Does anyone know whether the grocery people, the Irwins, were an Irish family who came over from the famine era?

:PDT_Aliboronz_24:
Are you refering to Irwins,the shop on the corner of City Rd. and Ripon St.?
if so I knew them. I don't recall them being Irish. are you a relative?
I lived in Ripon St. and shopped there during the war years.

Irwins grew to be a large chain of grocers but back in 1881 there were only 3 shops and this was the maine one:

157-159 Westminster Road Kirkdale

John Irwin 40 Grocer b.Ireland
Sarah Irwin 37 b. Ireland
James N. Irwin 14 Grocer's assistant B. Liverpool
Sarah J. Irwin 12
Georgina Irwin 10
Arthur P. Irwin 8
Jessie R. Irwin 6
Harold Irwin 4
Herbert H. Irwin 2
Alice M. Ashcroft 19 general servant

A bit off subject. There's a tiled 'Irwin' sign in Old Swan. Although I'm not 100% sure, I think it's hidden behind the new advertising opposite the HSBC bank at the top of Pemberton Road.

There were two Irwins shops in Anfield; one on the bend of Lower Breck rd/Breck rd, and there was one on Townsend lane. There may have been one on Priory rd but I'm not certain.

Hello Maurice, I was hoping to find a connection between the Irwins that had the chain grocers and my family. BUT Shaun, thank you for the family run down, prooves that I am not in fact related to them as far as my research has gone to date.

Thank you both.:)

Thank you Shaun.
I'm interested in Irwins as I was an order boy for them in the 1950s, and when I started full-time work it was at Irwins in Southport just after Tesco had taken them over.
The 1936 directory lists about 100 shops in Liverpool and the Wirral.

Former Irwins, Eastbank Street, Southport.
It was the usual maroon colour, and the old advert is still on the side of the frontage.
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1394/841249435_8b96565045_o.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1361/841249951_a0f099e64b_o.jpg

Looking again at 1881 Kellys, I now see that there were 4 Irwins shops not 3. The others were at:

101 Westminster Road
198 Stanley Road
424 Stanley Road

Only 424 Stanley Road survived as a grocers (Tesco) in the 1968 directory.

Saun, glad to see you have a Kellys, have you got any more. I,ll pin the fact that you have on my wall in case I need help in the future. I have three, 1934,1960,1968 if you need to know in the future :)

Yes I've got a few more: 1938 Kellys, 1911 Gores, plus various older Gores 1796-1860, and the 1915 Waterloo, Blundellsands & District Directory.

smashin, Shaun. I,ve just put the fact on my signature for others to see. What do you think? I know I,ve had quite a few queries from members as has Mandy and Philip.:)

Chippie.
The 1968 directory doesn't include The Wirral.
Is The Wirral still in 1960?
I'd like the addresses of Burton's the Tailors, and Woolworths, if possible.
Just the ones over the water, please - I think I know where they were in Liverpool.

burtons 210 grange rd birkenhead is the only one i can see in 1960 edition

woolies (22 something, it is just off print) birkenhead
286/288 liscard rd wallasey
76 new chester rd new ferry
100 market st hoylake
73a victoria rd new brighton
290 hoylake rd arrowepark is all I can see for them in 1960 edition

cheers:)

burtons 210 grange rd birkenhead is the only one i can see in 1960 edition

woolies (22 something, it is just off print) birkenhead
286/288 liscard rd wallasey
76 new chester rd new ferry
100 market st hoylake
73a victoria rd new brighton
290 hoylake rd arrowepark is all I can see for them in 1960 edition

cheers:)

That's great, Chippie.
I can get snapping.
Only 1 Burtons, then - it's listed in 1936, so I hope it's still there.
That Woolies in Birkenhead will be Grange Road - I've already snapped that.
It's in the Art-deco thread.

