Kensington District

[Danny Farley]

I was borne in Mill Road Hospital in 1947 and lived in Coleridge St almost opposite Farnswoths Dairy there where real cows lived in the street in them days the milk was delivered by horse and cart not in bottles you had to go out with a jug and buy a pint or a quart and they just poured it into your jug. We had a rag yard in our street, but when I was a kid the best thing was the sally army that was in our street to. They would form up in our street and march down Kenny to Shiel Rd where they would play, when they marched back to Coleridge St they would form a circle in the street and entertain the residents by playing hymns. I still love brass bands today. The long hot summers playing in Kenny Park and newsham park. They had fish in the ponds in newsham park in them days now they have plants. Oh for the Saturday Matinee at the Kenny it Was 3p then and you could see things like Flash Gordon, The Cisco kid, Gene Autry, Roy Rogers, Marvel Man, Hoppy and many more. All our extended family lived within a couple of Streets of each other and although just a short walk Newsham park was a good day out with pick nick and a go on the boats if you hand a tanner. The man in the end house by the Molly rented bikes out and you could have a bike for the day for a tanner and ride out to bluebell woods it was in the country side at a place called Kirkby. My playground was town as a child there was a market where you could by anything you want from monkeys and parrots to fresh food
Salt fish was cured and hung up in the sun as stiff as boards and hard as rock but we had it every Sunday. Special days out where at New Brighton
You could buy a pot of tea with cups and saucers and take them on to the beach and Granddad would take me crabbing it was like going abroad in them days. They where magic times and so special The debris we had two one at the back and one in the front where we had our bommy, The whole Street turned out for bommy night it was great. The shops in Kenny where second to none it was a great shopping area. Anyway I could go on and on My thoughts on the whole, the regeneration of Kenny has been the Degeneration of Kenny,

[Spike]

Go on and on Danny, Im enjoying reading it

[Ged]

Yes, great stuff.

[Samp]

Did you ever go to the Sally Army christmas party Danny?

[Danny Farley]

Yes i went for the Christmas party several times i can still remember the smell of the sally army. One day one of the kids in our street jumped off the top of the sally army, he thought he was bat man or marvel man. I can't remeber the outcome or the kids name. My brother had TB and we eventually moved to Kirkby although NAN and GRANDDAD stayed in that house in Coleride St for years and i would spend every weekend with them, When i was 13 i got a part time job selling ice cream for a firm called Pendletons, you must remember the add WHAT COULD BE NICER THAN A PENDLTONS TWICER
I Had one of those 3 wheel bikes with the big cooler box on the front and i used to ride down to kenny and sell out every time. When i would sell out there was an even bigger que to by the lecky ice. Does anyone remember Capaldies ice cream parlour if i remember right it was oppersit holt road. As you came out of Holt Road and turned left to go towards town on that first block of shops there was a record shop and you could record your own record in a booth. The beatles recorded a record in that shop I used to stand at the bus stop outside that shop for the number 10 tram and later the bus. The steam lorries would come down Kenny on the way to the docks from Warrington and Prescot it was the main route into town. I played a lot in William brown Street
in them days all the kids played in the fountain in the summer and no-one chased them it was great. The museum and the art gallery where like second homes, when i felt like a change i would spend hours at the Anglican Cathedral i love that place and still go there from time to time. My Nan would get the tin bath out on holly days and hollidays and boil water on the stove god only knows how many people bathed in the same water. When they where a bit flush with cash they gave me the money to go to the washhouse in Minto Street that was like a rare treat and a day out. There where no handles on the taps, a lady would fill the bath for you she carried the tap handle on a peice of string and you where only allowed one fill of the bath. As i got older i did find a way of getting two fills but thats another story.

[Howie]

?300m homes project ?open to abuse?
Feb 13 2009
by David Bartlett, Liverpool Daily Post

A KEY ?300m regeneration project in one of Liverpool?s poorest areas has been vulnerable to ?significant abuse and error?, an investigation has found.

Liverpool Council auditors were called into the 10-year Kensington New Deal for Communities scheme, following concerns over a ?1m-plus contract to improve the frontages of 800 homes in Fairfield.

More...

[anonymouse]

Mmmm.....

P*ss-ups and breweries spring to mind....

Anon

[hmtmaj]

Has this slipped under the radar ?
In the Echo today .....

"?44k spent on Liverpool business forum attended by just four people"

Guess Where ?

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liver...0252-23487375/

[grolyo]

What happened to our promised centrepiece of the ?10m plan for Kensington
on th Icerink site promised June 2006

Kensington District
A NEW fire station is the centrepiece of a £10m plan to transform a former ice rink site in Liverpool.
It will be built at a busy road junction in Kensington if the scheme wins council backing.
The station would replace the ageing Low Hill premises and be thrown open to the community.
Shops and offices are also planned for the derelict area, also once the site of a bingo hall, at the corner of Prescot Road and Beech Street.

Modern homes for Prescot Road and nearby Lister Road are the third part of the ambitious project, which would create a new neighbourhood centre.
It is hoped it will bring back shoppers and stop the drain of residents out of deprived Kensington.
The site, passed by thousands of motorists going in and out of the city each day, is currently surrounded by advertising hoardings.
The plans were revealed today by Kensington Regeneration, the organisation which has £62m of government cash to create jobs and transform people's lives. more
That's by Howie's isnt it? Any thoughts people? Ceratinly would be great!

