your right Chris, the toilets did not have to be moved. all that happened when the section of road between the Central Hotel and the toilets was widend was the pavement running along side the entrance to the toilets was done away with and the toilets where closed
Ships that pass in the night, seldom seen and soon forgoten
king edward v11 memorial clock was unveiled on october 24th 1912 and moved in 1929 and again early sixties but not very far i got this from an ian boumphrey book i got for my birthday today diana 45
I can't find any evidence of it being moved during the sixties, and comparing the pre-flyover OS map with a modern Google Maps image seems to show it's still in the same place in relationship to the toilets. It doesn't look to me as if it interfered with the planned flyover route at all...
The clock definitely WAS moved, but not in the 60s. Here, it is pictured in its original position just across from Central Station in Wilbraham Street. The picture is in a book called A Century of Birkenhead and Wirral, by Cliff Hayes, but is not dated.
I don't think the clock tower was moved for the flyovers, but I still have an element of doubt that I might be wrong. Surely there was enough room to realign the flyover if needed, as the site was being enlarged anyway. The land was not used as a roundabout, as Borough Road took both town and tunnel trafic along its south side, while Clifton Crescent was merely a little backwater serving the Hotel and adjacent premises. It was also two-way, but had traffic lights at one end. Clifton Crescent was widened at the time at the time of the roadworks, and as mentioned above, it lost its wide pavement opposite the Hotel in preparation for becoming part of the roundabout. As part of the final phase of the works, the piece of land was enlarged into the roundabout as we now know it, and this included a now isolated part of Borough Road.
I hope that no one is confusing the (possible) shift of the clock tower with the actual shift of the column outside the Mersey Tunnel entrance - that being the big black column with the ball on top in true 1930's art deco style.
I've attached some pictures, starting with 1967 during construction works. On the far left is Horsemans car showrooms at the bottom of Argyle St South, opposite the station, while on the far right by the traffic light, is Taffy's Carpets showroom. One of the two people in the middle is a traffic warden. For comparison is a photo from earlier this year. The third photo was taken on the flyover open day in 1969, just before it opened to traffic, and from the Conway Street flyover. The ammount of space avaliable to clear the flyover is quite apparent. The busy road in the forground, taking two way traffic to the tunnel, is now Borough Road East. First road on the left is Thomas Street. The next road is the end of the link flyover from New Chester Road, but next to it is Hind Street, which emerges up from the side of the gasworks and along the side of Central station where it joins Borough Road. Note the wooden hut - it was a taxi office (for Murphys, I think.) A similar one stood outside the pumping station at Woodside, between Canning St and Shore Rd.
The original move of the Clock Tower took place between the end of March and mid-May 1929, and seems to have been carried out by James Griffiths, the monumental masons whose yard was at the top of Bidston Avenue opposite the entrance to Flaybrick Cemetery. The following pics from the Birkenhead News documented the move...
I'd assumed that it would have been part stripped down, jacked up onto a trolley and somehow rolled across the road. It seems that it was done stone by stone. What a job!
Anybody notice, in the first picture of this post, that there is a bus on the far right? It looks like a Wallasey Atlantean, due to position of wheel arch to a vertical rib, probably the front door, and the relative sizes of the windows between upper and lower decks, as per Weyman Orion styling (as in MCW bodybuilders). The 11 went over Charing Cross, and the 10 went via Central Station, but I can't remember which way after that.
Anyway, there was an error earlier, and my intended third picture didn't get attached. So here it is again (I hope..)
This was taken on the open day in 1969, just before it opened to traffic, and from the Conway Street flyover. The busy road in the forground, taking two way traffic to the tunnel, is now Borough Road East. First road on the left is Thomas Street. The next road is the end of the link flyover from New Chester Road, but next to it is Hind Street, which emerges up from the side of the gasworks and along the side of Central station where it joins Borough Road. Note the wooden hut - it was a taxi office (for Murphys, I think.) A similar one stood outside the pumping station at Woodside, between Canning St and Shore Rd.
i have spent ages going through my books an i cant find anything about it being moved in sixties sorry for my mistake but i can remember scaffold being round it in sixties so i jumped to wrong conclusion sorry again
The type of bus in the first pic. is a bit of a puzzle. The whole "feel" of that photo says wartime (ish). As mentioned on another post, the fresh looking white blackout stripes around the traction poles. That lone wire less traction pole near Jake the Peg had not been converted to streetlamp use and maybe awaits removal. The tram tracks are still uncovered in the forground. IMHO it's too early a pic for an Atlantian to be around. I'm going to stick my neck out here and say it was B'head Corpy No.185. A lone example of an AEC "Q" type. It entered service in July 1933 and was withdrawn in June 1940. It was very advanced for it's day. Forward entrance (a la Atlantian) and had the same styling as a brick (a la Atlantian) but the engine was behind the driver and stuffed under the stairs !! Blank front with radiator halfway along the offside. A right weirdo. The Corpy only bought one. The design never took off. It was the last petrol engined bus to run. They went over to the oilers after that.
I'm going to stick my neck out here and say it was B'head Corpy No.185. A lone example of an AEC "Q" type. It entered service in July 1933 and was withdrawn in June 1940. It was very advanced for it's day. Forward entrance (a la Atlantian) and had the same styling as a brick (a la Atlantian) but the engine was behind the driver and stuffed under the stairs !! Blank front with radiator halfway along the offside. A right weirdo. The Corpy only bought one. The design never took off. It was the last petrol engined bus to run. They went over to the oilers after that.
Just my 2d worth.
Couple of pictures of Birkenhead Corporation No 185:
Thanks for posting the pictures uptoncx. Interesting to note that the route number was displayed in the upper deck front windows. Tens in one window, units in the other.
