WIRRAL PENINSULA UK
my wirral web for friends and relations all over the world
When I first thought that I might do a web page about
WIRRAL I did not appreciate how many aspects there were to the subject. I have
therefore decided that this page would mainly be about local history with a
leaning towards the more recent history and from a personal view point because
of my many relatives overseas, as such it could be another nostalgia page but I
make no apology for that. Before you click off may I say that I hope that it
will be more than just a look backwards but also a spur to readers, especially
us silver surfers, to find some fresh interests, I hope to promote the
friends of organizations particularly those who are looking for
volunteers after all how many times can you wash the car or mow the lawn, if
there are any Hon. Secs. who want to send details please use my e-mail which is
at the bottom of the page.
Ness Botanical Gardens
has its "friends" and is always looking for volunteers to work in the
gardens. The Wirral Alpine Garden
Society is one group who take advantage of the excellent theatre at Ness
Gardens to hold regular meetings. Over time I will give some other links to
clubs and courses that I think maybe of interest so as I said before if any Hon.
Sec,s want a mention just drop me a line,
My name is JOHN CARROLL. I was born in Wallasey in 1930
at 216 Rake lane, a two up and two down cottage. I have remained living in
Wallasey, which is unusual in our family, my maternal grandfather came across
from Yorkshire worked his way across England as a butcher, going ahead of the
family and working a little time in each town on the way. I think when they got
to Wallasey and faced with the Irish sea, my grandmother with their 13 children
said "enough is enough" so they stayed, and my grandfather went to work for Young's
pork butchers in Liscard. An uncle, Bert Noble had a butchers shop on
Brighton St. Successive generations from both sides of the family (my paternal
grandfather had come across from Ireland) have spread out all over the world. I
have a brother Paul and a niece in USA, a daughter in New York and a son who has
gone to live in Australia. That with numerous cousins and friends throughout the
world gives me a good excuse to compile a web page and say thank goodness for
e-mails.
The WIRRAL peninsula is situated between the rivers Mersey and Dee in the northwest of England with Wales only a short way over the Dee. Stand on the Wirral bank of the river and you look at the green hills and even snow capped mountains of Wales. Cross the peninsula and stand on the bank of the Mersey looking over to Liverpool when lit at night as beautiful a view as the welsh side. The parish of Wallasey within the Metropolitan borough of Wirral is almost like an island at the top of Wirral, in fact it is thought that the name Wallasey came from the Norse WEALAS-EY, the island of the Welshmen or strangers. Its boundaries are the Irish sea and Mersey estuary to the north and east with marshlands, "Bidston moss", to the south southwest. The only connection to the mainland was along the coast of the Dee and so up to Chester.
Leasowe Hospital was a fine building at the top of Leasowe road recently demolished for new housing.
The leasowe sanatorium for crippled children and hospital for surgical tuberculosis
was the full title of the hospital which was open from 1917 to 1979.Margaret Beavan 1877_1931 must be the first person one thinks about when considering the history of Leasowe Hospital a person of great driving force and vision affectionately known as The little mother of Liverpool or sometimes clever beggar. Even at school she must have had a forceful personality and a compassionate nature, cajoling her fellow pupils into parting with their pocket money to buy a Christmas tree for the poor children of the Liverpool docklands. She went to Liverpool university and whilst there she met Mr. A V PATON who helped under privileged children and had been instrumental in founding the West Kirby Convalescent Home For Children.
Margaret Beavan had opened a small office in the slums of Liverpool and in 1908 together they founded "Invalid Children's Aid" which changed its name and grew over time, she remained chief executive until her death in 1931.
The first mention of plans to build a sanatorium for TB children is made on 16th December 1911 at a second committee meeting on 23rd January 1912 it was said by Sir G Newman, of the Whitehall Board of Education, that as far as he could see the project would get approval, a site had already been found in Leasowe and a number of Whitehall staff were sent to inspect the site the following day. It took another twelve months to get confirmation that the site was acceptable. The completion of the purchase was made on 1st September 1913 �3600 being paid to the Webster family for the land. Work was completed on time and on budget, �180.000,and the first children were taken into Faith ward on 7th July 1914. Many thousands of children were nursed there over the years for TB even after the discovery of Streptomycin which stopped the tubercle bacillus from multiplying the Hospital continued in use for the treatment of burns until is closure in 1979. After standing empty for awhile it was reopened as a Retirement and Handicapped Center until again being closed, this time to be demolished and sold as building land.
My reason for starting with the hospital is that my late wife, Daphne Carroll nee Ball, started her nursing at Leasowe before going to Chester Royal Infirmary to do her SRN.that must have been 1950 as I have a group photo on which is written " taken at the Tower ballroom december 17th 1949 on the evening I left Leasowe Hospital DAPH is top center of this photograph and of the CLASS of 49. Other photos show how much she enjoyed the companionship of nursing and also the look of a future matron ,well senior nursing officer at least. Life must have been hard on the staff as well as the children with the open wards , here the beds were pushed out onto the open balconies even in the middle of winter,the children wearing woollie hats and gloves. The children were in hospital for long periods and the staff made a special effort over christmas
There is a picture is of the laying of the foundation stone of Leasowe Hospital on 21st july 1914. Also pictures showing the open wards and many more pictures of Leasowe, Moreton,and Saughall Massie in Volume 2 of the book
Moreton Wirral, a Pictorial History
by Frank Biddle and Alan Fellows, a local farmer and a historian. If anyone wants a copy I will pass on your requests, I believe they cost about �8. Frank and Alan rescued the foundation stone from the hospital and have passed it on to the Williamson art gallery.
Whilst working on this web page I have spent some time at Earlston library looking though the local history section. I was surprised by the large number of books that have been written about Wirral. There seems to be a book on every part from a general history such as THE WIRRAL PENINSULA by Norman Ellison to small pamphlets on places like the Birkenhead Priory or Vale park in Wallasey. Looking thru some I am reminded of the GI,s stationed in New Brighton and those who came to visit the Tower ballroom from Burtonwood. Also our own RAF personnel who did their square bashing at West Kirby. Ex pats will find many of the pictures in the books will bring comments of "do you remember". "When we went swimming at the New Brighton pool", then supposedly the largest out-door pool in the world.
In my original web page I had intended to
do different pieces
under the heading
"within living memories"
but such is the pace of change on the web that many of the places I had intended
to write about have now got very good sites so I have put in links to these
sites as I find them. One place I had intended to visit but now
has a good site of its own is Hooton
Park one the oldest airfield sites in the country now run by a
trust and within the grounds of the General Motors owned Vauxhall car
factory.
