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Thread: Stanley Park wartime shelters

  1. #1

    Default Stanley Park wartime shelters

    Hi there.

    My mum was in Liverpool during the second world war and told me that she used to go to the shelters in Stanley Park during air raids. I have been trying to find out where in the park they were located and if there is still any evidence of them. Anyone have any knowlege of them?

    Cheers.

  2. #2
    Senior Member wsteve55's Avatar
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    Hi Roberto,welcome to Yo!
    I've been around Stanley park,fairly recently,but haven't seen any remaining evidence of air-raid shelters!? They are probably long gone,but there might be some info' on these, around somewhere!I'll have a look!

    ---------- Post added at 12:01 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:48 AM ----------

    Just had a quick look,and,apparently,there was a shelter under the palm house,which is probably still there?There were also barrage ballons moored in the park !

  3. #3
    Senior Member gregs dad's Avatar
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    There were pleny of them in Kings Park, Bootle{South Park)
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    Senior Member lindylou's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by wsteve55 View Post
    Hi Roberto,welcome to Yo!
    I've been around Stanley park,fairly recently,but haven't seen any remaining evidence of air-raid shelters!? They are probably long gone,but there might be some info' on these, around somewhere!I'll have a look!

    ---------- Post added at 12:01 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:48 AM ----------

    Just had a quick look,and,apparently,there was a shelter under the palm house,which is probably still there?There were also barrage ballons moored in the park !

    Yes, there is some kind of basement to that palm house - maybe the remains of the old shelter.

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    Senior Member robbo176's Avatar
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    they dismantled the palm house ,built a cafe underneath & then rebuilt the refurmished palm house on top so I don't think the air raid shelters would still be there
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    Senior Member wsteve55's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by robbo176 View Post
    they dismantled the palm house ,built a cafe underneath & then rebuilt the refurmished palm house on top so I don't think the air raid shelters would still be there
    But maybe they utilised the space,already there?



    ---------- Post added at 09:05 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:17 PM ----------

    It seems many shelters were above ground,often sited in the streets,themselves! They would fairly easily be demolished,and leave no trace afterwards,especially in a park setting!

  8. #8

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    Liverpool city councild history of stanley park does not mention anything about having air raid shelter situated there so I don' tthink there will have been any? you must remember the palmhouse basement housed artifacts in the basement and storage was not that large in terms of housing a few people.

  9. #9
    Senior Member wsteve55's Avatar
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    Lightbulb

    That's probably true about the observatory,though that history, is a bit sketchy! There was plenty of open ground elsewhere in the park,and I would guess that's where they would have been constructed?
    I couldn't find much on Stanley park,but did find these pic's of a shelter in Gott park,in Leeds,which was re-discovered by urban explorers! It demonstrates how these structures can be hidden,by time! I've included a pic' of a standard "Anderson" shelter,and one of some larger shelters,in what looks like a tenement block.
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  10. #10

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    If they were in Stanners?I would be looking at the walled garden area? due to the nature that at the back of this high wall in parts is mounds of earth,it would be so easy to dig in and strengthen the earth to use as shelters and then fill back in and hide after the war.

    Any pics ofthe walled garden area to see if any of the wall has been altered since the war?

  11. #11
    Senior Member wsteve55's Avatar
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    Maybe? There is a thread here on Yo,re' air-raid shelters,but it's mainly to do with Pillboxes,tank defences,etc

    ---------- Post added at 09:59 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:58 PM ----------

    Quote Originally Posted by gregs dad View Post
    There were pleny of them in Kings Park, Bootle{South Park)
    Were they above,or below ground?

  12. #12

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    Hi there all.

    Many thanks for all your help.

    I spoke to mum this afternoon and she thinks that the shelters were on a grassed area on the Walton Lane side. She mentioned there were some grassed mounds there until at least the late seventies when she last visited (they may still be there), though her memory of it is a bit sketchy (it was 60 odd years ago). I mentioned the Palm House and she doesn't remember going there but says it's a possibility. The parks must have been a safe place to build shelters I guess.

    Many thanks again to you all. This is a great site!

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