The opening of Birkenhead’s new Asda supermarket appears to have divided local opinion. Some are upset that this giant structure built slap-bang in the middle of Grange Road has taken away something of the town’s charm and spirit. Others including myself have lost patience waiting for that revitalising urban boost that never arrives. It is heart-breaking to say but the town centre died years ago and a walk down Grange Road is now a deeply saddening journey and a reflection on Birkenhead’s current state of misfortune.

It is thankfully true that ‘Wirral Waters’, a multi-billion pound scheme to transform the East Float has been given the go ahead and should, all being well, do wonders for not only Wirral but for whole of the North West; perhaps even the country. I for one cannot wait to see the day.

Of course such a mammoth project takes time and right now we have a lifeless town centre going down hill with each passing week. Will a gigantic Asda really cure our woes? Will it help resurrect the soul of this once much-admired conurbation? Unlikely, but it is something. More, lots more, needs to be done and our sister Liverpool is leading the way. We as a town need to follow strongly and no longer be content to be the hapless minor of Merseyside’s two siblings. Something has to be done. I implore the Council to save us from dereliction and help us become the great town, maybe even city, we were once so destined to become.

Liverpool Mercury

Friday, November 8, 1844

Birkenhead is and must continue to be a rising place. Whether that rising will be to the prejudice of Liverpool is another matter. Few think that it will; but many think that London will suffer by it. I have heard that London merchants have already prepared for making Birkenhead their head-quarters. The Wallasey Pool is a place which nature seems to have formed for docks. It is a long narrow lake of 150 acres of water which besides wharfs and warehouses requires little to render it one of the finest floating docks upon one of the noblest rivers in England, and in the very heart of our manufactures. Birkenhead, therefore, can hardly fail to rise, and rapidly; and it appears to me, that instead of Liverpool being jealous of its prosperity, it should rejoice and foster it, as it will be the means of concentrating on this spot more and more of the export and import trade of England. If any parties should feel alarm it is London, Bristol, Hull &c. These places may suffer, but Liverpool hardly can.

‘Railway Magazine’


http://www.facebook.com/DanielKLongman

As a Birkonian I can only hope that the town does prosper and grow, as for Liverpool trying to shoot us down again, what's new? They think they have the God given right to dictate policy all over the area and have got away with it for too long. The ones who object are those with their hands in others back pockets anyway and now and again they get caught, but not often enough. The one-eyed city will rise again.

Stop building bloody shops for a town full of people who have no work,I dont think it makes them any happier spending there dole money in a new shop.What we need is manufacturing facilities so they can spend hard earned cash and feel good doing it...

that photo is of Asda on the North end not Town Centre

Just a thought , I was looking to go to a local shop around the New Brighton area in the end I gave up, due to double yellows wherever a bunch of shops exist or all car spaces taken and double yellows along the roads, but hey no doubt "safety" will be used to explain why you can't stop at a shop, I don't lose but the shops lose my custom, as far as Birkenhead is concerned I think it's finished, it finished when it was taken over in 1974 by the so called Merseyside Metro, it's been a slow death helped by the so called "elite" the town councillors, we voted them in and as with whoever is in goverment they have our votes and don't give a toss.

LMFAO

Asda's main point in the photo is equal minorities.




The place is and always has been crap, I mean who the hell shops there anyway?

Trafford centre is a much better shopping experience or Cheshire oaks.

The place hasn't always been 'crap' and actually Birkenhead was once very much well-regarded nationally. This was years ago but it still has so much potential. We're in a great position with a thriving international city just over the water. It seems bizarre the town appears to have just frozen whilst Liverpool city centre continues to develop and modernise.

Trafford Centre and Cheshire Oaks are great, but they are destinations in themselves and not a thriving high street as such.

Industry and new jobs must surely be a key factor. There needs to be a real need for people to move here for any real investment to be justified. Wirral Waters may well bring it but that's no gurantee either.

cheshire oaks,the trafford centre,there are a lot of people who cant get to these places.us who can remember the 50s know what a great town we had,great spirit,great people who looked after each other,stuck together through the bad days.now everyone bows down,when will people realise what a great town birkenhead is.stop knocking it,use the market butchers and greengrocers use your local bakers,paper shops etc.back the town stop knocking it.

Well when you have security guards watching over people like hawks because they dont know who to trust and pickpockets stealing from baby's prams, street hustlers on every corner, tramps with cans of tennants super, bent traffic wardens, pubs with pissheads hanging around at 1:30pm and pedophiles selling poppys outside supermarkets not to mention the broken bottles and counterfeit goods, the low stocked shops blah blah, I could go on, there's no hope for the place.

