Just finished my webpage on the Birkenhead Cattle Trade:
"Many people do not know about Birkenhead once thriving cattle trade. Developing countries like North and South America had large areas of land ideal for rearing sheep and cattle. They had more animals than they could use, and so sent huge quantities to the growing industrial towns of Britain on fast steamships many of which came to Birkenhead where they were sold to farmers or slaughterhouses.
In 1878 sickness destroys Britain's sheep and cattle trade as a disease had been imported with foreign animals. At that time it became illegal to import animals unless they were slaughtered or quarantined in licensed quays. Lairages, slaughterhouses, chill rooms and meat-stores are built at Morpeth and Wallasey Docks.
In 1886 the Birkenhead abattoir which was extensive in size was opened, followed shortly by the Birkenhead Lairage buildings three years after. 'Lairage' was a type of modern day Animal Welfare Officer who would monitor the unloading of cattle into the Lairage to ensure none of the cattle were injured or showed signs of sickness. The inspections began to work and the trade took off once again. By 1897 the imported animal trade is booming and it is estimated that 40-50% of Britain's trade in American sheep and cattle, passes through Birkenhead.
Every building below the transit sheds alongside Morpeth branch dock was involved in the Irish Sea livestock trade for which Birkenhead became the leading UK port, having been helped by a decision to concentrate all of the Mersey's Irish livestock traffic in Birkenhead for ease of control reasons following a foot & mouth outbreak in Ireland in 1913. The green line in the picture below highlights the old wooden livestock walkway which allowed transfer of animals between the dedicated 'Wallasey' livestock stage (actually sited where Twelve Quays is now rather than in Wallasey) and Woodside. It had to be elevated to enable sufficient clearance over the Morpeth river entrance which would have made it an overhead walkway. The photo also shows the livestock-dedicated north end of the Woodside stage and its high-sided linkspan which prevented animals from seeing the river whilst coming ashore and becoming distressed as a consequence.
There are plenty of local people who will tell you that in the 1960's you always know when a Irish boat had docked, as you could smell it from a good distance away. Also the tannery on New Chester Rd, was part of the site which again added a terrible stench to the area. Much of the area and buildings associated with the cattle trade was demolished in the 1970's and in the 1990's to make way for the Woodside Small Business Park
The abattoir building, now used by Birkenhead Timber; caught fire on the 7th December 2007. There is not much left of the once thriving cattle industry buildings in the area and those that still stand are falling into dilapidation. The old fountain at the front of the Abattoir still exists although now badly damaged having been exposed to the elements for over a century. The inscription on the fountain reads as follows "These Abattoirs were opened by W.Laird Esq J.P Mayor of Birkenhead".
Said the URL is not valid. Is this just my 'pooter ? Couldn't view the pics/info.
I well remember seeing the cattle off-loading at the N.end of the Woodside stage for their last stroll. If you were waiting downwind of the cattle boat, it had a deeply rural odour !!
Recall the two dedicated cattle boats involved, the "Leinster" and "Ulster" ?
Said the URL is not valid. Is this just my 'pooter ? Couldn't view the pics/info. I well remember seeing the cattle off-loading at the N.end of the Woodside stage for their last stroll. If you were waiting downwind of the cattle boat, it had a deeply rural odour !!
Recall the two dedicated cattle boats involved, the "Leinster" and "Ulster" ?
My grandfather started work at the age of 11 at the woodside lairage in 1886 and by the time he was in his 20s he had become a butcher. He then in the 1920s moved the the lairage on new chester road by lairds at the bottom of Green Lane.
Ships that pass in the night, seldom seen and soon forgoten
As a kid my dad used to take us walking around the docks-boring at the time-i remember running through the wooden cattle run, i recall the 'bridge' -a raised bit!
My grandad (antrobus) lived in rest hill road storeton he was a cow hand for leverhulme farm in storeton village. It was his job to drive the cattle down leavers causeway and the wiend. Through bhead and onto the floating landing stage.
Eventually they went by truck not that my grandad was bothered as he could cadge a lift back home as in those days there was not much traffic that went that way home.
I remember seeing sheep being driven down Bridge St.- Chester St. area in the '40s or '50s, while waiting for the 50 bus in Bridge St. Presumably they were heading for the Lairage but where from?
Fascinating stuff - I know the New Chester Road Buildings as 'the Tannery' - as for many years, until it became the timber yard, quite recently - it was used to render (separate skins from flesh and bone - nice!), by various heating methods, cattle carcasses. I don't think the meat itself was actually used for consumption from this site.
My dear wife worked in the Lairds offices just over the wall while she was pregnant - the smell made me want to vom', but was much worse for her..!
The tan yard and lairage on the Chester road were seperate entities,the skins were proccessed in lime pits.I have seen a guys foot after a piece of lime went down his welly unbeknown to him,not a pretty sight and took a long time to heal.Woodside lairage had a cattle walk that went over the lock at sandy bottom from where the irish boat now ties up.The meat on the hoof going along Bridge street probably came from the docks because the berth was full at the cattle walk.
