Forums Forums Wirral History : Chasing the Past History Information Request Mill Lane water tower

I have seen a picture in a book (a fairly recent 'pictures of old Wallasey' type book) - it looked like a watercolour or tinted print - of St Alban's church in Liscard, with what looked like a pond or small lake next to it. Is that the site of the water tower? Anyone know anything of the tower's history? - when it was built, what it was used for originally and what it's used for now, etc. And whether that pool was the reason for choosing the site?

Thanks for any info you can share.

The Mill Lane water tower was built in 1860 and opened in 1861, St Albans was built in 1840 and opened in 1841. There was a small pond behind where the water tower was built, but there was a much bigger one across the other side of Mill Lane opposite the church, both of these ponds disappeared by the time the tower was built.

The Tower was built for the height of the location, it was not a water production site. The water was initially obtained from a well at Poulton.

Thanks, DD. I guess the bigger pond must have been where Parkfield Drive is now, although I'm guessing that was constructed later again.

Would the pond have had anything top do with the "Mill" in Mill lane.

I thought the mill was further down the road, towards Poulton, but am not absolutely sure where.

I've always been told that the mill of Mill Lane was situated on Eric Road. I'll have to double check when I get home from work.

As far as I am aware, all the Wallasey mills were Windmills, located in Liscard, the Breck and Poulton. It is assumed that the Liscard windmill was around Eric road with an extensive piece of land called "Mill Hey", but just slightly down the road a bit was a property called Millbank.

The uncertainty is compounded by different dates of destruction, some say 1875 and others before 1841. The mill started in 1819.

That would have been the pond at the model farm. The farm house was in what is now Rullerton road. In fact it is still there.

My mates sister lives in the farmhouse.

Helles, I think the pond on the picture I mentioned was too far from Rullerton Rd to be the model farm pond. (Is the farmhouse on the corner of Eldon Avenue?) But it makes you realise how many ponds there were around!

Yeh Eldon road. Littledale made the model farm and it stretched for a fair distance as far as I know. I worked on the farmhouse in the sixties and it was a mess.