Need I say anymore?

Residents make a town what it is. If this is the state of current inhabitants, (but I assume it is probably a minority) then the greater good should show some optimism and drive to improve our streets and improve where we live. Wallowing in self-pity and defeat will not change anything and we'll do nothing but continue to slide into poverty.

well put dan,ste seems happy to turn his back and just go elsewhere.bit like the rovers,half the supporters go to see them lose,the town isfull of no hopers,need i say more !!!

The town has gone down the nick over the years for sure,Because more and more people came out of work with every place shutting down or moving abroard,look at the docks and Lairds,both big employers at one time and just hanging on by the skin of there teeth now,as I said, building shops for people who have no wage coming in and making the docks into luxury homes and boat marina and play place for well off working people.This will make just a few long term jobs from the thousands that will apply for them and short term jobs for the building of the marina,homes etc and dont forget yet more shops...

Well according to the 'Hansard Debate', (Wirral Council) was given £10,000000.00 for use in Birkenhead over a five year period around the turn of the century. I assume that must have been put into the Historic Warships, Pacific Road Theatre, Trams, Antique Triangle,Wirral Museum and various other tourism ventures. Of course the Historic Warships long gone, Wirral Museum has closed, Pacific Road sold off and the Trams in a tricky place, so it would all seem to have been a waste of money! In fact there is no longer very much in Birkenhead or even Wirral to bring visitors into the area.
As for Peel Holding's plans for developement, they seem to hold most of the land down by the river as they took Mersey Docks and Harbour Board. I am sure it will be very beneficial to local communities with regard employment etc. but I imagine Mr Whittaker will be long gone by the time it's finished and so will a lot of us!.
No one of high esteem seems to fully appreciate how a place of decline can be so detrimental to the wellbeing of the local population but we must be positive and hopeful that soon the tide will turn and Birkenhead will move forward once more.

Ste reminds me of Corporal Fraser in Dad,s Army. "We,re doomed Captain Mainwaring, Dooooomed I tell ye". You seem to have lost heart Ste. Mind you. as a long-time expatriate Birkonian, if you were to tell me that Mannings no longer sold those lovverlee meat pies, from their shop in Grange Road, I think I might get disheartened as well. Please tell me that they still do. In which case I will contact them, and order a dozen.

I left my old home town in mid 1960. It was still thriving then.Too many manufacturing jobs have been exported to the East East, for it ever in my opinion, to get back to that time of almost full employment. I wish you all well, for the future.

I left in 1956. Grange Rd. was thriving then. It's hard to see how there's going to be any improvement owing to lack of jobs. When I visit these days, I still enjoy visiting my old haunts; Birkenhead Park, Storeton woods, Oxton is still attractive, but of course very few of the houses remain in family occupancy. Perhaps the strangest difference for me is to be able to drive in the Cleveland St. and dock area and find it almost deserted; in my youth you could hardly move for all the traffic.

I come back to Birkenhead most Saturdays, I go down town with my sister.
The shopping area is characterless.The heart of the place has gone.It is so sad, Grange Rd used to be filled with lovely shops,
or is that just nostalgia?
Lyn.

not nostalgia lyn,just fact.blame the supermarkets most of them sell cheap crap which people buy through the lack of money.at least in the 50s the old market was a vibrant and friendly plkace to shop,as was grange road unlike the faceless supermarkets employing nearly all part time jobs for very low pay.ask the staff at the new asda in a few months what they think.having to do silly american things like talk ins given to them when theyre getting rubbish pay.dont use it theyve been and gone before.

So true that

I know there is loads of Asda haters but you know what town has been more busy since the store opened, not sure if that is because of Asda and the car parks or due to it being near Christmas.

its due to the novelty and christmas i stick by what i said before.

Id rather have an Asda there with a guarenteed customer base all year round than the empty shells that it replaced. I like it being there. The market scenes of the past are rare nowadays and Birkenhead has had to move with the times unfortuantely. Its the same everywhere. Birkenhead isn't an affluent area and its not a retail prospect. Hopefully this will change with the Wirral Waters Scheme.

its the supermarkets that made the empty shells.as for waiting for wirral waters we will see .

come off it apart from Greggs, Abbey and B&M and ok Ethel's for a bit, that row of shops had been an empty eyesore for years.

Without upsetting anybody - for those of us who are old enough we can remember Grange Rd as a bustling area - having problems to walk up and down without bumping in to each other as there where so many people shopping - same goes for the old market jam packed and as somebody said earlier it was all smiles, chats, and decent prices for decent items

Now a days faceless / characterless people / shops are out for money and have no care if the item is sound and going to last.

