West Derby Road Information Needed

I got an email ( extract below ) for help on reasearch of property on West Derby Rd.
Any pics / Info would be gratefully received, Martin.

"Hi Having read the items regarding the history of Green Lane I wonder if you may be able to assist me in finding out the history of the Building at 593-7 West Derby Road Tuebrook.
We presently run the store and Post Office ther and I have tried to find out the history of the actual building. Unfortunately I have not been able to find any history relating to it at all. We previously ran the
Post Offices in Green Lane and the Lower Breck Road Post office, next to the Newsham Park hotel, since the early eihgties and took over the property at 593-7 West Derby Rd about five years ago.
Prior to the building being renovated it used to be FADS wallpaper shop, with the Elizabethan rooms above, and we are interested in what the history of the building was prior to that. The reason that
I mention Derby Hall, is that when we first moved in and were checking our post code 593-7 was not listed as such but was listed as Derby Hall.
Asking around some of the older customers mention that at one time it used to be a Billiard Hall, a cellar cafe, and initially was built as a theartre but I have not been able to find any mention of these in searches. The theatre idea would seem to be bourne out by the size of the skylight windows that were in the roof, but again if this had been so then I would have thought that this would have been recorded and available to searches on the web.
Any information that you have would be appreciated as I would love to know the complete history of the building, since it was clearly the center piece of that block between Osborne Road and Victoria
Road, Hope that you can help, Thanks John Cook, Tuebrook Post Office. L13 8AE"

Can anyone help ?
Thanks, Martin

I've just had a memento of my trip to the last meet - a speeding ticket for West Derby Road. I was doing 38 thinking the limit was 40. My own lack of attention is the problem, but getting three points, and the fine, is frustrating as I'm usually very careful.

Going through the street directories in Central Library will reveal what it was from year to year.
I haven't got much information on it, but there is a datestone (1875).
It was a hall - available for hire - over shops.
Never a theatre.
A billiard hall in the 1930s, and Ogden Social Club in the 1960s.

Thanks QS, I have told John from there to look in on here, I knew he would get help from fellow Yo'ers, cheers. :handclap:

Thanks to Martin for posting, have now registered and will check for further replies to the thread. Cheers, John

Welcome aboard John, hopefully you get a lot more info and maybe even a pic in it's heyday :PDT_Piratz_26:

Welcome John.
Hopefully people will have memories, but if you want hard facts go to the Record Office in the Central Library, and you will be able to find out who occupied the premises about every two years from when it was built.
People's memories are great, but myths (like theatres, in this case) become accepted as facts.

Hi John and welcome,

This the shop,John....

I just made a phone call to a woman who moved into tuebrook in the sixties when she got married, apparently before it was the elizabethan rooms it was a dance acadamy?

Here's an idea for you John...

Put a notice on various parts of the shop or by where people Q for the post office counter,asking "do you know what this building used to be over the years gone by",this way you'llgetlots of interest and get to know the residents as I know a few who have lived in that vicinity since the 50's

You see, thats why George is brainy :PDT_Aliboronz_24:
Good idea George and thanks, Mart

Thanks for the replies and espec. the photo circa 1967. John

There's 15 West Derby Road pics on this page http://inacityliving.piczo.com/?g=50969832&cr=7 from the 6th line down. Not sure if your block is included but worth a try.


.

I've taken the Liberty, Ged. :)

Courstsey of Ged and his LRO

Seems that your shop has been knocked into two.....

1967,by eck...its changed somewhat since then...thought I was looking at some other road

The building is still the same a double frontage, Jack Jones the butchers has now moved down the road a little, used to be next door. When we first moved in we had to get the drains jetted out as the congealed fat from the butchers sausage making had blocked the drains c[ompletely and flooded the basement, there was more fat down there than below my belt. Have started to ask customers about the history and the most suggested uses are a Billiard Hall in the thirties and Ogdens Social Club, Not sure what period they mean, with the cellar used as the bar. One of my customers says that she met her husband in the club and remembers it with fond memories. Having read the history of Ogdens they appeared to have a very structured class system for the various staff levels, with about four to five different dining rooms for various levels of staff, (Imperial Tobacco Site) maybe this was the only place that they could socialise. The other suggestion was that at one time it was a Burtons Clothes shop, don't know at what period this was presumably around 50's - 60's when Burtons had a shop on every main street. Again thanks for the info and photos. John

Have you had a word with the butcher? throwing anything other than waste water down the drains is illegal?

keep plugging the thread as its always interesting to know some back history of areas,I'll ty and badger this woman I know who actually lives just across from the shopin Hillbury Ave.

The pic in 67 pic one o the shops looks like a Jewlers to me? ie Boores is the name in the window.
Unmistakingly the pub is the flathouse on the next block,got its name because it had no charcter in its frontage whatsoever. :)

I just logged in to find information on this very building as I photographed it the other day. I wondered what the friezes were above the windows, at first I thought the middle one was a liver bird but on closer inspection it looks like an eagle on a crown?
Attachment 21910 Attachment 21911

I noticed that whatever had been on either side had been defaced so you could no longer recognize the image, strange, hence the curiosity. Any further information come to light John?
Attachment 21912

Kelly's 1894 Directory states...
489 West Derby Road, DERBY HALL, Thomas McCracken & Co. proprs.

Unfortunately it does not give it's use and obviously WD Road has been renumbered since 1894.

Attachment 22059

It's most recent use,was as function rooms! Though this closed several years ago,maybe this was it's original purpose?

If the building was originally called Derby Hall that explains the crest

Attachment 22133

The eagle is the famous "eagle and child" of the Earls of Derby

Attachment 22134

I wonder if the ones on either side were also off the coat of arms?

The building of 1875 was originall called Derby Hall. St. John the Baptist Church held concerts here. Fundraisers for the Seamans orphanage Newsham Park where also held here. Marlborough College School for boys also held concerts here. The attached photo is of a concert programme 1894 at Derby Hall.Attachment 22221