Forums Forums Wirral History : Chasing the Past Wirral History New Brighton Tower

Fantastic site with loads of pics of New Brighton tower etc.
can't believe the number of people on the beach

clicky

busy in them days werent it

anyone know anything about the zoo/menagerie connected with the tower?

Just to let you know that it was me that posted this video on you tube (parapiranha) not sound lad as identified. I have edited other footage and made this video about the tower.

Best regards

Kev

Its been really well put together the music sets it off too.
I have sent you a private message with ref to (Soundlad) i think its a misunderstanding.

Here is the video again if you missed it in a previous post.

[youtube]wnS3ZLaXPMk[/youtube]

just to say thanks Mark for clarification

Three things killed off New Brighton, IMO. The first was when they closed the Liverpool <-> New Brighton ferry. You used to get a lot of people came over on that, but didn't seem to fancy the walk from New Brighton station (or there was some other reason). Item two on the list was the beach. I remember when I was a very young kid living in New Brighton (late 50s) my folks used to take me down there two or three times a week in the summer. Then the pollution got to it, and if you dug more than about six inches down in the sand you got to this evil-smelling black stuff. Stunk something awful, it did. The third thing, of course, was the same for all British resorts, and that was the package tours.

Closing down the pool was the final nail in the coffin. It used to be way better than Guinea Gap, mainly because they didn't clear the pool every hour or so. Get into New Brighton pool and you were there for the day.


Brian.

I guess your right, sound like a logical fall of fame.

Quite right; one of the main reasons was that the trip on the ferry was a major part of the day out. Going by train just wasn't the same.

Question : If the ferry was to be the demise of New Brighton
why did they cancel it?
Was it no longer a popular run?

Ahh i think the answer is in your reply chris?
The arrival of the train.

One of the reasons for the withdrawal of the ferry was the silting up in front of the stage. It had to be dredged more and more. A losing battle really.

If I remember, prior to full closure, they cancelled the boats for an hour or so either side of low water in case they grounded!

At low water spring tides, the stage was sometimes at a bit of an angle due to the pontoons being on the bottom !

Yeah, this is one of the problems that the new terminal will have to overcome before it can be even considered to be built.

The railway arrived at New Brighton in about 1888 (Pinzgauer, your territory I think) & I don't think it had any real effect on the ferry service, although it probably helped to develop New Brighton as a commuter town for Liverpool, despite the fact that for many years this involved a change of trains at Birkenhead Park. The problem with the ferry was silting, as Pinzgauer has explained.

Silting it is then

I just remember going to the pool in the early 80's and it was flipping freezing - I also remeber going to the worst fireworks display ever there - it was pouring with rain and all of the rockets wouldn't light

Happy days