P.MAC/J.LENNON'S HOUSES

[Waterways]

Moving from Western Ave to Ardwick Rd? Similar houses. Must have been that Western Ave was main Rd, although in those days few cars on the road. The parts of Speke was dead.

McCartney and Harrison were near neighbours and were basically two Speke kids. They would have taken the 82C bus to school each day. Got off at Duke Street and walked up to the Institute.

[wsteve55]

Must say,I thought they moved a lot,but the houses dont seem that different? Been up to Speke,recently,it's turned into road-hump land!!

[Waterways]

Must say,I thought they moved a lot,but the houses dont seem that different? Been up to Speke,recently,it's turned into road-hump land!!

The estate should be pulled down. It is isolated and always was - poor planning to have a and estate isolated from the rest of the city. The airport could use the land for expansion which will benefit the city.

I never liked Speke that much. The older pre-war part, the western section, was always nicer and quiet. The Eastern side, where Harrison and McCartney lived, especially near the central part, where they where, was quite rough. But to think it helped create a musical group which took the world at one stage is incredible. Was the influences more the Liverpool Institute School rather than the Speke estate?

Speke wasn't bristling with music clubs that was for sure. A few pubs and that was it.

[underworld]

They had the British Legion in Conleach Road were Harrison played his first live gig in a duo.

Harrison maintained some contact with Speke and gave ?2000 to the Speke Boys club in the 1980s. Eventually it closed but that was nice of him.

The McCartneys moved to Ardwick Road so his mother could be more central to the estate as she was a midwife, or thats the reason given anyway.

[George]

Usually when some people flit from house to house its a case of aboiding long overdue rent/electric and gas bills.

Some bird I knew on the canny farm estate done a moonlight flit every twelve months of staying in rented accomodation,she told me she's been as far as aberdeen,gloucester,yorkshire,bury,cheadle,swansea ,manchester and liverpool.

[George]

Hey Steve,what yer should have done is had a concealed palmcorder in a bag and set it on record before yer entered them homes of the beatles...ie candid recordings.

[Ged]

Yes Steve, got pics of them all which are in a booklet for my tours.

Speke incidentally was held up as a fine example of a township estate with self contained amenities, won awards and led to a delegation from Liverpool going to New Delhi to build there.

Lancelot Keay, designer of the landing flats served as Director of Housing in Liverpool until 1948. During his time in the post more than 35,000 new houses and flats were built across the city and four large-scale redevelopment schemes were implemented. Recognised for his flair and innovation in housing development, one of Keay?s most notable achievements was the creation of the township of Speke to the south-east of central Liverpool. Speke became a model for self-contained municipal housing estates throughout the world.

He was rewarded for his contribution to public housing when he received a knighthood in 1947. He served as Director of Housing until 1948 and was also president of the Royal Institute of British Architects from 1946 to 1948.

[Waterways]

They had the British Legion in Conleach Road were Harrison played his first live gig in a duo.

Harrison maintained some contact with Speke and gave ?2000 to the Speke Boys club in the 1980s. Eventually it closed but that was nice of him.

The McCartneys moved to Ardwick Road so his mother could be more central to the estate as she was a midwife, or thats the reason given anyway.

Ardwick Rd was not far from Western Ave. There must be lots of 50 somethings around who had his Ma deliver the baby.

[Waterways]

Yes Steve, got pics of them all which are in a booklet for my tours.

Speke incidentally was held up as a fine example of a township estate with self contained amenities,

Speke was well laid out for sure and it was large. It was a village in itself, isolated from the rest of the city. Totally surrounded by an airport and industrial estates. It should not have been so isolated. It was a long bus ride from Garston to Speke - and still is. Garston should have been extended around the airport, rather than have industrial estates then the isolated Speke estate.

The place was falling apart not long ago and it was the ideal time to demolish the lot to expand the airport as the estate is right in the way. The estate was never going to be a long term success as it was isolated and and a one class estate - working class. As people became wealthier they bought their own homes with the estate having no provision for private homes. It became a sink estate and an awful place. Friday and Saturday night in some of the pubs? Full of lunatics!!!

A the corners inquest, they did decide
It was sheer suicide
To go rent collecting in Speke

People in Garston said it was isolated because it contained problem families. Well they would say that.

BTW, I picked up a book in the library and was titled McCartney, by Heinmman. It stated that Speke had outside lavatories and had a chapter titled that. Speke had "inside" lavatories, like normal homes. The crap they write!!!

[squiggs]

As far as I know Paul also lived in Broadway in Wallasey !

[Ged]

Yes Squiggs, 92 Broadway Avenue, Wallasey, mentioned on that 3rd pic on page 1 of this thread. It was his 2nd home during wartime Liverpool after moving from 10 Sunbury Rd.

[lindylou]

Didn't they have a short spell at Sir Thomas White Gdns too ??


.... they sure did move around a lot !

[Waterways]

Yes Squiggs, 92 Broadway Avenue, Wallasey, mentioned on that 3rd pic on page 1 of this thread. It was his 2nd home during wartime Liverpool after moving from 10 Sunbury Rd.

Yep, go to Wallasey to get away from bombing? Right near to Birkenhead docks? Mmmmmm.

[squiggs]

Yes Squiggs, 92 Broadway Avenue, Wallasey, mentioned on that 3rd pic on page 1 of this thread. It was his 2nd home during wartime Liverpool after moving from 10 Sunbury Rd.

Thanks Ged !, thought I was right, I lived close to Broadway for a while nice house and a wide Road.
That part of Wallasey got quite alot of bomb damage in the war,so I'm not so sure escaping from Liverpool would have helped.

[Ged]

No, it didn't as it happened.