Edge Hill and Crown Street

[Kev]

Moorish Arch Edge Hill - Is there any evidence of this historic arch still left? It was involved in one of Liverpool's most historical occasions - The opening of the Liverpool/ Manchester railway.

Images courtesy of Liverpool City Library and the Records Office

[MarkA]

Not much it would seem...

http://www.colinfparsons.btinternet....l/edgehill.htm

[Kev]

, imagine restoring that! Lets get a campaign going! Shame, I'd love to have a trip down there.

[theninesisters]

It's great down there, the original steps are the scariest things to walk down as most of em are gone!

Here's one of Charles Hand and friends taking the tour in 1926 just before they headed in to the Williamson Tunnels.

Source - Liverpool Central Library

[ChrisGeorge]

Hi Kev and Jona

Very interesting images and information, lads. My inclination would be to believe that the Moorish arch had to be demolished because it was too narrow to allow the later larger trains to pass through. Since it seems to have been almost completely removed and eradicated except for its foundations that would seem to be the case.

Chris

[MarkA]

From http://www.subbrit.org.uk/sb-sites/s...g/index3.shtml

"In the 1860's in order to facilitate a new track alignment the Edge Hill cutting was widened forcing the demolition of the Moorish Arch."

[snappel]

That area should be treated as a heritage site. The trouble is that when people tried to clear it out to preserve it they just got shelled from above by local kids... A big shame - that's a really historic cutting.

[Kev]

That area should be treated as a heritage site. The trouble is that when people tried to clear it out to preserve it they just got shelled from above by local kids... A big shame - that's a really historic cutting.

I agree Snappel - shame isn't it?

@Chris, looking at how thin the original structure was, that seems the likely explanation for widening and knocking it down.

[Max]

Thanks for the links, I was wondering what this was and assumed It was a water tower.

[Kev]

...........

[Max]

It's great down there, the original steps are the scariest things to walk down as most of em are gone!

Here's one of Charles Hand and friends taking the tour in 1926 just before they headed in to the Williamson Tunnels.

Source - Liverpool Central Library

Have you gone down the cutting?

I think trains go through It still I remember going through It I think when getting the train back to Lime Street once.

[Ged]

Max, there's loads of those ventilation chimneys if you look for them relating to Wapping and Waterloo tunnels from the dock road to Edge Hill.

You can see some at Cornwallis Street, Crown Street, in front of the Anglican cathedral, Norton street (very bare that one)

[Max]

The one I took Is the Crown Street one I think.

[Kev]

Where about are the remains of this arch? On what road can they be reached?

[MarkA]

From what I can gather, the Moorish Arch was on the other side of Edge Hill station from the Crown Street tunnel.