I agree what was said earlier, big shops (asda etc) little wage, big expectations of their staff - blame privatisation - profit for shareholders is the number 1 concern probaly number 1 through to number 100 - profit, profit

Why do you think elec gas prices are so high - profit, profit and more profit for shareholders - the raw cost of elec and gas is the same as 18 months ago?????

For those young enough you weren't around or you can't remember what it was like - its not just silly old people like me - it is just a true fact that the whole of Birkenhead has changed and without doubt it has changed for the worse in every facet you care to think about - wait for the Wirral Water Ways - don't hold your breath - something or someone will ruin that idea - how? pure greed quite simpley

WE are never satisfied, when I young some 50 years ago I wished things would get better and better - just like young people do now a days - sorry can't see Birkenhead ever getting better - only worse as has happened in my life time / dream

The vibrant happy caring Birkenhead has gone never to return

Dave, almost everything you say is true. However, we're now seeing the current economic system start to fall apart. The greedy rich elite keep coming back for more. Hopefully, when the dust settles from all this economic turmoil, we may all be a little poorer and less materialistic, but we'll have stronger communities and more solidarity between people

Touchstone

I do hope you are correct but I have a feeling not - if we were to have, because of the economic downturn, a sronger community spirit and love for each other there would not be so much crime and hate amongst people that there is today.

When in the past things got real bad people pulled TOGETHER for the common good not as is the fashion now a days pull in any direction so long as ME is ok

In times like we are in now, as you say the RICH get RICHER and the LESS OFF get LESS OFF

Back in "The Old Days" the people were less off in materialistic and monetary ways but by god they smiled and mixed with other people.

I go to The Gambia quite a lot - Gambia is in the "Top 10" (strange way of scoring) of the poorist countries in the world, but each and every one has a smile and good things to say about his neighbour - it is very humbling to see / watch / take part in their community activities which actualy help each other and not ME ME ME - average wage for the year is less than £200 ok, houses are none exsist for the locals but everything else cost money - share and share is their motto.

Can't see that happening here - can you?

I'm not sure where I'm going with this, its not a rant, I don't do rants but more of a ramble. It always brings a smile to my face when I read criticism about Birkenhead from people who lived here and left many years ago, not for one minute would I not want to hear those criticisms but they are normally produced from happier times through and from childhood or youthful experiences, which I believe always gives a different prospective.
Its mentioned all the time, communities stuck together, people looked after each other, neighbours were friendly and had more time for each other, well I feel very sorry for some because thats how I still live today. I have always found you get back what you give out.
However on saying that there still is and always has been an I'm alright Jack, ME, ME, ME, attitude, putting aside the romantic view of community spirit, why is it this community spirit doesn't extend nationally.
Its always puzzled me, when a trade union of lets say a hundred thousand members want to stick together to protect their communities and their jobs they are lambasted for doing something that most people long for the return of.
Is the community spirit only acceptable if it doesn't rock the boat and does it only extend a few houses or streets.

When I ponder about the future of Birkenhead I can't help wonder where was the support of the people of Birkenhead when this town was loosing its heavy industry, I was there, I lived through it, I've got the Tee shirt, people of this town let it all go with hardly any opposition, I seen more fight to save a few libraries. Now the focus seems to be whether a few shops can stop the demise of Birkenhead, I fear not, I do feel its up to the younger people now to stand up and start rattling a few cages, don't wait for Wirral Water, it may not come.

Bert, no one will stand up now, they have all given up!
You cant rely on the support, everyone has just been battered down so much by local governments and parliament, theyve just given up.
Just been looking on You Tube at some old Birkenhead footage, they all say the same, steelworks, brickworks, foundrys, shipbuilding etc. The first three have gone and the shipbuilding is now just ship painting and decorating!!
Few places still make parts for the Auto and aero industries. electrical parts and small engineering.

The decline and fall of the birkenhead empire!!

Hi Bert, very true ,but some times the choice has been taken out of comunity`s hands and the minds of the council ect have already been made up, plans drawn ect even before people get to know what`s going on

While I understand and agree with the arguments against vigilantism, Birkenhead seemed to be a better place when locals used to sort out trouble makers or sometimes justice was dished out in the back of a police van.

Sometime around the Dianne Syndal time there seemed to be a marked change of Birkenhead's character - possibly a mixture of that type of crime and the predominance of heavy drugs.

