Gardens, Tenements and Courts

**BlueJeans** · 04-13-2011

Originally Posted by wsteve55

Interesting pic's Ged! Reminded me of the time I was in Amsterdam,and for something different,we jumped on a tram,and went to the terminus,which was several miles out of town! We were surprised,(after the "quaintness of the city,itself) to be confronted by numerous tower blocks,maisonettes,3 up flats,along the route,causing one lad to say"it's just like Kirby",which I suppose it was,to a point! The main difference was how clean and tidy it all looked,(though there was some "artistic" graffiti !) much like many Liverpool estates,when they were first built!
Seeing pic's of these estates on here,and elsewhere,can only make you wonder what went wrong,but I suppose it only takes a few,to ruin it for the majority!

It shows how short sighted Liverpool was that we knocked down all (bar one) of our tenements, yet in other European cities they still stand proud.

**Ged** · 04-13-2011

Yes, city centre apartment living is back in vogue big time. What price this prime real estate that was demolished? Actually though, there are about 10 tenement blocks still remaining, mostly renovated and renamed as private apartments such as Wavertree Gardens, Gt. Richmond St flats, Minster Court (Ex Myrtle Gdns) etc... I expect you were thinking of the Bullring BJ?

**burkhilly** · 04-13-2011

I watched the programme on catch up. I always thought that Myrtle House was Minister Court and Myrtle Gardens were the other flats. I would have put a year's wages on being right. Obviously all these years I've been wrong.

**barizla 66** · 04-13-2011

Originally Posted by Ged

Well I enjoyed that.

Me too, just wondering, was the aerial shot at the beginning of 'homes for workers' Norris Green?

**Ged** · 04-14-2011

It was barizla yes. Lancelot Keay was responsible for the Norris Green estate whilst in office too and a lot of the 30s houses still in situ along Queens Drive, 50,000 new dwellings he oversaw. burkhilly you could be right as Minster Court are the flats on Melville Place which were part of the Myrtle Gardens complex which it is referred to in general. For instance, when people from outside my old area talk of Gerard Gardens, they can also mean Gerard Crescent or any of the other 5 blocks that made up the development. It's just that Gerard Gardens like Myrtle Gardens had the big letters over the archway.

**Red Tom** · 04-14-2011

Originally Posted by burkhilly

I watched the programme on catch up. I always thought that Myrtle House was Minister Court and Myrtle Gardens were the other flats. I would have put a year's wages on being right. Obviously all these years I've been wrong.

Brother burkhilly,for what it's worth,the building now designated Minster Court, was originally one of the blocks comprising Myrtle Gardens,Myrtle House was reached by crossing Myrtle St. at a tangent (the main entrance being on Crown St.).
My father's family in the late 19th.c lived at various times in the following streets in the area- Hume/Kingsland/Myers/Linden/Harding, and the court buildings of Falkner St and (not sure where this was exactly) Palice St.
My grandmother and her three children moved to 46a Myrtle Gardens when opened (her mother dying there in 1953) and decamped along with her extended family in 1966 to the suburbs of Lee Park.
Flat 46a remains, but the view from it's windows is altered beyond all recognition.

**Ged** · 04-14-2011

Just in case anybody missed it who wanted to see it, don't forget it's repeated again tonight on BBC4 at 8pm.

**Lizzie1** · 04-14-2011

Watched it last night on 'catch up'. Really good programme.
What a shame we lost most of the tenements. I know people who lived in 'the buildings' in Kirkdale. Melrose house, Owen house etc. . They all loved living there, so why demolish them??!!

**BlueJeans** · 04-14-2011

Back on tonight BBC4 8pm

**Spike** · 04-14-2011

Originally Posted by Ged

Just in case anybody missed it who wanted to see it, don't forget it's repeated again tonight on BBC4 at 8pm.

Just put it on record. Cheers Ged la kidder buddy chum

**Kev** · 04-14-2011

Me too

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**Kev** · 04-14-2011

Just watched it. Brilliant programme!

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Sent from the back of Michael Caine's Mini Cooper S, holding on for dear life......

**gregs dad** · 04-15-2011

I think people tend to look back with rose coloured glasses, flats and tenements were horrible to live in and should never have been built.

**BlueJeans** · 04-15-2011

Whilst I agree with the rose tinted glasses bit, I know many many people who loved living in the tenements. They were of their time, and it was only when the drug dealers/ users etc moved in that their days became numbered. They provided good family homes to many and created communities that do not exist today. I think its right that we celebrate their creation, many families would have still been living in slums had the City not had forsight to try and look after its workers.

**Kev** · 04-15-2011

From listening to the programme, they were great places to live whilst residents were in employment. Sadly went down hill when labour relaxed the rules.......

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Sent from the back of Michael Caine's Mini Cooper S, holding on for dear life......