Forums Forums Wirral History : Chasing the Past Wirral History Gibson House, Wallasey

Today I was photographing in the Egremont area and noticed a very big, abandoned, building between Blenheim Road and Maddock Road. It has "danger asbestos" notices all over it. I am wondering what is the history of the place? From the style and type of brick I will guess built around 1900 or a bit before. From the size I will guess a school or the like. It is surely FAR too big to be residential.

Snod

At first it thought it could have been the same place?
But after looking at the details?
Nope..

The B&W photo is of the old Mariner's Home on the Egremont Prom., with four "old salts" enjoying well-earned retirement.
Anyone any idea when it was demolished ??

Heh me and Totopop know this building well... can't help you on the history of it though.

The building is just the other side of the road (Maddock Road) from the Mariners Home.

I did some research today and the building I photographed was the Andrew Gibson Home for Seamen's Widows. The building was donated for the purpose by a Liverpool shipping mangate. It was built in 1906 and dedicated by two sons in memory of their father. It cost £25,000 to build - which is a HUGE amount for 1906 (about £5 million based on todays prices and a conversion based on average earnings). Consider that at that date a typical church could be built for around £6000. The building itself is also HUGE. I walked around the front/ side / back today and was amazed at just how big it is

Snod

Before it was closed down, it was an old peoples home, we know that much.

And Toto believe's it is haunted from his own experience.

I can believe the latter - was spooky enough on a dull morning. Inside on a dark night - oo er. And if you cough the falling asbestos dust will probably get you anyway.

Great shame for a building like that to remain all closed up and neglected. The views out over the Mersey must be spectacular. I wonder who owns it now and what are the plans for the future? Before the recent downturn in property values I suppose it could have been earmarked for demolitiion and yuppy appartments. However, a place riddled with asbestos will cost two arms and legs to dismantle/ dispose of safely so I suppose the owners will just let the place rot even more until property prices swing up again.

Snod

did we not have a thread about this building, I remember taking pics and posting them up.

and from the pics I posted Im sure we all agreed that it was the same building as the b&w one. just the other side (the river side) of what is shown above.

Looks very different from the back on the old mariners home home pictures:

this is 2 story + roof space


this is 3 story + roof space

Hence my point it looks very different

And i said this in post 2 lol

I will ask my dad for info if he has any.....he was brought up in Trafalger Ave.A great aunt lived even closer!

I will ask them for their memories etc when I see them this week.

I vaguely remember the home as a kid......The green hill etc..happy days

I've just been down to the building as a possible UE site, but got all scared by the asbestos warnings.
I started researching it in Google, low and behold, it led me right back to this topic lol (which I didn't know existed).
It looks like a lovely building for UE, but I don't have the stones due to the signing.

Its all boarded up anyway matey, me and Toto have tried a few times, and lets just say an electric screwdriver will be needed at the very least.

Ist this the place they do police things, Always see lots of police outside it with the dogs, Looks like they do training or sumat in this area ?

Extendable ladders
http://www.ukclassifieds.co.uk/extendable_ladders_aluminium_laddders_by_ukgooddeals_com-o132632.html

I have actually heard myself that it actually now belongs to two families. A son or daughter got married, brought together the two families, the couple that owned the building have now died, leaving the two families arguing over who should have the land and building. I actually thought it was a derelict building until I looked into it further.

Ill pass on the ladders idea, too much in the way of noise and too visable.

The idea of UE, is to be subtle and silent.

Dont forget, on the front and the side/back especially, the place is practically in perfect view of surrounding houses.

Any attracting of attention and we would be fooked with ladders.

The police use this building and liscard hall in central park for dog training on a regular basis

Your emblem over the door if you unmix it reads:- A.D 1906.
you can always work out the date if you see the letters A.D. in a plaque or brickwork.
Great house tho.

The building in the B/W photos was on the opposite side of the Mariners slip road in the numast site and is what we knew as the Mariners home.It was derilict for years and was eventually knocked down in the early eighties.The building that still stands today on what locals call the greenhill was always a mysterious place ,never seen anyone going in or comming out and it was well secure with an army of security guards which was quite rare then.