Hi DD totally agree with you ,some times these things are better sorted between local`s and scally`s i does take the power away from them knowing people won`t put up with it I also remember the time Dianne Sindall got murdered ,that was too close to home for me ,

We've been back in the town now for 16 months after being away for 35 years (you have to go where the work is) and we are thoroughly loving being back here. Just been away for 3 days and was glad to get back. I'm sure Birkenhead can pull through again, most of the folks are still the same as they were. It's the faceless upper echelons who are not doing their bit, all you get from them is mouth music. I sincerely hope that this plan for the town works out, I doubt if I will still be here when its finished but that's what comes of being a KOS.

Bandycoot,

What's a KOS? - sorry if that a stupid question or I'm being plain stupid????????

Birkenhead is not alone but it is a shining example of how standards have deteriorated in recent times. It seems as if there is a different type of poverty these days. Years ago many families slept three in a bed and had hardly any clothes to wear but the wives and mothers scrubbed their steps and polished their brasses. Being poor is no excuse for losing your self respect and dignity. The council and the government should not be blamed for anything that goes wrong in peoples' lives and schools should not be blamed for undisciplined children. People should be responsible for themselves and their families. The difference between want and need must be learned, welfare benefits are not meant to pay for designer clothes and mobile phones. Moral standards are in rapid decline and I fear that should this present economic crisis plummet to the level that we are all seriously effected, the streets of Birkenhead will become a jungle as opposed to a community.

haha yes missed out the bagheads mate, have u not seen them everywere.

what they need is a natural disaster so they can start again with the area. i am ashamed that on my passport its say born in birkenhead i hate the place

Its a good job nobody on here takes you seriously Tony.

haha u no its a shithole thats why nobody goes there

It has a population of about 100,000, so somebody must come here.

its only the people that live there who like it. the rest of the country just sees it as an eyesore and prey to god that we dont get anymore of them living in r area, like we dealt the brunt of birkenhead north!!!!!

So if the people that live here like it, what right has someone from outside the area have to criticise it.
I would feel very uncomfortable criticising anywhere i didn't live, how could I know the full facts.

we have the rite to criticise it when our area gets made worse and we suffer because the council moved all the benefit ... of birkenhead north to wallasey and secombe which increased out crime rates dramaticlly, that why we hav the right to criticise

Well if you live in Wallasey or Seacombe you have every right to criticise what goes on there, especially if you have first hand knowledge, should I criticise the whole of Wallasy because one family around the corner moved here from there, and their unsavory.

I'm an outsider so to speak,my mum and i moved here in 78,she ran a dockside pub,yes it was rough and ready,a lot of customers came from the north end,but you know what,we made many lovely friends and they looked out for us,we wanted for nothing,any jobs that needed doing on the pub were done for just the price of a pint,or for nothing most of the time!
So i can't see how you can [censored] Birkenhead off,i would imagine nowadays every little part of the country has bad residents.
And the shopping centre has become less busy from years back,but hasn't every town centre.

Bert I have to speak up now i have met and are still friends with a lot of people in Seacombe Birkenhead north The Nocky and the Ford estate lovely people down to earth .I never once would call them nor look down my nose at them .It`s just an area ,nothing wrong with it in my opinion ,but if people changed their attitude`s and respected one another :)that might make a big difference and no i am not having a dig just an opinion

what pub was it pp

Quite right PP, and june why would I think you were having a dig.

Tony it was The Grapes,it changed to The Old Colonial.
Was a great pub,it had a great mixture of different people from every walk of life,i still miss the banter to this day.

no Bert i never meant you honest ,you have never done that .I was refering to people who always seem to have a dig ,they know who they are .To be honest i`m past caring i thought i would just say what i felt about people in birkenhead no problem Bert

Thats OK June, I'll keep buying the pegs.

Thanks Bert

This is part of my post on Dan's photo thread, i thought I would add it here with a bit more (if that is OK with the Mod's, if not please remove). On our way to Arrowe Park we passed Woodchurch Estate, from what I remember(42 years ago) it was open and spacious, but what was there but a great big ASDA warehouse. So much for keeping open space and a village feeling that the Estate was designed for. I am sorry but I could not find any redeeming features in Birkenhead itself(apart from Birkenhead Park as mentioned below from an Australian) and some unredeeming features outside, as mentioned above. I will probably never come home again(as I am 63 and 12,000 miles away) so I was dissappointed to see the place in such a bad case of lack of identity.

