DESTRUCTION OF NEW FERRY PIER, 1922
On a foggy night in January 1922, a Dutch steamer smashed through New Ferry's pier, cutting it in two. Several sections collapsed into the river. Some newspaper reports said that the captain of the vessel had been drunk at the time, although the thick fog cannot have helped.
The ship was clearly badly damaged and must have caught fire, judging by the damage seen
DESTRUCTION OF NEW FERRY PIER, 1922
The owners of the pier did not have the money to repair it. The ferry had never been a major moneyspinner for them. In fact, the damaged pier was left as you see it in this photo for 7 years and was finally removed in 1929.
The destruction of the pier saw the end of New Ferry's time as a tourist resort for Liverpool visitors.
EDGE THE BUTCHERS, NEW CHESTER ROAD c.1920s
Awaiting new text from Callum Edge
13-15 BEBINGTON ROAD c.1921
Remember The Plough Vaults Public House shown on the 1875-1899 page? The Brewery sold it when it wasn't making money, and it later became a shop. Lowe and Company manufactured and repaired boots and shoes. New Ferry has only recently seen the return of a cobblers, a few doors further along from here.
In keeping with the "gentrification" of some of New Ferry's buildi
THE PARK LODGE, NEW FERRY PARK c.1923
The grade II listed former Park Lodge still stands at the entrance to New Ferry Park (albeit with an unfortunately placed modern bus shelter obscuring this view of it!). The entrance gates to the park on either side of it were locked at night and the park controlled by the park keeper who lived in the lodge.
By the 1970 and 1980s the lodge was being used b
NEW CHESTER ROAD c.1925
Here we see the Lyceum Cinema which had been opened in 1913 (the site is today occupied by Iceland). The film advertised as being shown was The Light of Western Stars starring Jack Holt and Noah Berry, a silent movie made in 1925.
Interestingly, just to the left are what look like traditional front garden walls. The properties at 35-39 New Chester Road were still houses un
FURTHER DOWN NEW CHESTER ROAD c.1925
Further down the road towards Birkenhead is a row of small shops and a pub which many will remember as The Little House. By the late 20th century the small shops had been replaced by Ted Ross's builders' yard; but the whole lot has now gone and been replaced with the modern block of flats in 2008.
Behind the shops on the right was the tiny cul-de-sac of terrace
MRS SMITH'S SHOP, 100 NEW CHESTER ROAD 1926
Mrs Smith is shown outside her tobacconist/ newsagent shop which has adverts for Cadbury's and Fry's chocolate in the window. Just look in the window at all those jars of tempting sweets - peanut toffee, bonbons, butter creams, nougat, Bassett's Allsorts. Most interesting is the Liverpool Post placard "Rock Ferry Girl Murdered". A policeman was accus
TOLL BAR CROSSROADS c.1922
As ever, let's start our 1920s tour at the crossroads where we can see not only one of the first motorised buses which replaced the stagecoaches taking passengers to Chester, but also someone proudly stopping in the middle of the junction to show off his motorbike to the photographer. The Crossville Motor Company had been established in Cheshre in 1906, but started its
TOLL BAR CROSSROADS c.1922
A slightly different camera position of the same view on another day. Is that the same bus we see against the pavement in New Ferry Road, outside the Crossville Bus Depot which appeared there in 1920?
This time a young woman wearing a cloche hat is crossing over the junction into Bebington Road on her bicycle, followed by a dog. Is the same dog hanging around the junct
TOLL BAR CROSSROADS c.1926
A different position, one of the classic viewpoints so often captured in photos as seen on this website.
One of those buses is turning the corner out of New Ferry Road onto New Chester Road, shortly after a double-decked tram has also departed for Birkenhead.
That sewing shop sign is still over the shop on the right, whilst pedestrians still walk across or stand in the
CROSSVILLE BUS DEPOT, NEW FERRY ROAD c.1928
And here is the seat of Crosville's power (or war cabinet!), at a time when the company must have been plotting going into direct competition with the trams' exclusive dominance of the New Ferry to Birkenhead route which they had previously been told was a "no go" for them. Find out about the origins of Crossville.
The building served as both a depot and
TRAM CRASH IN NEW FERRY 1926
Oh dear! It would seem that dense fog caused a traffic accident in autumn 1926.
Judging by the height of the damage, it would seem that maybe one double decker tram must have hit another, since there would not have been as much damage to the roof of this one in the picture had the collision occured with a car or truck.
Bemused rubber-necking residents were obvious
THE RED DAHLIAS c.1924
The 1920s was a time when working class people first began to take to the road for day trips out, perhaps from the factory or office, or if they belonged to a club. They would hire an open-topped "charabanc" vehicle and travel somewhere for a picnic, or maybe to a pub or other venue for enjoyment.
If the typical British weather lived up to its reputation, at least the Red D
BUNN'S PLACE, OFF GROVE STREET c.1926
It might surprise you to know that just behind Discount Inferno II at the junction of New Chester Road and Grove Street, there used to be several terraced homes. Victoria Place was one small cul-de-sac, and off this was a tiny street called Bunn's Place. These were all demolished in the early 1960s.
What you can see at the end of the road is the rear of what w
MAP OF GROVE STREET AREA, 1920s
Lots of interesting detail here. Note that what is today Discount Inferno II on the corner of Grove Street and New Chester Road was once New Ferry's post office. Behind it you can see the densely packed terraced houses including Manley Place and Victoria Place; off the latter is Bunn's Place as seen in the photo above.
Note that where Grove Street car park is today i
INTERIOR OF ST MARK'S CHURCH c.1926
This grainy image was taken in the mid 1920s inside the church which was built in 1866 at the cost of £3,500. Built of red sandstone in the Early English style, it consists of chancel, a clerestoried nave of five bays, aisles, south porch and a western turret containing one bell. It is capable of seating 600 people.
ENTRANCE TO NEW FERRY PARK c.1927
Compare this view to the one in 1905 and we can see that the gardens just inside the park entrance and to the rear of the Park Lodge have developed beyond the basic grass seen over 20 years earlier. Low metal railings deter children from walking over and trampling the plants which the park keeper must have taken pride in tending for everyone to enjoy. Today, hug
CHILDREN OF GROVE STREET SCHOOL c.1929
Until the 1910s, New Ferry's children were schooled at the first purpose built school building in School Lane which is today the CD Club. The "modern" school building at Grove Street was completed in 1912.
I was sent this picture by someone who told me it was of a class of children at Grove Street in the very late 1920s. This is now almost 100 years ago, so