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Date Posted: 12:17:45 02/24/06 Fri
Author: Gillian
Author Host/IP: 84.68.236.54
Subject: 
Speke in the early days
Hello,
I have been reading all the memories, seeing names I remember but can't put a face too so before I collaspe in floods of sentimental tears I thought I'd better write something.
My family moved to Speke 1950, from what they had moved from this was luxury. My sister Agnes told me about everything being new, hot running water, toilets inside, the only downside to this paradise was for a while was, it was a building site very very muddy. In time things changed but it was very much a community, groups and activities were formed, ok there wasn't enough schools but other arrangements were made. Something which was told to me not long ago, my Father much to the horror of my elder sisters started up ball room dancing classes(I am glad it didn't continue after I was born).Is there anyone out therewho went through this purgertry.
My memories of Speke are good ones, okay some bad things did happen but on the whole it was good. I remember going off to Oglate Shore in a gang, those poor people in the cottages where continually being harrassed all day and all summer long "please can we have a bottle of water". Oglate shore was our nearest bit of seaside that many of us saw. The fear of walking on to the sinking sand (mud) to disappear for ever, and of course we all knew someone that did. There was the orchard that was raided constantly. Okay we couldn't build sand castles but if the tide was in we could risk life and limb swimming about in the sewage.
Going a long the top towards the light house there was a drop which you would carefully slide down collecting graised and nettled legs and arms, but we done it time after time.
What about the mobile shops? O'connors, Barr's forgive me if I spell it wrong, "The Bewlies" with their annual sale of toffee apples. Poor Mr O'connor was for ever getting broken in to, I remember one night while we were playing around the van we heard noises inside so Mr O'Connor was summoned with Police side kicks to investigate. I don't know who the villains were but they were kids and terrified.
When all my brothers and sisters left home it was decided to move to Warrington in 1978. By that time Speke was not the place I knew. The flats that we lived in with their three floors of landings and stairs and from the begining had been brushed and scrubbed and neatly finished off with whiter than white edges and front door steps, became vandilised neglected and at time no go areas.
Even though my life and work was moving else where I can honestly say I left Speke with a heavy heart.
I live in the south of England and I have no remaining family in Speke but do have family in parts of Merseyside and Cheshire.
I visited All Hallows and spoke to Miss Short, that was a little time before it closed, she knew straight away who I was and asked if my sister Sylvia had learnt to behave herself. Sadly it was the last time I saw St Christophers Church, I was horrified to find it had been demolished. Does anyone know what happened to the time capsule with all the childrens names in side? From what I was told the parishoners bought a brick each, did any one get their brick back?
The last time I came to Speke was thre years ago when we where interning my brother Davids ashes in the family grave. I was quite shocked by the changes, I knew that the flats where I lived had been rebuilt in to houses, and the area of ground that I and my fiend John Morrishroe had dug up a lime pit, had been taken over by the houses where George Harrison lived. (I don't remember him but his Father was a miserable old bugger!!!
Standing on the road where I had kicked the can, played various games including knock and run? many opologies to my victims but I didn't do it on my own. I looked towards Ganworth and there was a new School, The park was no more, I remeber being chased out of the rose garden many times by a very angry gardner, our limit of not being chicken was walking on the bowling green.
It was very sad seeing so many changes but what I could see was a very determined effort to raise Speke from the ashes(excuse that pun).
I am sure there are still lots of the origional Speke people from the early years that will hopefully keep it all together. I will not forget Speke because I have too many good memories of friends schools and good times.
Best wishes
Gillian
Ps Please can any one tell me what the "labricks" or "lavricks where? I know it is where fords was built and there was lots of ponds.
Also what happened to St Christophers Statue?
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Re: Speke in the early days -- Ken Savage, 13:28:30 03/20/06 Mon (82.42.166.95)
Hi Gillian
Great to read your email. My family lived in Linner Road from 1939 so remember
St Christopher's from when it was a tent, through the wooden hut to the large Church
and then the new small one. It is true, every one bought a brick & no we didn't get it back,
but we did get one of the pews. We didn't even get a brick from our family house in Linner
Road when they knocked it down. The parishioners paid a lot of money to help build the
Church and were not even consulted about knocking it down. Thou I suppose it was cold
and draftee. I remember going to the first Midnight Mass when it was built, It was freezing
cold with braziers to keep us warm.
The Time Capsule was not disturbed, it is still there and the Statue is in the grounds of
the new church but the weather as got at it and the face as fallen off.
