February 6, 2012

Friday Photo: Meols infants 1920s

Many thanks to Mike Wilson for sending in this photo (click for larger) of a class at Meols Infants School circa 1920.

The teacher was Mrs. Morgan, and Mike’s father, Harry Wilson is third from the right on the back row.

Do you recognise anyone – please leave a comment below if you do.

Friday Photo: Greenwood Road

greenwood road 1

Someone had mentioned to me that there used to be a house(s) in Greenwood Road, in the location of where Meols Park is today. After asking for help, a couple of Hoylake Junction readers remembered an old house there and Syd Bird searched through his archives and found these old photos.

The above view is from the Dovepoint Road end of Greenwood Road and you can see the old house opposite St Andrews Church. The photo is from circa 1907, when the road was named Park Drive. The Church has obviously changed a bit of the intervening years.

The photo below shows the view from the other end of the road ie looking from Birkenhead Road. This photo is circa 1913 and we believe the road at that time was called Park Road. In this view it’s St Andrews that is most visible whilst the house on the other side of the road is somewhat hidden amongst the trees.

Another little mystery solved!

greenwood road 2

Friday Photo: Meols Station

meols station

Here’s the view from the platform at Meols Station taken on a recent family trip out to Liverpool. It only cost £4 return for all of us thanks to the Christmas Cracker fare promotion.

You’ll be seeing some improvements being made to the station soon – Meols has been selected as one of 7 stations on the Merseyrail network to receive funding from the National Stations Improvement Programme. I can’t find details of improvements are to be made …so we’ll just have to wait and see!

Friday Photo: Green Cabinet

parkway cabinet

Can anybody tell me what’s inside this little green cabinet that’s on the corner of Parkway (Park Road end)? It’s quite an unusual looking cabinet and I guess it holds a meter or phone equipment of some sort?

The padlock looks reasonably new suggesting the cabinet is being maintained.

Friday Photo: Bennets Lane Post Box

post box

Do you ever have those moments when you see something somewhere and you ask yourself …is that new or has it always been there?

Well I had such a moment with this post box that’s on Bennets Lane, just past Guffitts Rake. I was kind of sure it was reasonably new but then I started to doubt myself. Fortunately, I know that it is reasonably new because in the photo below taken in June last year (when they resurfaced the road) it wasn’t there. So how long has that post box been there then?

Bennets Lane

Friday Photo: Dead Calm

boat at meols

I took this photo at around 8.30 this morning and as you can see, the Irish Sea at Meols was dead calm. I suspect that won’t be the case over the weekend though as some pretty horrible weather is on it’s way.

Does anybody know if these fishing boats are still in commercial operation? Please feel free to leave a comment below.

Friday Photo: Church Spire

church spireHappened to be walking along Forest Road the other morning when I noticed the spires on St Johns Church. I presume that’s a lightning conductor running down the brickwork? Can’t say that we get many lightning strikes in West Wirral – do we?

Friday Photo: Forest Road Offices

Meols offices

Although Meols is predominately a residential village it does have some commercial premises. There are the shops, doctors surgery and (empty) offices at Station Approach and the old Barclays Bank on the main road is now a beauty parlour. Additionally and pictured above is a building used as commercial premises in Forest Road.

A small number of businesses are operating from the building including an ironing company, a freight forwarding business and an office for building contractors. As Forest Road is possibly the most prestigious road in Meols for houses it seems funny that this building is being used for ironing!

I’m not sure but years ago I think it may have been a joinery yard?

Friday Photo: Monkey Woods

monkey woods

Today’s photo shows the footpath in the Monkey Woods …the woody footpath that links Shaws Drive to Queens Park. Obvious question is, why the name Monkey Woods?

Friday Photo: Meols Common

meols commonI’ve called this area that straddles either side of Roman Road as Meols Common – to be honest I’m not sure what it’s actually called! It’s the common that also can be accessed via the cut-throughs from Shaws Drive, Forest Road and Meols Parade.

I visit it a few times a week now as I walk our new dog but I can remember playing in their as a young lad with my mates. The place hasn’t changed much at all really.