Forums Forums Wirral History : Chasing the Past Wirral Now and Then Traction engine in Price street.

I was told that this pic was taken in Price street in Birkenhead, was it taken there ?.

Pic was taken by my Grandfather, he did load's of work in the dock area especialy during the war, wish he had taken more, there must have been so much to photograph !.

Brilliant pic,not sure its Price st, if thats a ships bow in the background, where could have it been taken from to get a ship in the pic,

You have to remember historybook that he would have been locked up for taking sensitive photo's around the docks during the war. There was also the problem of getting film.

I can't see any of the windows being taped up nor white lines on lamp posts or kerbs so maybe not war time?

OOPS, sorry i missed of the fact the pic it's self was taken quite a few years after the war !.

I do have quite a few pic's taken during the war but most are of family in uniform.

And you are totaly right Helles, the pics my grandparents took during the war used film they had before the start and the pic's that where taken where put safe for development after the war !.

could it be cleavland street and not price street? looks like to me,looking up to duke street

I think Bert's right and that it is the bow of a ship that's visible in the distance. In which case, looking at the map the only place I can see which would fit is the bottom end of Cathcart Street, looking down towards the East Float from the junction with Cleveland Street. The buildings immediately in front of the ship would be the old Birkenhead Warehouses at the bottom end of the street.

Posting the pic made me think, so i have had a look through the little info i have.

I found the negative for this pic and a note about why the traction engine was where it was !, it would seem to have just towed an old steam roller from a council depot in Birkenhead to Robert Smith's scrap yard !.

I also in hope have had a look at google street view of the area but there is little to help realy !.

Not sure where Robert Smiths scrapyard was exactly, i assume it was by the docks, my little bit of history from Robert Smiths
https://www.wikiwirral.co.uk/forums..._Sub_broken_up_in_Birken.html#Post381209

It looks a bit narrow for Price Street or Cleveland Street. Might be Vittoria St or one of them heading towards the docks but even then you couldn't usually see the ships bows because the dock wall was in the way. Those decorative bricks on the fronts of the houses might give someone with a good memory a clue.

1916 in Wilmers street directory

.SCRAP IRON MERCHANTS.
Collins, D. H. &Sons, 69 Conway street
Smith, R & Sons , Cathcart street

Could the dock wall have been built at a later date

hope this helps

The wall on Cathy wasn't as prominent so I think that's where it would be if anywhere, looking down from the corner of the Co-op bakery, which would be behind the camera. Needs someone who can remember the houses down there. It might even be on the corner of Cleveland Street and Cathcart Street.
The bow on the ship looks slightly raked and in 1916 they were straight bows I reckon.

more Wilmers and part of a 1950s map
Hopefully someone can put up an earlier map

There was a dock gateway right opposite one of those streets so you could be seeing that. I reckon it is one of the blue funnel ships at their berth.

This is the closest I can get on Google Maps to the location I'm talking about. As you can see, most of the houses to the left of the steamroller are still there - though it's a pity the decorative band of brickwork/tiling on the front has long since been covered up by paint.

I'm sure someone else could do this better, but you get the idea.