I've heard that this building on Laird Street used to be a Fire Station.

Anyone have any information, pictures or stories?

Cheers

Looks like it could well be one, I will have a look for references to it as I have a few books on the fire brigrade at home, think they are mainly the Wallasey brigade though.

That building used to be the turntable youth club its never been a fire station

wasnt it the roundabout youth club

I have heard reference to a Fire Station maybe its a myth.

Nope jonno turntable

think it might have been that i was from wallasey and thats what we used to call it as it was on the roundabout.lol but it is called the roundabout now or at least thats what it says above the door :>

I also remember there being some sort of yts scheme in there at some point ,i had to go there for an interview in my past life as a teenager ,,lol

Joe this was a fire station.
Or it was until at least 1957.

Its thought its demise was the new one in Birkenhead (Charing Cross).
In its day this "Was" the Main Fire Station for Birkenhead and
surrounding area's.

It also doubled as a First aid place?
If you had a cut or a fall back then (1957) you would call in to
the fire station for first aid. Back then an Ambulance was very rare. So anyone with an injury would hobble along to the station and if it needed more attention, would take you either;

in the Fire Engine, or a Red Van or something else i cant remember what, but anyway, if you were a child you would be
taken to Birkenhead Children's Hospital off Woodchurch Rd.

The information is from my super sleuth Mr Burgess,
who has to put up with me asking all the questions lol..

So yep it was a Fire Station and a Main on at that

Lordy me, Mark; you make it sound as if 1957 was in the dark ages. Go to the fire station with an injury? More likely you'd go to one of the many hospitals which existed in those days (& all with an A&E department).

I remember when the main fire station was on the corner of Whetstone Lane & Borough Rd. Anybody remember when that was moved (I think there's a Lidl/Netto/Aldi there now).

Children's Hospital off Church Rd? when did that happen? I recall it being on Woodchurch Rd., between Mount Grove & Brattan Rd., almost opposite the ruined church at the top of Oxton Rd. that there's been a thread about recently. There was a picture of it posted recently, heavily sandbagged.

Cheers, Chris.

Well that's the info ive been given, For the Birkenhead Fire Station in the Pictures.
Not sure where the nearest hospital would have been.
Updated the name of the road Church road to Woodchurch Rd

I guess the nearest hospitals to that area would have been the General, on Conway St., near the park entrance, or the fever hospital at Flaybrick. (I actually think your info. is probably correct; I'm sure the firemen would be trained in First Aid).

Cheers, Chris.

I didn't know the Fire Station used to be where Netto is today??

Don't worry Chris, the Children's Hospital is still on Woodchurch Road....

Only now it's the Wirral Christian Centre Care Home

The Fire Station at Whetstone Lane/Borough Road got the chop in 1972 I think. Moved to new building in Exmouth Street. Presume it's still there ? I went for an interview in 1971 to Whetstone Ln. Wanted to become a Fireman. Had a full beard at the time. Some jumped-up geezer at the interview said "That'll have to come off - you can't use a BA set with that on". Cheerio says me and walked out of the interview.

I digress !

Yeah, It's still there together with the Ambulance station around the back.

Cool it was a fire station back in its day.. Fantastic hehe..

I've seen cinefilm of the old fire station on Laird street, my mother had one of those cameras and filmed outside my grandparents house from the upstairs window in laird street nearly opposite the firestation, that was about 1972.

Definitely was a fire station. The surrounding houses were fire station houses and there was a big yard at the back with a drill tower. I lived in one of the houses and dad was a fireman in the station. It became the turntable youth club 'cos of the name of the big fire engine, a turntable ladder.
Back in the 50's the local authority ran both the fire brigade and the ambulance so that one day they might man the fire engine, the next day they might man the ambulance......and so its true, I remember people pitching up for first aid. It closed when the new station opened on the then woodchurch estate

The Exmouth St fire station was opened in March 1973. The Woodchurch Fire station in Arrowe Park rd was opened in May 1962.

why is it a lot of the members seem to think that the 1950s or there about was in the dark ages. Yes as you have now found out that was a fire station by St James Church, and if you go and look at the similar building at Liscard you may realize that there was also a fire station there as well. As far as been hurt and needing first aid, you only went to a hospital if you where almost dead, not like these days running to A&e with a wet nose. you where taken to the nearest chemists shop or doctors surgery to be sorted out.