[Howie]

From the Kensington Regeneration website here:

In its final year Kensington Regeneration has just one major physical development project to complete. This is the new Beech Street complex at the former ice rink and bingo hall site on the corner with Prescot Road. This ambitious scheme will include shops and offices as well as 50 apartments. In addition, the centre will incorporate a new fire station with community facilities to replace the area's ageing Low Hill premises.

[Howie]

Work starts on new fire station in Liverpool Kensington
Sep 17 2009
by David Bartlett, Liverpool Echo

WORK has finally started on a new fire station on the former site of a much-loved ice rink in Liverpool.

The project will also create 28 apartments and shops, including an Iceland, on the corner of Beech Street and Prescot Road, Kensington, which was once occupied by the Silver Blades ice rink.

The Beech Street site is one of Kensington Regeneration?s flagship projects and follows several years of work, acquiring properties and preparing the land.

The ?9.5m scheme has been planned and funded by Kensington Regeneration in partnership with developer CTP, Liverpool council, Riverside Housing Association and Merseyside fire and rescue service.

Kensington Regeneration has invested ?3.5m in the development, which is designed to be an important focal point for the community.

The fire station will replace the existing station at Low Hill.

It will have the same resources but will also be a modern community fire station with facilities which can be used by residents and groups.

Merseyside chief fire officer Tony McGuirk said: ?The fire authority is delighted the project has enabled us to open a new community fire station in the area. It will provide our firefighters with outstanding facilities and also help us to offer people the opportunity to use the fire station.?

A total of 24 flats will be built above the shops, to be offered for rent by Riverside.

A listed building in adjacent Prescot Road is to be converted into four more flats.

Source: Liverpool Echo

[hmtmaj]

At last, some work to regenerate the area

[Ken Berry]

Hi All,
I must admit after reading all the emails in the Forum its typical of what everyone in the UK seems to have had to put up with since the late 50's which was the start of all the Bull from the Politicians and starting in the late 60's.When they just did their own thing and basically still are.You vote them in and they do the opposite of what they promised.Its starting to just happen in NZ.
My main reason for my emailing the Forum is I had a wonderful time there.Just prior to the war,even during and a bit after.Seeing Wallasey's photos has brought some Mersey Mist to my eyes.My Uncle Joe and Aunty Doddy Owens had the Fish Shop 2 maybe 3 shops past Holdsworth Streettoweards the City.Think the Number was 236. They had a daughter Audrey.Managed to get in touch. When the wife and I did a trip in 1992.Her daughter or son managed "The Ring of Bells Pub" West Kirby.We met them there.Wrote a few times her husbands name was Ken Faragher and they lived at Gateacre.Never had any replies.My Dad worked for Tommy Rose the Butchers on the corner of Holdsworth Street.Not sure think the Shop number was 242.Was wondering if Wallaseys photos would include the two old shops couldn't recognise any of them.It was a wonderful place Kensington and I Pray it will be again.The road past the library towards the city,was walking there with my mate from Holdsworth Street,his house was opposite the Builders yard.Anyway just before we got to the road three guys came running one towards us,one across to the middle of Kenny Road and the other towards the City.I think I could recognise the guys face to this day.He told us to turn around and an old lady just in front of us.He then said something like "We don't want anyone hurt today" and the little old lady said something like"What are you blowing up the Letter Box or the Telephone Box" They said a couple of other things then there was this Loud Bang.And he just turned to her and said."OK my Lovely Girl you can carry on now.It was the days when the IRA didn't blow up many people.The Kenny picture house anyone remember "The Claw" serial that was on there about 1938.Tell you what it still gives me the shivers and it was a kids serial.The Casino was really the posh cinema and the Skating rink was marvellous.My Grandma and Grandad lived in Toft Street of Holt Road,so I could see a lot of them as well.Staying a few nights with them when the Durning Road School got hit.That silence over Kensington was incredible.Bigmama and I were standing on the corner by St.Cyprians the following morning and they were trying to still find if anyone could be still alive.Yet there was a silence which was uncanny.I was from Anfield Hornsey Road,but as you can tell spent a lot of time in Kenny.
Thanks for reading my rambles but a bit of mist is coming back Night Night from NZ Best Regards Ken B







.

[Ged]

Great recollections Ken

[robr]

Hi John;
I've read a fair number of contributions from your good self about Kensington, and that your father did a lot of sign and pub painting in the area over the years. Would you be kind enough, when you have time, to see if you can find any picture of the aforementioned, and if anyone can recall this business. Many thanks in advance for your help. Please feel free to get back to me.

Regarding Ged's post...seen that,hard lines I thought.

Ok,help needed here....
my dad who is in his 70's visited today.I showed him this site and he asked me to see if anyone had any pics of Gloucester place/Low hill end ?
I also found out today that he painted most of the old pubs in Liverpool,he used to push a hand cart up west derby road.He also said that there used to be a street called "Every street" and he reckons you won't find anything on that? He is old but still got his all his marbles.