The last time I was "back home" I went up Pine Walks, Prenton. There used to been a tall water tower in the wooded area with a similar "tank" on top to that at Flaybrick. The tank was on top of a girder structure as opposed to a solid tower. Shock, horror - it's gone !

Has anyone any idea when it was given the chop ? It was a landmark for miles around.

I would have thought it would have been a listed structure.

Yes, I remember that one; situated in one of the most desirable areas in Birkenhead. I also remember one at the junction of Hawthorne Rd. & Greenway Rd., but that was on a brick built base. Don't know when either came down.

Cheers, Chris.

I don't know...

Yes Chris - desirable areas! I guess it's the old thing about the higher up the hill you are, the classier the shack !

Obviously, water towers are usually situated at the highest point. Max. pressure etc.

Even Pine Walks seems to be "bling" rather than "quality" now. Oops - sorry wandering off topic AGAIN !

The green "flying saucer" has been gone a while - probably between 5 and 10 years.

I grew up around there, so here's an interesting (but totally pointless) fact both the flying saucer and the big sandstone water towers in Prenton were replaced in the early 80's by a huge underground water supply. These means that whacking great building is not actually used for anything..... I wonder if any property developers have got their eyes on it......

like them on grand designs with the water tower turned into a house

The green "Flying Saucer" - brilliant ! Didn't realise it had been gone so long. Sad really. It was a unique structure.

I wonder where the "huge underground water supply" is ??

If you can Get a Google map of where it is the next time
one of us is passing we can get you a picture.

I cant picture it that's all.

Just had a blimp at Google Earth. Unsure how to forward it directly, but the co-ordinates of the site of the tower are:-

53 21' 59.67" N
03 02' 22.08" W

The site is about 60yds almost due south of the very obvious covered reservoir (looks like a white square blockhouse) at the head of Resevoir Road.

On the aerial shot you can see an obvious circular clearing in the trees where it was. From memory, there is/was a high sandstone wall on the north side of Pine Walks which would prevent you getting a shot of the actual site of the tower.

Worth having a mooch around next time you are passing though Mark. Thanks.

Damn i passed there twice today, if only i'd of seen this topic earlier could of got a snap of it. Sorry guys

useless, bloody useless lol

C'mon girls - put those handbags away! I don't want any blood spilt on my behalf !!!

I might make a detour up that way tomorrow if i'm bored just for you.

"I wonder where the "huge underground water supply" is ?? "

it's supposed to be behind the gates at the corner of Tower and Resvoir road.

Checked with my better half - we've been together since 2002 and the flying saucer had gone the first time I subjected her to the Wirral - so at lest 6 years.

A bit of a dig on the net pulled up these corking photos of the big water tower (I wonder if this chap is a member here?):

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jimmediaart/445956849/in/set-72157600047061417/

I'm still looking for a photo of the flying saucer!

Ive never been that way nor did i even know it was hidden
away there. OMG

How impressive does it look.

I Googled your directions and got this over head.
The Google arrow is a little south i imagine.
You can see it there its massive by the looks of it.


Paste this into google maps
53 21' 59.67" N 03 02' 22.08" W

Yup ! That's where it was. I suppose it will take a few more years for the trees etc. to encroach over the circular patch. Like I say too many times to myself - I wish I'd taken a photo of it before it got the gas-axe treatment !

I know the one in the link AR One posted isn't the one we're talking about, but where was that one? I can't place it. I see it was taken less than a year ago

Cheers, Chris.

Chris do yo mean your not sure where the map is of
On this on you can see levers causeway.

No, what I'm saying is: I know where the one in Pine Walks was, but I don't know where the one in the link AR One gave, because it's not the old round one.

Cheers, Chris.

i always thought waterpark rd led to a water park

Chris. The photo in AR's link is the light coloured square shown on the aerial map just at the head of Reservoir Rd. The "white square blockhouse" I spoke of in the earlier post.

I'm assuming THAT'S still there! It is/was a prominant feature on the Prenton skyline - you couldn't miss it!

Maybe I'm getting confused now. Where dem pills ??

Lukeeo25. Waterpark Road in Prenton (just near where I used to live moons ago) did have Prenton Water Works located at the bottom end. Actually, it was opposite the junction of Waterpark Rd and Prenton Hall Rd.

It was a magnificent building with massive steam pumping engines within - worthy of a separate post later maybe ? Waterworks Cottages still there.

Ah, right, gotcha. Don't remember it, only the round one. I can't remember ever going up Reservoir Rd., only along Pine Walks. I'll have a look when I'm next up.

Cheers, Chris.

Prenton Water Works is still there, but don't know about any magnificent building or the cottages.

It's around the corner from my garage so I'll have a look later and post pictures

Thanks BMW Joe. Yes, technically, it IS still there. Only trouble is, instead of a magnificent, massive, worthy of listing building with two HUGE steam engines with flywheels bigger than our house in ..... there's a couple of pathetic modern industrial sheds with nothing more exciting than an electric borehole pump. Sod-all to see.

The steam engine was given the gas-axe treatment, the building demolished, but boy..... did they have a job getting rid of the concrete engine beds. Many goes with the gelignite fun sticks !!

Never been able to locate a photo of the original place. Sad.

Sorry about the quality, they were taken about an hour ago so not very good light.



The Water Works (Prenton Borehole)




The cottage next door




The cottage next door




Looking up Waterpark Road from Prenton Water Works

Thanks for taking the shots BMW Joe. The RH of the pair of cottages (if they haven't been knocked into one)used to be the home of a classmate from primary school. Her father worked in the waterworks. Remember looking out of their back window at what I learnt later was the rocking beam for the pump rods that went down the deep shaft to pump the water up.

