Forums Forums Wirral History : Chasing the Past History Information Request New Brighton - 60s Memories

I have some random memories of New Brighton in the sixties.Do any of these ring a bell?
The shelters and toilets at the end of Victoria Road - these were fine examples of Victoriana .
Paddy's cafe (I think that's what it was called) also in Victoria Road .
The ghost train in the Tower fair ground - as I recall, it had two huge (or so they seemed at the time - I was only a nipper!) white mountains with suitably horrific decoration.
Lastly, in 1970 I went to a flypast commemmorating the 40th anniversary of the Battle of Britain- a great day out .

I think you mean the 30th Anniversary (1940 - 1970). I was not even 2 in 1970! I am now more interested in the aftermath of the Tower Grounds when it was used for Stock Car Racing.

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I remember the `Banger Racers` at the Tower Grounds, used togo all the time with my dad, his mates used to race so had front row seats! I was 5 in 1970, so memories are a bit vague, my whole childhood revolved around cars and racing!

The Tower Grounds had a lovely miniature railway in the 60s. Even though I grew up in Wallasey, I only ever went on it once as a child. Being put into a carriage on my own and the door closed behind me, I was convinced that I was being sent somewhere far away.

I also remember there being a fishing game in there too.

Used to get the No.11 bus with my Dad to the terminus at the back of the floral Pavilion. First call was the toilets (as mentioned) at the bottom of Victoria Road. As you said atw1960 pure Victoriana. Always nagged my Dad for a penny (of the proper variety) to go on the weighing machine in there. It printed your weight on a card - similar to an Edmondson railway tickets of the time. Then on to the Pier. Happy days eh !

Went on the Ghost Train once. Emerged suitably terrified ! Never went on it again. Tommy Mann's narrow gauge steam trains that ran parallel to the prom then turned in an "underground" loop that had a model fairground in it. Presume that's the one you went on Phil. All the above would be the mid/late 50's I guess.

Thanks for prodding the grey matter into life again. ha.ha.

Tommy Mann's Miniature Railway



History of the Tower Grounds and more pictures

http://www....co.uk/wallasey/towergrounds//index.html

When did the miniature railway close? I have a memory of walking along the prom (somewhere between Vale Park and the pier) and seeing a (red?) train of some sort high up, passing through some bushes or trees. Could be a false memory. I'm guessing early/mid 70s, no later.

Number 11 Bus for Pinz...

Another memory - in the '80s I went to a show at the baths in New Brighton featuring stars of the day - Frankie goes to Hollywood , Nik Kershaw etc.I was a second generation hippy and far from impressed - my girlfriend liked it though.

Arghhhh..Hideous, modern box on wheels !! No.No.No. They were "proper" buses then. Like the one that was in the Heritage Fair thread. Half cab Leylands. Buses seem to run jointly with Wallasey Corp. ones. Again, half cab Leylands. The B'head ones were mostly Massey bodied, the Wallasey ones had Leyland's own bodies. Long before the day of the Atlanteans !

Thanks anyway Paul. Kind thought !

The miniature railway, which was owned by Tommy Mann, was officially called the 'Fairy Glen Miniature Railway'. He bought the 18inch gauge track, locomotive and rolling stock from Commander Parsons who had operated it at Jaywick, near Clacton, and it was installed and opened in the tower grounds for the 1948 season.

The line closed at the end of the 1965 season, some of the equipment including the three passenger carriages, was bought by the Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway. In 1978 the carriages found their way to the Narrow Gauge Railway Centre at Blaneay Ffestiniog. Two of the carriages were stored outside and deteriorated badly.

The remaining equipment, including one of the locomotives, remained at New Brighton until 1968 when it was bought and moved to the Bromyard & Linton light railway in Herefordshire.

Many thanks, Uptoncx. That means I either imagined it or have a memory dating back to before I was one!

Was there ever anything else running on rails around there?!!

PS - Off-topic, but prompted by reference to the no 11 bus (Tranmere to New Brighton?)above - is there a thread on here devoted to all the old bus routes eg No 2 to Harrison Drive, No 14/ 16 to Seacombe, and all the rest?

Is this better?

Yes - much !! Thanks. The bus shown was one of the last batch of half cabs B'head bought. Still Massey bodied, but less curved panelling than the others. Nice on the eye though (IMHO). When these went, it spelled the end of the road for conductors. It's called progress. I'll jump off at the next stop !

Thanks Pinz and Paul. I reckon I must've gone on the miniature railway just before it closed. It's very sad that it went. It really was charming.