1980s & 1990s Liverpool.

[PhilipG]

British Home Stores moved into the building, but I don't know (apart from the ground floor) how much of the building they occupied, but it was no longer an arcade.
The 1968 Kelly's directory lists the building as 'Arcade Chambers', and there were various offices in the building.
Until recently BHS used the rear of the ground floor as their restaurant.
I took the photo in 1984 and entered the landing where the photo was taken from The Strawberry Dance Studios.
I'll try and find out what survives.
The glass roof could (& hopefully can still) be seen from Cavern Walks.

[Ged]

Dinner time from school would see my mates and I pitting our wits against each other at 'Crossfire'. That was in secondary school though, in the juniors we'd all pile down to Bibby's and try catch 'micks' with corn and one of the lads was a dab hand at sticking a matchstick into these parking meters, the whirring sound preceded the sound we were all waiting for - falling tanners.

Pic by Joe Devine.

[Ged]

Williamson Square in the mid 1980s.





.

[John(Zappa)]

Look at the compo claim there next to the bench.(Next to compo)

Great pics Ged

[PhilipG]

I saw a gent today sitting on the floor by the old Stoniers building in Williamson Square.
He had a (cardboard?) guitar, quite well painted.
I got my camera out and focused it on something on the other side of the square, but he must have read my mind, because when I turned round, he'd gone!

[PhilipG]

..........

[shoney]

And this is how it is today.
Didn't somebody once say "Never go back"?

nice pics , looks so much better without the lada,

[lindylou]

This shows that the arcade had three levels.
The upper two are shown in my 1984 photo at #144 in this thread.
The sketch shown here is almost a carbon copy of an Edwardian postcard that I've seen.
When the sports shop opened it had an escalator up to the shop, so it'll be surprising if much of the 1901 arcade survives.
Anybody go to that sports shop?

It's amazing. I never knew about this arcade. I was telling my mum about it, and when we went to town yesterday we were standing gawping up at the front of it

I had been in that sports shop a few times.

[Mark R]

I saw a gent today sitting on the floor by the old Stoniers building in Williamson Square.
He had a (cardboard?) guitar, quite well painted.
I got my camera out and focused it on something on the other side of the square, but he must have read my mind, because when I turned round, he'd gone!

I think he's Irish. I remember him with a cardboard cut-out guitar (with string for the strings!), then a tennis racket - now he's got a really cool one like you say

[lindylou]

Is it 'Plink Plink' ?? (I thought he had died) ?? we have a thread somehwere about him - - or we did do on the old forum. He might be in 'Liverpool characters' somehwere.

[shoney]

I think he's Irish. I remember him with a cardboard cut-out guitar (with string for the strings!), then a tennis racket - now he's got a really cool one like you say

theres no such thing as a cut out guitar, it's called a splingtwanger, well it is in our house anyway

[Mark R]

Is that his name? I saw him in town last week - he is still around! I remember him being interviewed (back in '98/99) on the now defunct Liverpool TV station Channel 1. In it he said he loved the people of Liverpool!

[lindylou]

I wonder if it is the original 'Plink Plink' then ? he must still be around.

Billy Butler got him into the radio Merseyside studio once to interview him.

I will try and look around and find him here on this forum - - we did talk about him on here a long time back. I'm sure there will a picture of him somewhere.


edited for Shoney !

[shoney]

I wonder if it is the original 'Plink Plink' then ? he must still be around.

Billy Butler got him into the radio Merseyside studio once to interview him.

I will try and root around and find him here on this forum - - we did talk about him on here a long time back. I'm sure there will a picture of him somewhere.

root around means something completely different in NZ and Aus, be careful how you go.

[lindylou]

I'm gonna' edit it then !! ....... 'ang on ............