Forums Forums Wirral History : Chasing the Past Wirral History Morris Edwards

Morris Edwards is pictured outside his shop at 5 Well Lane Rock Ferry which opened in 1927. Edwards was the seventh child of a farming family from Llangwn, North Wales. He once worked at Allansons in Grange Road after he was demobbed from the army after First World War.

In 1923 he opened his first gents' outfitters at 290 Old Chester Road, later selling ladies' clothes here and gents' at 5 Well Lane. Together with his two sons he would later establish other gentlemen stores at New Ferry and Heswall. During the 1930s shops lined long stretches of Old Chester Road and New Chester Road, social strutches were different.

People like Morris Edwards were familiar figures, forming a strong part of the framework of society and commerce - keeping money within the area of those that spent it. Economic fortunes were also different. Well Lane had a photographer who also had premises in Bold Street, Liverpool, at the at the corner of Bedford Road and New Chester Road was an antique shop described as one of the best in England and in 1927, 2,8000,000 people travelled on the Rock Ferry steamer.

Morris Edwards won many Merit Awards in the London Window Dressing Competition for displays. This award was for the shop at Well Lane.





The picture above shows the shop at 56 Bebington Road in New Ferry. The shop opened in 1935 and was later doubled in size which supplied many local people with wedding suits and school uniforms. With New Ferry fortunes changing, such as rising crime rate and wealth going elsewhere, this establishment, as with other independent shops, disappeared. This shop closed in 2007.

The picture below shows the interior of the New Ferry Store. Morris Edwards stands to the left and his son, Gordon, stands on the right. Though Morris Edwards was crippled in the 1930s and walked with the aid of sticks, he became the Chairman of the Bebington Chamber of trade in the 1950s.

I remember Morris Edwards,shame it closed down after all those years....sign of the times i suppose!
does anyone remember the Army and Navy Store in Bebington Rd? it was on the corner of School Lane,a few doors away from Morris Edwards,were the TSB is now,that closed years ago.
I also remember Borough Cycles on New Chester Rd,my Dad bought me a bike from there and it cost £25! a lot of money in those days! and paid for weekly! also McKenzies, were Somerfield is now,i bought all my Beatle records there, Timpsons shoe shop was there too.

remember all of those,as well as the bus sheds were the bed place is now,status they sold allsorts of household stuff were weatherspoons is now,okells they sold baby stuff and ladybird clothes ,another mens shop by timpsons, saunders furniture shop were griffs the butchers is now, tecos were ethel austin is now the coop were connextions is now and rosdances were charism the hairdresses is now.

remember those as well! can't say i remember Status tho? but that place has been so many things! was'nt it a co-op once?
ahh the bus sheds! remember those too, and Okells....bought my sons baby cloths there,they had lovely baby cloths, and Rostantces, oh there all coming back to me now....Tickles..used to be by Borough Cycles,and Dewhurst was on the same row, and the old post office were the £ shop is now,and the Lyceum.

does anybody have any photographs of the old shops on old chester road rockferry. any era. i remember the shops in the 80s but cannot find any pictures of them anywhere. shops were: my mums shop, cosmic(tv shop). kellys the butchers, galviers(sweet shop) etc. thanks for any pics or correspondence.