Lark Lane History

[jeffthejoiner]

Hi all, I'm new to all this so please forgive me with me if I've posted in the wrong place.
I am attending a local history class and have chosen as my end of course project 'Lark Lane its History and People'. I'd would be very grateful for any information you guys may have regarding this , I am particluarly interested in the Lanes birth and early development.
Cheers
Jeff.:)

[Norm NZ]

Hi all, I'm new to all this so please forgive me with me if I've posted in the wrong place.
I am attending a local history class and have chosen as my end of course project 'Lark Lane its History and People'. I'd would be very grateful for any information you guys may have regarding this , I am particluarly interested in the Lanes birth and early development.
Cheers
Jeff.:)

Jeff, You should get all the info you need from the Lark Lane Website, Try; larklane.com

[Waterways]

Jeff, You should get all the info you need from the Lark Lane Website, Try; larklane.com

Also see: http://www.toxteth.net

[PhilipG]

Griifiths' History of Toxteth Park is still about the only old source for all that area.
It's about 100 years old now, and it's been reprinted, and is available in all local libraries.

[Waterways]

Griifiths' History of Toxteth Park is still about the only old source for all that area.
It's about 100 years old now, and it's been reprinted, and is available in all local libraries.

Paul Christian at Toxteth.net found many minor inaccuracies in the book. Paul traced the boundary of Toxteth himself in detail and his boundary on the site map is the most accurate one. The line even runs through the back room of the Royal pub in Smithdown Rd.

[PhilipG]

Paul Christian at Toxteth.net found many minor inaccuracies in the book. Paul traced the boundary of Toxteth himself in detail and his boundary on the site map is the most accurate one. The line even runs through the back room of the Royal pub in Smithdown Rd.

Paul Christian shouldn't be considered an expert, though.
I agree that the boundary he's done is very good, but he's been too busy to do anything to toxteth.net since July 2006.
Prior to that I sent him a lot of corrections.
Griffiths himself updated his book about 1923, and while it's not perfect, it's more accurate than toxteth.net (which quotes it wholesale, anyway).
I wouldn't have mentioned any of this if Waterways hadn't posted the above.

[DaisyChains]

Paul Christian shouldn't be considered an expert, though.
I agree that the boundary he's done is very good, but he's been too busy to do anything to toxteth.net since July 2006.
Prior to that I sent him a lot of corrections.
Griffiths himself updated his book about 1923, and while it's not perfect, it's more accurate than toxteth.net (which quotes it wholesale, anyway).
I wouldn't have mentioned any of this if Waterways hadn't posted the above.

I'd be quite interested to know what the mistakes are Phil.

[jeffthejoiner]

Thanks for the replies guys I've already looked at the websites and book you recommend all of which are sadly lacking in any detail of Lark Lane but I'll keep trying. I've been given the name of someone at the SMLLCA who may be able to help, I'll keep you posted. Jeff

[PhilipG]

I'd be quite interested to know what the mistakes are Phil.

Hardly any, really.
That's the point I'm making.
The only glaring one I can think of Griffiths saying Roscoe lived at a certain house, on Ullet Road, next to The Elms.
I rate Griffiths very highly, and local historians owe him a lot.

Like Wikipedia, toxteth.net is a combination of a lot of people's inputs.
One article can have contributions by perhaps three people and it's not made clear who said what.

[lynne stewart]

Hi
my mum and family were born in lark lane way back in the 1900 s Mum says that the lane was a small village when she was a child also mosley hill and garston .There was not the transport link s to connect the areas . She has spoken a lot about the lane ,if you have any particular questions i can ask her .Not holding out much hope now as she is 91

[raymman]

I can't help with the birth and early development, but I lived there from the mid '60s to mid '70s if I can help.

[Waterways]

Hi
my mum and family were born in lark lane way back in the 1900 s Mum says that the lane was a small village when she was a child also mosley hill and garston .There was not the transport link s to connect the areas . She has spoken a lot about the lane ,if you have any particular questions i can ask her .Not holding out much hope now as she is 91

St. Michael's station was still there then, as were trams down Aigburth Rd. Dingle underground Overhead station was a few trams stops away. I would say the transport was better then. :)

[Loobyloo]

I too lived in Siddeley st just a few doors down, i then also lived in Langham, i remember the bread shop sugar and spice and the wonderful smells, miss pearsons penny tray but i've yet to discover a shop that made better cornish pasties than stevensons.
Miss Mayor had a cat that sat on the sides of bacon. I remember collecting jam jars you got a penny for four.
Hoggs dairy was really with it, there was a milk machine outside the shop in little Parkfield 6d for half a carton of milk/strawberry milk.

[gorgeous]

God the smell from the pig swill in Little Parkfield Rd used to make me ill, My friend lived in an annex in Little Parkfield his parents owned a large house actually in Parkfield Rd & the little house was attatched at the back .


Karen

[Loobyloo]

The smell was probably from Hogg's dairy next to were we took the jam jars.
Macfarlin was on the corner of little parkfield and Lark Lane, we would carry the battery from the radio to his shop to get it charged. opposite was Deckers were you bought coal bricks and pink paraffin, imagine today asking your kids to carry paraffin, a leaky battery or taking a lemonade bottle back. The bue bird chippy was opposite the Albert, and the corner of Sefton Grove was an exclusive pran shop similar to Pollocks in Renshaw St, a big coachbuilt pram was always on display in the upper window.
We would play for hours on the plantation, were the day centre is now, it must have been laid out into a lawned area as the middle had a circular path, there were also many easy to climb trees.
the 60 bus terminus was just behind the huge bus shelter, and Numan's travel agency was were Akis bar is now, shows you how wealthy the area once was.