The wife went for a interveiw in the numast site years ago and went to this building by mistake and was met by a security guard and escorted back to the gate.

been past today very grand place some boards off! only amount of time before it gets set on fire!by some fire bug?

nowt to be scared of people, lets just go

The Old Mariners home is to be if it hasnt already been demolished. It was originally part of the Mariners Park Trust and the terms of the Lease at the time was that it had to be used by the Mariners. Which meant that the building has fallen into disrepair and is now too costly to renovate.... Time passes and its used by the local police to do training... Then its used by yobs to drink in... Now the Lease/Agreement has run out, the land has been bought up by a property Developer and we're to get yet more Luxury Flats...just what we need to replace that beautiful Old Building.... NOT!

The Old Mariners home has certainly gone. To be replaced by this.
The last pic is where I think Liscard Manor House used to stand.

I took a few snaps of the Gibson House in the OP, (next door) this afternoon. Will post later.

I`ve been in there already, if i can find the pics i`ll post em
btw it been set on fire in the main entrance hall, looks like the fire brigade caught it just in time before the fire had chance to spread



rentaclown, you kick ass! i`m with you on that remark, too much pussy footing around these days, i say get in before it`s to late



totaly agree handbag

i`ll look for the pics

Sounds like a job for the `A` team, lets get in ther and kick ass people, before its "burnt down" and the council have to knock it down in the name of safety (and line their pockets!) Happens a lot lately!
Anyone heared if the Woodside Hotel has become "unsafe" yet??
wont be long for that next!
Next election i vote we DONT vote!!

The Gibson house didn't look very secure when I went today.
As I walked around the perimiter of the grounds I couldn't see but heard at least 3 lads messing around in the gardens to the rear, (on the prom side). Here's the photo's as promised.

And the obvious 'weak point' in security. If I was a kid this bit would be like a magnet to me. It still is appealing even though I'm in my thirties! I could still hear the kids at rear so that put me off... and the asbestos warnings.

very good photos

Yeah, you can see the remnants of fire in the building at the top of a few of the windows. I hope something's done with the building, there's bound to be someone with ideas somewhere, no doubt they don't reside at the Town Hall, the bunch of idiots they are...

good pics mate, this pic though, when i went there the first time the front door was open, where these railings are in this pic was not like that, there seems to have been a hole blown in the wall?
last time we looked in that bit it looked like something had blown a hole in the wall and upon looking through it looks like a boiler room.
We didnt go in there because there was about 5` high mounds of white stuff which we didnt know what it was.
Inside the building some of the fake ceiling tiles have been taken down and the ceiling extends about another 5` and you can clearly see the original borders ect.
When you go through the main entrance and look on the wall to your left you will see a large brass plaque with the name of the building and the date 1906 dedicated to the guys son.
Heres a link to a photo i took in the basement....

clickjme

Nice1. I'd love a look inside. The railings were on the right wing of the building and have been clumsily chained and padlocked together to cover the steps to the basement and a small window into the basement with no boards covering it, (in the photo). A couple of strong hands would be needed to move it, thats all. I couldn't see a thing inside, it was too dark.

p.s. You got any more photo's from inside to share?

i have more photos but they are on dvd somewhere in a big plastic bag due to us just moving home, lol, i will have a looksee tonight and see if i can fish them out

I've just been for a nose around this fantastic old building, not inside as it has asbestos warnings all over it. I had heard that the police were going to turn it into a custody suite?? There are boards pulled off leading into the cellars. I dont think this will avoid the bulldozers it has plenty of land to the back and great river views. What the history of the land and building anyone?

https://www.wikiwirral.co.uk/forums...s&topic=0&Search=true#Post245390

Here's some stuff in a thread from a while back.

Sara

The place you refer to is NOT the Mariners Home - it is the place next door.

