Sorry - not exactly Wirral history, but I mentioned in Renshaw Street thread about info I had found once about certain dwellings built for workers in Liverpool that could only be entered from a doorway elsewhere.

I found the site but its a bit messed up - has virus warnings all over it - I'm dumb - I went in anyway This is the only surviving example of 'back-to-back' housing in Liverpool.

'These photographs record the spectacular transformation of a very old workers terrace off Duke Street on the edge of China Town. Until recently the only access to these houses was through the cellar of a larger house on Duke Street itself.

A wealthy merchant had this terrace built to house his workers and each night they had to make their way through the cellar in his house and out into the enclosed courtyard in order to gain access to their homes.'

Before:


After (renovated 2003):


This guy's website has some nice stuff on it - shame it says its riddled with viruses etc. Didn't put me off
So if you do go - don't blame me if your PC dies

http://www.edwardjkelly.com/on_location.html

What a marvelous transformation.

Always good to see renovation instead of regeneration.

this is 17,duke street where the infamous maggie may used to live
the second one is duke street in 1800 and the third duke 1960s from bottom end

nice info and pics gang!

If you venture onto edwardjkelly's website (despite all the virus warnings) you'll find stuff about St Andrew's on Rodney Street and also the abandoned Jewish cemetery on Deane Rd. All very spooky

Who was the wealthy merchant ?

Good question...records office anyone? I don't know which house the dwellings were connected to on Duke Street

Duke Street Area/Ropewalks
The Duke Street area lies to the south of the city centre in an area recently renamed 'RopeWalks'. The area consists of the south west part of the Duke Street Conservation Area plus two warehouses on College Lane and the Bluecoat Chambers on School Lane.

The growth of the Duke Street area commenced following the opening in 1715 of the Old Dock, or Steers Dock, which was located within the original pool and allowed secure moorings and access from the River Mersey.

The opportunity that this afforded to the merchants of the town led to a demand for premises near to the Dock and its Customs House.

The Duke Street area, due to its proximity to the Dock, and the nature of its topography, with the land running uphill from the Dock, was at the forefront of the first speculators boom in Liverpool.

Hanover Street was built up first, followed by Duke Street and Bold Street, and the fields that were an earlier feature of the area were also quickly developed. Although there had been port-related industrial activity in the area, with roperies occupying the site of what is now Bold Street to supply the sailing ships, this intensified along with a demand for residential properties so that the merchants could be located close to their business interests.

The Charles Eyes plan of 1785 illustrates that by this time, the area had been substantially laid out and developed, so that connecting streets such as Seel and Fleet Streets were present, and the plan of the area seen today was in place.

This grain follows a hierarchy of streets, with the broadest streets containing the residual merchants residences and shops, and the interconnecting and narrower streets to the rear containing the warehousing and poorer housing.

The earliest surviving trade directory for Liverpool, produced by J. Gore in 1766, indicates the population mix of the area of the time. In Cleveland Square, the list contains nine sea captains, six traders/merchants as well as artisans and professionals.

Originally the goods brought into the Dock were stored in the merchants houses, but as trade grew, they proved to be inadequate, and private warehouses were constructed adjacent to the houses.

Due to the huge demand for plots in this area, the new industrial and warehouse buildings took the form of deep plans front to rear, with narrow street frontages and they were extended in height to three or four stories with a basement.

The housing consisted of a range of buildings from grand Georgian town houses such as the Parr residence on Colquitt Street, to terraces as seen at 15-25 Duke Street.

Some of these were arranged around squares or gardens, such as Wolstenholme Square and Cleveland Square, and a Ladies Walk was provided along Duke Street. As the warehousing and industrial uses of the area grew, the merchants moved to more salubrious suburbs that were being developed higher up the hill in the Canning Street area and more distant areas such as Mossley Hill.

Some of the former residential properties were adapted to other uses, with ground floors converted to shops as the retail importance of the area grew.

As part of this process, the area also saw an increase in the number of labourers attracted to the port and its trades, and the accommodation for this group was provided in much poorer back-to-back housing such as Dukes Terrace and housing courts. Within the Duke Street area, a number of key buildings remain that help to define its history and character

The merchants name appears to be Bridson.

great find bert

The Jackson Family



The Jackson family come from Youghal, South East Cork, Ireland. I have researched as far as I can reasonably go with this family. It starts off with a Richard Jackson, Boot & Shoemaker we don't know where he came from, Richard had one child that we know of Thomas Jackson, he was born in 1820 County Down, Ireland. We don't know if the whole family then moved to Youghal, South East Cork, but there is a record in the 1835 Poll Books of Youghal for a Richard Jackson shoemaker, living at South Main Street, Youghal no other trace has been found. Parish Records have been checked and there seems to be no trace of any Jacksons at all in Youghal at that time.


Why did the Jacksons come to England, who knows, but it was the mid 1840s about the time of the Potato famine, so maybe this had something to do with it.


Thomas Jackson with his first wife Barbara Reeves who he married in 1837 had 3 children born in Youghal, their 4th child was born in Liverpool. Barbara our Great Great Great Grandmother unfortunately died at the age of 28 on 27 October 1847 Liverpool. Thomas and Barbara Reeves record of intention to marry The Church of Ireland Marriage Licence Bonds for Cloyne Diocese (Covering Youghal Parish) list the intent to marry Thomas to Barbara Reeves 1837 - The original record did not survive, and nor is there a transcript available. Thomas re-married a Margaret Bennett, who was Welsh would you believe!! They had two children, Thomas Jnr and George




The Jacksons lived in 1 Dukes Terrace also 9 Dukes Terrace, Liverpool, 4 Pomona St, Liverpool, 61 Peach St, Liverpool.


a little bit of one familys history and they arrived in england and ended up in dukes terrace

I wonder what Mr Bridson's business was that he chose to house his workers in such a way