ANY INFO ON THIS BUILDING? WHAT WAS IT USED FOR?
NEXT TO THE OLD FLOUR MILL WALLASEY DOCK ROAD!

PLZ can any one help with what this building is or was for it's on the dock road wallasey by the east float

has any 1 got any info on this building plz

Looks like it may be some sort of plant room or pumping station. The lifting beam proberbly for lifting in/out motors or pumps.
Just a guess from similar type buildings i've worked in

1954 map its down as the winch button? whats this mean?

that was making quick use of that map !

What about:

Imagine a dockside crane that moves about on a pair of rails parallel to a dock side (as here). The crane needs an electric power source, and therefore a building like this is put up on the dockside, to contain a big reel of power cable that unwinds, and rewinds as the crane moves up and down the dockside.

It therefore has an open doorway between the crane rails on the dockside (like this building - ie the lower door), and these buildings also have (as usual) an upper doorway, with a girder sticking out to enable them to winch plants, electric motors etc , in and out for maintenance.

These days, the crane power lead is often attched to the crane, rather than the dockside, so that teh cable does not scrape up and down the dockside.

Bullshi* - any takers ?

The previous post of mine may have been a red herring (but a good one). Looking at the Cheshire CC 1970 aerial photos:

The warehouse to the east (ie towards the lift bridge) appears to have overhung the dock quite a way, so it was only high enough for barges underneath the overhanging roof.

The warehouse to the west appears to have a covered conveyor belt coming from it's roof, to underneath the overhanging roof of the eastern warehouse.

This building may have been the bottom end of the conveyor.

yerr man good call!

Inbetween the front and back wharehouses was a dock, the entrance to the dock was between the west and east whatehouses. There was a dock gate (still visible) and this building was right beside the dock gate. Looks like it may have been connected - may have controlled the dock gates.

The conveyor between the buildings was high up, if I remember correctly - there are some pictures somewhere.

find the pic man would love to see?

The conveyor does cast an even shadow, so may have been horizontal looking at it.

I thought the area between the two warhouses looked a bit flat - if it was a dock - that explains it !

is the dock on the 1954 map ?

not that i can see!

As far as I can determine (and remember) the high level bridges, of which there were many, were walkways not conveyors.

However, there was a hydraulic winch system installed along the dock wall which was used to pull barges between mill and warehouse. The building could be related to this system (a pump house?) it appears to have windows on the dock side of the building which would allow them to see the barges being moved?

More on the mills later

Here is the 1970 aerial where you can see the dock, the roof of the backwharehouse covers it quite a bit - and the 1910 map showing it.

missed that guys sorry!

A look around the area tonight ...

stupid question - is it listed ?

Not a stupid question at all - after all St Catherine's Hospital is not listed, despite being a workhouse originally. Must be too many examples of that style from that era.

If it were listed, that may be why it has survived the demolition of everything else around it.

dock view of flour mills

yerr nice one derek mate thats the one!

the building is the one with the funnels on yellow/red/blue/black
on the map its called the winch button! anymore picks or info?

this the one

spot on mate!

LOL, just noticed; someone else who understands the use of the subjunctive. One of the few these days.

I did a bit of work in this building when I was an apprentice about 15 years ago. It was not a very pleasant place. It was quite dirty and most of the space on each floor was empty by that time. There used to be a bizarre lift which consisted of little more than a vertical conveyor belt running up through all the floors with handles and steps on it. The belt ran continuously and you literally had to jump on and then off at your floor. The Health and safely brigade these days would have a ceasure if they saw it. The view from the roof was great though.

I had to repair some machines at Bibby's (?) Mills in Liverpool moons ago. They had the lifts you describe. They were called Paternosters. Frightening to use the first time, especially lugging a heavy toolbox in and out. You had to get your timing just right !

If you bung "Paternoster, a Cyclic Elevator" into Youtube, you will see they are still in use.

I'm amazed the H&S haven't pounced - yet. Thanks Kev for awaking an old memory!

Another good one .... "The Paternoster Experience" A light hearted view.... ?

Slightly off topic:

All the tall university buildings (all built in 60s) in Leicester seemed to have paternosters - not sure they are still allowed to use them. I still have the occasional bizarre dream about them. You'd always find a couple of gormless students in fresher's week going under the bottom or over the top - it had to be done

Here it is if you've never seen one!
[youtube]OXSnNzGJDdg[/youtube]

The paternosters on youtube are quite elaborate compared to the one at the mills and a lot more like a conventional lift. It was literally a vertical conveyor belt running all the way up through holes in the floors with nothing more than handles and small steps attached. You where not enclosed in a box.

I was not allowed to go on it but I had a few sneaky go's. I was enjoying it so much that I forgot to get off once. Luckily it did have at least one safely feature which was a cut off switch in case a dozy 16 year old apprentice forgot to get off it at the bottom duh.

Edit: It was like this

[img:left]http://www.harriscompanies.com/Harris%20International/ladder.bmp[/img]

Hello. I knew the staff who last looked after the contents to this building during it's working life.

It's the pneumatic engine house that fed compressed air to the two moving quayside grain elevators of the Liverpool Grain Storage & Transit Company silo. It had 4 exhaust stacks to the roof. These were painted for the historic war ships but I see has now been gutted. I've got pics and details of the engines somewhere, they had brass parts and were lovingly maintained by staff. The hoist was used to lift the engine parts in and out.

I was taken on tours by staff before closure and before demolition. There were grain conveyors in most of the covered overhead gantries, as with the Spillers and Ranks mills further along the dock road.

thank you for that mate great info there mate! also welcome to wiki!

cheers for the welcome The engine house is the last building still standing on the former grain company's 3 sites and i think is destined to disappear under the Peel development of the East Float