I know it's a bit late but there was a Burtons in Liscard during the sixties. Virtually opposite Woolies in Liscard road. I bought a suit there once. It is still there under the same name although the fashions have changed a bit. :rolleyes:

I have very fond memories of Irwins the grocers,they had shops all over Liverpool. Quite grand in design,this was before the supermarket age and the counters were great wooden topped affairs with goods stored in the shelf units behind the counter.Flitches of smoked bacon hung from the ceiling and Crawfords and Jacobs biscuits were in rows of glass topped tin boxes on the customers side of the counter. There was always a chair or two for customers to sit on whilst their order was made, the manager and his male staff had a pencil behind their ear to write out your grocery list and do the totalling.I remember that the female staff wore little hats, so very 1930's. The aroma was unique ,being a mixture of spices ,cheeses,smoked bacon and biscuits. I can think of nowhere today that you smell that aroma ,it was made up of all the things that were from our Empire. When I was 15 ,the manager of the Irwins in Garston tried to persuade me to leave the Butchers and work for him....................the temptation of being 2nd Mate on a bacon slicer was very great. I went to sea instead.
BrianD

There is a shop on Green Lane (L13) that has the name 'Irwin' in the brickwork.

Corner of Romer Road & Kensington

I have very fond memories of Irwins the grocers,they had shops all over Liverpool. Quite grand in design,this was before the supermarket age and the counters were great wooden topped affairs with goods stored in the shelf units behind the counter.Flitches of smoked bacon hung from the ceiling and Crawfords and Jacobs biscuits were in rows of glass topped tin boxes on the customers side of the counter. There was always a chair or two for customers to sit on whilst their order was made, the manager and his male staff had a pencil behind their ear to write out your grocery list and do the totalling.I remember that the female staff wore little hats, so very 1930's. The aroma was unique ,being a mixture of spices ,cheeses,smoked bacon and biscuits. I can think of nowhere today that you smell that aroma ,it was made up of all the things that were from our Empire. When I was 15 ,the manager of the Irwins in Garston tried to persuade me to leave the Butchers and work for him....................the temptation of being 2nd Mate on a bacon slicer was very great. I went to sea instead.
BrianD

"Nice memories Brian" We may have met-up if you had taken the job in Irwins! In late 1958 I drove their delivery van for the south Liverpool shops Garston was my main one! manager was a Mr Bill Gorman A very 'typical' grocery manager!! he would, as you say, offer stools to customers and then write out their grocery lists for them! I serviced customers as far afield as Hale, Halewood, Aigburth,Hunts Cross, from that shop, even the couple that lived in Hale Lighthouse! Other shops I covered were in Prescot Rd, Picton Rd, Aigburth Rd,& Long Lane Garston. Wages were 'poor' to say the least, so did'nt stay there too long! But as you say, 'They were good memories' of a bygone age!! Cheers. and I still follow your exploits!!! any more from the 'Tennies'?:PDT11

Chippie and Lindylou, you may remember there was an Irwins next to the library next to Holy Trinity church on Breck Road.

I don't remember the one by the library. I do remember the Irwins on the corner of Breck rd/Lowerbreck - where the road curves round. When I was a kid (1960s) I'd go there with my mum to order the weeks shopping which would then be delivered to your door by the 'order boy'. I remember some of the staff that worked behind the counter.

There was another smaller Irwins on Townsend lane too.

Green Lane, Stoneycroft. Now F&D Smith.

There were two Irwins shops in Anfield; one on the bend of Lower Breck rd/Breck rd, and there was one on Townsend lane. There may have been one on Priory rd but I'm not certain.

There was an Irwins in Breck Road, Everton, on the small stretch between Belmont Road and Woodville Terrace, in the late 50s. My mum used to sit me, aged about 4, on the counter whilst she was getting her groceries - no self-service in those days!

Isn,t it funny how the Irwin name comes up in these shop stories. I was interested in the name when I found out one half of my family.s name was Irwin, but not the same family.