Forums Forums Wirral History : Chasing the Past Wirral History Skid Row, Market St B' head

Unemployment/ benefits office i have always understood it to be.

Bert's right. If you're "on the brew", you are on the dole. I think it's a term just used in the North of England. Could be wrong. Never hear the phrase used up here in Haggisville!

I was wondering how Market St got its name, Skid Row, well its an Northern American term for a run down or a dilapidated urban area with a large impoverished population.

No idea, Bert, never went there myself; escaped by joining the RAF.

I think we have established the Clarendon hotel was in Chester St next to the County Court, where were the following pubs located on Chester St.

Letters
Birkenhead Arms
Duches of Edinburgh
Golden Lion
Kosseth Arms

The Letters was on the corner of St Mary's gate and Chester Street. the Birkenhead Arms was directly opposit the Letters as you walked round the corner of Chester Street and headed towards the top of tunnel road and on towards town. this was before the tunnel entrance area was altered. there use to be a Zebra crossing at the top of chester street so you could stagger out of the letters and across the road into the Birkenhead arms with out getting run over. happy days {late 1950s}

15 Adelphi Street (on the corner of Market Street) was the "New Inn" in 1950s

90 Kossuth Hotel 18 Chester Street must be the building in between
89 Worsley Arms [Queens Arms (Cuckoo)] 16 Chester Street 16 1 Bridge Street
and
91 Dispensary [Hamlet] 20 Chester Street
next to the police station

On the list i have, The Letters has bracketed next to it 6 day house which i assume it was probably shut on a Sunday because of religious grounds,the same as some of the pubs in Wales. when i started drinking i don't recall pubs being closed on Sundays, though they did have fewer opening hours.

I'm still saying there was a pub called the globe??? round skid row..

Certainly was - Globe Inn - 22 Market Street, Birkenhead

the Globe and the Market Inn are joined together now as Hornblowers

on the edge of the pic you can see the Glass Barrel

Been doing a bit of research about "the brew". Haven't found its origin, but many references to its use in Scotland & Northern Ireland as well as England. Also spelled "bru" & "burroo"

From "Understanding the Scottish language"

Brew: Dole: The Brew or the Dole office is the unemployment office in Scotland. When people become unemployed in Scotland, they go to the Brew to sign on as unemployed. Because the people Britain pay National Insurance to the Government in case they become unemployed, they have to sign on at the Brew or Dole to get benefits.

here is a better map showing the Ranelagh and Clarendon

Tried to photo it on the wall as you go into Wirral Archives

No doubting it now, well done.