Forums Forums Wirral History : Chasing the Past History Information Request Photographs of Birkenhead

I have been amazed at the pictures of all the streets that have been demolished. It made me realise ,that there where areas of my home town, that I never knew where there. I went down town to the shops, but I never took any notice of what was around me. It actually makes me feel sad. The communities that where there, all disbanded to estates. When I come back to Birkenhead I do feel the guts have been ripped out of the place. We had a fine town, some fantastic old buildings and such character.I know houses became unfit to live in, but what has shocked me was what came down for that flyover!

Its a disgrace! Birkenhead was a real interesting Gem, now its a sad shadow of its former self!

same all over i think! Like New Ferry-----not the same as it was years ago,buildings pulled down that should never have been pulled down---the Great Eastern for one--and they still haven't built on the land,it's a right mess,all over grown! the baths went years ago,now a Wimpy estate, part of Rock Park gone! what will they take next?

i lived on marion street agreat area to live.i went to cathcart street school also a great place. the whole area had great character.could have been regenerated.

The planning butchers have a lot to answer for, no doubt some were well intentioned, others perhaps made serious money out of the wholesale destruction of parts of the town. I agree with other contributors here in that on returning to Birkenhead, having been away since 1982. I feel a sense of being a stranger in my own town, such is the nature of the changes, which appear to have removed the character, individuality and life out of the town. I forget the name of the old hall on the junction of Eastbourne Road and Claughton Road, but years ago it had a massive sign that declared 'This is it, Second-Hand City!' How that message encapsulated the decline that forever scarred Birkenhead post 1970s. What's left seems sterile in comparison to the communities and streets that gave the town such vibrancy, and don't get me going on Woodside, or the multi-coloured buses, with drivers who seem unaware of the routes they drive

i agree completely,there are one or two areas of the old character left though.

Whether it be butchery or not, i for one would only ever rejoice in getting families out of rat and cockroach infested properties, i fear those who hanker after so called communities have either never lived in them or only have the protection of childhood memories, which always offer a different perspective. When these areas are cleared i suppose its only natural to remember them from some sort of blinked and romantic happy time of community spirit and fondness, yet the reality of it is, living with outside toilets, no bath or bathroom, a constant struggle to keep wallpaper on the wall, shared bedrooms and vermin. Add that to the forever wearing down of health, it can only be viewed as a job well done getting rid of them.
Getting rid of buildings of interest, of course thats a shame and could be seen as a crime and yet could you imagine the uproar if it meant putting the rates up to do so.
Keeping cost effectiveness and a happy balance is not so easy.

Well done Bert, had to be said and 100% true.

What bert says is true. As far as working class housing is concerned there's very little to be nostalgic about.

Much of the heritage we see today is a highly sanitized representation of the past. The nice old buildings which do survive in our towns today tend to be the higher status properties which were always well maintained in the first place.

It's true that many Victorian terraced properties do still exist but they've had to be radically modernised to make them habitable. And anyone who lives in a terraced street will tell you, they were not designed for car owners.

Good to see selective interpretation is alive and well. Of course no one was advocating that the town was a former paradise, or that conditions were perfect, but that was a straw-man argument offered by others here.

Back to the actual issue..as someone with relatives who lived around Leta Street I need no lessons on 'romanticising' the housing circumstances that some endured, being very familiar with the reality of '2 up 2 down, bog in the back yard'. However, that's again not really the topic. The discussion, prior to the hijacking, simply explored the changes, and yes, 'loss'; in terms of community. Admittedly, though not an example of enlightened housing provision, the streets and terraces of the town, provided a strong sense of identity, and not all were the horror story some suggest.

It is debatable to what degree the 'modern' facilities afforded by high rise replacements, or later the allure of relocating to estates,that within a couple of years had themselves attracted serious concerns, eclipsed the basic provisions of former housing. What is clear, and salient to the thread here, is that the town has indeed been transformed and not in an entirely positive or sensitive fashion.

There have been numerous grants available to renovate the old victorian properties to erradicate damp, install double glazing, improve insulation and install internal bathrooms.

Thank you for those kind words Erainn. I've missed your condescending charm!

Always a pleasure, most particularly for those unable to discuss without resorting to misrepresentation or fallacious argument.

The opening line in this thread is (I have been amazed at the pictures of all the streets that have been demolished.) which in my view allows debate on a broad spectrum of whats happened to this town and its buildings.

DD is indeed correct in saying grants were available but the money available and offered only went a small way in offering a degree of improvement and comfort to some properties and property owners.