Forums Forums Wirral History : Chasing the Past Wirral History "Ivy Street" ex government shop.

Does anyone remember the ex government shop that used to be in, or at the end of Ivy Street? It used to sell stuff removed from the Lancaster bombers that were then being broken up in Lancashire (Squires Gate?).
This would have been in the late '50s.
It was a feal aladdins cave on three stories and was so full that the whole building felt as if it was to fall down at any time.
I wonder when it finally went into the dust and where the old stock went???

Where was Ivy Street please?

He got a compulsory purchase against him when the old tunnel exit was built, he moved to Conway st opposite W Traces the TV place and next to the sweet shop,he then retired after a few years as less people were repairing or building kit and were buying new, even Bert Ault eventually succumbed,

Think the best one was the Chester surplus store in the old canal warehouse on the canal, he had most of Burtonwood American base kit in the building, he ended up getting kicked out and he basically sold as much as he could then sold all the kit to someone else for £300 on the basis they would remove everything from the warehouse, good times were had :-).

by pilgrim street off chester street

OK thanks, then I remember the shop as I used to work for the owner in a similar shop in Kings Street Wallasey.

I used to buy all sorts of goodies/junk from the Ivy Street emporium. That would be late 60's/early 70's I guess. I bought a superb AGA Acetylene buoy lamp from there. It proudly sits on the front wall of the house as I squeak. I seem to remember they sold WW2 72 day (?) bomb clocks too !!! Wind it up and 10 weeks later ..........

Remember going to the Ivy Street emporium for crystals, headseats, wire for coils and knobs for tuners. All to make cats whisker radios. I used to listen to Radio Luxemburg on mine.

So it was there until the 1970's. I left The Wirral in 1961 and didn't come back to live until 2001. That area is much changed. Not for the better, I fear.