done in 1878. The buildings at the front are mostly in the village itself ie The Cheshire Cheese, The Ring O Bells and the panel timbered building that used to stand more or less where the middle of the Wallsey Village Raod is now. Unfortunately that building "went" when the road was widened and straightened. I have other pics and painings of it. The other buildings are then in School Lane. A bit in the distance is a row of hosues - The Twenty Row of houses where people working at the brickworks would live. Leasowe Lighthouse can be seen in the distance.

I will be doing a then and now picture pair for this

Snod

jus t think "THE ROCK" used to be railway sidings

Wow How its Changed.
I love the idea of wallasey village being as it is in the
black and white picture.

How things change?

Folly Lane was a LOT longer than it currently is as well. It used to run all the way from where it is now, across the main road and on all the way to the top of the hill. It changed dramatically when the trams were brought in, pretty much to how it is now as Broadway but you'll notice one thing that's going to change in the next few days by the look of it. Where the bend begins as you descend and you end up on St. George's Rd you'll see a little cut-off at the end of the cemetary. This was formerly a row of cottages demolished in the 1910's I believe and it was called Folly's Gut; at the end was a set of steps leading up to the graveyard. If you look now a set of gates have been put up but you can still see the divides of the houses where the brickwork still exists, it looks like this will all be demolished soon so I'd recommend seeing it soon before it vanishes.

Sounds interesting, Waddi get your camera out!

Would this be where the pub on leasowe road got its name?
(The twenty row) (Now destroyed)

hmm, what else? I've gleaned most of my info from little local books I've found. Well I presume most people know about the housing that was where St Mary's College stands now and the Traveller's Rest pub that was there. The brewery that was a bit down Leasowe Road. Do any pictures exist of the original Wallasey Village station building? It was destroyed in the war and now I've seen Birkenhead Park's one it's the only one I'm missing. I'm a geek for the disused stations and lines, local ones particularly!

Wasn't that car salesroom also a gigantic bicycle shop at one point too? That's about as far back as my memory extends, I'm only a young-un!

BBStuey: I didn't realise that the original Wallasey Village station was blatted during the war. I always understood that when the line was electrified in 1937/8 the station was rebuilt/modernised in the typical 1930's style and is more or less how it is today.

I guess my knowledge may be lacking here !

Presume you've seen the "Disused Stations" sections in Sub.Brit.?
Very good !

Correct. Sad the pub went (even though I am a non-drinking man) because it held memories for me. My Grandad used to take me a Sunday walk down to the shore, down across the sandhills then he would ho in the Twenty Row for refreshment and I would sit on the step with a bottle of pop.

Snod

The travellers Rest did stand where St Mary's College is now - as did many old cottages etc. I am trying to pull together as many photos and paintings of the area as I can, together with a map showing the locations. A long term project. The following is an often shown pic of the Travellers Rest. I took my own photos before the place was demolished - all I have to do is find them

Snod

Great Pictures
Keep up the good work?

What do you suppose the man in the street is dragging
behind him? A Chicken ??

BBS

While I am not a railways and lines fan I did find some pictorial/ historical interest when they widened the railway bridge over Leasowe Rd. The following are photos I took at the time

Snod