Dose anyone remember the bomb that fell outside the front of the old wooden Church
and didn't break anything not even the Statue.
Ken Savage
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Re: Speke in the early days -- Lillian Savage (happy), 23:11:36 02/12/12 Sun (124.177.177.146)
I remember Saint Christopher's school in the 1950's my teacher was Miss Oakley, my brother Peter was a prefect and sent me to her for the cane. Growing up in Speke was great, I lived in Upton Close till 1959 when we left to live in Australia, Peter used to take a gang of us to the Dam Woods were we would collect the broken branches off of the trees to build our bonfire, all the neighbors would keep the broken furniture and we used to compete with Upton Green to see who had the biggest, he also made a Guy Fork and made us go around knocking on doors asking a penny for the Guy he then wouls buy fireworks and sparkler's and share the around, it was a great time to be a kid we were hardly ever in side there was always something to do, playing cricket using the telegraph pole as the stumps, us girls used to whip our spinning tops along the pavement and the best was making a slide around the close when it snowed, my mum was always putting ashes from the fire on it. Does anybody remember the tent church in Upton Close. Some of the peopke I remember where Irene Margret and Ann Simpson, Tommy Lyons, Wally Jones, Charley Jaego, there where more boys than girls. I remember Lonnie Donegan arriving to visit his mum in Little Heath Road he was in a beautiful covertable car we had never seen anything like it. I went to All Hallows and got a big shock when I started school in Melbourne Australia they handed me a brown paper bag with a sandwich in it the bread was stale and then we had to go outside to eat in the cold, I was very upset and decided I was going back to Speke on the next boat, I have been home several times and have been back to Speke each time.
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Re: Speke in the early days -- Angela Thompson (nee Barton) (Everitt) (St Christophers church), 22:00:10 11/23/12 Fri (86.142.115.240)
I am now an Ex-pat and upon returning to Liverpool Speke we went to Stapleton Ave my mum and her brother & sister lived at 24 Stapleton Avenue across the way from St Christophers it was our haunt especially the social club.
My Mum told me that when they where building the foundations for the then new St Christophers church (not the new small one there now) But the big old one then the family dog died and my nan & brother took the dog over and buried her in the foundations of the church they would laugh about it.... they would say well, it's one way to get into heaven and she was consecrated as well as the ground she was buried in....I still remember this story to this day. Hope it brings a smile to your faces..it did to mine and I had to explain to my hubby why upon seeing the new small newly built St Christophers was I giggling away...Cripes, he said, do you think they would have come across her...Naaa, I said she would of been long gone, but they must have been flamin puzzled by the coat in the footings (they wrapped the dog in an old coat)if it survived which I doubt....
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Re: Speke in the early days -- Peter Locke, 12:15:02 12/19/12 Wed (92.21.189.254)
Hi Everyone, I used to live in 3B Ganworth rd which was a top flat, We moved there in the early 50s as I was born in 53, I dont remember much of Speke as we left in 63, I remeber growing up in a community of people that looked after each other & shared what they had, I only went back there once a year later as I was giving my family some stick about leaving, I was shocked to see what we had to live within, The day I went back I never saw anyone I knew, Whether it was because the also left I dont know, I now live in a small village in Buckinghamshire & happy in the fact that my parents Alec & Laura got it spot on From the age of 11ish I have grown up surrounded by fields rivers & lakes, Does anyone remember my family?? Have a wonderful Christmas & a Happy new year :)
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Re: Speke in the early days -- David Gillespie, 15:47:18 08/15/17 Tue (82.44.220.137)
I live in Speke now, 2017, was born here in 1967, love it. Went to St Christophers school. I always remember my first teacher, Miss Guinea. She called a fish coz I sat there chewing my tongue, haha. Wish i could go back for a day.
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Re: Speke in the early days -- Brian Reynolds, 07:41:48 03/21/06 Tue (84.64.255.1)
Hi Gillian
Good to read your memories of Speke. I moved there in 1939 when I was three months old and Speke really was a kid's paradise to gow up in then, even during the war. My cousins from the Dingle used to come to Speke on their holidays! I have written a few mempries about those days and will dig them out and psot them. Meanwhile, I think the area you are referring to was what we called The Laburnum Woods. There were lots of low-level bushes and a few ponds. A bit further on was Bluebell Wood, which had a moat around it and then the there was Mill Wood. There used to ne a railway station at Speke and the famous Table Bridge. near here there were also lots of large concrete triangles designed to stop tanks. Towards the airport was the Old Lane and on the other side of Speke Boulevard was Wiggy's Orchard, which we often raided and just as often got chased by Wiggy. The whole area was full of wildlife, particularly birds. I first lived in 127 Rycot Road, right opposite the entrance to what used to be B,B & G. where I did my apprenticeship/ later we moved to 37 Bray Road and then to 83 Hale Drive; my parents must have had something of the gypsy in them. I now live near Oxford and Banbury.
