Hi,

I'm a 43 year old Liverpool born man and have lived since my 11th in Holland.
Like most people my age I'm going down the 'memory lane'.
A lot has come back since my recent trips to Liverpool (thanks to Easyjet). One thing is hard to solve. Me and my brother stayed in the early 70's in a children's home in Gateacre, and allthough we've been all over the place we can't find it anymore.
We would like to know if anybody has any info about this home.
What I remember:
It was about 30 minutes walk from Netherley and it was a very big old building attached to a newer building. It had a lot of gras and trees and there was a wall surrounding the ground.
It's not Strawberry Fields (I wished it was because that would have been cool:slywink:)
I've found something on Google Earth that might be the place.
Thanks for any help! http://www.delaney.nl/ch.jpg

Could it have been 'Ameystry Court' (spelling) on Acrefield Road just up from Gateacre Brow.
That had plenty of green around it. Since my time there it may have had newer buildings added to the rear of it and a wall built.
In the time I was there it had its own garden with greenhouses and a Pig Pen which had a gate down to Gateacre and Hunts Cross Avenue.
If it is the same place the building is now a hotel.

Best I can do. Hope it helps in your quest. Good luck

Fred

ps = there is a thread about hotels on the site and this hotel has a mention on it.

The building that you point to is on Church Road in Woolton (and also borders Beaconsfield Road which is the same road as Strawberry Fields).

The original entrance to the building is behind a set of locked gates at the roundabout which I have never seen open.

It is now called Abbots Lea Special School and was once home of William Gottager, soap manufacturer in Widnes.

Hiya ,

Are you thinking of Knolle Park childrens home by any chance ?

Karen

Hi DLNY,
though i'm not sure,your description,and the photo, looks like a place I stayed in for a short time(in between foster homes!)in the mid-60's. If, it's the same place, it was known (at least to me) as the "reception centre", and didn't have a specific name.It was a 10/15 minute walk to Woolton village ,which was down the hill I've recently, also, tried to find this place, but though the sandstone walls haven't changed, there are a lot of new houses,etc, behind them now, and I came to the conclusion that the land had probably been sold off by the council, for development! Also,while i'm at it, how come you ended up in Holland? It's a great place,I worked in a place called Texel,back in '82:PDT_Aliboronz_24:
Steve.

Fred, I've looked up your place on Google Earth but couldn't find anything familiar. So I went on the 'Abbots Lea Special School' quest and found out that that wasn't the home too. I don't remember the name Karen but it does sound familiar....

I think Steve has the answer, we did stay there for short periods at a time and I remember the walks to Woolton Village. My sister remembers when she visited us that the bus drove past the home.

How I ended up in Holland...pfff I could fill a few KB of data on that one. In a nutshell: My mum met a Dutch sailer (in the era that boats still sailed to Liverpool) and she left to Holland with her 3 children.

Texel is a really nice place to go to, don't think it has changed that much in all the years either....

Thanks so far for all the help, I just found this forum but I think I'm going to like it a lot.......


Gerry

Beaconsfield Road.
The 1968 street directory lists St Gabriel's Children's Home "Knolle Park" next door to St Gabriel's Convent at the Church Road end of Beaconsfield Road.
Strawberry Field Children's Home is at the other end, and Abbot's Lea School was on the other side of the road, with Lower Lee Special School next door to Abbot's Lea.

DLNY Morning from this side.

This is Ammysery Court >>>>
Does it jog a memory ?
It is now a rather High Class Hotel and the guest book has some very well known names.
Credit for the pic goes to >> Paul D. Hope you do not mind Paul
Phredd

Hi DLNY and everyone

One place that I thought of that would have been big enough to be an orphanage is also not in Gateacre but was what used to be called the Woolton Hydro or Woolton Hall. In any case there is information about that building and other older Woolton buildings here which you might find helpful:

http://wooltonvillageuk.tripod.com/sunnybank.htm

Chris

Been on the computer for hours now and I've come to the conclusion that it must have been 'Knolle Park'
The stories I've found about nuns and other things has brought back some (not so nice memories) One thing that has come back is the 'fight' for wellies your size. All the wellies where stored under a staircase and every morning you had to find a pair that would fit you.

I can't seem to find any photographs, but later this year I'm going back to see if it really is the place. Was there in January but because of darkness we stopped our search halfway Beaconsfield Road 5 minutes from the place......

