Forums Forums Wirral History : Chasing the Past Wirral Pubs Past & Present 412 Caernarvon Castle

The original Caernarvon castle was built before 1850



On the night of 12/13 August 1941 the pub received a direct hit which destroyed the building, the building next to it, and caused considerable damage to St Saviour's Church



The Caernarvon Castle was rebuilt on the same site and opened in 1956.

wow well i didn't know that !

Indexed

Bombed Caernarvon Castle

Its hard to imagine that in 1941 or 67 years ago that whole area was in pieces from bombing.

It all looks so peaceful now. 2008/9

Great photos!

Before anyone notices that the main road looks very narrow on the first piccy - it was the houses opposite the church were demolished to widen the road.

You can evidence of the bombing in St Saviours in the windows that face the pub all but one matches - that one survived the blast.

Great photo`s and well researched to follow it up.

Should post your pics on here.


https://www.wikiwirral.co.uk/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/273517/Bombed_Birkenhead.html#Post273517

Great photos.

Did have an idea that it wasn't the orignal pub, but I didn't know that it was destroyed by a direct hit though.

I've matched the first one up as a now and then before:




and here's another one looking the other way:

I lived at 3 Bidston Road from 1947 to 1967 when it was the only house in Townfield Lane (also it was still a unmade lane and all open land between Bidston Road and the Woodchurch estate, other than the Oxton CC and Ranks sports ground). I recall the Carnarvon Castle being re-built. We lost a playground !! What I didn't know was that there were houses opposite which were demolished and until the mid fifties it was derelict land and I had always assmumed whatever was there was also hit by the aerial mine which did for the pub. Always wondered why the road was that much wider here.

Glad to come across this, as I never realised that the modern pub was built on the same site as the old Caernarvon Castle. My Uncle Ern(est) was killed on the night of 12th March 1941 (along with a number of others), when the pub got a direct hit from a Luftwaffe bomb. I always thought the modern pub had just re-used the name & that the old pub must have been somewhere nearer the Mersey, as the bombers would be trying to hit the docks. Uncle Ern was a train driver on the Mersey underground, and lived in Shamrock Road (Claughton).
When Ern didn't some home, my dad spent all night going round the makeshift mortuaries, & when he found him was only able to identify him by tattoos

That's really interesting . Thanks everyone, brilliant when everyone adds their bit and we end up with a better idea of a place's history.

Adding to my post re Caernarvon Castle: I found B'head Library very helpful when researching family history. They dug out B'head News archive & scanned it for me: full account of the pub bombing on front page (15 March 1941). It said nine were "trapped in the cellar", so I suppose they sheltered & survived. My uncle & others must have unwisely stayed in the bar, feeling that they were well away from the waterfront target. Also supplied was a news photo showing the pub completely demolished (different pic from the one earlier in this post). The Library also told me about the book of B'head's "Civilian War dead" which they keep there, and sent me a scan of the page listing my uncle. I had loads of uncles in the War all over Europe & N. Africa, including two in prison camps, but the only uncle to die was killed at home in B'head - there's irony for you! The 'Home Front', as it was called, could be dangerous in places like Merseyside.

When I was young I used to spend a lot of time in the area as I had a friend in Gerald rd and another who lived in Auchendrane which later was the Bowler Hat. After the raid I with my friends explored the site and remember there was an old mill wheel there in the garden. But I think the damage was caused by a large bomb rather than an a parachute mine as these usually where capable of taking a whole block out.