Regarads
Brian Reynolds
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Re: Speke in the early days -- robert connor, 05:51:13 05/11/06 Thu (81.152.92.192)
hi brian i am wiggys grand son i was only 3yrs old wen my grandad wiggy died. my mum is his daughter. the wiggys are all beried in the church opposite the cottages where they lived. i cannot remember my gradparents mutch only little memories of what he was like or if you would like to no anything more about wiggy and speke i could talk to my mum for more info. wiggys grandson
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Re: Speke in the early days -- Ted Carew (Happy), 14:32:24 09/30/09 Wed (86.5.151.251)
Hi Rob , tell me if i'm right is your Mum named Rose and lived at 82 LINNER ROAD b4 she got wed?and was her name Wignall?. cheers ..
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Re: Speke in the early days -- Tom Ryder, 17:53:19 10/17/11 Mon (74.15.5.87)
I would love to hear about Mr Wignalls life because almost everyone on the old Speke estate knew of him and heard his name mentioned at one time or another. If you could provide the details I would ensure that it was published on the Speke website for all to see. I know it would be interesting.
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Re: Speke in the early days -- Tina Campbell. (Happy.), 05:11:39 09/20/12 Thu (109.144.211.167)
Hi, I have only just found this site, and was interested to see my cousin's reply regarding our grandfather, Mr Wignall.It was my mother who lived in 82 Linner Rd, and my sister was born there. If anyone wants any info regarding the Wignall family, please let me know.My husband is putting the finishing touches to the Wignall family tree which is a coincidence!
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Re: Speke in the early days -- Colin Pattison, 04:05:01 09/10/07 Mon (84.70.136.68)
With mention of St. Christophers church, does anyone remember going to the pictures there in the church hall (hut)? I, with our "gang", used to go on Saturday afternoons and watch the "films" usually cowboy ones and then come out afterwards and pretend we were "cowies" slapping our backsides as if we were riding horses. Don't see any kids doing that now!
We also used to go up to table bridge and the woods nearby.
all where Fords is was fields in those days we could walk for miles without any trouble.
An other memory was of football matches lasting about 3 hours where everyone joined in being played on the field in Blackrod Avenue usually 20 a side, great fun.
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Re: Speke in the early days -- rose payne nee higgins (happy days), 12:17:10 08/25/07 Sat (90.201.243.201)
jill was lovly reading your thoughts on speke what a great life we had your sylvia margret doyle margaret flatley were still running round the 7 ponds before fords was built untill we were 15 miss short from all hallows when i go back to speke it breaks my heart thinking off the old days but lets face it 40 odd years life changes but i love talking about old speke
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Re: Speke in the early days -- maria gray (donny1), 13:14:27 06/01/11 Wed (2.27.247.5)
hi my maiden name was maria newsome now gray i lived in clough road in the h block houses facing the ford factory the council built flats facing our house i had three brothers lawerance and charles gary my mum and dad were pat and rocky newsome i rember the fagan family and the lamb family and mr saga the ice cream man who would come around every friday noght when dad got paid
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Re: Speke in the early days -- Peter Locke, 12:24:20 12/19/12 Wed (92.21.189.254)
Hi Gillian, The only Dave & Sylvia I knew lived on Ganworth rd
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Re: Speke in the early days -- Robert Jones (grateful,happy), 03:36:32 08/18/17 Fri (81.99.62.176)
Hi Gillian, It was nice to read your nostalgic memories of Speke. I too get teary eyed reading them, where has the time gone ?? There are so many of them you can't write everything down,you did all the things we did, I wrote a similar memory further down the page. Where did you live ? As some of the things , like , G.Harrisons' dad and Bewlies toffee apples suggest you lived right by me , Little Heath Rd. Also what was your surname ?or maiden name. It would be nice to hear more from you as I have some as well.Nice to hear you live down sth , where about ?
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Re: Speke in the early days -- philip david mccabe, 10:26:01 10/08/18 Mon (88.145.40.11)
as I recall your asking about the lavrick woods
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