hi all, just viewed the demolition of oak and eldon gardens-remember it well. there is a mention of angus tilston and his local history videos. i had the pleasure of going on a business trip briefly with him in the mid 1990's. he was working for merseytravel then so may have local transport stuff if anyone is interested. on a personal note, i loved drinking in the angel, we would then go to the argyle(roughly where argos is now).
My dad lived in the Duke of Conault (spelling bad) pub before he moved to Rock Ferry with his family. He remembers people building the flats and he remembers them being knocked down. people on here most probably know him or his family.
I didn't realise that they were right near the Angel. I thought the name was Oakeneldon Gardens when I was a kid - didn't realise they were separate names. Why did they think it was ok to call an ugly block of flats 'gardens'?
You're right on the money there, used to live on the 5th floor at Livingstone Gardens and it was no joke, useless lifts and although most of the neighbours were grand, one or two were a pain in the arris and you couldn't get away from them. Moved out into Hilbre Street once we'd had enough. It was ok when you didn't have anywhere else to go though I suppose.
I remember "throwing a strop" because my dad would not take me down there to watch them being blown up! It was said at the time Terry Wogan was viewing the demolition from above in a helicopter maybe for a TV report? I would have been 11 years old at the time.
O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever ...
Back in the early 80s there was a sitcom call The Cowboys about a company of dodgy builders. It starred Colin Welland and Roy Kinnear. One of the episodes was based around them getting trapped in the basement of Oak and Eldon Gardens as the flats were being blown up. IIRC they found a way out and were only pretending to be trapped to get some sympathy and extra money off their boss. In fact they spent the day nipping to The Bluebell on Freeman St.
Doubt the series has ever been repeated and I'm sure it isn't on YouTube.
I vagely remember the series, the episode was called "Remember Honky Stubbs "S1 EP 3
"Workmen use explosives to demolish an old building, not realising that Geyser, Wobbly Ron and Eric are in the cellar, playing cards. Joe panics at the thought of his men entombed under tonnes of rubble. Actually, they could not be safer - Geyser finds an exit by kicking a hole in the wall of an adjacent men's toilet. Rather than go home, they decide to milk the situation for all it is worth ( they are on over time ) by pretending to be still trapped when in reality they are in 'The Dogs' Dinner' pub..."
Hi I lived in 57 Ellon street only had a tin bath and outside loo which got frozen up in the winter if dad forgot to pit the lamp on in the night..my aunt Audrey and jack McKinley lived on the 7th floor in Elldon gardens and me and my sister use to go there every Sunday for a luxury bath them were the good old days
