My Great Grandfather Phillip Swarbrick was the licencee of the Crooked Billet Hotel in the 1930's. This is a scan of a business card from when he was the manager.
My Great-grandfather(Henry Stephenson Ogley) used to have the Golden Fleece next door to the Billet and the Old House At Home over the road at the bottom of the monkey steps,unsure about the dates though but it was connected to the old Threllfalls brewery.There was also a connection to the Brittania that used to stand opposite Green lane station.When they had this there was an accident involving a bus under the old rail line bridge that was or still is there and the survivors were taken into the brit.Maybe somebody out there can date this accident??
I can remember th incident of the double decker bus attempting to go under the railway bridge in green lane. not sure of the year it happened apart from that it was some time between 1956 and 1970. The bridges at Green Lane, Union Street and St Pauls Road are ALL TO LOW for double decker busses to pass under also the one at the bottom of Chamberlin Street. They are all still in use by the train that goes from Liverpool to chester via Hamington square station.
Ships that pass in the night, seldom seen and soon forgoten
I think a couple of buses have hit that bridge in Green Lane, one being around 70-73 something like that, remember seeing the aftermath. Opened the top like a sardine can.
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The Golden Fleece next door was levelled a couple of weeks ago.This was my old stomping ground and 3 or 4 generations of my family before me.Donkey town has changed for the very worst over the last 20 years or so.Sad to see a once strong community decline so fast.
Over the years I've seen many high vehicles that did not make it under those bridges.Green Lane,Chamberlain st,Union st and St.Pauls road.The last I remember seeing was a Bus stolen from Laird St depot in the early hours under The bridge at St.Pauls rd circa 1982.
The decline of Tranmere saddens me too. Not that I ever knew it well (we lived on the Tranmere Hall estate), but several generations of my family were from the streets on the river side of Old Chester Rd., & some even on the river side of New Chester Rd., near the tannery. Pinzgauer is visiting me this weekend & we'll be visiting the area.
i agree with chris about the decline of tranmere, it saddens me to, for an area rich in local history and many red brick houses such as Yelverton R.D where i used to live (i would love to see pics of that street as it isnow)
I'm sorry to here that the Fleece has been flattened and the Billet has closed...is The old house at home still there?? that is a charming traditional 'old style boozer' (if it's still there). The same thing is happening here in Newcastle. The council are shutting all the 'locals' hence forcing everybody to drink in the city centre.I think this is for two reasons:
A) To save money on policing (if all the drinkers and revellers are in one place, then the police don't need to be darting around all the different areas if trouble flares up anywhere)
B) The bars and clubs in the town that are profiting from this will get thier rates increased, hence making the council more money.
This government or any council in the country, dont give a fig how maany communities are destroyed, so long as they make money with thier grab the cash attitudes!
There's a real danger that the left will drag Britain back to the 1970s, with secure well-paid jobs, ample housing, properly-funded NHS and social care, free tuition, student grants, final salary pensions, affordable rail fares and fabulous films and music. David Osland 2025
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