My grandfather was raised in Castle Street, before emigrating to Australia. One of my cousins told me that you can see shrapnel marks in the front fence, which I was fortunate enough to see when visiting the UK in 2014.
My Mum and Dad both worked in the Rootes factories, my Dad was posted to Hendon to work on the development of the Halifax bomber before going to West Africa. They where in the Classic cinema on Allerton Rd before he was posted abroad, The sirens went off and everyone had to stand under the Circle. All hell was let loose outside and eventually they where let out onto Allerton Rd. There was a wrecked bomber which had come down somewhere on Allerton Road. I somehow remember Dad saying it was a Dornier. In the pitch black my Dad stood on something which went into his pocket. It was a drive shaft with a universal joint on one end. I know this to be true Jeff because I still have it in my kitchen.
My Mum used to tell of being caught out in Sandfield Park during a raid. They could hear a land mine parachute flapping but had no idea where it was in the black out. Pushed themselves into the grass she said. It took out a row of houses 200 yards away.
Here is something to research, going back to Kingsthorne School do you remember an elderly teacher called Miss Parry? I can remember she told us one day that there had been two Anti Aircraft Guns and search lights on the roof of the school in the war. I have never got to the bottom of this story, but I can remember her telling it as if it was yesterday.
I remember Miss Parry. I've not heard the story before but if she says so then I'd presume it's true. It was in a location close to targets in that area so it makes sense. If I find anything I'll let you know.
The echo have an animation map online. It shows deaths caused by bombing. 1 in Rose St. 1 in St Mary St. I also think there was clearing of sub standard housing post war. Gladstone Street had 2 sides when I was a kid 1970s I'm sure., And most of cobden St. Planners did far more damage than the luftwaffe. Skem? Netherley? Kirkby?
They cleared one side of Gladstone Street and just left it as empty plots? That's not planning that's vandalism. A lot of concrete jungles rose at the same time. Runcorn and Cantril Farm now Stockbridge Village were another two. Thanks for the war info 👍
@@Jeff1photo hi Jeff I have a memory that there was only one bomber brought down during the liverpool blitz. it used to be visible on a sandbank south of otterspool. again in the maritime museum was a wheel from the landing gear with a tyre marked Continental Fabrique en France. Irony. Just looked at Gladstone street again on google. there are no trees or shrubs more than a few years old on the cleared north side. i had a friend who lived there, Jill phillips. remember the the digger yard and rubber dump where the quarryworkings had moved up beyond the mill style. every now and then someone would torch it and the black smoke would mushroom 100s of feet high. good old Days.
We're the houses on Gladestone Street the same design as those opposite the empty land or were they older. There's a reply on the video saying a bomber landed on Allerton Road, I've also heard of one landing in Speke. I remember the fires in the Quarry, I was going to do a video about it as someone asked a question about fires in the area. Working on it now.
Jeff.. From memory the North side ot Gladstone Street was Victorian brick or sandstone. . Your documentaries are highly appreciated and invaluable. Please continue with your excellent content. The views may not be massive but the viewers are here for quality. .
Grew up on Quarry St - you literally walked past my parent's backgarden. Shame that the County Court pub is gone. Would be interesting to know the history of that building.
Sorry missed this when it came out. For some reason I didn't get a notification. I see controversy building in the comments and I guess History can do that to people. I would just point out that as children we were told that many died in those house and this kind of news (an entire block of houses being hit) would not have been reported for propaganda reasons. All that I can say is that growing up in that neighbourhood, these were the accounts that we were given. Cobden and Gladstone had very poor quality houses. They were two-up-two-down with an outhouse. The properties you see in Gladstone Street today came from a later period than the houses that occupied those streets. Those streets were built for the Quarry workers and their families that came from Cornwall. There were entire regions in Corwall devastated at the collapse of clay mining in the area. They were resettled in various parts of the country. Castle street was for the Engineering and Managment class who ran the Quarry. The Quarry Masters house is on the corner of Castle stree/Quarry next the to the Mill style and the old entrance to the quarry (which had a post box in the wall with VR on it).
Thank you for the information which formed the base for this video. I personally learned a lot from making it. People remember different things. You would think history is cut and dry, but it never is. Thank you for the information in your comment too.
@@Jeff1photo You're welcome and thanks for the video, it was interesting to see how those places have changed. The Mill Style holds the key to a new video for you :) There are various old rights of way that existed around Woolton, the Mill Style is one of them and there is also one that runs alongside the Golf Course near the Vineries and also one that cuts across the fairway. Golfer are warned of the pedestrian right of way and are require to giveway (instructions used to be on the ticket. I think that tracks surrounding Allerton Towers are also old rights of way. One also running along the edge of Clarkes Gardens and ultimately leading to Camp Hill. It would need some Research but we were told tha tthese were old 'Monk' pathways. Woolton Mount off of Acresfield road might have been one, (I recall that it had sandstone cobbles) and this would lead you to the back of Reynolds Park.
