Hi Guys,

Ive just routed out a photo we salvaged from when we closed down Woolworths in Birkenhead.

Its a staff photo from 1938! It'd be nice to see if anyone knows anybody from it!

those were the days... very few men i see

Haha, yep! But I imagine the men were in the highest roles!!

The other thing my mum pointed out was that Woolworths moved sites on grange road, so I wonder where this was taken?

Just been chatting with a friend who reckons Woolies and what is now Primark was a childrens workhouse going back to before the church was built where Woolies was. Anyone any idea if this is true?
Thanks

As far as I remember, the Birkenhead Woolies/Primark is built on the site of Birkenhead's original YMCA - where Baden-Powel made hs speech which led to the founding of the Boy Scout movement. It was demolished by a bomb during WW2.

Could you be thinking of the Liverpool Woolies/Primark which is built on the site of the Liverpool Church of St Peter which was also bombed during the war? There was probably something on the site before the church. There is a small metal cross set in the pavement in Church Street where the church's altar was.

Woolworth's was on the corner of Catherine St., next to the YMCA. The site of Woolworth's was previously a Baptist church; what it was before that, I don't know. Would be interesting to find out.

Didn't St.Catherine's hospital use to be a workhouse?

It did Jemarc,

http://www.workhouses.org.uk/Birkenhead/

Thanks for info folks!

My wife works in Primark and 1 of the lads who works dere said grave stones are down stairs in the stock room my wife not seen them but she's going to investigate tomz

Keep me posted Rob. This friend of mine worked there a few years ago and heard children laughing and giggling, the shop was closed at the time! I've been good friends with her for over 40 years and she's not one to make stories up or let her imagination run riot!

At the front of the basement under what used to be the front of Woolworths is hatch in the wall. This led to a crypt from the original church , this being left insitu when Woolies built the store.
A story which I can relate to this dates back about 20 years. The local property manager for Woolies, a guy called Phil Maddox, was a renowned practical joker (cling film under seats in the ladies toilets etc.) & the staff at Birkenhead decided to get him back. One day he came to the store to do an inspection in the crypt area (which had no lights). He climbed through the hatch with his torch & one of the staff ,covered with a white sheet, jumped out on him. Revenge was sweet.

Bob.

I used to work in Woolies in Birkenhead, and the basement was very scary!! I knew it was a church beforehand, but never heard of it being a workhouse before that?