Amazing what turn’s up!
Many thanks to Carl Watson in New Zealand for sending me the above photo of what was apparently Granny Parr’s chip shop and the Jane Little sweet shop. These old buildings were located on the corner of Market Street and Elm Grove. The buildings were replaced with a Woolworth store at some point and today most of the site is home to Hoylake School of Dance. I believe the photo dates back to 1914 when it was featured in an edition of the Hoylake Free Press.
Presumably the fish was caught locally and a portion of fish and chips came wrapped in newspaper …anyone feeling hungry?
The ‘new’ shops were McKenzies (elec/TV) , Woolies and Coopers (food)
I think the date of 1914 may be a little early as, if you look at the hoardings closely, there is a movie showing at the Kingsway called “Hips Hips Hooray”, it seems that this was made in 1934, as was the other movie advertised called “Looking For Trouble” it starred Spencer Tracy and Constance Cummings. Unfortunately I can’t quite get the other two movie titles that were on at the Tudor.
Regards
I can make out the lower film on at the Tudor – It’s John Garrick in “The Broken Melody” – which was a British film of 1934. The other one is “Lady of the ……..”?
Got it “Lady of the Boulevards” starring Anna Sten, also 1934.
Apparently Elm Grove was originally known as Cockle Alley
The 1930`s as a time frame for the photo seems to fit in bearing in mind the advert for the Tudor which only opened for business in December of 1933.
To me the houses in the photo look almost derelict and ready for demolition which is perhaps why the photo was taken.
I lived in 1 Elm Terrace which backed onto the carpark for Woolworths and the Back of the Building from 1947 to 1967
Our Back Entry to nos 1-9 Elm Terrace ran between the wall of Woolworths and our back Gates, this was Cockle Alley.
Mrs Morris lived at No 3 and used to tell me, as a child, that she used to put her children on the Kitchen Table when the tide came through her gate.
From memory she must have died about 1950 at the age of 101, so she must have been talking about the late 1800’s.
These cottages are now the Scout Hut.
I believe it was the custom of Woolworths to send a scruffy old man round to negotiate for new sites, in order to obtain the cheapest price.