Forums Forums Wirral History : Chasing the Past Wirral History Wirral History : Aerial Photos

did not see the walkway
the building looks newer. what happened to it?

The Lairds picture is later than 1933; the Woodside ventilation tower for the tunnel wasn't built until then. Actually, it looks a bit fuzzy; maybe it has scaffolding on it.

Lower photo of Birkenhead docks is early/mid 1960's.

The admin/canteen block at Blue Funnel's Vittoria Dock , towards right end of long sheds at bottom, is still under construction.

Probably taken on a Sunday, as the ships do not appear to be working cargo and a Blue Funnel ship is swinging in the river off the locks ready to enter for loading on the monday morning.

I think davew3 and chriskay are right about the Lairds picture. The Ark Royal was launched in July 1937 and is probably seen here being fitted out.

If the big ship on the stocks is the Mauretania, that was launched in April 1938. So that would place the picture sometime between those dates - probably nearer 1937.

Mauretania was launched in July 1938 not April, and in the photo looks to be plated up to promenade deck level, with just the sports deck, sun deck and bridge decks to be added. This would probably date the photo to about May 1938, a couple of months before the launch.

Brilliant site. Don't know where the last half hour has gone!

welcome mikhail
may that half hour last longer

Searching through the pictures has certainly filled a lot of voids for me especially the 1946 ones and finding the military sites in this area, ie the Heron Rd one, I always presumed they used a site not to far away from where the Wirral marker beacon for aircraft is.

Top pic looks like it could be 50's too - with the ship on the stocks being the Windsor Castle ? and it being the later R09 Ark Royal - with a large Cunarder sharing the pool - possibly in for repair

See your point, but two things the courts next to the church/priory and if you look to the right, sailing ship masts and the old style ferry boats, old garage next to the tramway generation plant on the A41,

Do we now have a confirmed date?????

http://www.britainfromabove.org.uk/image/eaw029265?search=wirral&ref=102

bigpete. Must point out that at the time the Winsor Castle was on the stocks the land that the photo shows as still been reclaimed was not only totally reclaimed but also the new welding bays/plate prep bays/ assembly bays had been built on the reclaimed land.

That was a grain elevator.

We often have discussions about the location of the pond called the Triangle (my playground area as a youngster and youth). This site has a good pic showing the location relative to the railway lines

http://www.britainfromabove.org.uk/image/epw053315?search=bidston&ref=3

Snod

Yep - I am revising the date - but think I can add something - the ship on the stocks is the hull of a Battleship (maybe Prince of Wales) - see the limited openings in the top of the hull for ammunition and magazine protection.

The Mauretania and Ark Royal have both been launched - the Ark is in the basin and the Mauretania is in the largest dry dock behind it and an old freighter, fitting-out - but already in Cunard colours.

So folks it looks like late 38 - early 39 at least - the Prince of Wales was famously completed in early 1941 and almost immediately joined the hunt for the Bismark.