I remember the mansion House in Reynolds park when I was a child in the 1960s and 70s it was owned by butlers the caterers and they used to be weddings there nearly every Saturday during summer
I have lived in Woolton Village since 1988 & have never heard or read of properties in Gladstone Street or Cobden Street being destroyed during the Blitz. Liverpool Each has a "Blitz Map" which is available online. The only recorded Blitz damage is a property in Rose St (on the left-hand side when looking from Vale Road) and St Mary's St (on the right-hand side when looking from Allerton Rd). The National Libraries of Scotland website has an OS map 1892-1914 which shows houses in Gladstone St on the left-hand side when looking from Vale Rd (the gardens in your video) but nothing on the right-hand side. Whether this is a topographical error is unclear. My understanding is that a lot of old properties on the outskirts of the village were demolished in the 1930's because of their poor & unsanitary condition.
It is worth noting that the Echo says the dots represent fatalities. I might have misinterpreted not sure. I'm sure there was another street level map I saw 20+ years ago that showed impacts which were more extensive.
I was born in woolton in 1963 in Vale road and know the area very well, yes their were houses bombed in Cobden st, the first house from the top of the back of the Cobden pub was number 9 so for houses 1 to 7 were lost in a bombing raid , it was just waste ground when I was a child and we used to have our Bommy there on Nov 5 also halfway down Cobden Street they used to be a shop in the middle there was also a couple of houses missing as for Gladstone Street I don't believe that anything was lost in a raid , Cobden Street was demolished in 1980s , to make way for the servite sheltered housing , along with all the allotments and gardens that used to be between the back of Cobden Street and castle at I bought my first house in 1987 by the Derby arms , and moved up to st Helens in 2004 woolton does not resemble anything I remember nowadays I would not want to live there I now live in rainford
6:00 that anti aircraft gun and its like did far more damage to Uk than any German bomber did. No need to worry about planes hitting houses, those guns didn’t stand a chance of hitting a plane. The planes were flying way above the firing range of those ground based guns.
My grandfather was raised in Castle Street, before emigrating to Australia. One of my cousins told me that you can see shrapnel marks in the front fence, which I was fortunate enough to see when visiting the UK in 2014.
My Mum and Dad both worked in the Rootes factories, my Dad was posted to Hendon to work on the development of the Halifax bomber before going to West Africa. They where in the Classic cinema on Allerton Rd before he was posted abroad, The sirens went off and everyone had to stand under the Circle. All hell was let loose outside and eventually they where let out onto Allerton Rd. There was a wrecked bomber which had come down somewhere on Allerton Road. I somehow remember Dad saying it was a Dornier. In the pitch black my Dad stood on something which went into his pocket. It was a drive shaft with a universal joint on one end. I know this to be true Jeff because I still have it in my kitchen.
I have no doubt its a true story, I've heard similar stories over the years.
My parents lived through those times too. Thanks for the information 👍
My Mum used to tell of being caught out in Sandfield Park during a raid. They could hear a land mine parachute flapping but had no idea where it was in the black out. Pushed themselves into the grass she said. It took out a row of houses 200 yards away.
How frightening would that be, it would have been pitch black. Its difficult to comprehend the terror of those days.
Here is something to research, going back to Kingsthorne School do you remember an elderly teacher called Miss Parry? I can remember she told us one day that there had been two Anti Aircraft Guns and search lights on the roof of the school in the war. I have never got to the bottom of this story, but I can remember her telling it as if it was yesterday.
I remember Miss Parry. I've not heard the story before but if she says so then I'd presume it's true. It was in a location close to targets in that area so it makes sense. If I find anything I'll let you know.
Ian Helsby I remember miss parry!
@@marieyenson9929 I still have nightmares about her!
The echo have an animation map online. It shows deaths caused by bombing. 1 in Rose St. 1 in St Mary St. I also think there was clearing of sub standard housing post war. Gladstone Street had 2 sides when I was a kid 1970s I'm sure., And most of cobden St. Planners did far more damage than the luftwaffe. Skem? Netherley? Kirkby?
They cleared one side of Gladstone Street and just left it as empty plots?
That's not planning that's vandalism.
A lot of concrete jungles rose at the same time. Runcorn and Cantril Farm now Stockbridge Village were another two. Thanks for the war info 👍
@@Jeff1photo hi Jeff I have a memory that there was only one bomber brought down during the liverpool blitz. it used to be visible on a sandbank south of otterspool. again in the maritime museum was a wheel from the landing gear with a tyre marked Continental Fabrique en France. Irony. Just looked at Gladstone street again on google. there are no trees or shrubs more than a few years old on the cleared north side. i had a friend who lived there, Jill phillips. remember the the digger yard and rubber dump where the quarryworkings had moved up beyond the mill style. every now and then someone would torch it and the black smoke would mushroom 100s of feet high. good old Days.