The shaft will still be there, no doubt covered up, with a forest of CCTV cameras around it.

I always thought that the cottage building looked differant to the houses round it and now I know why - cheers!

What we need now is a photo of the flying saucer

cracking pics joe

Which side can you get access, as i might be able to get some pictures if i can get in?

That might be tricky. The high wall along the north side of Pine Walks spoils things a bit.

I think the only way in to the site of the "Flying Saucer" would be through the main entrance (Reservoir Rd). I don't know if the site is manned at all. Water installations are considered "at risk" in these security-conscious times so an "over the wall" job is not recommended.

If there is someone there, just ask with a smile and explain - it quite often works !

Good Luck.

(I'm too short to get over any walls lol)

Okay will give it a blast.

I have a Zooooooooooooooooom too

I will try Pine Road and then Reservoir Road.

So there should be a saucer water tower there too?
Or the remains of it?

Here is some info.

The Water Tower as it is today.











It was all pretty much locked up.
There was noooooo access from Pine walks.
I would have had a go at going around the fence but i had
been spotted, so done the best i could.

Thanks Mark for taking the time & trouble to visit. Great pics. Pity about a building with interesting architecture being spoilt with all those comms. masts. Mmmmm..... progress I guess ???

More useless cr@P from my memory banks!

In Mark's first piccy there's a good example of the old gas lamps that still litter Prenton (the grey pole). I'm not sure why they were left when the gas lights were replaced with electric ones but I'm glad they were, under the many coats of paint they're quite nice items!

Heres some better pics I took at the weekend of Prenton Waterworks and the Water Tower which is clearly visable from Holm Lane but I've never noticed it before.

Water Tower from Holm Lane

Nice one Joe

Good work Joe matey

Again, good pics. of the Prenton Borehole (doesn't quite have the same ring to it as "Waterworks")and cottages. Great use for an old tin bath !

The grey pole with the fluted top, on the LH side of the Reservoir Road shot is a sewer vent rather than an old gas lamp column. AR_One is quite right in saying there are quite a few locally. There are/were some in Borough Rd (N. of Rover's ground)
I think Waterpark Rd had some also.

They vent off any accumulation of sewer gas from the main sewers. If they were old lamp columns, they would have been off to the scrappy long ago.

Not trying to be the smartarse, just always had an interest in street furniture. (MMmmm... keep taking the pills !)

"The grey pole with the fluted top, on the LH side of the Reservoir Road shot is a sewer vent rather than an old gas lamp column. AR_One is quite right in saying there are quite a few locally. There are/were some in Borough Rd (N. of Rover's ground)
I think Waterpark Rd had some also.

They vent off any accumulation of sewer gas from the main sewers. If they were old lamp columns, they would have been off to the scrappy long ago.

Not trying to be the smartarse, just always had an interest in street furniture. (MMmmm... keep taking the pills !) "

Cheers, I blame the parents - well my Dad who told me that's what they were. Thanks for the correction!

From this picture.
Cross the road towards the Water Building.
And turn to your left there is a very old looking lamp post
with the droopy head on it and the glass that looks like an old
pear drop. I think it had electricity bulb in it.

The lamp post in question is to the right of me
taking this next picture.
(its nothing like the one in the distance, and its only as high as the hedge line,
I was going to take a picture but it looked like i would have been taking a picture of the Nursery too ).

that thing toi your left is an old soil pipe, they use to take the tops off them to release the gasses from the sewers

I think they use to call them shi t pipes

Ahhh... at last, the technical name I couldn't recall "Sh*t Pipes"
Much obliged Sanchez !!

lol, no worries !

As a kid there is was a lamppost we used to scale up to get into the watertower grounds, the only lamppost next to the wall up Pine Walks. we got caught a few times, and since they have added Vandal grease and spikes to stop people getting in.

I live near the Borehole and got talking to some of the lads from North West Water a few years ago. The water is now pumped from one of four grey covered shafts that you can see on the map:

http://www.multimap.com/maps/?qs=ch43+3ad&countryCode=GB#map=53.36912,-3.0599|19|32&bd=useful_information&loc=GB:53.36864:-3.05992:16|ch43 3ad|CH43 3AD

Every six months or so a huge crane turns up to move the pipes from one shaft to another. The pipes I'd say are over 10m high when they are out the ground.

About 8 years ago very small traces of arsenic were found in the water which was why the treatment plant at the rear of the pump house was built.

A few years later United Utils seemed very interested in the sewers that run down Prenton Village Rd. I found a doc on the internet that highlighted a risk of cryptosporidium osmos in the prenton plant. I rang United Utils and spoke to someone quite high up almost straight away.

The danger was because the sewers were old and likely to seep into the drinking water at the borehole. Lanes for drains lined the sewers to prevent this happening. United utils informed me that they have monitoring equipment in the plant. The borehole pumps its water up to Prenton tank. Also you will see that an old shaft in the Dell flats car park next door is now fenced off (this was also mentioned in the doc I found). I assume this must still link with the underground water supply and they didnt want to risk contamination.

Of other interest it that Prenton Village carries 2 runs of cable into Birkenhead which form part of the 275KV link to Lister Drive in Liverpool. These were replaced a few years ago, but you can still see the old grey cast iron junction boxes in Prenton Dell and Waterpark Rd.

Piccy from 1997

Isn't that the Bidston one, the road layout looks wrong for Prenton?

You are perfectly right, what a plonker I am. The saucer wasn't even there in 1997.