Hi
My grandfather (mum's dad) grew up in Wallasey and moved to London when he was 18. He died in 1969 and we know very little about his childhood. I've found his details on the 1911 census, including the house he lived in for a while - Old School Cottage, Limekiln Lane, Poulton. I would be very grateful if anyone could please tell me if this house still exists - I've seen a few pictures of Limekiln Lane but would love to find a picture of this house for my mum so she can see where her dad lived.
Thanks for your help
sarahg

The only pic I have of that area is this, and I am not sure exactly where the building was

Snod

Hi,
this cottage is still there, its the only one left. We once went to draw it etc for a scholl project. i will see if i can find any recent pictures for you.

To judge from the 1901 & 1911 Census returns the building in your photo was simply called The Farm. It stood in Limekiln Lane next to the old Poulton School building, the boundary wall and railings of which are visible on the left side of the photo. I've attached a couple of maps with the location of The Farm circled.

Locating School Cottage is a little more difficult, as it's not a name that appears on any maps or in Trade Directories. Working from the Census, however, I believe it was part of the next building down Limekiln Lane from the Jolly Sailor beerhouse, which would make it the building I've outlined with a rectangle on the maps. The 1855 map shows it as one property, probably just called School House, but by 1911 it had been divided into two dwellings, School House & School Cottage.

Sadly I've not been able to come up with any photos of these properties, and they're certainly no longer there, having long been demolished to make way for yet another industrial tank farm. I have, however, found a few pics of Limekiln Lane, taken in July 1961, of the few buildings that were then still standing. The first shows the Jolly Sailor, which originally had a terrace of three small cottages attached to its right-hand end. The second shows the sad remains of Poulton School shortly before they were demolished. The third shows the building that daisy_kat is thinking about; usually known as the Old House or Bird's House, it stands at the top end of the road and is the only one of these properties to have survived.

A map of 1875

Limekiln Lane

In the background of the picture of the Bird house, there are a row of houses. In the one on the extreme left used to live Vick Crellin & his wife who used to manage the old Lighthouse Pub in Wallasey Village & even took over the new one when it first opened.

Just a quick correction: if the date on the photo of The Farm is correct, then the wall and railings at left are probably those in front of the Poulton Reading Room, which was built right next to the School in 1886 (marked as 'Club' on the 1911 map). This building was eventually demolished to make way for the original Poulton Vics Social Club, which can be seen on the right in my photo of the School.

Also, I've checked in Noel E Smith's Sandstone and Mortar and he confirms that School House was the building I've indicated on the maps next to the Jolly Sailor. He says it was originally the home of Reverend Cox, who used to teach in the old Wallasey School on Breck Road. The original single property was divided into two some time before the 1875 OS map was surveyed, the end nearest the Jolly sailor retaining the name School House, the other end being called School Cottage.