I'm trying to find info on the British Legion/RNA Club building before it became British Legion/RNA Club. Can't find it on the listed buildings site but it's on the 1876 Town map and a similar building next to it. Think it's one of the biggest buildings around the outskirts of the park
RNA Club Ltd "Thornbury" Park Road East Birkenhead British Legion Sir Fredrick Lister House, Park Road East, Birkenhead,
Was "Thornbury" the original name of it
Also wondering what the outlines in the google map are original bowling green?or where other building was? and what the running track outline is/was
"Thornbury" was occupied by the Watt family, showing in the 1891 census through to Wilmers 1916, James Watt was a Pawnbroker, the 1881 census shows the family living in Alfred Rd, Birkenhead. The 1911 census shows the building as having 13 rooms, not counting halls and landings etc.
God help us, Come yourself, Don't send Jesus, This is no place for children.
The British legion part is known as Sir Frederick Lister House after Birkenhead born Lister founded the RBL in 1921. The building is open for heritage tours from Sept 1st to Sunday 9th 10am - 3pm. Contact Tanya Cawood for details on 0779 109 1869
I've just put together the extracts from Kelly's and Post Office guides for the years 1878, 1902 & 1910. This may be of interest, not just for 'Thornbury', but as a guide to when the East side of the road expanded.
As far as I can remember, there were two huts with curved roofs of corrugated iron which stood about half way down, like mini aircraft hangars. I think they were used by sea scouts until they were demolished about 30 odd years ago.
The Bowling Green on the old map only cover a small part of the area to the right of the RBL - annoying me cos I played rugby on the field next to it many times.
Never noticed the running track - which seems to be around the rugby pitch - the lighter patch near Park Drive seems to have bricks/gravel in it....!
Back to the old map - Thornbury is the right hand pair of buildings the left hand pair are under the cadets buildings.
Spent many a good evening in the RNA - even though I should have been next door....!
Going back to your original post, the four houses shown on the 1875 OS map were newly-built when the map was surveyed, which is probably why they're not named on the map. From top to bottom they were called Claremont, The Laurels, Elmslea and Thornbury. The first recorded occupants in the 1876 Gore's Directory were, respectively, Robert Thompson, shipowner, Charles Timmis, grocer, Edward Duerden, lard manufacturer, and William Wild, cotton broker. The gateposts in your photo are indeed the original ones that gave access to the drive that ran in front of all four houses; the separate drive to Elmslea and Thornbury was added later. Elmslea and Thornbury are the two properties that survive, the former as the Legion's Sir Frederick Lister House, the latter as the Royal Naval Association Club.
At some point, possibly during World War 2, Claremont and The Laurels were amalgamated into one property, known simply as The Laurels. In 1948, The Laurels became the HQ for 102 (Cheshire) Transport Company RASC, which is why it's marked on the post-war map as a TA Centre, and was also used for Civil Defense storage. In late 1964 the building was acquired by the Education Dept and became an Annexe to the Laird School of Art (latterly the Wirral College of Art & Design & Adult Studies), and remained in use as such into the 1970s. In 1981, the Education Department decided the building was surplus to requirements, and after the usual desultory attempts to come up with another use for it, the Council granted themselves Planning Permission to demolish it on the grounds that it was in a poor state of repair owing to "lack of maintenance" (no prizes for guessing whose fault that was), despite objections from the Friends of Birkenhead Park. The photos below show the front and rear of the building in 1981 before demolition.
I've looked into it a bit further and it appears that the Cheshire Territorials took over The Laurels in early 1939. The other buildings around the main house included a Drill Hall, built just before the War, and garaging for vehicles. The only bit that survived the demolition in the early 80s was part of a brick store, which the Education Dept retained to store sports equipment for Park High School.
Hi marty99fred,I think you may have been misinformed.I joined the 102 amphibious transport column R.A.S.C in 1949 and it was based at the old american army hospital at clatterbridge and later moved to Chetwynd in oxton.The Laurels was at the time used by a Royal Engineer field squadron not to be confused with 113 assault regt Royal Engineers which was at Harrowby rd drill hall.
