Forums
Posted By: pablo42 Parkgate - 22nd May 2012 11:22am

Parkgate, 1969. Hardly changed at all

Attached picture Parkgate002.jpg
Posted By: specialboy Re: Parkgate - 22nd May 2012 12:27pm
Apart from the tide
Posted By: dave_h Re: Parkgate - 22nd May 2012 1:31pm
and the marsh?
Posted By: OxtonHill Re: Parkgate - 22nd May 2012 1:49pm
and the lack of litter!
Posted By: granny Re: Parkgate - 22nd May 2012 3:17pm
That is a lovely picture showing the beach Pablo| How much that differs to now,with the marshes, is quite remarkable.
There never seems to be much litter on the front, at least I have never really noticed any Oxtonhill. If there is it's probably windblown icecreams.
Posted By: cathie Re: Parkgate - 22nd May 2012 3:41pm
was the marsh "planted" to become a conservation area or has it just overgrown?
Posted By: granny Re: Parkgate - 22nd May 2012 3:51pm
Originally Posted by cathie
was the marsh "planted" to become a conservation area or has it just overgrown?


It has just developed over the years as the River Dee became more silted up. Someone else will be able to add to that I am sure.

You should take a trip Cathie, if you can. You'd notice the difference.That is the difference with the marshes. The promenade is almost exactly the same, as Pablo says.
Posted By: Alonso Re: Parkgate - 22nd May 2012 6:03pm
1969? An age when the country still had some law and order, and people knew everybody in the street. Great pic! Those lads will be in their fifties now.
Posted By: cathie Re: Parkgate - 22nd May 2012 6:13pm
Originally Posted by granny
Originally Posted by cathie
was the marsh "planted" to become a conservation area or has it just overgrown?


It has just developed over the years as the River Dee became more silted up. Someone else will be able to add to that I am sure.

You should take a trip Cathie, if you can. You'd notice the difference.That is the difference with the marshes. The promenade is almost exactly the same, as Pablo says.


I often go, especially The Old Quay for a carvery :0) I was just wondering how it got like that xx
Posted By: Anonymous Re: Parkgate - 22nd May 2012 6:44pm
I think I read that the silting up of the Dee Estuary started in earnest when they canalised the river (parallel to the Flintshire shore). A long revetment/training wall was built from John Summers Steelworks out to almost opposite Flint. The navigable channel was then close to the Welsh side. With little "scour" on the Cheshire side, it silted up. Spartina grass started growing which increased the silting and and and ......

If I manage to locate the book with the information in I'll quote it later. DON'T hold your breath!
Posted By: Anonymous Re: Parkgate - 22nd May 2012 7:43pm
i used to deliver to the private black and white school on the right of pic. inside is quite amazing, its like a rabbit warren in there.i also use to take my nan and grandad for ice cream there when i first past my test, happy days. great pic. max
Posted By: jimbob Re: Parkgate - 22nd May 2012 8:50pm
Originally Posted by granny
That is a lovely picture showing the beach Pablo| How much that differs to now,with the marshes, is quite remarkable.
There never seems to be much litter on the front, at least I have never really noticed any Oxtonhill. If there is it's probably windblown icecreams.
thats not beach you can see granny, its marsh grass. Its was like that in the early 50s
Posted By: granny Re: Parkgate - 22nd May 2012 9:16pm
Originally Posted by jimbob
Originally Posted by granny
That is a lovely picture showing the beach Pablo| How much that differs to now,with the marshes, is quite remarkable.
There never seems to be much litter on the front, at least I have never really noticed any Oxtonhill. If there is it's probably windblown icecreams.
thats not beach you can see granny, its marsh grass. Its was like that in the early 50s


Thanks Jimbob, just had a little zoom. How right you are.Beach was a nice thought tho'.( I don't remember the early 50's)
Posted By: dingle Re: Parkgate - 23rd May 2012 2:34am
I thought Parkgate was also famous for some seafood "Thingy". Can't for the life of me remember what it was, I was only saying to my wife(aussie)that next time we go we should try some - she not impressed - me laughing> Hang on was it winkles and cockles in vinegar???
Posted By: petzl Re: Parkgate - 23rd May 2012 2:39am
Originally Posted by mindplayer
I thought Parkgate was also famous for some seafood "Thingy". Can't for the life of me remember what it was, I was only saying to my wife(aussie)that next time we go we should try some - she not impressed - me laughing> Hang on was it winkles and cockles in vinegar???


or shrimps ?
Posted By: dingle Re: Parkgate - 23rd May 2012 3:22am
That's it petzl, shrimps, fancy forgetting that "Put another shrimp on the barbie".
Posted By: nestonlad Re: Parkgate - 23rd May 2012 8:38am
This is what it used to look like c1925

Attached picture P8_Parkgate_after_the_storm_1925.jpg
Posted By: bri445 Re: Parkgate - 23rd May 2012 9:37am
More stormy weather at Parkgate.
(from 'Yesterday's Wirral' books)

Attached picture Parkgate_1930s.jpg
Attached picture Parkgate_1940s.jpg
Attached picture Parkgate_1948.jpg
Attached picture Parkgate_1949.jpg
Posted By: bri445 Re: Parkgate - 23rd May 2012 9:42am
The black and white school was Mostyn House School. Note the air raid siren on its roof and no traffic, in this 1940s photo.

