Convenience Summer Fair Mapping

On the 20th August 2022, we began our mapping work with the local community at our 3rd Birthday. This was a brilliant first point to engage with local people to hear their stories of the area from Birkenhead and Beyond! Here are the first parts of that history told by you and your memories of place: 

1.New brighton: Wirral show 

2. New brighton: New Brighton baths, outdoor pool- visiting from liverpool, day out at the lido. 

3. Vale park: Going to vale park in the school holidays and performing on the joytime stage trying to be the best act of the week to get a spot at the grand finale at the floral. 

4. New Brighton: we miss the tower, but at least there is a skate park there now. 

5. New brighton: early 1960s (agdes) arriving on the ferry’s from liverpool - for day at the the sea side (new brighton) Thousands of people on the boats. 

6. Birkenhead: Ferry from pier head to woodside with my grandmother, loved the experience + the noise of the gang planks 

7. Wallasey / Bidston moss: Played my first football game here when i was 10, i got lost before finding the pitch behind tesco. 

8. Bidston: I used to get a train from wales into bidston and then Liverpool for uni. I miss sitting at the train station and reading my book. Something very beautiful and a peaceful memory for me. 

9. Remembering there was NO motorway. Oxton rural area. 

10. Birkenhead/Market: from vauxhall Liverpool, visiting birkenhead market. Before Pizza’s were fashionable getting pizza bases from the market to make our own pizza’s! 

11. River Mersey: Merchant seamen coming home from tours of america’s. Always stood on the deck as the ship entered the river to view birkenhead//liverpool “we are Home” 

12. Tranmere: First moved here in 1985 and worked @ the glenda jackson theater” on borough road for over 10 years. So many happy memories of the wirral youth  and the production and projects we did. All the young people and their families getting to know them mead me feel instantly welcome and now nearly 40 years later this is my home. 

13. Hamilton square: My Grandad John atherton Born 1934 took shelter from the world war 2 bombs over Mersesyide in hamilton square train station _ claire henderson. 

14. Claughton road/Birkenhead park: had many lovely pasty in herst, 10 on 10. 

15. Lower Tranmere - Alan Houghton: Queens mother Launching the “windsor castle” Alan was in the Guard of Honour “1958” 

16. Rock ferry: Born 1940- mother said the war started because i was born. Brought up for the first 5 years of life in a bomb shelter. 

17. Woodchurch: The asda used to be a massive co-op 

18. Egerton Park:  I moved house and i have a lovely big garden and a big tree house. 

19. Noctrum: Rauk Hovis, spavtc centre - (bullied) townfield lane won a goldfish and it died a day later. ????

20. Birkenhead Market:The birth of convenience gallery and where i met the sound lads that made it happen. BIG UP BIRKO. 

21, Oxton: Rons place a little bit of ancient rome, egypt + Greece (etc) in oxton. Saveronsplace 

22. Holm lane: moving to a little flat on holm lane with my mum + brother. Spending most friday nights around Waterpark poad or the ARNO. “the Quickie”- quicksave slushies + pick n mix riding bakes around the dirt track.