The redevelopment of The Kings Gap Hotel is nearing completion now and from most aspects the building is completely unrecognisable.

The porta-cabins were removed a couple of weeks ago enabling a much better view of the hotel, with what I guess is a new side entrance and car park. If you look through the windows overlooking the garden, you’ll see stacks of new chairs and tables.

The hotel and Frankie’s restaurant is due to open in the next few weeks. I wonder if Frankie Dettori and Marco Pierre-White will attend an official opening?

Meanwhile, around the corner on Meols Drive, there doesn’t appear to be any further progress on the Royal Hilbre Hotel.  You might recall that firm behind the development hoped to secure additional funding in order to complete the works.

Anyway, what do you think of the new Kings Gap building?

A recent, not too scientific, survey by Hoylake Village Life on facebook, resulted in The Dolphin (pictured) being ranked the No 1 chippy in Hoylake. What do you think of that, a worthy winner or are there just as good chips elsewhere in Hoylake?

While we’re on the subject of fish and chips, I’ve heard a few recommendations for Baxter’s chippy in Moreton (just off Moreton Cross somewhere I think), though I gather they’ve swapped from using beef dripping to vegetable oil.

There must have been several fish and chip shops in Hoylake over the years and I guess some will have been down the side roads like The Dolphin – some old photos would be much appreciated!

Just me, or is anyone else feeling peckish?

Many thanks to Chris Hankin for this week’s Friday Photo which happens to be a follow-up to the one I published last week. As we’ve seen a few old photos of male football teams and even an English Championship winning basketball team, it’s good to address the balance with some sporty females. Chris comments:

My nan Edith Hankin (nee Smith, kneeling on left) bowled for the Melrose Bowling Club for decades, and became their President for many years – I enclose a few photos with lots of the members – I’m afraid I can name only a very few of them – perhaps others can chip in?

Now I’m not sure if those are Hoylake houses in the background – they look like they could be but I’m struggling to place them. Any guesses?

[UPDATE: Sat 21st]

Chris has just sent me the photo below (click for larger) of a bowling team from the 1940′s, taken on the bowling green that was behind the former YMCA building in Hoyle Road.

I wonder how many readers can guess where the above is?

It isn’t a large lawn of one the posh houses – it’s a bowling green. And you’ll only see it if you cross the railway line at Melrose Avenue or go the long way round through the Carr Lane estate (even then you’ll have to cross the line of course). It’s the green for Hoylake Central and Melrose Bowling Club, tucked away behind a tall fence and a locked, brown gate (see below). It’s even more discreet than the St Luke’s Tennis Club which, if you don’t know, is opposite the Co-op car park that’s behind The Row.

I took the photos earlier today on what’s been a more typical winter’s day; cool and sunny. Quite nice for a change …hands-up if you’ve been getting rather cheesed-off with the strong winds! I’m quite looking forward to Jack Frost paying a visit over the weekend.

By the way, you can view the weather data collected by the Hilbre Island weather station and this graph shows the wind gust speed so far this month have exceeded 60 knots (around 72mph) – that’s very nearly hurricane force on the Beaufort Scale. Unfortunately for some, that’s also pretty high on the blow your garden fence to pieces scale too!

And we’re off with the first Friday Photo of 2012 – Happy New Year !

Many thanks to Syd Bird for today’s two baking related photos, starting with George L Beck above. The signage on the side of the trap says George L Beck, Plain & Fancy Bread Baker. I wonder what the difference was between a plain and fancy loaf?

Below is a photo of J.J. Broster of 16 Walker Street. Now I thought that No16 would be Molly’s Bakery (formerly Malcolm’s Bakery) but that’s No 11 on the other side of the road. That place was until recently up for sale. By the way, we’ve discussed Brosters before.

*click for larger

The weather at the moment in Hoylake isn’t at all seasonal – mild and wet, especially so today!

So here’s a photo taken in Queens Park from last December (the 18th at 9.30 am to be precise)  that might perhaps make feel you a bit more festive?

