Another photo (click for higher resolution version) of the old lifeboat station, featuring a chap named H Cummins of West Kirby with his donkeys and trap. The photo, kindly sent in by Julian Triggs, was taken circa 1912.
What I like about this photo is that it shows an old building on Alderley Road that I’ve not seen before. If I’ve got my coordinates right that building is stood where Cromer Court retirement apartments is today.
What was that old place?
Is that a ghost between the two girls by the cart, is looks like he is wearing jeans. The building I believe is/was the rope works. I am sure that there are people who know a lot more about it than I do. Will be interested to read more about it.
The building finished it’s life as a boat storage and undercover workshop facility for the Hoylake sailing club.
What I find interesting if I’m correct, you can just see a glimpse of the coastguard cottages between the boathouse and the Lower Lighthouse. I have only ever seen an artist’s impression of these buildings in the many books available on ‘old’ Hoylake. This area has changed so many times with the ‘Winter Gardens’ coming and going, the loft now another ‘home’, I was surprised the local council didn’t force the land from the boathouse back in Alderley Road to become yet another retirement block.
For People who are not of a maritime bent, the lower lighthouse worked in conjunction with the upper lighthouse on Valentia Road as leading lights. Out at sea ships would line up the two lights to gain a safe passage toward Chester. The light last shone in 1908 and was demolished in 1922. For a brilliant explanation of leading lights read Arthur Ransome’s ‘Swallows and Amazons’.
The coastguard houses you can see in the picture were the ones attached to the Lower Lighthouse, and in fact they feature in several photos I have seen. The houses later formed the foyer and office of the Lighthouse Pavilion (later Winter Gardens), whose auditorium was built on the other side, towards Market Street.
I had heard that the Lower and Upper lighthouses were used in conjunction; likewise the Bidston and Leasowe ones; and in fact that by lining up the Hoylake ones and then the Bidston / Leasowe pair, this gave you a particular point where you should turn into either the Dee or Mersey estuary. But I’m not sure if this is entirely correct.
I know the whole set-up changed with the silting up of the lake, and the use of gas buoys, but it still puzzles me that the Upper Lighthouse should have had no further use after 1886 but the Lower Lighthouse continued until 1908
I would also like to comment on the marks on the mule’s legs, either they were not being treated so well or might they have been ‘rescued’ from a harder work environment to finish their days on the beach?
The photo is definitely pre-1910. The building on the right was originally the stable block for the house “Grebnul” (which was the owner Lunberg in reverse).
The building was already a rope and sack works when I was a child in the 1950s; I don’t know how long it had been that. I always thought it ugly and frightening, but that’s childhood for you. In the 70s, or thereabouts, it was used by the Sailing Club for storage of boats.
As Charles rightly says this was a very forbidding looking building- and It was the view out of my bedroom window for all the time I lived at Sandtoft (around 15 years). The whole place was guarded by a high wall and I think it all added to an air of mystery about Grebnul. It was indeed the stable block and from what I was told was one many horses would be pleased to occupy- quite a des res in horsey terms. There was very beautiful decorative tiling on the walls. I seem to recall that the Rope Works as the whole set up was known had been bought out (or at least their business had) by a much bigger rope making firm- I might be wrong but seem to recall Bonar was in the name. I’ve done a quick google search but can’t verify this. Charles do you know with your wide historic knowledge of Hoylake.
The photo is a beauty I think I’ve seen it before and wonder if it was made into a post card.
You mention Cromer Court is the building there now- I think Cromer was the name of the house next to Grebnul.
I had forgotten about this building; when I was in my teens (late 70s/early 80s) we called it ‘the Rope Factory’ although nothing much seemed to happen there, presumably because it was thenused to store boats, as Charles says above.
I can’t remember, though, when it was demolished. Does anyone remember?
Thanks for the comments – interesting stuff !
You know the “fake” lighthouse at the bottom of Stanley Road …well I seem to recall people saying that the bloke who had it built “was loaded” as his father owned a rope factory. I wonder if that is true and there’s some link to the rope factory mentioned here or is it just a case of Chinese whispers?
John
I remember the chap in question, used to drink in the Green Lodge, I think. I heard that he’d made his fortune on cocoa futures or some such, and then lost it all.
I remember sleeping in the sand dunes in the early 90s after ‘impromptu’ parties at Red Rocks, and being woken up on Sunday morning by hammering noises from the false lighthouse (and, of course, the cold!) in its final stages of completion.
What a shame such an interesting building was allowed to be demolished as it could have been converted into very interesting homes instead of the bland monolith of Cromer Court.
The rope works or stables was sold by the Sailing Club to a developer in the 1980s .
The bulding needed major repair and the Sailing Club could not afford the considerable cost.
Some money went to finance the new boat shed on the green
THE “ROPE WORKS” YOU ARE ALL REFERRING TO WAS SURELY “THE MARITIME STORES”AND JULIAN YOUR GRANDFATHER JULIAN TRIGGS WORKED THERE FOR A TIME AS DID MY BROTHER JOHN SUTTON I THINK IT WAS WHEN YOUR GRANDFATHER WAS WAITING TO GO IN THE NAVY. SO I DO NOT KNOW HOW LONG HE WAS THERE FOR BUT I AM SURE A LOT OF ROPE SPLICING WAS DONE THERE FOR THE SHIPS AT SEA DURING THE WAR .
Hi Aunt Barb, thank you, I had not put two and two together… I knew he was working at ‘the rope works’ and I knew too that people on here had said the old sailing club building had been the ‘rope works’, until you posted your message I just had not connected at all.
From what I have gleaned from his brothers, Julian would work there between sea voyages during the war too, he and I presume John and the rest of the lads were employed building cargo nets.
It is quite comforting really as I spent many summers in there working on boats and myself doing rope work, it is nice to have that connection.
The Rope works or Maritime Store whatever you call it was an interesting building and I think that these days it might be “listed” and therefore would not have been demolished. I wonder if there is more info. in any old books on Hoylake. Does anyone have such books??
Would really love to know more about it.
Sue
My great Grand Father was Philph Cummins, he lived at Jubilee Buildings,Banks Road West Kirby in 1897. His wife was Clara and they had a little girl in 1898 called Jennie. Doses anyone know if they are of the same family?
I could see the stable building from my bedroom window as a child and grew very attached to it. I spent many summer days playing in the grounds (after sneaking in). The 1960s garage block next to it was great for ball games, plus it had a running tap which was handy for cooling off! When they came to pull it down I was very sad, and even as a small child, very angry!
John was my 2nd great grandad and heny great uncle