Can you help Pauline a friend of mine.
She once lived there as a little girl and has fond memories of watching the dockers going to work building the ships.
Does anyone have pictures or the history of this building?

i think abbey buildings was next to priory buildings

Abbey Buildings was one of three blocks of flats built in the early 1930s following the demolition of a number of old insanitary properties in St Mary's Avenue, Howard Street and Knox Street, between Chester Street and Priory Street. Photos of the flats seem hard to come by; the best I can manage is grainy sections of three aerial views of the area, plus one decent shot from the mid-1940s.

The first pic shows the three blocks in 1934 shortly after they were built; St Mary's Avenue Flats at left, Howard Street Flats in the centre, and Abbey Buildings at right, with the County Arms pub sandwiched in between the last two. The other two aerial shots show the same area in early 1962, with Abbey Buildings now overlooking the end of Laird's new Princess Dry Dock.The fourth picture is looking down St Mary's Gate from Chester Street, with Abbey Buildings just right of centre.

Thank you, this will make her day.

great pictures I've always wondered what it was like around there

I love the picture with the three blokes waiting for the boozer to open!

Dockers didn't build ships, they loaded and unloaded cargo etc, and had a uncanny knack of finding things that fell off the backs of lorry's

Sorry Bert, the lady in question is 80 and i was using her words

Brilliant pictures. From what I can remember of the area, the pub on the corner was called The Letters and the building directly across the road from it was the Co-op.

My friends' dad was manager of the Letters about 1958-1961.
Often used to go there to do my homework (often with my French)


map 1950s

Just come across another photo - The County Arms with Abbey Buildings in the background.

Hey marty99fred, that you doing the graffiti with jeff and jimmy?

I lived in the Priory, and used to go here when very young and they would fill a pop bottle with beer for me to take home for my dad after sunday dinner,. from the tiny outdoor I could barely see over the counter,,,,

the manager of the letters was his name, Harold Duncan.

Yes, his son is/was Ian Duncan who I lost touch with when we left school.
A very clever lad

my brother Mike Oldam went to school with Ians brother David, we lived next door but one to the pub.

Had my first pint {brown mix} in the county late 1955. Few of the mates I knocked round with in those days along with the ones from Priory buildings lived in the Abbey buildings {block behind the county.} Few of the family's surnames where the Sherlocks, Williams and the Mcgraws.

Does anyone remember Ernie Bonniface, I had a crush on him,
when I was about 14.

I was trying to access the pictures of Abbey Buildings as my father and his family were brought up there however even though registered, I can't access. It says I have to be a "user plus" but no instructions as to what this means. Thanks.

This might help - CLICKY

I'm sure we didn't have to pay to see the photos on the History Information Request thread in the past? When did this start? (Sorry, strictly speaking this is OT - move/remove if necessary)

Was his surname duncan

If you're asking about Ian Duncan, Duncan is his surname and he went to the BI.
think his dad went on to manage The Farmers Arms in New Ferry after the Letters

I remember lan's brother David very well he went to Hamilton Street school with my brother.