Forums Forums Wirral History : Chasing the Past History Information Request Brook St Birkenhead

Hi,
Does anyone know where I could get pictures of Brook St? and where abouts is it?

Brook Street runs parallel to Cleveland Street.
1950S it started from middle of Chapel St (just behind Hamilton Square and ran up to Duke st

Google streetview should show you present day view

there may be pics at the archives.
3 pics at B'Head reference library

link to photo index


Brook street- a busy commercial backwater running parell with and to the rear of Cleveland street, Birkenhead 1982.

Brook Street and Lord Street. Demolished - 1965.

Brook Street/Watson Street. 1954

Thanks for that, wish I could see it in its day......my great grandparents lived there for a while.

I spent a lot of my early life in Brook St, my auntie lived in a 2 up 2 down with the good old outside toilet, I walked up and down it daily on my way to Cathcart St School from our house in Watson St. The pic in the link looks familiar, I think its Brook St.

http://maggs224.hubpages.com/hub/A-Woman-of-Substance

Thanks for that Bert, that's very interesting, I'm going to read that link later.
My Great grandparents were living there in 1907, one of their children was born there at No"387.

Do you know a chap called John Fagan,has written a book about his childhood memories in that area, titled The Other Fella, available from amazon, my mum read it and loved it,

Thanks, sounds like a good book..........I've just sent for it!

Hope you enjoy it !

I lived on the corner of Cleveland st and Vittoria st,our number was 303,as the numbers started closest to the town hall your Grand parents proberbly lived at the other end of Brook st,say from Vittoria st right up to Duke st...The street is still there but no houses left standing...From when I was a kid in the 50,s there was only about 8 or 10 houses in the part from Vittoria st to Livingstone st after that....Nothing but the Birkenhead brewery on one side and Marchbanks wood yard on the other...I think

Forgot to say,I went to school and knocked around with a lad called John Fagan, in the 60,s...Cathcart st school and Trinity st I went till I was 11 then Tolly. I'm 60 now.

Thanks for that spider, I have tried to find Brook st but so far haven't , maybe I'm going the wrong way! I had my first job in Lord St, going by the maps it's somewhere near there? I know the houses are no longer standing but I would just like to see were they lived!

Chris, the image below is the end of Brook St, looking from Duke St, pub on one corner, car wash on the other, don't know about the pub being open, but the car wash is still operating.

Lord Street is down the other end (Town Hall/ Hamilton Square way) of Brook st

If you have access to a computer/internet just google Brook st, Birkenhead. the road itself could have been over a mile long.
Berts pic tallies with the 2nd map I posted
Duke st is where Birkenhead Park station is if that helps

from 1916 street directory odd numbers go up to number 461

Bert and Derek many thanks for the info, much appreciated.....

I can't access your photos, is a way to download them please?

I am trying to research my maternal great great grandmother, Catherine McCann, nee Hair. Her husband Michael seems to have abandoned her between 1891 and 1901 (as he was there in one census but not the other and that was what the family were told). Catherine lived in Birkenhead and moved from Frederick St where he son James was born to Flamank St. Then in 1902, she was at 379 Brook St where there was a fire and as a result of her burns, she died. We don't know why she was at that address, or what exactly happened.
As a result of this, her children were put in a care home and her youngest was shipped off to Canada. Her daughter (my great gran) stayed somewhere in Birkenhead and married Richard Sailsbury Dennett and they lived in Wirral all their lives.
If anyone has any information, that would be amazing, even if it is photos of Brook St, Flamank St, Frederick St in Birkenhead.
Thank you!

Catherine McCann was buried at Flaybrick cemetery on the 14 March 1902, described as, Wife of Michael, 379 Brook St, Public Grave.

Having died in a fire or related to, an inquest would have likely been held, records might be held at Wirral Archives and possibly a report in the Birkenhead News, also available at the Archives.

The 1901 census for 379 Brook St, the occupants were Thomas Williams, wife, Margaret, son, Thomas and a lodger, William Jewel.

I've got these filed as Brook St - no idea of their source though, so can't vouch for the accuracy - sorry.

Billy could that be Oak Gardens at the end of one photograph showing a bit of the pub that was left standing.If it is i don t think it would be Brook Street from that aspect perhaps Park Street..

Henry McCann 1915

For the record all of the photos above are of Brook Street. The first, taken from Chapel Street looking west, shows nos. 6-42, the second shows nos. 1-23 together with 57 Lord Street, the third is of nos. 22-30 with 52 Lord Street, and the fourth is part of the block numbered 155-173. The photos were all taken in 1963 by Edward Hubbard who collaborated with Nikolaus Pevsner on the Cheshire volume of The Buildings of England series. Hubbard's surviving negatives are now held at Wirral Archives.

marty what is the modern building at the end of picture number one please.Also is looking west towards the North End or Hamilton Square.

Looking towards Hamilton Sq, Queensbury Gardens?

Thanks Bert
They have knocked that many down in such a short time, I had forgotten about that one. We can always count on you. Cheers!

Dusty,
probably should have said " Looking from Hamilton Sq" low even numbers from the town hall on the right of the road.

Queensbury Gardens cut across Brook St.

Have got it now Thanks once again. Bowie's to The Stork probably doesn't help my memory.

@bert1

Thank you so much for posting this map. I've been searching for the location of Arrow Place for some time and there it is, as plain as day right off Brook Street. Would anyone be able to share the name of that map collection? Thank you again as It means a great deal to me. I cannot wait to show my Grandfather.

Hi RJ. This is not the same map Bert posted but you can find Arrow Place on this map here, published in 1937.
https://maps.nls.uk/view/114581467

Good site that Mike, thanks

Thank you so much. Very generous of you.

Thanks Mike, looking at the map I see two long buildings that run from Brook street to Cleveland street near the Falcon laundry, the left hand one of which was used by Herons Ford garage for storage. Does anybody know what it was originally used for. I often wondered. Could it have been where trams were constructed I believe there was such a place at one time.

1911, 1938 Directories

1900 directory,

Map, 1874-1893,

Thanks for the info.

I would be very grateful if you could give a link to the website for this map please - which shows house numbers. I've searched different old maps and have yet to find any with street house numbers. Many thanks.

The map above is from my own collection, not aware of any link to a website.

Likewise I have copies of these maps, they are often the 1:2500 and 1:1250 plan maps from the 1950's, https://Old-maps.co.uk has them though it is somewhat awkward using the site.

eg

https://www.old-maps.co.uk/#/Map/330500/388500/13/101329

Zoom out until it works then hit the square button above the map to switch the blue print extent off.

Ok - thanks bert1 & diggingdeeper.......appreciated

IT won't let me see photos

Hi all how can I see photos when I press on link it won't let me in

Hi tattylashes, to see the attachments you have to subscribe.If you go to forum tips on main page and click on memberships all the info there.