Can you help Pauline a friend of mine. She once lived there as a little girl and has fond memories of watching the dockers going to work building the ships. Does anyone have pictures or the history of this building?
Abbey Buildings was one of three blocks of flats built in the early 1930s following the demolition of a number of old insanitary properties in St Mary's Avenue, Howard Street and Knox Street, between Chester Street and Priory Street. Photos of the flats seem hard to come by; the best I can manage is grainy sections of three aerial views of the area, plus one decent shot from the mid-1940s.
The first pic shows the three blocks in 1934 shortly after they were built; St Mary's Avenue Flats at left, Howard Street Flats in the centre, and Abbey Buildings at right, with the County Arms pub sandwiched in between the last two. The other two aerial shots show the same area in early 1962, with Abbey Buildings now overlooking the end of Laird's new Princess Dry Dock.The fourth picture is looking down St Mary's Gate from Chester Street, with Abbey Buildings just right of centre.
Can you help Pauline a friend of mine. She once lived there as a little girl and has fond memories of watching the dockers going to work building the ships. Does anyone have pictures or the history of this building?
Dockers didn't build ships, they loaded and unloaded cargo etc, and had a uncanny knack of finding things that fell off the backs of lorry's
God help us, Come yourself, Don't send Jesus, This is no place for children.
Brilliant pictures. From what I can remember of the area, the pub on the corner was called The Letters and the building directly across the road from it was the Co-op.
I lived in the Priory, and used to go here when very young and they would fill a pop bottle with beer for me to take home for my dad after sunday dinner,. from the tiny outdoor I could barely see over the counter,,,,
Had my first pint {brown mix} in the county late 1955. Few of the mates I knocked round with in those days along with the ones from Priory buildings lived in the Abbey buildings {block behind the county.} Few of the family's surnames where the Sherlocks, Williams and the Mcgraws.
Last edited by jimbob; 6th Oct 20125:48pm.
Ships that pass in the night, seldom seen and soon forgoten
I was trying to access the pictures of Abbey Buildings as my father and his family were brought up there however even though registered, I can't access. It says I have to be a "user plus" but no instructions as to what this means. Thanks.
I was trying to access the pictures of Abbey Buildings as my father and his family were brought up there however even though registered, I can't access. It says I have to be a "user plus" but no instructions as to what this means. Thanks.
I'm sure we didn't have to pay to see the photos on the History Information Request thread in the past? When did this start? (Sorry, strictly speaking this is OT - move/remove if necessary)
If you're asking about Ian Duncan, Duncan is his surname and he went to the BI. think his dad went on to manage The Farmers Arms in New Ferry after the Letters
