This postcard's for sale on ebay and it's one I've not seen before. I'm assuming it's the coronation of George V in June 1911 but I can't work out where the photo was taken. Obviously Liscard, with St. Alban's and the water tower in the background. The houses top right look as though they're being built. I also assume that they're marching to St. Hilary's Church. Any ideas?

You have a good find there!

It could be around empress rd/ central park avenue area maybe?

From the perspective, I'd guess at the playing field between Withens Lane & Rake Lane, Wallasey. You can see an entrance of sorts in the background which looks a bit like the entrance at Rake Lane. But I could be wrong.

It's also possible that the church refered to may have ben the new Presbyterian Church (Liscard Road/Brougham Rd) which had it's foundations laid at about that time in the summer of 1911. Whether or not it was actually on Coronation Day I couldn't rightly say.

My first thought was Empress Road/Liscard Road area but I think St. Albans and the watertower are the wrong way round from that perspective. As this was a big civic occasion you'd have thought that the march would be from the Town Hall (then in Church Street) to the oldest parish church at St. Hilary's. The obvious route would then be Church Street, Liscard Road, Wallasey Road, Claremount Road. That seems a bit of a hike though! If this was the route, could the pic have been taken from around the Wallasey Road/Belvidere Road junction before the houses in and around Torrington Road were built

I think it's wrong to assume that the church refered to would necessarily be St.Hilary's.

St.John's in Liscard could have held a fair sized congregation and been more on the way from Liscard to Egremont. And, like I say it's possible that the foundation stone for the new church was being laid by the Mayor at that same time.

That's a fair point about not assuming the church is St. Hilary's, geekus. It's just that when I was a boy scout in the 50s all the parades we were in ended up at st. Hilary's which was regarded as Wallasey's senior church.

According to Paulwirral on his liberator web site, the foundation stone of the Presbyterian Church was laid on 29th July 1911. The coronation was 22nd June 1911.

The more I look at the photo the more confused I get!

Given the perspective between the tower and the church spire, I would say that they are in Marlowe Road. They must be going to St Hilarys because the mayor is walking and he ain't gonna walk far!! I looked on the 1910 OS map and I am pretty sure this is what it is.

I've looked on Google Earth Street view and from
the junction of Wallasey Road and Claremount Road,
the water tower and church are in roughly the same
relative positions as on the postcard. I guess it
was taken from this general area. It would mean they
are marching towards St Hilarys.

(Edit) I just noticed that the road they are marching
on has tramlines. So a tram guy may be able to help.
I think that the houses on the right are the backs of
houses in Harrow Road or similar parallel road.

It's quite high up and could be Claremount road itself?

Some interesting points there!

I was never a boy scout myself, so was unaware that the parades always ended at St.Hilary's. I certainly can't argue with what you say nightwalker about it being Wallasey's senior church. All of that makes sense, but my eye was still drawn to, what looks like, an entrance on to the field (in the centre of the picture) and it reminded me a bit of Rake Lane.

Perhaps the older cottages on the left are another clue?? If you can put a name to this group of cottages, chances are you've cracked it.

If this is the Claremount Road area, could those cottages be near Prospect Vale?

I make it on Torrington Road, the new buildings on the right are Rullerton Road leading to Newton Road, this is the only road I can find with that style of house.

Claremount is too far away and there would be buildings nearer.

Marlowe can't get a road in the same direction as the houses on the right.

Assuming that the guard of honour is in the vicinity of the church itself, i.e. outside of it, it can only be St Hilarys. Forget what it looks like these days and imagine it before it was all built up. Water tower and St Albans aline correctly.

I'm using 1910 maps, to get roads and buildings to line up it can't be as far away as Claremount Road ie St Hilary's, there would be a row of houses straight across the front of the picture.

Undoubtedly the are heading to St. Hilary's, even in the 1960s parades used to be between one and two miles.

I have to cancel my Rullerton Road idea as well, some of the houses have front gables.

doh!

The view is of the back of those under-construction houses, isn't it? There seem to be some kind of out-house structures there and they wouldn't be at the front would they...?

My turn for another guess (and I really do mean guess!!)...