Thanks everyone for your help :handclap:

Gerry

I had a funny feeling it may have been Knolle Park , Now you have mentioned the nuns i'm convinced , They wern't very nice to say the least , i've heard stories from children who left Knolle Park & came to a childrens home where i worked. Our home opened in 1975, but was in Aigburth. A few of my social worker friends actually worked in Knowlle Park , but that was in 1970/1980's .

Hope you have solved the mystery & welcome to Yo Liverpool
Good luck
Karen

DLNY, glad you seem to have found the place you were looking for.

Gerry hun ,
If you wanted you can still apply to read your case notes for the time you spent there , if i'm not mistaken all files must be kept for 70 yrs .

Do you remember a mother & baby unit there ?
Love Karen

Hi Folks

I removed some jokes here that might offend. Hope you understand. They seemed untoward in the thread for this sincere enquiry.

Chris

What jokes??? Only kidding, no probs Chris though I hope nun were that bad :slywink:

The jokes were good. . . just went over the line.

Just checked the aerial photo with the 1904 OS map, and the circled building is Knoll Park on the map.
The convent isn't shown, so must have been built later.

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1351/1332610842_6c66f9be35_b.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1164/1331726389_8f00f4c929_b.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1031/1331729851_bddc6bcf1f_b.jpg

Thanks Philip for the pictures.
It must be the place. I remember that the white house had the offices and the brick building was where the children stayed. I remember the corridor going from one building to the other and the prison like windows......

I didn't know they had put a statue of me up in the garden, very nice thing to do......:)

Well done Phil for taking the time and the effort to let us see what we've all been reading about. Really putting your free bus pass to great use :handclap:

Knoll park (Saint Gabriels Convent) is now Knoll Park assisted Childrens home or something like that.

The Convent was run by The Poor Servants of The Mother Of God nuns. It was also well staffed with paedophiles (One in particular got 11 years, Andy Christian)

The photos are of the gatehouse where Christian lived while at the convent for 20 years (yes, really!) and the main building entrance.

I was a guest there from 1967 - 1970 It was a great place, if you liked praying and saying the rosary all through May!

Any old alter boys reading this?

The Google earth photo is not Knolle Park it is directly on the opposite side of the road. The locked gates are actually on the little roundabout.
Knolle Park while still a very small children's home is also a children's nursery and a home for ill and retired nuns. The home is in a separate brick built buildings which are very modern wereas the nursery is accessed from the side and is attached to the main house. This can be a 24 hour nursery if needed as the room upstairs has room for a small number to stay overnight.
My grandaughter as been in the nursery for three years although never overnight and we pick her up from there frequently. As you enter the nursery there is a big staircase ( wellies perhaps)and then we go through to a big hall which is were the older children are, you can see the chapel window from there. Although it is a lovely nursery with lovely grounds and lots of space for the little ones to play I always get a sense of sadness when I think of all the kids who have passed through there.
I think any record would be kept in the Liverpool Records Office, Fourth Floor, Picton Library, William Brown Street, Liverpool 3. This is NOT Picton Library in Picton Road Liverpool 15. I am going to the nursery on Monday and I will ask if the records are kept anywhere else and how they can be accessed.

The circled building IS Knoll Park on the 1904 OS map, with Beaconsfield Road to the left of the red circle.

In that case they have moved it because Knolle Park is the other side. As you come around the roundabout into Beaconsfield its on the left not the right. I was there an hour ago. We will have agree to differ.

I suppose to the people who were there and who started this thread it doesn't really matter.

http://www.delaney.nl/ch.jpg

Extract from Alan Godfrey reprint of 1904 OS Lancs sheet 114.01.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2120/1749409378_63ee6c9e8e_o.jpg

I think that you probably were at St gabriels Knolle Park in Woolton I was there in the early sixties, some of the nuns then were Sts Arsenius, Gertrude, Andrew, Ethelberga and Bernadette among others. The boys dormitory was accessed via a walkway from the girls side. If I recall correctly in the boys dorm there was a iron circular staircase the lady that looked after the boys in those days was called Doreen. Knolle Park in the 60's stood in a great deal of land (later quite a lot sold off) they had a piggery, orchard and vegetable garden, laundry situated near the piggery and parts of that area i think dated bach to the 1600's.
If you remember going to chapel you may recall the long walk up stone steps early mornings to mass the chapel in those days was at the very top of the building.
does any of this help???
Regards
Lilian