Hi
new to this wikiwirral forum

I am looking for information on the Tranmere Water Tower which used to be on the corner of Hawthorne Road, Green Way Road.
I used to live close by and when it was demolished some years ago I managed to obtain with agreement from the demolition contractor, the engineers plaque that was bolted to the main water storage tank as a souvenir with the build date and name of engineers etc.
I have some photographs of the tower being demolished but would like to discover more on its history.

if anyone on here can point me to books or preferred web pages on the topic that would be great.
thanks homer

Hi
I am sure it was Stuart rd , as I was born and lived in Stuart for 20 years or so, I remember it well , the reservoir for the water was in Stuart , we used to regularly jump the wall and walk around it . Saying that the grassed side did go right over to hawthorn. Hope you find out some info as I would like to read up on it myself .

flybnight
yeah it was between stuart road and hawthorne road
i will post up the pic of plaque in the next few days just for interest and maybe some of the demolition pics

http://www.oldwirral.com/tranmere_water.html

I lived at the bottom of Hawthorne road and for some reason the old water tower used to scare me as a child. I put a post on here a while back too about the tower asking if anyone had any history on it but there doesn't seem to be much at all.
Would love to see the pics of it being demolished that you said you have, please

some photos of the water tower during its demolition

Nice photos there. I can't think why I don't remember the demolition back in 1979 as I'd only would only have been 17 at the time and still lived in Hawthorne Rd. I suppose at that age I must have been more interested in boys than the water tower coming down

The first photo looks like Wallasey
Water Tower in Mill Lane Wallasey
before it lost its top tank. That
tower is still there.

I wonder if the same guy designed both?

Almost certainly a standard design.

I think that the top picture actually is Liscard. Compare it with this other pic from elsewhere on this site, they are identical. Then compare the two water tanks, they are of different construction, the roofs are different and so are the round plates on them.
Just my opinion but can anyone else see it?

hi,

Definitely Tranmere water tower as I took all these photos myself back in the day. We did them in black and white just to be artistic although wish now I had done colour and would have been easy today to convert to b&w

Yeah suspect it was a standard design, I will be looking to research the civil engineer and architect at some point.
I keep meaning to go up and have a look at the one in Liscard as its still there, is it just lying empty then?

I have some other bits of memorabilia from the water tower including one of the big round plate washers off the tank - comes in useful as a great parasol stand :-)

The start of the construction work on Tranmere Waterworks was reported in the Liverpool Mercury of 25th June 1861. All the main work had been completed by the end of February the following year.

marty99fred

wow that's a great find many thanks.
Quite a detailed press cutting on the proceedings.
Interesting to see that even back then there was plenty of bickering going on between councils and other establishments and on costs etc. :-)

I wish I had seen this article back in the day it was being demolished I would have gone looking for the time capsule thing they talk about, sadly that's well buried now as the stone work from the tower was used to fill in the deep reservoir.

thanks again for finding that one.

I agree. The number of round discs is different, as is the design.
In the top picture there are five roof supports, three double and two single to a side and in the second picture there are six, four double and two single.
@homeraway, are you sure you've not slipped in a Liscard one by mistake?

hi guys

ah right i see what you are looking at now.

I need to explain in more detail.

The first picture is of the actual tower with tank on top.

The second picture is still tranmere water tower but its actually of the second storage tank which was adjacent to the tower but serving the reservoir storage area which was deep into the ground. You can see in the picture where the brick arches used to be.

I hadn't realised that you had thought it was the same storage tank.

Ah, thanks for the explanation.

Makes total sense now. Using one of Chrikay's own pictures from a couple of years ago showing the Tranmere Tower proves your point Homer.

The above newspaper cutting says "...landmark in the area for more than 30 years". If it was completed in 1862 and the cutting is dated 1980 then er...Mmmm. ermmm.

Yes, it IS more than 30 years. 118 years actually. Well 118 is more than 30 so that's OK then ???? Close enough !

Is there a thread on here about the Liscard (Mill Lane) water tower? I've just done a search and can't see one but I'm sure I remember one.

Anyway, my question was - which was built first, the Tranmere tower or the Liscard one?

All I could find;

Click me.

Thanks for that - I'd even posted a reply! Interested to see that the Liscard one predates the Tranmere one - by a year.

And is still standing!

Hi all

Managed to sort a picture out of the original plaque that was on the side of the supply tank in the second picture.
Includes the engineer Richardson who was mentioned in the press cutting from 1861 must have taken them sometime to complete it then since the plaque shows 1882.

Great newspaper article and photos