Forums Forums Wirral History : Chasing the Past Wirral History Overflow Tunnel Borough Rd 1930s

brill video , I remember coming home and Seeing that grid up on the road and thinking how the hell it got there. I never knew how bad that flloods was and I live just off it.

its fascinating seeing places you see so often completely transformed by the elements. I hope that kid had wellies on at 3'24"!

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I remeber it used to run along side the basement of the old Shaftsbury Boys club. When rain eas bad the basement flooded.

was the basement in the old SBC called The Madhouse where a game of football consisted of just kicking the ball at anyone you could.
Any remember the Shafts (on the Haymarket)and the camps at
Penmamawr

Here's a map, mid 1950's, showing the Shafts.

I do remember a public house called the "happy valley" on borough road, sort of 50yds down on the left passed wilmer/balls rd east heading towards town ... now i know where its name came from

In the late 50s-early 60s, the roadway along Waterloo Place/ Blackpool Street underneath the old Birkenhead-Chester line railway bridge regularly flooded to a depth of a few feet. These floods disrupted traffic (it was then a through road) and stopped pedestrians, who had to divert via Grange Street. However, it was a bonus for the local kids, some of whom would get their cozzies on and use the flooded roadway as a swimming pool. This roadway follows the line of the old Tranmere Pool inlet into which the 'Happy Valley' stream once drained from the Borough Road area. Obviously, in wet weather the run-off water from the roads tried to follow the old course of the stream - and hence the flooding. Blackpool Street is the lowest geographical point in Birkenhead, so water was bound to accumulate there. Last time I looked, the railway bridge was still there, but I don't know if the roadway still floods. This seems to be the same reason that the basement of the Shafts flooded - even though the Shafts is situated slightly higher than Blackpool Street. The basement of the Shafts on Jackson Street was called The Rough House - and it was where all the hard knocks used to meet to have fights.

You're right OxtonMac. It was the Happy Valley, my and my Mum and Dads old local. It was nearly opposite the corner of the Central Library, right near the bus stops. Memories of an age long gone.......

yeah! I must of been 17-18 years old then, went a couple of times with the in laws

yeah! I must of been 17-18 years old then, went a couple of times with the in laws

That is funny I was about the same age when I started to go there

yerr tunnels

we need pics of inside

bump

Chris not sure if this is the same thing but it mentions the Borough Road Stream?

The first pic is of the Hind Street where they're building a sewer to redirect the Bourough road stream and second pic is of the continuation of the sewer scheme.

Thanks, Ghostly; those pics are much further down Borough Rd. & not connected with the overflow tunnel. Haven't seen that second picture before; thanks.