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John Alexander Brodie (1858-1934) deserves a chapter to himself in the story of Liverpool’s growth as a city. The City Engineer, he had a creative mind – responsible for ‘inventing’ goal nets to stop the disputes that broke out when there were just goalposts and a crossbar – he was also the man who created [...]
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I have all 112 pics of their construction Colin. Prefabricated at Cobbs Quarry on St. Domingo Road - later the corpy yard. They were transported to Eldon Street by steam traction engine. Other panels were sent to Letchworth where an ideal homes sort of exhibition resulted in further orders. The site where they were in Eldon sat is now occupied by the former Our Ladys of Reconcilliation school caretakers bungalow.
Great stuff Colin. Never heard of him before.
Never heard of Brodie Avenue?
You blasphemus wirralite you ;)
Great pic's Colin,I used to live just opposite those flats,though well after they,and the school,next door, were demolished! I agree that Brodie should be more widely acknowledged!
The tree lined boulevards Colin talks of were not always like that of course. The central reservations were built to house the tram lines which of course are now extinct - or at least some still hidden underneath. Fountains and horse troughs were placed at main junction regular intervals - a couple of the fountains still in situ. Brodie had a self financing idea for the road network by selling off the roadside land frontages for housing. His work was later recognised as a delegation was sent to India to help plan New Delhi.
And we still don't know the name of that pub was on the corner at the bottom :)Quote:
Originally Posted by wsteve55
Ha,Ha, it's a mysterwy....as Toyah once sang!!Quote:
Originally Posted by Ged
Is Walton Stables off the slip road onto Queens Drive by the flyover?
"Sadly for Brodie (and Liverpool), the system of using factory-produced panels failed because of trade union opposition"
That is new to me. Sounds likes another right-wing myth that blames all our failing on trade unions.
The amount of people that blame the decline of Liverpool Docks on unions is unbelievable. A BBC researcher, a southerner, once contacted me about a TV prog about Liverpool and he was going on about unions and strikes being the prime cause of the ports decline. I told him that they were the symptom not the cause. Pointing him to the over investment in the south east and the money poured into London to make it a super-city at our expense. I refused to deal with him.
I never heard about the Unions bit before either but they didn't really take off as such though the much maligned boot estate used something similar and we all know what happened there.
He designed the boulevards in New DeliQuote:
Originally Posted by pablo42
This was copied from the Metroland, the commuter rail lines run into the fields north of London. The Metropolitan Railway certainly looked to profit from the rail operations as much from house building along the line.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ged
The Met was the ONLY example of private money being used to fund the rail infrastructure by selling off land that rose in value. This model could have been refined to serve everyone's interests. It wasn't.
Brodie did something similar with roads, with trams on them. but organised by a public body. This was taking inflated land values because of the infrastructure of roads/trams and using it to fund the building of the infrastructure. Once again this success model was not copied.
But, it only provided funds for the construction, not the running maintenance. Full Land Value Taxation would solve the lot and provide top class infrastructure - as Hong Kong and Harrisburg found out.
Hi Rhoobarb, it is just by the Flyover (on the side going down Queens Drive across from the Church). Not easy to spot - it is behind railings - and it is not particularly impressive (more like a garage block).Quote:
Originally Posted by Rhoobarb
going east or west?Quote:
Originally Posted by Colin Wilkinson
Hi Waterways - the information regarding the failure of Brodie's pre-cast system came from Quentin Hughes's research. I cannot comment on his sources - because I don't have them. As far as the info goes - there was only one other example built - a cottage ordered by Letchworth. Clearly some more research is called for as to what happened. It could have been equally true that builders as well as unions disliked the system as it threatened their livlihoods as well. I can quite imagine a few well-placed builders/developers having a word in councillors' ears telling them to have the idea dropped.
Going east down towards the East Lancs Road.
Ah right. I thought it might have been this one.Quote:
Originally Posted by Colin Wilkinson
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?oe=utf...cbp=12,90,,0,5
I think it would come more from builders than unions. UK builders are known for their backwardness. The House Builders Federation influences the building regulations so heavily in order to maintain the status quo that the UK is backwards in house building technology compared to large parts of Western Europe, Scandinavia and North America. The House Builders Federation opposes any increase in building regulations that they perceive will eat into their members vast profits. They opposed all increases in insulation standards and in 1990 described the proposed insulation increase as “a cosmetic exercise”.Quote:
Originally Posted by Colin Wilkinson
The unions would see more homes being built quicker, increasing employment. Even in the early 1900s, Liverpool was full of crumbling slums. The need was there clearly there to be seen.
Building Eldon Street Tenements [Pictures from plans to completion]
http://www.yoliverpool.com/forum/sho...-to-completion
Thanks Kev.
Cracking photos those thanks.
I had a pic of the copy yard...but you got upset me posting these fom other sites. :pQuote:
later the corpy yard.
I lived in a concrete house exactly like the Letchworth types in Welwyn Garden City in the early eighties. They were built between 1919-1922ish and were very comfortable and spacious. They are still standing now and selling for over £250,000 for a 2 bed! Given that Liverpool erected prefabs to house bombed out families, why didn't they go for the more permanent solution? Perhaps there were too many business interests at stake. I agree with Colin though_builders are reluctant to move from the traditional methods whereas in Europe and the USA, they can have a house up and ready externally in a couple of weeks with prefabricated systems. BTW, does anyone remember the so called 'Swedish ' houses somewhere near Deysbrook Lane way? They were prefabricated 2 storey houses donated by Sweden after the war I believe. Supposed to be up for 10 yrs or so and were still standing when I left Liverpool in 1972
Do you mean these one's?Quote:
Originally Posted by Comfortablynumb
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&so...289.63,,0,4.72
Wasn't the lower half of those prefabs corrugated asbestos sheeting?
Sorry,top half was corrugated asbestos sheeting and lower half concrtet blocks...with tin roofs.
Yes, that's exactly what I was thinking of. If they are still up then surely that proves they're not a bad solution to the cheap housing problem? Princess Dr looks a lot posher than when I remember it :shock:-is the Eagle and Child still standing and the Bluebell on Huyton Lane?
Nah,The Eagle and child became a rough house and ended its days being raised to the ground,even the Bow & Arrow seen its demise as a pub.
The Bluebell was knocked down about 3 years ago.Quote:
Originally Posted by Comfortablynumb
I didn't, I said they should be requested and if accepted, credited, acknowledged and linked back to the site.Quote:
Originally Posted by George
I can never tire of seeing pics or reading stories about this part of Liverpool, it has so much history,
Thanks to all.
I'll have to second that Johnny.