[kdraper42]

Hi everybody , I used to live in Bickerton Street number 55 right at the bottom , I too remeber hogs dairy, Macfarlanes bike shop, which later became Wrights cobblers. also as we called her Maggie Mare, a filthy shop if ever there was one, I used to help out with Thwates dairy delivering milk , and a lot of people used to have jugs which was filled from a churn, Stevensons was the best bakery around, and we had Cheers greengrocery shop at the top of Bickerton Street, and we also used to play on the plantation, and the bakers field around in Livingston Drive, I was a member of the 26th Toxteth scout group, also used to help out in the horse repository which belonged to a Mr Rabinowitz, but run by Billy Owens. O such memories, If I can be of any help dont hesitate to E mail me . I have only happy memories about the Lane . Although I have been living in Australia for the last 30 yrs, but hope to return for good one day. Cheers Keith Draper.

[Ged]

Great memories loobyloo and kdraer :PDT_Aliboronz_24:

[scouser21]

I remember Lark Lave vividly. I grew up on Roslyn Street (bottom of the dip in Aigburth Road). As kids we always used Lark Lane to get to Sefton Park. Eventually I courted and married a girl who lived in #113 right across from the "Albert" pub. Back then it was a greengrocers shop next door to a chippy, now I believe it is a hairdressers. As you went up the lane there used to be a high end butcher who often had Partridge, Grouse, Pheasant and Rabbits hanging there on display (I believe it was called "Glendennings"). My wife and I lived in 113 until her parents died and we bought our own house house. Eventually going to Canada and then the USA.

#113 was over 100 years old when we lived there in 1960. My wife tells me the lane was there to service the needs of Lord Sefton (after whom the Park was named). As a kid she says there used to be a number of horse drawn carts going up and down the lane. Originally the park had iron railings surrounding it with large iron gates that were closed at the end of the day - they went for the war effort and were meted down for building tanks and guns.

in Australia and we correspond several times a week. If you need more info I will get him to write you.

[wsteve55]

Hi,and welcome to Yo, Scouser21! Interesting to hear how the lane has changed,but do you remember a gun shop,which I think was there until about 25 yrs ago?

[gorgeous]

Hiya ,
I remember the gun shop ,

I also remember a lad Nathan killing himself , playing Russion Roulette in a flat in the La ,
So sad .

Karen

[wsteve55]

Hiya ,
I remember the gun shop ,

I also remember a lad Nathan killing himself , playing Russion Roulette in a flat in the La ,
So sad .

Karen

Hi k,
was there any connection? It was the only gun shop I've ever come across,in fact,I thought I was seeing things,when I looked in the window!That was in the 70's/80's,when I thought the lane still seemed to have a villagey feel to it!

[gorgeous]

Hiya ,
I'm not too sure if it was connected or not , Nathan was only around 17yrs old .
I remember walking past the shop every day thinking who'd want to buy a gun .

as your walking up the lane to the park gates ,the shop was on the left hand side .

Karen

[kdraper42]

Yes I too remember the horse and carts, the coal man , greengrocery man, the milk man, and even the bin cart, which used to be emptied in the council yard on the corner of Little Parkfield Road, opposite Macfarlians, and another which people will not believe Stevensons the cake shop had their flour delivered by a steam lorry, on thinking back its drive must have been similar to steam rollers. My earliest memory of Sefton Park was being taken there , and all along the jockey sands as we called it , there where all sorts of army vehicles, jeeps, tanks, etc all being stored there( it was just after the war) also the day a crane arrived in our street with a big steel ball on it to knock down all the air raid shelters in the middle of the street. The Lane has certainly changed from when I lived there, I will be home again this Summer so I will give it a visit. Cheers Keith.

[Rhoobarb]

I started my married life living just off the lane.

I had a flat in Ivanhoe Road. On the corner of Parkfield.

[gorgeous]

i lived in Marmion

xx

[Norm NZ]

And I lived in Hadassah Grove! (left it in 1963!!)

[wsteve55]

And I lived in Hadassah Grove! (left it in 1963!!)

Hi Norm,always wondered how that got it's name?

[Bernie]

Hadassah. Hebrew name for Esther meaning "the star of hope"

[wsteve55]

Hadassah. Hebrew name for Esther meaning "the star of hope"

Thanks for that Bernie,but still an unusual street name,dont you think? Are there any similar names nearby?

[kevin]

In Liverpool for 3 days next week and having a night out on Lark Lane with a couple of old mates, just like we used to do 30 years ago.

The locals will think an episode of Last of the Summer Wine is being filmed!

[Rhoobarb]

In Liverpool for 3 days next week and having a night out on Lark Lane with a couple of old mates, just like we used to do 30 years ago.

The locals will think an episode of Last of the Summer Wine is being filmed!

Which one of you will be rolled down towards St Micks station in a bathtub?

[kevin]

Which one of you will be rolled down towards St Micks station in a bathtub?

Pablo.

[Rhoobarb]

Pablo.

So that's where he's been. Getting ready for that.

[kevin]

Just looked on Google maps to remind myself where the station is. Saw a nearer transport option on the map - Tesco Metro.
How often does that run?

[Norm NZ]

Hi Norm,always wondered how that got it's name?
Could'nr say Steve, but Bernie's reply fits the bill!! It was a private road years before. so could have been named by a then resident!!!!

[Max]

My dad used to have a shop on Lark Lane, was a horrible 2nd hand furniture shop opposite the former Masonic pub. I think it's part of another pub next to a chippy and hippy shop now.

[kevin]

Had a couple of drinks in here last week - it's on Lark Lane just opposite the old police station.
I wonder...

[kevin]

A Lark Lane institution for over 30 years...

[Partsky]

Hadassah. Hebrew name for Esther meaning "the star of hope"

Thats so beautiful