Forums Forums Wirral History : Chasing the Past Wirral History The Donkeys in New Brighton

...NewBrighton, they where stabled in tollemache st. the bloke that owned them was Jack ?? his brother Eddie also had Donkey's stabled around the corner. i used to work for Jack and took the donkey's down the Beach everyday in summer holidays and weekends,
he used to pay me 2/6 (half a crown) a day i was loaded by the end of the week.
in the winter they still needed to be exercised so we would walk them up towards seacombe ferry along the prom, but none of them would walk past Mother Redcaps no matter how we tried thats as far as they would go.
i can remember some of the the donkey's names
Silver (stallion)
Mandy
Sandy
Chocolate
N****er
and
Yogi
thats as far as my memory goes on thier names.

New Brighton 1950

thanks for the pic bert, but i have to tell you, that man is not George Felton, that man is Jack Clarke. i have the same picture at home also a color pic of the same man, the black and white one was taken early 60's and the other one i have is taken in the 70's. (photobucket site is down so cant post it yet) i know he is on the front cover of a wirral book but the person that named him as George Felton is wrong.

and Jack Clarks Grandaughter is a friend of my daughters and also confirmed photo as her grandad.

I wouldn't know Tilly, just a pic in one of my books.

Jack Clarke had been a popular donkeyman fot some 20 years. Members of the Clarke family, who mostly lived in Egerton Street, were closely associated with horses and donkeys over several generations. Bob Clarke, for example, kept horses for hire at stable in Alexandra Road. Riders would take them along the shore as far as Leasowe and back. Lily Clarke married Bob Felton and they took photographs of visitors in the Tower grounds.

So would george felton be the son of bob n lily?

yeh he could be

i bet Jack Clarke would be mortified if he was alive today and saw a pic of himself under a maybe 'nephews' name

We spent so much money on donkey rides for my daughter that we eventually bought Mandy when she retired! She lived for a good few years and deserved a happy end after all that hard work on the beach.

Took my little 'un to New Brighton and she had a go on the donkeys. She was so small I had to hold on to her and walk behind the donkey, which duly started crapping onto my shoes as I was walking and couldn't get out of the way. "You should go to the bingo tonight, you'll win," shouted one old dear, the rest of the crowd just pissed themselves laughing, including my missus.

thank you for telling me about Mandy she and Yogi where my favorites, i always wondered what became of them! its good to know at least one of them had a happy retirement good for you
Yogi is the Middle Donkey not sure if the white one is Mandy or Silver (Mandy was always coupled to Yogi tho) the brown one is chocolate

Took my daughter on Clarky's donkeys several times. Also remember some being stabled next to The Perch Rock pub.

Anybody remember Percy,?
He used to help with the donkeys and lived in the stables I believe,

i think he worked for Eddie Clark who also had some donkeys stabled in Egerton st (i think)

This is not George Felton, but my Uncle Jack Clarke. As a child I lived in Seymour Place West, next door to Uncle Jack's stable