My old man used to work there, and Green Lane. Used to take his lunch down for him, what a job for a 10 year old, blood everywhere. Found the kosher bit off putting. Beast in the drum, turned upside down with throat exposed, bloody great knife, slash, buckets of blood and lots of noise. 'orrible but fascinating. Then off down to the sheep pen and there's the old man putting bolts into sheeps heads while his mates are skinning and gutting. "'ere's yer butties dad." "ok, put 'em over there." "right, tahrah." and off we pop. Still like my sweetbreads and fries when I can get them.
Only quicklime, calcium oxide CaO is corrosive. Once it's been in contact with water, or slaked, it becomes harmless calcium hydroxide Ca(OH)2. Calcium oxide is corrosive because it combines with water in flesh & in doing so it generates heat.
My grandad was a cow hand for levers at storeton and it was his job to drive the cattle down the wiend past cammel lairds and onto the floating road for the irish boats. if he was lucky he could get a lift from a farm lorry traveling back and grap a pint in the travellers on rest hill road. Otherwise it was a long walk home. for another 6 am rise. My uncle Tom looked after the shire horses and took great pride in there turn out winning several roses.
They lived at wantondale cottage in storeton valley just on the bend (chicken corner)
They used to use quick lime in mortars in the 18th century against massed troops. It was a great anti personell munition.
And they used slaked lime in mortar for bricklaying. I remember the lime pit at the top of Mount Rd., where it meets Storeton Rd. when they were building the Mount Estate.
We used to live at the back of a builders yard in Moreton (Warings) and they had a lme pit in there, used to play in there as akid, and in the workshops when no-one around. Warings are still going but dont know if by the same family! Anyone remember them, one of the lads was called Paul, Think there were 3 sons, lived about 6 houses down from them in Borrowdale Rd.
Hi my grandad worked at Woodside Lairage, somewhere I have some headed paper (blank), as well as a tally marked MDHB (or C!) and a number 65 on it. It has a ring through the centre of it - Ill try and get some pictures of the items if anyone wants them Barry
hi. I was interested to read about your grandfather who once lived at wantondale cottage on resthill rd, storeton. I have recently purchased the property & the adjoining house & land and wondered if you have any old photographs you could share with me please? thanks, steve
There is a licenced slaughterhouse located in New Ferry, it's at the back of the butchers on Old Chester Road opposite the old Kwik Save (now Somerfield?).
I was a slaughter man at tranmere abbatior from 1975 to 1985 was your dad working there then . i think he may of been as the knocking box you describe was not installed till the 1980s the boss was a man named tommy atkins or ago and his side kick george carney both are sadly dead now
I remember arriving on the Leinster from Dublin in 1958 and she docked at Birkenhead first to let the cattle off and then sailed over to Princess Dock to let the people off.
I know someone who was the dcck estate manager who I think was responsible for the lairage and other things on the docks. If anyone wants any info I could phone or email him to try and put you in touch
I have just looked at the pics of Tranmere slaughter house I worked there from 1975 to 1985 they brought back so many memories of people long gone . The picture of the back of the slaughter house with the black and white walls we painted them when we were kids . the door ways led to the hay shed the cattle pens and sheep pens and at the big gate at top of the picture there is a small room that is were the stock man stayed to unload and feed and water the live stock . The picture were there used to be dinking water behind that wall used to be the pig pens and the pig slaughter house
Me and my brother used to play in the docks and spent hours wandering round the rotting cattle sheds where the cattle were delivered by ship. There were wooden ramp type things that the cattle would be herded off the ships by, leading to a kind of wooden 'path' that led to the sheds. There were stalls and some mangers (I think) where the cattle were kept before being driven to the abbatoir. (this is mid to late 80s)
There is a licenced slaughterhouse located in New Ferry, it's at the back of the butchers on Old Chester Road opposite the old Kwik Save (now Somerfield?).
my grandfather was a cattle dealer who brought cattle over from Dundalk in Ireland to the Lairage at Woodside. This was probably from around 1910 onwards to the late 1930's. His wife and 3 children lived in Dundalk until 1914 when they came over to join him in Birkenhead. They lived for a time in Hamilton Square.They eventually had 7 more children. The 3 eldest sons worked at the Lairage for a time.
My father was a joiner for MD&H Co. He used to repair the sheds etc around the dock estate. The cattle run from Woodside to Wallasey lairage was wood planking and must have been around 7 foot high (I was a kid then) and he and his mates had the job of maintaining it. I remember this thing used to run just along the edge of the river wall to take up as little space as possible and was probably about 3foot wide, to stop the cattle turning back on themselves. Anyway, one day they were inside the run, replacing rotten/broken planks when there was a rumbling....there was a stampede of long horn cattle heading their way and their only eascape was over the top....only one guy got his directions wrong and almost ended up in the river. My, how they all larfed....
my grandad and his brother came to birkenhead about 1900 bringing a herd of cattle for slaughter from county mayo .his brother went on to the u.s.a. but grandad stayed and married and lived his life in upton. molong
