Forums Forums Wirral History : Chasing the Past Wirral History Birkenhead North/Laird Street Fire Station?

I've heard that this building on Laird Street used to be a Fire Station.

Anyone have any information, pictures or stories?

Cheers

Looks like it could well be one, I will have a look for references to it as I have a few books on the fire brigrade at home, think they are mainly the Wallasey brigade though.

That building used to be the turntable youth club its never been a fire station

wasnt it the roundabout youth club

I have heard reference to a Fire Station maybe its a myth.

Nope jonno turntable

think it might have been that i was from wallasey and thats what we used to call it as it was on the roundabout.lol but it is called the roundabout now or at least thats what it says above the door :>

I also remember there being some sort of yts scheme in there at some point ,i had to go there for an interview in my past life as a teenager ,,lol

Joe this was a fire station.
Or it was until at least 1957.

Its thought its demise was the new one in Birkenhead (Charing Cross).
In its day this "Was" the Main Fire Station for Birkenhead and
surrounding area's.

It also doubled as a First aid place?
If you had a cut or a fall back then (1957) you would call in to
the fire station for first aid. Back then an Ambulance was very rare. So anyone with an injury would hobble along to the station and if it needed more attention, would take you either;

in the Fire Engine, or a Red Van or something else i cant remember what, but anyway, if you were a child you would be
taken to Birkenhead Children's Hospital off Woodchurch Rd.

The information is from my super sleuth Mr Burgess,
who has to put up with me asking all the questions lol..

So yep it was a Fire Station and a Main on at that

Lordy me, Mark; you make it sound as if 1957 was in the dark ages. Go to the fire station with an injury? More likely you'd go to one of the many hospitals which existed in those days (& all with an A&E department).

I remember when the main fire station was on the corner of Whetstone Lane & Borough Rd. Anybody remember when that was moved (I think there's a Lidl/Netto/Aldi there now).

Children's Hospital off Church Rd? when did that happen? I recall it being on Woodchurch Rd., between Mount Grove & Brattan Rd., almost opposite the ruined church at the top of Oxton Rd. that there's been a thread about recently. There was a picture of it posted recently, heavily sandbagged.

Cheers, Chris.

Well that's the info ive been given, For the Birkenhead Fire Station in the Pictures.
Not sure where the nearest hospital would have been.
Updated the name of the road Church road to Woodchurch Rd

I guess the nearest hospitals to that area would have been the General, on Conway St., near the park entrance, or the fever hospital at Flaybrick. (I actually think your info. is probably correct; I'm sure the firemen would be trained in First Aid).

Cheers, Chris.

I didn't know the Fire Station used to be where Netto is today??

Don't worry Chris, the Children's Hospital is still on Woodchurch Road....

Only now it's the Wirral Christian Centre Care Home

The Fire Station at Whetstone Lane/Borough Road got the chop in 1972 I think. Moved to new building in Exmouth Street. Presume it's still there ? I went for an interview in 1971 to Whetstone Ln. Wanted to become a Fireman. Had a full beard at the time. Some jumped-up geezer at the interview said "That'll have to come off - you can't use a BA set with that on". Cheerio says me and walked out of the interview.

I digress !

Yeah, It's still there together with the Ambulance station around the back.