Forums Forums Wirral History : Chasing the Past Wirral History Livingstone street baths

I was talking to a few people the other day about old times and livvy baths came up and I just went in bulk and could not stop laughing.....1d..Penny slip was going through my mind,when you never had a cozzy or you just went with no cozzy or towel with your mates you went in boys only and got a penny slip..2 triangles and a bit of tape to tie it with..always came off when you dived in,to be honest it always came off no matter what you done,they were massive.LOL had some great times in livvy baths,won a free swim contract for 8 years,free swims every day..When you went in the mixed side no slips where allowed,dont know why? lol,Trinity st and good old Tolly

All the kids stayed in until their lips were blue with the cold and had to be chased out. Always standing around shivering. Doing bombs and getting the attendant whistling to stop you or throw you out. Trying to sneak your mates in through the side fire doors, or was that the Rio?

The baths were used by Hemmy school for various activities
swimming, 5 a side football and basketball
I used to be in Scott house and Les McAteer always used to be selected as captain of whichever sport house team we played
He was a good footballer
I also used to go there when they had table tennis coaching

What was the name of the playing fields by Tranmere Rovers/Shafts

were they known as Borough Road playing fields

In case it has not been mentioned the boys only was boarded over for the football etc.and an entrance on Price steet was in op for this period, during the winter.We used to suck the brilicream out of the machine to save a penny.You could stand up at the deep end if you stood on three clothes baskets after which you got chucked out, so you left it untill you had,had enough.Sniffelers got them out for the attendant,our kid got so many out he took up diving as a hobby
Or eight years free swims

think that was the name for them. Remember Gautby Road as the other footy pitches that the schools used.

Hey you are kid,I did not snivvel and I won them free swimming contracts for 8 years,I was a good boy,did not do any petting either,I used to just watch you and your mates.It,s all coming back to me now,even a den in the old cleveland st corporation depot.....but thats another story for another day...LOL

livy baths remember it well used to walk from cavendish school once a week to swim in all weathers .remember one time they where knocking down all the old houses got told the road went black with cockroachs

will you 2 stop arguing? Sibling rivalry I think

Should never allow family members to join the board. I said to me Dad earlier he should ban them all cos he owns the wiki forum!!

I think them two would only find someone else to argue with.

I had swimming lessons there circa 1969 on the NHS as part of my physiotherapy. It was a dilapidated Victorian place with wooden changing cubicles around the pool.

There was a really nice bloke there called Mr Johnson who taught the kids most of the time.

One day, my physio was holding me whilst I learned the backstroke. The silly cow let me go and I sank immediately. I gave it up after that and never did learn to swim.

Is there anyone on wikiwirral that worked either at Livingstone Street baths or Byrne Avenue baths who could tell me how the wooden floors were constructed over the swimming area for activities during the winter months.
Possibly like this pic?

That looks like the floor going down in Byrne Ave. It went down in the main pool with the balcony about October when it got too costly to heat the pool and only the other pool was open during the winter. Once the floor was down the area was hired out for 5-a-side etc. Fridays there were dances with a band, entrance was from the front and two lockers doubled as box offices with hatches into the foyer (still there). There was roller skating as well. They even held concerts with full orchestra and choirs. As well as the floor there were panels that slotted into the openings of the lockers to make it like a panelled wall all the way around.

Each spring the panels and the floor were taken up and stored in the cellars under the pool. The floor stopped being put down in the 70's. When they refurbed the pool in 1980 they decided to leave only the pool with the balcony open and to put the floor down permanatly on the other side, which they did and removed the lockers.

They took the laundry out and made it into an activity room. Very little else changed. There used to be a fantastic array of photographs there but someone took them in the late 80's.

Any more questions, just post them!

the pitches were called the shafts we used to play there from cathcart street.watched birkenhead schools play a german team there in the mid 50s. the germans had a player with one arm.

my dads uncle was the caretaker @livingstone baths many years ago. surname Swannick (i think thats spelt right!)