We're the houses on Gladestone Street the same design as those opposite the empty land or were they older.
There's a reply on the video saying a bomber landed on Allerton Road, I've also heard of one landing in Speke.
I remember the fires in the Quarry, I was going to do a video about it as someone asked a question about fires in the area. Working on it now.
Jeff.. From memory the North side ot Gladstone Street was Victorian brick or sandstone. . Your documentaries are highly appreciated and invaluable. Please continue with your excellent content. The views may not be massive but the viewers are here for quality. .
Just seen this. Thank you
Grew up on Quarry St - you literally walked past my parent's backgarden. Shame that the County Court pub is gone. Would be interesting to know the history of that building.
Sorry missed this when it came out. For some reason I didn't get a notification.
I see controversy building in the comments and I guess History can do that to people.
I would just point out that as children we were told that many died in those house and this kind of news (an entire block of houses being hit) would not have been reported for propaganda reasons.
All that I can say is that growing up in that neighbourhood, these were the accounts that we were given. Cobden and Gladstone had very poor quality houses. They were two-up-two-down with an outhouse. The properties you see in Gladstone Street today came from a later period than the houses that occupied those streets. Those streets were built for the Quarry workers and their families that came from Cornwall. There were entire regions in Corwall devastated at the collapse of clay mining in the area. They were resettled in various parts of the country.
Castle street was for the Engineering and Managment class who ran the Quarry. The Quarry Masters house is on the corner of Castle stree/Quarry next the to the Mill style and the old entrance to the quarry (which had a post box in the wall with VR on it).
Thank you for the information which formed the base for this video. I personally learned a lot from making it. People remember different things. You would think history is cut and dry, but it never is.
Thank you for the information in your comment too.
@@Jeff1photo You're welcome and thanks for the video, it was interesting to see how those places have changed.
The Mill Style holds the key to a new video for you :) There are various old rights of way that existed around Woolton, the Mill Style is one of them and there is also one that runs alongside the Golf Course near the Vineries and also one that cuts across the fairway. Golfer are warned of the pedestrian right of way and are require to giveway (instructions used to be on the ticket. I think that tracks surrounding Allerton Towers are also old rights of way. One also running along the edge of Clarkes Gardens and ultimately leading to Camp Hill. It would need some Research but we were told tha tthese were old 'Monk' pathways.
Woolton Mount off of Acresfield road might have been one, (I recall that it had sandstone cobbles) and this would lead you to the back of Reynolds Park.
I remember the mansion House in Reynolds park when I was a child in the 1960s and 70s it was owned by butlers the caterers and they used to be weddings there nearly every Saturday during summer
I have lived in Woolton Village since 1988 & have never heard or read of properties in Gladstone Street or Cobden Street being destroyed during the Blitz. Liverpool Each has a "Blitz Map" which is available online. The only recorded Blitz damage is a property in Rose St (on the left-hand side when looking from Vale Road) and St Mary's St (on the right-hand side when looking from Allerton Rd). The National Libraries of Scotland website has an OS map 1892-1914 which shows houses in Gladstone St on the left-hand side when looking from Vale Rd (the gardens in your video) but nothing on the right-hand side. Whether this is a topographical error is unclear. My understanding is that a lot of old properties on the outskirts of the village were demolished in the 1930's because of their poor & unsanitary condition.
It is worth noting that the Echo says the dots represent fatalities. I might have misinterpreted not sure. I'm sure there was another street level map I saw 20+ years ago that showed impacts which were more extensive.
I was born in woolton in 1963 in Vale road and know the area very well, yes their were houses bombed in Cobden st, the first house from the top of the back of the Cobden pub was number 9 so for houses 1 to 7 were lost in a bombing raid , it was just waste ground when I was a child and we used to have our Bommy there on Nov 5 also halfway down Cobden Street they used to be a shop in the middle there was also a couple of houses missing as for Gladstone Street I don't believe that anything was lost in a raid , Cobden Street was demolished in 1980s , to make way for the servite sheltered housing , along with all the allotments and gardens that used to be between the back of Cobden Street and castle at I bought my first house in 1987 by the Derby arms , and moved up to st Helens in 2004 woolton does not resemble anything I remember nowadays I would not want to live there I now live in rainford
6:00 that anti aircraft gun and its like did far more damage to Uk than any German bomber did.
No need to worry about planes hitting houses, those guns didn’t stand a chance of hitting a plane.
The planes were flying way above the firing range of those ground based guns.