There certainly was a fire station at Laird Street, I lived there from birth to 1950 when my Dad was pensioned off as he was badly gassed at a fire. We lived at number 6 and then in number 8 which had the drill tower right in front of it. I have modern day photos of it but none from when it was a fire station. I have photos of Dad and the men, a few of fire engines but none of the station itself. Would love to hear from anyone who can give me some information on where to find material/photos of it.
Derby

Hi Skipperuk,

When did you live at the fire station. My family lived there in the 1940`s and we moved about 1951. Do you have any photos of the firemen, I do if you are interested. Maybe I should put them on this site.

Derby

yes please

This was still a fire station in 1967 we used to pass it twice a week on our way to the tunnel to go to and from Glossop in Derbyshire

If anyone can convert vhs to digital format I could put on here about 10 to 15 seconds of film from the top of 358 laird street from the early 70's. It shows the old fire station, as I think my mum was filming my dad parking his car outside a proprty on laird street.

Here is a very short clip I've taken out of a 17 min film from the early to mid 70's, hopefully it works. It is not much but every little bit counts.



[youtube]zFqULf7nqIA[/youtube]

In the 1960s I used to live in Upper Brassey Street, just round the corner. This place was then, a youth club called the Turntable. The chap who used to run the centre lived in the adjoining house to the left of the entrance. He was a very tall 6foot3, slim chap and if my memory serves me right he was called Mr Gould. I actually watched England win the World Cup inside that building in 1966, when I was 15. I do believe that the building WAS a fire station but that was before I moved close by.

I remember the turney in the early 80s best disco ever

Indeed it was the best ever. Canary Yellow polo neck jumper bottle green birmingham bags and a nice pair of green and red wedgies and off to the turnie. This was the mid seventies so i'd guess it was a youthclub for a long long while. Shame it's gone, the kids of the area have nothing now

Wasn't the turntable in a building on the corner where tapestry gardens is now? Or did they have more than one building?

Don't think so - there was a council 'centre' called the 'roundabout' at no. 2 St James Road - which was on the corner next to the turntable centre on the St James Roundabout itself... - been there a few times for 'family therapy' as it was called...!

IT WAS A FIRE STATION BEFOR IT WAS A YOUTH CLUB

the building in laird street definitely was a fire station in the late 1950,s, as if there was any gang fights in the square or around the firemen used to hose the troublemakers down to stop the fighting, i saw this happen as i lived in the square.

Yes it was a Fire Station, I lived not far from it in the 5o's

Yes it was a fire station, I lived just up the road (Laird St). If we ever hurt ourself the first place we were taken by our mothers was there. All the firemen were firstaiders. Around 1954

1927 - North end sub -station opened on Laird St,
2-bays and 8 Brigade houses.

Then you may possibly remember these families that lived in the 8-semi's that belonged to the Fire service
Broster's
Hannah's
Oram's
Wharton's
Bucklie's
Middleton's
Bradley's
Upton's

hi this was the local firestation when i was a kid in the 50s if you look over the main door you can still see where a big brass bell hung in the alcove box . there where two engines and the houses to the left of the station were firemens houses!and yes they did fix you up if you were injured , as a kid about 7 an old wooden gate fell on me and the large nails on the frame went into the top of my leg , my mum took me to the firestation and got a tetanus jab , iodine painted on it and bandages done by the old fireman.

Does anyone know what model fire engines were used there? what turntable?

Icarus. I don't remember any of the people as I left there when I was about 5 years old. I do remember that the Bucklies were family friends for many years.