I have been told that the attached photo is not Woodchurch, Wirral but Woodchurch, Ashford, Kent. Having spoken to an admin member of an Ashford local history group, he has no knowledge of this post office. I have since found out that there is another Woodchurch in Kent but someone (originally from the Wirral) who now lives near this one (Isle of Thanet) assures me that it isn't a photo of that Woodchurch.
Difficult call if the building isn't extant.
This has been listed on ebay as Woodchurch near Ashford, however I strongly doubt that. While Ashford had some old sandstone buildings, Woodchurch (Kent) appeared to have none apart from the church.
I think it looks "right" for Wirral, similar sandstone building were everywhere, castellations weren't unusual, indeed the wall around the Arrowe Park Hotel is still a castellated sandstone wall.
The other Woodchurch (Birchingston-on-sea) appears to be just an area named after a farm and wouldn't have been big enough to support a post office, it didn't even grow much when RAF Manston was built literally beside it. Again its not a sandstone area.
Church Lane Woodchurch Wirral has
sandstone walls with some parts having
similar castellations. See Google Earth:-
I have sent an email to the guy who sold a copy of this postcard on ebay asking if he had any local knowledge of its where abouts but I won't hold my breath waiting for a reply. It may be worh contacting The British Postal Museum & Archive
Freeling House, Phoenix Place, London WC1X 0DL
Tel: + 44 (0)20 7239 2570
Email:
[email protected]
I'm pretty sure it's "our" Woodchurch. I remember the building was still there until the Woodchurch Estate was under construction. It was in Pool Lane. It was in my roaming territory when a youngster. A fair distance down on the RH side after leaving the junction with Arrow Park Road. Pool Lane originally went past the church and joined Woodchurch Road at the bend at bottom of the hill.
A lad in my class at Prenton Primary, David Wilkinson (Wilko) lived in that house. Not sure if it was still a P.O. or not then. I don't remember the ivy though. Maybe Bert could trawl his records and maps on this ?
The maps below, 1894/1938 put the Post Office in Church Lane, close to what is now the Arrowe Park Hotel, marked Horse & Jockey on map. The 1911 census describes the building having 4 rooms, not including Kitchens, halls, landings, etc. The building in the photo doesn't appear to have 4 rooms but the building just in view behind could make it up to 4.
Further searching of ebay threw up another copy of this postcard from a seller in Chester. Item number 251780748837 which ended 14th January 2015. The title of the item was 'postcard woodchurch Birkenhead post office'. I believe the possible error of location may stem from the first seller placing it nr Ashcroft, Kent. This is likely because being from the south it might be the only woodchurch he was aware of. On the back of one of the cards sold was inscribed "Uncle Edwin's post office" if that's of help to any local historians. Then again, its always possible our man from Chester has put it in the wrong location for the same reasons as above!
Thank you all for the fascinating information. Can't believe how quickly people answered. I bought the photo yesterday on e-bay believing it was on the Wirral and not Ashford, Kent as stated. I have 2 more photos, one of which has a Birkenhead postmark. To my untrained eye they do look very similar to my original photo.
Post master, 1911, Edwin Pownall,
Good find Gee,
fascinating map, thank you
Edwin Pownall is recorded in Directories as Postmaster and as Tailor in the 1911 census.
Bert1, that's great, thanks.
Being a dimwit, ive not phathomed how to add images yet. Take a look at the ebay link i posted a little earlier. The post card looks the same but closer inspection shows its from an earlier year. There are no leaves on the trees and no postbox on the corner wall. The seller states its Birkenhead. Thanks Bert1.
Hopefully this worked.
Description: Alternative image
And this photo appears to show the same building closer to the church than bert1's map. I'm confused.
Thanks GeeMeister, the glass design in the windows appears to be the same.
I don't think the last photo is the same building,check out the chimney stacks.The wall on the first image, the castellations are blocks of sandstone rather than random stones.
No problem andym. I overlayed the two images and they matched right down to the crack in the sandstone wall to the right of the builing.
Fillbo thanks. I'm starting to think that the person who said the last photo was the post office has got it wrong. Looking at the maps and the other photos, the post office does appear to be further away from the church. If we all think that the photos (except the last one)are of the post office, a photo taken of 'our' post office wouldn't have the church behind it on the right hand side.
The cottage with the church behind is definitely not the Post Office. The cottage would have been in Pool Lane. Where I think it was I've marked red on the map, the blue is downhill, as it still is and green going up hill towards the church.
Bert1, that's great thank you. I'd looked at the map and had tried working out where it could be. I'd come to the conclusion that it had to be in the area you have highlighted but your diagram confirms it exactly for me.
Thanks again. Now just waiting for postcard to arrive. Money well spent.
I need to use this site much more often, some very knowledgeable people on here.
This is by my house so will have a wander over in a few minutes with the camera and see if I can spot where it is.
A bit more detail of the PO in Church Lane, you can see the entrance to the back drive on one of the photographs.
It is now underneath the school I think.
On the map, the old Post Office is where Eltham Green shops are now, when I was younger there was at least one cottage there, I didn't realise it was the old Post Office. I always thought the PO was the cottage in Pool Lane, which is the one in the last photograph where you can see the Church behind it, so I've been wrong for years. We live and learn.
chimney construction on that photo is different and the windows look square rather than arched. no castellations on wall. Suspect a different building than post office.
The road past the Arrowe Park Hotel (woodchurch lane still has a wall that height and with similar castellations on top.
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@53.370484,-3.088605,3a,75y,26.66h,91.97t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1saaLXgj4aiOMZTGBORf__ZA!2e0
This looks like the little cottage that used to be in I think it's Poole Lane, the road behind Holy Cross church, I remember it from when I was a child, I thought it used to be a shop at one time because even when I remember it going back to 1954 it had already closed.