Forums Forums Wirral History : Chasing the Past Wirral History King Street

Cameracraft, King Street. This would have been opposite the Unit 4. I remember a train set in the window here when I was a kid

my god poor cameracraft has been so much since that photo. they were all fine buildings.

It's a second hand shop now isn't it?

live out at parkgate nowadays, not been that way in years...not sure

"Cameracraft" was, or became "Medley & Bird". And all those shops are now one & selling old furniture & fireplaces etc.

Reclaimed cast iron fireplace shop

The fireplace shop owners wife used to run the bridalware shop to the left of it but now its up for sale.

Hey, this is quite a new photo from you Pabs!

I think it's probably abround the early eighties. The Zebra crossing has got zig-zag lines,the shop on the corner was already selling 'antiques' and loads of old furniture can be seen in one of the upstairs windows and the Post Office has only just moved by the look of things.

In the photo, Medley & Bird still have 'Cameracraft' over the shop window. 'Cameracraft' moved from King St to Liscard in 1984, and Keith Medley retired in 1987.

Between them, Keith Medley and Bob Bird had a relationship that stretches back to being photographers during the war. They have photographed the 'Bouncing Bomb' tests (from a boat in the lake!) to bouncing babies, and boats on the boating lake to Donald Campbell on Lake Windermere. We will all remember their coverage of the Hendersons fire, the Tower Ballroom fire and the ships and storms that have graced this river, and their aftermath. Keith also did some work for 'Movitone' news films, and even narrated on some.

Both have passed away now, but their work lives on in two books that were published.
'Living memories of Merseyside' - the late 40's, 50's and 60's - by Keith Medley (Printwise Publications Ltd.) and
'Bird's Eye View of Merseyside' - Golden Treasury of Press Photographs 1949-1999 - by Bob Bird (A Lord Birdforth Publication.)

Going back to the shops, I beleive that in another thread on this site, a mention is made of there being a radio shop (of the army surplus type) and a taxi office within this block. As someone already mentioned, there was a bridal gown shop there for a while, before it went back to being antiques and fireplaces, trading as 'Arcadia' and 'Kings FireStove'.

Both of these two buisness have had the shutters down for the past month or so. I made some enquiries only yesterday, only to find that both have now closed down, and the premises have been sold.

This is a pity in more ways than one - as the fireplace man still has some outstanding work to complete for me.
(If you know where he has gone, please pm me.)

I wonder what buisness we will see appearing next..

I remember a taxi office, but I thought the radio shop was further down. I could well be mistaken though. nice bit of info there Norton

The radio shop was to the right, the end shop on the corner of the next road. I ran it!
The taxi company was Arrow Taxis & was upstairs.

The Post office still looks the same used to look at this view with bleary eyes after exiting the Gaumont.