Hi,

I know it's a long shot, a very long shot, but has anyone any information / photographs of 78 Watson Street Birkenhead.I believe it runs parallel to Conway Street.

The reason I ask,is that my great uncle, Charles Jackson - a London East-Ender - lived there with his family and ran a successful butchery business aided by his sons during the 1920's/ 30's and possibly after the war.

I also believe that in the mid 1950's there was a fruit and veg shop at number 80, run by a Freda Jackson, who could have been married to Charles' eldest son, also Charles

Ideally, I would also like to make contact with any family members who may still around. Charles and his first wife , Mary(nee Quinn), who passed away in 1935, had 8 children, 6 boys and 2 girls: Mary and Doreen

Any help would be appreciated
Regards
FrankF

Hi..... My Nan lived above Joe's Butcher shop for many years
99a Watson street.... (her name was Hopkins) me and my brother used to climb over the railing of St. Laurences of a weekend to play... I remember Freda Jackson.. Johnson's sweet shop..Blackburns cake shop... next door to my nan was a second hand shop.. another sweet shop that we just called the Red shop.... I will have to ask my mum about Watson Street she will have loads of memories.....

Hi Annie,
Thanks for your reply. Sounds like you had fun growing up in the area! Hopefully your mum may remember my rellies.

Cheers
FrankF

PS; Will forgive you for being a blue nose!! (lol)

I was born in No 2 Watson st, next door to the blackfellers pub, Watson St runs from Cleveland st to Conway St. Haven't seen many pics of Watson St. The pic below is of the Morpeth Buildings, photo taken from Watson St.

Hi Bert,
Thanks for your reply. When were you born there? As I said in my original post, the family moved from the East End( Hackney) sometime between 1896 and 1901 due to the job relocation of my great grandfather, Albert Jackson. He was slaughter man at the local abattoir. They lived first in 32 Sandford Street, from where my grandmother was married at St Mary's in 1906, and then 21b Argyle Street.

By 1910 they had moved once again, this time to Trafford Park Salford At some point, two of my great uncles, William Turner Jackson and Charles moved back to Birkenhead. William became a marine electrical engineer and Charles opened his butchers shop.

Cheers
FRank

Hi Frank, i was only there a few years and the family moved away in 1957, my memories of the shops mentioned are vague but i do remember some. The map below is a portion of Watson St, posted by Derek i think, he will probably put the rest of Watson St up if he's got it, Watson St is between the red dots, which incidentally is where bombs fell during the war, as told to me as a child. As a matter of interest, the green dot was my Grandparents house which was hit by an incendiary, thankfully it never went off.

Hi Bert,
Thanks for the map.It al least puts some bones on the story. Incidentally,a few years ago I had a couple of pints in one of the
local pubs. If memory serves me right, you come out of Conway Park station and turn right and the pub is on a corner of a main road that the buses go along.

FrankF

Perhaps the Crown Hotel Frank.

Hi Bert,

Yes , that's the one. I was last in there about 5/6 years ago. A group of us used to meet on a weekly basis, usually in Liverpool, as most of us used to live this side of the river. However as two of the guys lived over there, one in Wallasey, every 6 weeks or so we would dig out our passports and go over to either New Brighton or wander round Birkenhead town centre. The Crown was one our frequent dropping off places, where we would all meet up.

How close is it to Watson Street?

Cheers
FrankF
FrankF

In 1900 James Anderson lived at No.78 - he was a wardrobe dealer.

[quote=FrankF]Hi Bert,

Yes , that's the one. I was last in there about 5/6 years ago. A group of us used to meet on a weekly basis, usually in Liverpool, as most of us used to live this side of the river. However as two of the guys lived over there, one in Wallasey, every 6 weeks or so we would dig out our passports and go over to either New Brighton or wander round Birkenhead town centre. The Crown was one our frequent dropping off places, where we would all meet up.

How close is it to Watson Street?

Just around the corner Frank, don't miss Pauls info above.

Thanks, Paul.
FrankF

Hi Bert
Yes, as you say, it is just round the corner. I will have to pop over sometime and have a wander round.

FrankF

pic of The meadows pub... not a very good photo sorry

pic did not show.. ( will have to try again )

Thanks for trying, Annie.

