Forums Forums Wirral History : Chasing the Past Wirral Now and Then Shops gone by

It was Bookland that was on Wallasey Road, I think. My Granddad used to take me to the playground up the little road that was behind the Manweb showroom, where the Cherry Tree precinct is now. In the Bata shoe shop - on Liscard road I think? - there was an x-ray machine; you could look at the bones in your feet through an eyepiece. Those were the days, eh?!* I think that shop also had those whizzy pots on wires that your money was put in, then the change was whizzed back to the counter. I had my first Saturday job in Liscard Co-op, 1968-ish, back of the ground floor, in pharmacy and cosmetics. I had a love/hate relationship with the Bronnley lemon soaps - they used to make me sneeze. On my breaks I discovered the sheer delight of warm eccles cakes from the canteen/cafe - mmm! Not so mmm were the shocks I used to get off the metal lockers when removing my nylon overall. Ouch. I also remember buying school dress fabric from Kay Macs, diagonally opposite to where HSBC is now, at 2/11 a yard. Gad, I feel old now...!

Also your namesake Greenwoods soon to be a shop of the past . My favourite shop years ago was Ken Hopkins Tackle Shop which was originally opposite Christchurch in Moreton before it moved. On the subject of highstreet shops. How many closed and boarded up ones would go towards the target of 2 million social homes needed..they would be in the right place .

Yes, quite a few shoe shops had them and they were radioactive fluoroscopes, the radioactive dosage was above what is allowed today, especially for kids. Fortunately feet are quite resistant to radioactive cancerous effects but the heavy shielding in the box was often missing or altered especially on the lower powered British ones.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shoe-fitting_fluoroscope

Yep, remember them in Clarkes shoe shops. Do you glow in the dark Greenwood ?
It seemed that shoes always cost £29.11d for leather shoes.The prices never changed for years.

£29.11d. .. just under £1.50 in todays money

Typo
29/11 or 29s-11d

Here's a few from back in the day
Peter Toner
Longworths cycles
Co op Liscard
Halfords Liscard and player sports next door.
the old market that was in Liscard now a cafe and mobile accessory shop
and I remember there used to be 3 computer shops in the 80's,
2 on Seaview road and one on Liscard road facing the ambulance station.

Michael did you by any chance go to Hemmy?

Chris I recall that bookshop, I've still got books on my shelf now from that place

I remember Gateway and then it became Solo (I worked there when it was Solo in the 90s) was owned by Somerfield and was doing ok until they stupidly decided to by Kwik save which marked the started of the downfall of both brands / companys.

Other shops I remember from Moreton.

The Critarion (was a little sweet/toy shop)
Gerard’s the bakers
Cellar 5
Victor Values
Shop a Cheque
Keyleighs toy shop
Sayers bakers
Rumbelows
Manweb
Stop & Shop (Co-op)
Co-op chemist
Wimpy
Moreton Mart
Max Speilmann
Time Spot
Fennys
Marks Second hand (down silverburn ave)
Rox records
Bingo hall
Beefeater
Michaels stationers

So so many shops, more will come to me I’m sure…..

Gateway in Moreton, which then became Kwik Save and now Somerfield.

My god, I remember seeing that advert for the computer shop every time I walked around the corner to get on the elevator to go down to the platform and the Nestle Dairy Crunch vending machine on the wall just as you went around the corner onto the platform!