Forums Forums Wirral History : Chasing the Past History Information Request Livingstone Street Baths

anyone any memories of the old livvy baths? I won a certificate there in 1960 for a school swimming gala! I remember beautiful tiles in the main entrance and lots of old wood. the changing cubicles were in the pool area itself with boys on one side and girls on the other. I remember you could just go and watch as there was an upper floor with seats.

My Sister learn to swim there and my mum and her friend try to save the baths from closing down...

We used to take the Dolphin club to Livey baths, how many kids learnt to swim in those baths I wouldn't have a clue, as kids we spent our summer holidays at Livey or Wallasey sandhills, great place, I believe politics killed it off, in the usual style of a crack in the main pool.

we used to go there on a Saturday morning with my dad. My mum used to come with us sometimes.Happy days.

Livvy baths,brings back good old times.I wasborn lived local in Cleveland st.I went to Trinity st school from about 1960.We went to the baths with the school about once a week.A competition was held once a year for the chance to win a free swimming contract for a year if you swam 25 yards or leghth of the baths in under 17 seconds I think.The contract competition also ran on in secondary school{Tolly}I won one every year so never paid to get in the baths{lucky me}Even if you went and never had a costume or towel you could hire a penny slip,looked like a G.string white and had Birkenhead council in red stamped on it.It tied up on the side with strings and was always too big and your bits and bobs!!!!I will leave to you imagination.They also had a private baths were you could go and have a hot bath if you never had one at home,They gave you a towel and a little bar of soap.Once again we were lucky we had one at home,made of tin and you could keep warm infront of the fire at the same time.When finished hang it up on a nail in the yard out of the way....lucky..lucky me....LOL...great days

I had swimming lessons there as part of my physiotherapy in the early 70s. There was a very good instructor there called Mr Johnson.

wow what memories eh? I went to Ladycross in claughton vllage and we used to go every week too. I rememeber my dad talking about the public baths and how you could get a bath, including towel and soap for a tanner (6 old pence)my favourite memory involved walking home after swimming and calling into the chinese chippy-they made such good chips and fish bits -those were the days!

Besides swimming there was often 5 a side football, basketball and I remember playing table tennis there with coaches - same at Berne Avenue baths.
Not too sure if it was in another part or the bath part was covered over with wooden flooring and the surroungic part boarded up.

I read somewhere that the water for the baths was taken from that pumped from the Mersey Railway tunnel by the Shore Road plant. It was so pure and warm, having been well-filtered through the rock but surely it would still have been salty. Any information on this?