div>
I lived from birth ( 1961 ) till about 1989 in Fitzgerald road, then moved to Warmington rd for approx 12 years, now I'm on Queens Drive ( still in the Swan ) and these photos from the late 60's and today are superb.
It's amazing how close the Litlewoods building looks to Old Swan.
I worked in Crawfords ( United Biscuits ) to about 2002 then changed job to the Littlewoods Building in 2002 and what a building that was. I actually sat in the original Moores office, with the original fireplace and a mosaic glass dome in the ceiling ( never took no pics though ) and it would be a travesty if they pulled it down. It still took me about 25 mins to walk there but from your photos Ged, it looks so close.
Talking of Queens Drive, a friend passed me a recent edition of the freebie magazine called "LINX", which fetured an article on Queens Drive, hope you don't mind if I bore you with the details: It's from Stephen Guy, West Derby Society.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
The City Fathers had great foresight in Edwardian times when they began to build a mighty road skirting the outskirts of Liverpool to serve that new fangled machine, the motor car.
They called it Queens Drive and it still serves as the citys ring road.
Early stretches sprang up as new, but disconnected tree lined boulevards. Over the years, the highway absorbed quiet lanes in it's path to make the full length road we know today.
This work was carried out before the first world war and continued into the 1920's.
Passing through the fields of Clubmoor, the new road bypassed ancient Larkhill Lane but spared imposing Larkhill Mansion whose driveway was turned into Muirhead Avenue and grounds into Muirhead Gardens.
The big house was finally demolished in 1962 and the present Library built.
At about the same time, the original Larkhill gates in the central reservation of Muirhead Avenue, Tuebrook, were removed.
At Stoneycroft, it absorbed Moss Lane and Black Horse Lane. Then at the junction with Prescot Road it encounted two beautiful Lodges guarding the drive to a splendid Mansion called Highfield House.
The gates of this pile were situated in a hamlet caleld summer square nestling around the Black Horse Inn and a smithy with it's Blacksmith serving the local farming community.
Highfield House, built in 1763 stood on the high ground and had once been the home of the Duchess of Athol. It ended it's days as Highfield Infirmary which later became Broadgreen Hospital.
Other big West Derby houses affected by Queens Drive included Barnfield. This stood in front of where the Jolly Miller now stands and was demolished to improve the junction with Mill Lane.
Atmospheric Moss House was cleared to make way for improvements at the junction with Derby Lane. Some of the sandstone from it's walls may have been incorporated into the shops built on the corner.
There was a picturesque wood and pond on the site of a former quarry where the Queens Drive pub now stands ( the Stoneycroft ).
A little further south glass-domed Fir Grove House was swept away opposite the junction with Alder Road - the fire station stands on the site.
Fir Grove Farm, just down the road, also went.
A Mystery Remains: Oak Cottage.
Oak Cottage was apparently to make way for Queens Drive but the site remains empty to this day, next to the car wash. Only the original garden wall remains.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Site of Oak Cottage - Queens Drive, apologies for qualty, I took it on my camera phone !
By the way, all of a sudden they are clearing this field as I think they are building an Old Peoples Home on the site. Cut down a tree which must have been over 100 years old
Then again, the wife won't have far to go to visit me, if they build it
I am passing this on as I live very, very, very close to the car wash on Queens Drive and always wondered what that empty field was, I always knew it as the Sheepy.
Anyway, sorry to bore you all and thanks once again to Ged for getting these pics for me, Martin.
Bookmarks