Before the docks were built. This view approximately where the penny bridge is.

Thanks for that Morse - never seen this picture before.

A very good picture. I have never seen it before.

If you hadn't mentioned the Penny Bridge I would of tried to work out the location - though St Lukes is in the background to the right and in front of that are a row of houses which would of been demolished and replaced with Poulton Vics Social Club.

I guess one of those houses to the left of the row in front of St Lukes must be Darley Dene. Probably the one on the extreme left

Good pic.

Snod

Thats a great picture. Where did u dig that one up ?

Was on the cover of a Poulton Vics magazine once and I thought it was brilliant so made a copy. Think there are postcards of it out there if you can find them.

That big hole in the foreground always makes me wonder. It's like a bomb crater but before bombs of the aeroplane type. Perhaps it was a test hole or something for the coming docks?

Amazin pic! Just goes to show how much it all change's given time!

Impossible, that place doesnt exist anymore !
Inbetween those two houses used to be a road called Breck place which is now a private road, it would of once led to that row of houses which used to be there before the poulton vics, wow

Interesting picture yo

No, you fool; that's the Pool.

Incidentally, was looking at a map from 1858 yesterday where it's spelled "Poolton"

I thought the whole expanse of water down to the Mersey was Wallasey Pool?

'Wallasey Pool' stretched from the mouth of the Mersey right up to Bidstom Moss.

The name Poulton is Anglo-Saxon, partly English and partly Celtic. The "Pool" comes "Pwll" meaning a pool in Welsh, whilst the "ton" is Saxon for town or hamlet. This simply means 'Pool Town'.

Wallasey Pool was actually used as an anchorage for the Vikings as they met for Parliament at Thingwall

all interesting nonetheless

One of the houses somewhere on the the right must be 'Birds House'!!!!

Yes I thought that.Looks to me that it's behind the row on the right!

Looks like there's a boatyard over on the Wallasey side as well. Wonder if there's anything written about that in the history books?

Think there used to be Limekilns in that same area (probably 18th century). Amazing to think there was so much going on around there even before the docks were built.

Think there used to be Limekilns in that same area (probably 18th century).
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Hence Limekiln Lane of course.

Wonder though if the lime was for farming or some kind of early industry? I'm pretty sure the kilns were there long before the docks, so could be another clue to part of Wallasey's forgotten past.

Any idea of date of the picture
Before docks built and after church built

the 2 houses may have been The Plough Inn and next door to it
https://www.wikiwirral.co.uk/forums..._Plough_Inn_25and_27_Bre.html#Post439698

Would like to see a pic of how looks today roughly by looking at church position.
also any maps roughly same timescale

I'd guess that the picture was taken in the 1900's. Bidston Dock itself wasn't built until the 1930's. St.Luke's Church was consecrated in November 1900.

Could just be the angle, but you can't see anything of the Penny Bridge can you?

The limekilns were much earlier.

Most likely for farming.

The boatyard belonged to the well-known local firm of Henry B Hornby Ltd and was established on this site in c1901. They built a variety of vessels, including river and harbour launches, and sailing and motor yachts, but specialised for many years in building surf boats for the West African trade. These were used to carry cargo to and from ships at coastal towns where there were no harbour facilities. Faced with the impending development of Bidston Dock, the boatyard moved in 1923 to premises off Gorsey Lane, where it continued to operate until it closed in 1965.

Thank you for that. Very interesting. Also helps us date the photograph.

Cheers!

some pics trying to match up.
Slightly off topic what would Lady Boode have been doing round that area coming from Leasowe Castle when she was thrown from her carriage and killed 1820s?
Possibly business interests?

...comparing the first two photographs, it's hard to believe it's the same place.

So much for progress, eh? Guess that the Penny Bridge need never be opened again.

Could she have been going to the Pool Inn for a pint?

Just for comparison here's the OS map from 1908. I reckon the photographer was standing roughly where I've put the blob.

Cheers mate. Quite a lot of interesting info in that map. Wonder if the small pool that appears in the foreground of the photograph is the same one marked on the map (slightly higher up from where you've put your marker)?

Unlikely. From that angle you wouldn't get the same relationship between the boatyard and the buildings on Breck Road.

I took pic from exit from tip.
On your map are they railway lines - don't seem to be the line going to Poulton Stn.

Presumably it's the Wirral Railway - Seacombe Line, branching off from the Bidston/New Brighton link. Not that I know much about railways.

...ignore that last post! Just remembered that the Seacombe Line would have gone via Poulton.

Does say Wirral Railway on the map though. So I'm guessing it's a link to the West Float?

Derek, I've just seen an original railway map for sale of ebay, if that's of any interest to you.

If you look on ebay for 'Birkenhead Railway Map' you should find it okay. It dates from 1913. It shows the whole area around Wallasey Pool.

There's a clue on the map in that it says 'Wirral Railway Slopes Branch'. The Slopes Branch, which opened in 1906, left the main line to Seacombe west of Breck Road Bridge and ran past the bottom of the grounds of Darleydene/The Slopes (hence the name) to join the Dock Board railway at a level crossing on Poulton Bridge Road. The Branch was finally closed in the late 50s when rail traffic to the north side of the Docks declined. The first two photos below show the gated level crossing in 1958, together with the Dock Railway branch going to Bidston Dock.

Getting back to the original topic of this post, the third pic shows the terrace of houses visible in the original postcard - Breck Place - viewed from the Breck Road end in 1961.