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Thread: Park Lane’s Lost Heritage

  1. #1
    Senior Member Colin Wilkinson's Avatar
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    Default Park Lane’s Lost Heritage


    Park Lane Goods Station, 1980

    Apartments on the same site, 2012

    Kean’s Hotel (originally Mayfair Hotel) 1980

    Park Lane/Tabley Street, 1980


    Comparative view taken 2012


    Park Lane/Liver Street, 1976


    Comparative view 2012

    Park Lane is a short street, probably no more the 500 metres. I walk along it most days and always enjoy my quick walk into the centre. It has no pretensions to grandeur unlike its London counterpart but it was once a busy thoroughfare connecting Canning Place with the Dingle.
    I can remember some of the buildings that once lined the street. The offices of the Park Lane station (the top photograph) were demolished in the last five years to make way for the blocks of flats shown in the second photograph. Next to the station stood that glorious folly of a pub, the Mayfair Hotel. Folly in that the brewery had jumped the gun when plans were announced to extend the railway from Edge Hill to Park Lane. Anticipating a great trade from thirsty travellers, they built an impressive gin palace, only to discover that the station was meant for goods traffic only. It was a remarkable sight and survived until the early 1980s. The next blocks were typical nineteenth century Liverpool – a mix of pubs and businesses with considerable character. My 1966 Kelly’s Directory has armature winders, flooring contractors, leather goods manufacturers, turf accountants, dried fish dealers, tailors, hairdressers and publicans amongst the trades listed. All in all, a very vibrant street.
    The colour comparative photographs tell a different story. Most of the street is now vacant land. There is a new housing development walled off alongside the Swedish Church but the rest of the street is now cleared land – a soulless stretch only enlivened by sight of the Albert Dock in the distance. Why does this kind of destruction have to take place? I could understand it if the land was built on (like the new apartments in the second photograph) but to remove interesting and historical buildings for waste ground is a depressingly routine act in Liverpool. Who is to blame? Developers of the City Council? Either way, the destruction of Park Lane is a clear lesson in how not to develop an area. Like the Sailors’ Home, there is an undue haste to pull down buildings in the hope that development will become that much easier. The holes in the ground and acres of waste ground are scars the community must look at, often for decades.

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    Senior Member collegepudding's Avatar
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    Nice Then & Now shots, and interesting background info Colin, Thanks.

    collegepudding

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    Senior Member Norm NZ's Avatar
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    I too remember Park Lane in the 'old days' Colin, and after comparing both aspects from your photographs, I agree with your comments regarding the destruction of the older but much more interesting buildings of yesteryear. Thanks!

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    Senior Member dazza's Avatar
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    Thanks Colin. Great photos once again.

    The last in the series: Park Lane/Liver Street, I thought was interesting, as I'd just stumbled across an archaeological report of St Thomas' Church graveyard, which stood opposite to the Park Lane/Liver Street junction shown.

    I've attached the PDF link of the report below. It makes for very interesting reading; it includes, a developed history of the Church, its site, and records the status of notable interments they discovered there. One case in example was the grave of Joseph Williamson, the Mole of Edge Hill. His grave had been photographed, plotted on a drawing of the site, together with many others.

    http://library.thehumanjourney.net/2...ullReportF.pdf

    [OS map, 1848, courtesy of the LRO]

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    Senior Member wsteve55's Avatar
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    Great comparative pic's,Colin! What a shame Kean's hotel has gone, a great example of it's type! An interesting document there,Dazza,any idea what happened to Williamson's gravestone,after it was discovered(broken) during the Liverpool 1 construction?

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    Re-member Ged's Avatar
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    More fantastic pics and info Colin. Thanks for posting them.

    ---------- Post added at 12:10 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:04 PM ----------

    St Thomas' church in 1896.




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    The interior as seen in 1904



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    I have loads of these, many unseen or rarely seen before.
    www.inacityliving.piczo.com/

    Updated weekly with old and new pics.

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    Senior Member Waterways's Avatar
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    I walked up and Park Lane regularly in the late 1960s. Most the buildings needed demolishing. The lane had little character as a proper High St, being semi commercial. Some decent pubs which mainly did trade from the workers in the adjacent warehouses rather than the people who lived to the east of the road. However there were some gems which were needlessly bulldozed, like the pub shown. The obliteration of the Liverpool 1 (and 8) squares was a crime.

    The Park Lane Good station was post war as the original 1830s structures were bombed. The Wapping tunnel emerges at the station.
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    Senior Member dazza's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by wsteve55 View Post
    Dazza,any idea what happened to Williamson's gravestone,after it was discovered(broken) during the Liverpool 1 construction?
    Hi Steve, the grave of Joseph Williamson, the Mole of Edge Hill, is still there, undisturbed. Grosvenor had planned to create a memoral garden here, but as the ground is still consecrated land, they would need permission, and archaeological survey approved by the CofE. One of the aims was to locate, and record Williamsons grave, which I think had been done to an earlier excavation in 2005.

    "I have never let my schooling interfere with my education."... ... ... Mark Twain.

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    Senior Member lindylou's Avatar
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    What a shame that Kean's Hotel disappeared. Such a lovely ornate building.

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    Senior Member dazza's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ged View Post


    ---------- Post added at 12:10 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:04 PM ----------

    St Thomas' church in 1896.




    Uploaded with ImageShack.us
    Thanks for posting Ged. I don't think I've seen a photo of St Thomas' before today, excellent.
    "I have never let my schooling interfere with my education."... ... ... Mark Twain.

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    Re-member Ged's Avatar
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    Not sure if the Williamson tunnels people have it either dazza?

    I've seen a pic of Keans hotel before in the pub on every corner book and thought then it was very ornate and a sad loss, also the Greenbergs building (you can slightly see it on an angle on 2 of Colin's pics in the 1st post) was also a nice building.
    www.inacityliving.piczo.com/

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  12. #12

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    Hello,

    In answer to your questions; Joseph Williamson's Gravestone (The Tate Vault) was reburied in-situ.

    When Oxford Archaeology North discovered the stone it was in a very bad state, it had fractured in the middle and had partially collapsed into the grave vault. The damage was so severe that parts of the lead coffin lining could be seen. As Williamson was the last of eight people buried in the grave this was probably his coffin.

    Grosvenor have happily landscaped the site to create a lovely little memorial garden. The garden is dedicated to all those buried in St Thomas' Churchyard.

    It includes a replica of the Liver Bird from the carving above the Sailors Home. This is a nice touch as for a few years the original was being stored at the Williamson Tunnels Heritage Centre on Smithdown Lane.

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    Senior Member wsteve55's Avatar
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    Thanks for that info' WT! Anyone got a pic' of the memorial garden?

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    Senior Member Rhoobarb's Avatar
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    Some cracking pictures there, never seen those before.
    I wouldn't give Satan a snowball's chance in hell against a woman's ego, man. He'd rule the Earth for a day. A week later we'd see Satan out cuttin' the lawn.

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    Martin hmtmaj's Avatar
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    Click image for larger version. 

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    Quote Originally Posted by dazza View Post
    Hi Steve, the grave of Joseph Williamson, the Mole of Edge Hill, is still there, undisturbed. Grosvenor had planned to create a memoral garden here, but as the ground is still consecrated land, they would need permission, and archaeological survey approved by the CofE. One of the aims was to locate, and record Williamsons grave, which I think had been done to an earlier excavation in 2005.
    Peggy from Runcorn emailed me this pic:
    taken from the "Joseph Williamsons memorial page"


    more info here also
    http://www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/...2534-27232794/
    Started the Old Swan Website:

    http://oldswan.piczo.com/?cr=5

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