Merry Christmas!

Click image for larger version.

Many thanks to Syd Bird for another gem from his archives. Here we have the gentlemen of Hoylake Cycling Club (if there was such a club?) posing for a photo outside what must be changing rooms for either a football or rugby team. No lycra and helmets for these riders, just tweed, cloth caps and pocket watches (a style that occasionally makes a comeback – Liverpool/Wirral should do one of these for charity don’t you think?).

Looking at the larger version of the photo it seems that some of the bikes don’t have any brakes (no brake levers on some of the handlebars). They’re quite possibly fixed-wheel (fixie) bikes which means if the bike is moving then the pedals keep moving and you (can attempt to) pedal backwards to slow the bike down.

I hope somebody knows more about these Hoylake cyclists. Please leave a comment if that’s you!

(click image for larger)

Many thanks to Syd Bird for the above photo, taken no earlier than 1900 as you can see St Hildeburgh’s Church in the background. Pictured are a group of golfers on the Royal Liverpool Golf Club links – some wearing particularly impressive flat caps – known as the Hoylake Villagers.

Here’s a copy of a comment for an earlier item that explains the origins of the Hoylake Villagers:

Originally the RLGC was a horse racing course and, when it was bought by the RLGC, a stipulation of the purchase was that local transmen, i.e. Artisans, had to be able to use the course. Members of the Village Artisans (known as ‘The Villagers’) at the RLGC did not pay a fee to use the course but paid a fee to belong to the Artisans. For this privilege they helped to maintain the course, replacing divots, marshalling at matches, etc. but had restricted teeing off times at the weekends. But at least they got to play on a great golf course. As they weren’t allowed to use the member’s clubhouse (they had a wooden hut), they would meet during the 1960′s at The Ship Inn which was run at the time by Edna House. There was an Edna House Trophy and also a Glenda Jackson Trophy as Glenda’s father, Mickey, used to be a member of the Villagers. My husband, Peter, was also a Villager before joining Wallasey G.C. When The Open was held there in 1967, Peter was working for a local electrical firm (Peter Ryder) and they carried out all the electrical work on site. We were still living in Hoylake when The Open was held there a few years ago and it was a fantastic week, although a bit hot for the players !

As an added bonus this week, have a look at an old photo of Meols Infants School and a great image of the Hydro Hotel and outdoor bathing pool at West Kirby.

Today’s the date for this weeks Friday Photo as pictured above are the men installing new apparatus and surfacing in Grove Park this morning. The chaps didn’t mind me snapping them at work once I assured them that I wasn’t working for the DSS!

Good to see another little area of Hoylake being improved.

For all the news about Grove Park don’t forget to visit the facebook page of Friends of Grove Park.

Not quite a photo for you today but a scan of a cover of an RNLI Open Day programme from 1982.

Purely by chance I spotted the programme on ebay last week. I won the auction at great expense. That’ll be 99p to you and me plus 80p for postage!

I’ve found the adverts to be of most interest as they give an insight to what was in Hoylake in the early 80s. For instance, located at 46-48 Market Street was The Lemon Tree Coffee Lounge which I suspect later became Cafe Cassidy! I think it’s an estate agents today. And who remembers The Outrigger shop in Banks Road, West Kirby? Back in 1982 Spotty Blue Teapot was actually a second hand car dealers.

‘Come On Eileen’ by Dexy’s Midnight Runners was at number 1 that weekend. Although, being a fickle lot, by Christmas we’d ditched our patchy, denim dungarees and were all have a good old singalong in the Stanley Hotel at The Kings Gap to ‘Save Your Love’ by Renee and Renato (here’s the video on youtube in case you’ve forgotten it). And with a pint of bitter costing about 60p (data source) it’d be a cheap night out!

On the day not only did the Red Arrows arrive, but there were also displays from an RAF Wessex helicopter and the RAF Falcons – a free fall parachute team.

Note that the Open Day wasn’t held on the August Bank Holiday – what year did it move to the Bank Hol?