Cheers
FrankF

meadows pub - the part in Watson st joining up to Conway st

I am quite new to Wiki Wirral ..Frank not got the hang of posting photo's ... !!
My Nan used to send me to Freda's (every Saturday) I remember still the Green Patterned wallpaper and that sort of wooden thing that the spuds were stored in.. I have asked my mum for her memories of Watson street and Freda's shop...so I will get back to you later .....

Hi Annie,

Thanks for trying.

FrankF

Hi Annie (again)
Didn't realise the pic was there when I replied first time. I too remember the hoppers that spuds were stored in as my parents were in the greengrocery business too. I eventually took over in the early 1980's

Enjoy your weekend,
FrankF

Hi Frank... called to see my mum this afternoon and here is some recollections that she has of Watson Street..she said next to the Meadows was The Sailors Club.. Mrs Maxwell's Tripe Shop (she was nicknamed Ma Stinks as she sold Hodge, pigs Trotters etc ) then Paiges Butchers .. Jackson's Green Grocers.. Pat McAteer (the Boxer's mum) served there....
A sweet shop... Jack Bennet the Herbalist mum's family always had a jug of Sasparella from his shop every Sunday...Joe Moran the Butcher (this shop was a second hand furniture shop previousely ).. Then Johnsons Grocery & Newsagent.... A Wine Shop ... Bentleys Had a store further along ( that was bombed) ..... On otherside was a Wallpaper shop.. A rag and Bone man called Bant.. A motorbike Shop..Owens Bike shop they used to repair bikes they then took over Bennets shop..then went on to open Cycle and Pram exchange.... Then there was Rostances Store ...Blacburns Pie and Cake shop... further along was a few Pubs and Patricks Ice Cream Shop... a landmine dropped in that area .... (

Was Rostances near the bottom of oxton road.

Hi Frank.... I was speaking to my brother yesterday on phone and mentioned your posting .... he reckons that he drinks with a mate who was related to Freda Jackson .... ( he will let him know that you are searching for family members )...
hope it turns out successful for you .......

Hi Annie,

That's brilliant. I really appreciate the help you ,and everyone else ,have given .Surely it is more than coincidence that a Jackson ran a business , next to what was, or had been, another Jackson enterprise.

I do have the following which might help;

1) My pal said after the war parts of the street are missing from Directories so perhaps were bombed?
In 1949 he has a Charles Jackson meat salesman for G G J Ltd, Rocky Lane, Heswall.
All the other Chas Jackson's in Lpool.

I looked in British Phone Books, the Chas mentioned in 1949 was living there in 1939, the house called "Delafield", so not sure if this is your man.
Tina

2) 1955 Kellys directory
Don't know if this is any help but there is a Mrs Freda Jackson living at 80 Watson Street who is a greengrocer and fruiterer.
Doe
**********************************

From memory of working that area in the mid 50s there was an awful lot of 'vacant' spaces in the streets near the docks due to the bombing, especially in Watson, Cathcart, Eldon and Beckwith and Conway Street, that whole area was full of 'vacant' lots. Wondering did one of his sons marry a Freda and open a greengrocers next door?

Actually one of them might have married a Freda! Could this be the son Charles bn 1910? Could he be the meat salesman? A natural progression?

Name: JACKSON, Charles W
Registration District: Birkenhead; Cheshire.
Year of Registration: 1934; Quarter of Registration: Oct-Nov-Dec
Spouse's name: LISTON, Freda
Volume No: 8A; Page No: 1281.

Look forward to hearing from you soon,
Frank

Hi wireman,
I have no idea. You will have to ask a native.

Cheers, FrankF

Rostances 13-21 Oxton Rd, 62-68 Watson St, 55-57 New Chester Rd

(Pinched from an old post by DD.)

Cheers Chris

Hi Annie,
Sorry for the delay in getting back to you. Did your brother manage to find a link between Freda Jackson (greengrocer) and the Jackson butchers next door?
Cheers
Frank

Hi Frank.... (annie) here I had trouble logging in last week so I re registered... ( not sure what the problem was
new to all this !..) I will phone my brother tomorrow ..
when I spoke to him the other week .. he was saying that one of his mate's is the grandson of Freda Jackson ) I have a pic of me and my brother Dave outside my nan's house in Watson street .. if the person who took the photo had taken it at a different angle freda's shop would more than likely have been in the photo... will get back to you soon ....

Thanks, Annie. Enjoy the weekend!!

Frank

Hi Annie,

Any news?

FRank