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I had a mate who lives there in the flats in the late 90s.
Lovely view.
His dad owned the flat. A local solicitor who was pretty loaded.
It was hilarious... Full of us lot having parties and stuff. Really miss those days. Everything comes to an end.
Joined this place on here years ago. . Surprised it's still got active threads.

Government housing quotas are to blame, 1600 new homes a year for 20 years for Wirral is ridiculous and is imposable to achieve without eventually building on green belt which is highly unpopular.

The 1939 register show 8 staff (live in) the manager was Charles E Lees, son of Luke Lees jnr, son of Luke Lees, Bedford Hotel.

There was also earlier a Central Hotel, 15 Grange Rd.

In 1885 ish there was shares on offer, 4,000 shares at £5 each to build a Grand Central Hotel in Argyle St adjoining the Grand Central Restaurant. The plan was to have a Hotel and Stables with access from Henry St. I don't think it took off.

Found a couple in the Flaybrick records buried in Pauper/Public graves, not sure when they were exhumed.

After Wetherspoons left this site in a holy mess, it now has a side wall back on it. This is very fast progress, it only went on the market again in February by LSF Estates Developments Limited.

Portofino restaurant next door which is/was part of the same property has just received a massive fine for employing illegal workers.

63 Hamilton Sq was also taken over by the Admiralty.

6 James St, off Balls Rd was a convalescent home, former home of Dr Alice Ker. 11 rooms.

Queen Mary pushed for and was the driving force for all soldiers and sailors to convalesce in their home localities,
mostly achieved.

1847

Something further on the 2 Flaybrick Cottages and a stumbling block.

They were high rent which would not have presented a problem if they could be relieved of the rent agreement with Mr Pim, Parkfield.

Below a letter from the Doctor to the Overseers,

Gentlemen, I have inspected the 2 cottages on Flaybrick Hill with reference to them being used as a fever hospital.
The distance would render the situation very inconvenient, not only for the removal of but the attendance upon the patients and the want of water
present an insuperable objection to them being used as a fever hospital.

Barnes Vaughan MD.

Good find Bert! I didn't realise Laird School of Art did more than clothing design, painting and sculpture, cooking was definitely a surprise! Looks like it covered everything that was presentable.

In 1885 an article in the Birkenhead News complaining about the Police who seem to have nothing better to do than rounding up stray dogs and slaughtering them.
Over 100 have faced this fate. Fever kills thousands more than Hydrophobia does and the authorities should turn their attention to that.
It was asked if the Police were on piecework and were paid per head, stating the dogs are not mad but the authorities are.

In 1896 a strange incident happened when Mr John Burns of Argyle St South was walking along Hamilton St just entering Market St when he asked a person for a drink of water, immediately Mr Burns started growling and barking at the person and endeavoured to bite his leg. Two Constables heard the commotion and went to the aid of the person. It took a while for the constables to get Mr Burns under control and they managed with the help of passers by to get him to Brandon St police station where 6 officers managed to strap him to a Hand Ambulance, using straps, ropes and handcuffs. A Doctor was called for and he diagnosed Hydrophobia and sent him immediately to Tranmere Workhouse Infirmary.

Prior to the availability of mechanisation to produce cigarettes (late 19th century), smokers primarily used pipes, especially cheap clay pipes for the poor. Lung cancer was virtually unheard of until cigarettes came into use, possibly because the price of tobacco dropped, most pipes used a very small amount of tobacco.

Tobacco smuggling into Liverpool was a huge business in the 19th century, the legitimate importers formed societies to wipe out the black market - although it is difficult to believe that any company didn't get creative with their own figures.

Taxation on tobacco in the UK started around 1660, much of the smoking world at and before that time were smoking cannabis or similar concoctions. It is not until the first world war that cannabis and opium smoking effectively got overtaken by tobacco, there is a paradox that many of the UK WW1 (and WW2) military hadn't smoked cannabis before being posted abroad yet cannabis usage still declined. I suspect in the UK that cannabis smoking may be getting on a par with tobacco again.

There's plenty on here about the Workhouse history, this just a few snippets that may be of interest.

At a meeting in 1862 concern was raised over the price of the land it was to be built on, gone from £6000 to £8000.
There was opposition to paying this amount and proposals were put forward to build the workhouse on Bidston Hill.
Reasons being, cheaper, healthier and it wouldn't upset the town folk.

In 1866 the workhouse accepted 40 Emigrants form the cholera ridden steamer Helvetia, mainly German and Swiss bound for America.
They were taken in to stop the spread of the disease amongst the town.

In 1887 an inquiry was held in to the cost of alcohol used in the workhouse. It cost the Birkenhead workhouse 7s-2d per inmate per annum as opposed to the Liverpool workhouse which cost
2s-0d per inmate per annum.
They accepted they had to try and reduce the cost but accepted the Doctor used it on inmates as a stimulant.

1920 a cinema was introduced.

In 1873 a new Governor and Master was hired, Thomas Williams, 1831-1887 who had previously been Master of the workhouse in Barton upon Irwell.
Thomas was Pvt Thomas Williams, 11th Hussars and took part in the charge of the Light Brigade at Balaclava.

Yes, a friend of mine jumped on the ferry, first time in many years and thought he was going away to sea, came back with a parrot.

That's great, your info is much appreciated. Seems, whatever springs or wells which once existed have gone the way of time and development.

Absolutely the Barnes should have been found guilty of murder.

It appears baby Maggie survived, the court case in February 1880, Martha Ann Denton (Saville) was charged with Bigamy, being already married to a George Denton when marrying Saville.

She pleaded guilty to Bigamy and guilty to unlawfully neglecting to provide for a child.

She received 6 months hard labour and 12 months without hard labour.

Here's me thinking sentences were strict in them days.

I wish I kept the original artists impressions they released about 15 years ago of what Wirral Waters was going to look like. It looked like Manhatten. It was obviously extremely optimistic, even at the time.

Looking for a decent mechanic who won't charge the earth, to swap out a turbo. Half way there but the remaining bolts are proving difficult to get moving. Any recs?

Even though they were undoubtedly a Godsend to ordinary families, they must have seemed totally alien to Winston Churchill as he drove back in his Limo to Chartwell after visiting them.

Some more information here from Liverpool University files:-

https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/~cmi/books/miscWr/alfredB.html