Attached picture Parkgate_1940s_2.jpg
Posted By: Anonymous Re: Parkgate - 23rd May 2012 10:42am
wow bri really enjoyed them pics. max
Posted By: OxtonHill Re: Parkgate - 23rd May 2012 11:22am
Originally Posted by granny
There never seems to be much litter on the front, at least I have never really noticed any Oxtonhill. If there is it's probably windblown icecreams.

Looking at the picture I meant litter in the marsh.
Posted By: granny Re: Parkgate - 23rd May 2012 11:36am
Originally Posted by OxtonHill
Originally Posted by granny
There never seems to be much litter on the front, at least I have never really noticed any Oxtonhill. If there is it's probably windblown icecreams.

Looking at the picture I meant litter in the marsh.


Oh sorry! Can't help there, the marsh grass looked like beach to me, until I was corrected. grin
Posted By: nestonlad Re: Parkgate - 23rd May 2012 12:29pm
This is a good view of the beach taken from the roof of Mostyn house

Attached picture P23_Birds_eye_view_of_parkgate.jpg
Posted By: w10694 Re: Parkgate - 23rd May 2012 10:21pm
Pinz is quite right. The end of the marsh was what is know as "Broken Bank", and still is. It was so named because it became broken soon after being built in the 19 century. It remained so, until the RAF expansion period, which was in the 1930's when the RAF re-armed. The Army rifle range was on the edge of RAF Sealand much further back (I have maps), but they were kicked off and into the marsh where they are now, just behind the Broken Bank. However, it was tidal, so they finally repaired the bank, by various means, I have a wartime OS map that shows a narrow gauge along the Broken Bank, and along the training wall to Flint, obviously building them up.

After that, the marsh started to silt up fast. I have RAF aerial photos that show the marsh from ww2 onwards, and it is much more silted up now, than it was in the war.

There is a (very useful ??) layer of radioactive Caesium 137 in the marsh, deposited from leaks at Windscale, so it is fairly easy apparently to measure silt deposited as the deposition dates are known. I think the half life of Caesium 137 is 31 years, so it is decaying pretty fast.

The same is also true for the Mersey Estuary.
Posted By: IrishSeaShipping Re: Parkgate - 25th May 2012 6:36pm
Yes it was shrimps.

I am sure they used to be advertised originally as "Potted Parkgate Shrimps" to "Parkgate Potted Shrimps".

John
Posted By: snowshoes Re: Parkgate - 25th May 2012 8:43pm
I loved them, couldn't get enough. Seems to me they had a sweet taste combined with the vinegar and pepper. Absolutely gorgeous.
I've never been able to replicate that taste. Did I tell you I like shrimp?

Posted By: chriskay Re: Parkgate - 25th May 2012 9:13pm
http://www.nytimes.com/recipes/1271/Potted-Shrimp.html
Try this recipe; it's a good one. The result freezes well too.
Just remember that when you come to eat it, the potted shrimps need a very slight heating, just enough to melt the butter.
Serve with dry Melba toast.
This just doesn't work with anything other than the tiny shrimps, such as you used to get at Parkgate: the French call them Crevettes grises.
Posted By: snowshoes Re: Parkgate - 25th May 2012 11:39pm
Originally Posted by chriskay
http://www.nytimes.com/recipes/1271/Potted-Shrimp.html
Try this recipe; it's a good one. The result freezes well too.
Just remember that when you come to eat it, the potted shrimps need a very slight heating, just enough to melt the butter.
Serve with dry Melba toast.
This just doesn't work with anything other than the tiny shrimps, such as you used to get at Parkgate: the French call them Crevettes grises.


Thanks Chris, looks good, I'll try it out.
Posted By: sunnyside Re: Parkgate - 16th Aug 2012 8:48pm
not so many cars around then,but famous nicholls ice-cream shop still there old school closed now, part of it is now shored up with scaffolding,what a shame its empty now, anyone now what will happen to it
Posted By: sunnyside Re: Parkgate - 16th Aug 2012 8:50pm
what a lovely clear pic pablo
Posted By: granny Re: Parkgate - 17th Aug 2012 1:30am
I like Nestonlads picture too Sunnyside.

Can anyone say more about the layer of Caesium 137 in the marsh. Does that affect the wildlife at all and if it is further up near Thurstaston, would it affect the cockles etc., thus making them contaminated?

Pinz is usually tuned in on these sort of things. Maybe he knows.

© Wirral-Wikiwirral