...how about the recreation ground between Breck Road & Station Rd?? Not too far from St.Hilary's, but St.Lukes would be a lot nearer.

The Mill Lane Water Tower looks quite near, although distances can of course be deceptive. Also, just realised that the parade is only made up of Sea Cadets, so I guess that also helps date the photo (the scouts having barely begun).

Is it's feasible that this parade could have marched from Liscard Road down Mill Lane towards Station Rd, and then gone on to the church?

I agree with the view being from Claremount Road towards Liscard. The backs of the newbuild houses being Radley, Uppingham or Sedbergh Road; which have single-storey lean-to outriggers that fit the picture.

If this is Claremount ... The houses in what is now Winchester Drive were already built by 1910 and would be right across the foreground of the picture.

I suppose we should also consider that it is not Edward VII coronation in 1901. The film seems quite fast though as the exposure time appears quite small, there is only slight blurring of people that are moving.

A lot of enigmas!

The photo can also be dated by the fact Wallasey has a Mayor, first Mayor of Wallasey was 1910, Also note the headwear of the Policemen, Pill box hats, (dress uniform maybe) some forces were allowed to wear these hats during the day, when did that stop?

COUD THEY BE ON BELVIDER ROAD WITH THE HOUSES BEING EITHER IN TANCRED ROAD OR THERE ABOUT.

The houses in Winchester Drive where built in 1928 according to my deeds, the houses in Newlands Drive where already built in 1910, maybe it's them your'e thinking of.

Dave

Looking at the 1910 map I think you're spot on Capt. It looks like they are at the junction of Rullerton and Marlowe roads. The houses top left are, I think on the right hand side of Wallasey Road looking towards Liscard, between Colville and Torrington. The road middle top behind the spectators is Rullerton, and the procession is on Marlowe. That would make the houses under construction Torrington Road. If we're right, I wonder what the route of the procession was.

I very much liked the idea of it being Marlowe Road when Capt_America said it. But......

I can't tie up the houses on the right of the picture, it looks like whatever road the houses are on joins with the road the parade is on, the junction not being far away.

@Bert - good spot on the Mayor date

how about this then,claremount road by st hilarys church with the houses being built in sedberg/uppingham road,as previously said the mayor won't be walking far so by the church would make sense...with belvider field behind...

One point of note, those houses being built. The bits at the back are probably sheds and outside toilets which most people in the modern age removed. Very few houses had inside toilets in those days. They do look like extensions or outriggers but think they are just out buildings?

I think Wally1 and others are right in saying that the photo was taken on Claremount Road on the way up to St Hilary's; I think the photographer was somewhere close to the top of Church Hill.

The houses under construction at right are Nos.3-13 Harrow Road, which were built around 1910-11. If you look at Harrow Road on Google Maps you can see that that the first three pairs of properties on the north side are not quite in alignment with the rest, and the rooflines match the ones visible in the postcard; the first and third pairs have a hipped roof, whilst the middle pair have simple vertical gables.

The buildings visible at left, below the Water Tower and St Albans, were two small farms called Lindens and Newlands - both still exist off Wallasey Road, but are now hidden behind more modern housing. The land belonging to Newlands later became Thorndale Motors and then the Bronze Social Club. I have a clearer pic of these buildings somewhere, which also shows the matching alignment of the Water Tower and church spire; I'll post it as soon as I can find it.

...all sounds good to me.

Well done that man, and thanks for the info on Lindens & Newlands. I did wonder about those buildings.

...better late then never in adding to the topic..the Mayor in the picture is Dr. John Oldershaw C.B.E (1911/12 and Wallasey's 2nd Mayor)

Who gave his name to Oldershaw School(s).

As promised, here's the other pic of Lindens & Newlands I was talking about. It was taken from slightly further down Claremount Road and probably about 15 years earlier, before many of the buildings down that end of Wallasey Road had been built, some of which can be seen in the postcard view.

Nice one. The green fields of Wallasey. Wonder how many people living there these days realise what it once looked like?

Great picture mate. Thanks for sharing that.

What a great pic. You've convinced me! Thanks for all the posts, this has been a really interesting topic. I'll have to see what else ebay has to offer!