We have covered this in previous threads eg most recent I think was

https://www.wikiwirral.co.uk/forums...s&topic=0&Search=true#Post259276

And then earlier

https://www.wikiwirral.co.uk/forums/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showflat/Main/16156/Number/218633#Post218633

Basically this building was the Andrew Gibson Home for Seamen's Widows. The building was donated for the purpose by a Liverpool shipping mangate. It was built in 1906 and dedicated by two sons in memory of their father. It cost £25,000 to build - which is a HUGE amount for 1906 (about £5 million based on todays prices and a conversion based on average earnings).

Yes, a very interesting building with HUGE potentiol - but needing £££ to get the asbestos out before it coul be converted. When you look at this building with magnificent views over the river and Liverpol city and compare it to the old Spiller building conversion on the docks - then no contest in my view. This building in Egremont has infinitely more potential.

Snod

Thanks Everyone. The idea of another of our towns historic buildings making way for a load of sh***, make me feel physicaly sick. I really wanted to get inside but the asbestos signs stopped me. What next?? Havn't any old buildings left have we?

Sara

I agree that some of the replacement building are often rubbish that will date quickly, deteriorate and then end up as yet another blot on the skyline.

I have no objection at all to good buildings like the one in Egremont - or even the Spillers place - being converted to other uses. Retaining a substantial part of a structure is simply progress and if done properly (tastefully) can be a benefit to the community for many years

Regrettably we have observed that when a site becomes potentially valuable (as with the Egremont building)
but there is some impediment to doing something with existing buildings (planning, asbestos, ownership etc) there seem to be "little accidents" eg mysterious fires. Surprisingly all the planning arrangements then seem to fall quickly into place. We have suspicions

Snod

mmm yes, fires seem very common in the past year especially!

Give it three months before it crumbles through arson, just as a developer shows "interest" in it.

Give me £5000 and i`ll do it within 2 weeks

Your a cynical lot!

I love the building and remember it before it got boarded up! Wish I had won the lottery tonight, it would get my cash, I would buy it and restore it and use it in something valuable for the commuinity! Ah... dreams!

we do try

I think I read somewhere once that nothing could be done with the house because it is in trust to someone apparently American who cannot be located??!!

Somebody must be paying rates on it by now.I think the first six months is free then half if the place has no furniture etc.

There is a fresher link somewhere about this place??!

A friend of my mums used to live there years ago. I used to love the view over the Mersey from her lounge window.
I saw an urban exploration report from inside this place about 2 years ago on the 28dayslater site.

I applied for listed buildings status to English Heritage, but because most of the insides were stripped out (from the origional application) I had to mount an appeal for the shell to be listed which, had to be done via the governments department of media and sport (Andi Burnham) at the time wrote back to say that English Heritage were wrong in the appeal process. I applied on the grounds that it was "one of a kind" and of significant architectural importance in its design type.The company that own it have been in touch with me several times and made it quiet clear that the building will be converted into flats with Bungalows in the grounds at the back (feb 2009).
The costs which is the hold up is due to the safe removal of asbestos from the heating systems and pipes throughout the building so, becarefull. I think the owners are more worried about the liability if somebody did get in and put a claim in for asbestosis of the lung (as they are a charity)If you do a search on the planning application site using the post code you will see the last application this year so, its still on topic and beleive it or not a few council members are very keen to see its refurbishment particularly Leah Fraser
http://leahfraser.wordpress.com/2007/08/22/andrew-gibson-house-egremont/

Thanks - very interesting. I'd love to have a look inside. I hope they keep as many of the original features as possible after conversion!

The interior was quite nice but nothing extravagant. There where coving but not fancy, the corners where more detailed. There was however nice ceiling roses and occasional random details from various era's that people seemed to try and keep in good order. A lot of the work was done by tenants that still had some ability and the grounds and maintenance was done by a paid employee until layer on and then families and friends chipped in more. There was a man called Danny who did most and worked in other places to. The Mariners homes and the local cinema. I delivered milk there as a boy. I always enjoyed delivering milk to an Elderly woman who lived on the left wing on the 3rd floor. She baked me cookies some weeks and others had a slice of cake for me. I was told then she was 96, she claimed her long life though she never confirmed her age was down to her Gold top milk. Bless her. A lovely memory and a lovely frail lady.