I know things change but not always for the better. Where has Charing Cross gone? Now nothing more than a few sets of traffic lights. Oxton rd has lost all it character and I wont even mention Borough Rd from Singleton Avenue down. From Singleton Ave down it was the most depressing site I have ever seen. But Birkenhead Park and Arrowe Park looked magnificent. Even my wife said the best part of the trip was the walk through Birkenhead Park. Oh well.
Also we spent a night in Liverpool on the way North and I wanted to take my wife on the ferry, however the ferry did not start until 10am so we had to go to Secombe instead what a dissapointment, sob sob.
Sorry if I have offended anybody with comments above.

The ASDA is on the site of the old co-op laundry. The housing estate layout itself has been very little touched. The often near full car park of Asda shows the high level of demand for the store.

As for the rest of Birkenhead, sadly the council loves knocking things down and allowing development in a random manner.

It frustrates me when I've had planning permission problems with a window sill being a few inches different from what the council wanted. Yet at the same time, large random buildings have been built totally out of character and position with the surroundings.


I won't even start on the ferries except to say at least they are in profit unlike the tunnels, trains and buses.

I think to many years in the OZ sun has played havoc with Jollys RAM, either that or he has spent to many years on walkabout in the bush living off crocodile meat
I don't ever remember Borough Rd being a delightful thoroughfare, in fact it has more greenery and trees now than it ever had. What town comparable to Birkenhead hasn't got its Borough Rd. Perhaps my RAM is not what it should be, my memory of the road from the 50s through to present day is not one of architectural beauty, apart from the odd building, but more of grotty shops and houses whose landlords thought their only responsibility was to collect rents.

As for the roundabout at Charring Cross, perhaps it did look more pleasing to the eye but unfortunately because of the volume of traffic it had to go, and we all know as car owners, quicker and safer passage takes precedence over anything considered more pleasing to the eye.

its amazing reading these letters how anybody has lived in birkenhead since the 1940s.keep on knocking.

I have lived away from Birkenhead for nearly 20 years now. I miss living on the Wirral. It will always be home.
Eventually when my husband and I retire,I really want to come back.
Can't tell you how homesick I still get.
Lyn.

Actually I think the ferries make a loss but are subsidised by the tunnels. The buses and Merseyrail do make a profit. This profit though is basically subsidised by taxpayers. The profit of course going to the shareholders and not back into the infrastructure due to privatisation. Another legacy of Thatcher/Major!

How dare those wicked shareholders get a return on their investments? They should invest their own money in an industry, for nothing, right?
Yep, great idea, that'll attract loadsamoney!

I'm not saying they're wicked. Just that buses and trains should be run in the public sector. British Rail and the PTE/Municipal bus companies were far more efficient and cheaper than the current private companies.

OK fair point - I certainly don't agree either, with any private-sector business ever being subsidized (or in any way funded) by taxes - just look at the "Solyndra" mess, here in the US!
However I can't ever agree that state-run anything is ever more efficient (and certainly not cheaper...!)
Anyhow I better stop there as I'm conscious that this is getting rather off-topic... cheers!

The ferries made a profit (totally unsubsidised) the last two financial years.

Merseyrail made a massive loss when you take into account their huge subsidy.

Tunnels broke even by a bit of financial wizardry.

i agree with all you say,but im afraid the public dont have any say in the way things happen,the decisions are made by the people with the money and money is power,i personally enjoy shopping at asda and the like,because its the nearest we,ll get to the old high st,the council charges so much for shop rentals rates etc that its mainly charity shops that can survive as they get all sorts of discounts,even the market has gone really downhill,there are only three butchers left in the country produce,its all blooming cafes,no characters left like ELI from the old marketwho would give you bargains shouting from his stall and a few laughs,greed is the name of the game im afraid Most decisions about the librarys ect are all ready made long before the public get to hear of them,all the communty spirit has gone or is dwindling,hardly any good pubs left,not many post offices were people used to meet on pension day and have a chat,its a real shame but i can see the day when we will do everything on line and there will be hardly any reason to leave your home,sorry so long winded

The council is in turn hand-cuffed by the restraints put in place by central government.

Government love the situation, they call the cards and the councils get the blame.

Some central grants are only available if the councils do certain things - this isn't simple bribery, its corruption because the councils can't survive without these grants.

That is also the main reason for privatisation, its not to do with saving money, its more to do with passing blame.

true take your point im not very up on politics,but as i said money talks and money goes to money ,those with itmake the decisions and ,yes the buck gets passed,not sure what we can do about it i grew up with a few people who are now local councellors and i know they are doing their best but hands are tied

To Bert1, not sure about the sun and me noggin could be that and the amount of Aussie beer. With Charing Cross they could have left the cross and still put the lights in, so instead of going straight you just go around the cross.

To Cathcart, I never left in the 1940's it was 1970 and the old town still had some character then.