Many thanks to Ian Powers who captured the above row of big terraced houses that once stood on Market Street, to the left of St Lukes Church and now a large apartment block. Ian writes:
I photographed the ends of the block in 1999. I think it has now been demolished!
In the left hand hous was the Dentist’s surgery. (I think it was Kenworthy?).
In the right hand house which I believe was No.19 lived Dr Browne. He was my mother’s GP. By co-incidence, my mother spent the last years of her life there when the whole block was converted into to an old folk’s home.
I researched Dr Browne and found the following:
Dr Hablot John Moxon Browne. Born Feb 6 1869 died March 16th 1953. Registered as a Doctor 1 Aug 1892, he was sometime a house surgeon at Liverpool Royal Infirmary, then spent about 50 years as a doctor in Hoylake.
In Hoylake, Dr Browne was also an officer to the Children’s Day Nursery and was interested in paediatrics. Dr Browne’s father, also a doctor, helped set up the Liverpool ENT infirmary in Myrtle St. His grandfather was illustrator of Charles Dickens’ books under the pseudonym of “Phiz”.
I have checked some of the Medical Registers and have seen Dr Browne resident in No 19 Market St between 1911 and 1947.
How about you …anything to add?
The late Enid (or was it Edna?) Rose of Warren Road had a family connection to one of these houses, I think she was brought up in one of them.
Miss Rose in her later years was known as the “cat” lady as she had that many cats they took over the house – but that was in Warren Road. One of the many “silly” thing we remember people for.
I remember Miss Rose I got my kitten from her …… Amazing lady with lots of cats
Miss Rose also kept a horse with one eye on the car lane estate behind newhall offices she took a lot of animals in,
For the baby boomers amongst you, I also researched two other local doctors of note.
Dr Janie Isobel McBirnie, qual. 1916 Edinburgh/Glasgow regd at Kings Drive Caldy but practice was opposite Manor Road. I had pneumonia in mid 50s and remember the bitter orange tasting penicillin she gave me!
(my friend Mal later bought her house – sadly he is no longer with us) Janie had a brother Fred (or maybe Frank?) who had something to do with the council and often was at Parade School functions.
Dr Edward Samuel Armstrong Ashe. Qual. 1933 Univ Dublin. Practice at 188 Birkenhead Road. Dr Ashe sewed up my knee at the Cottage in 1964 following a motorcycle accident. I have said elsewhere that Dr Ashe was also a member of the Lifeboat crew and a keen photographer.
I remember Dr McBirnie making house calls at the births of my siblings. She was a brilliant doctor, years ahead of her time. I remember seeing her riding to her calls in her car that always had a fresh flower on the dash.
Both comments about Miss Rose are correct. She was Edna Rose and she did live in one of the houses of that terrace in Market Street. She owned that and then bought the house in Warren Road in about 1960; she owned both for a short time before moving fully into Warren Road. Yes, the house became overrun with cats as Miss Rose sadly began to lose her grip. It was most sad that in 1980, aged 78, she was prosecuted by the RSPCA for failing to look after a dog properly. I have no doubt that any neglect was unintentional; as I said, she was beginning to lose her grip. She had been an accomplished artist and sculptor, and I think she was commissioned to produce a sculpture for Chester Zoo.
She had two sisters, I think. One was Mona and another ran some boarding kennels across the railway line somewhere.
Regarding local doctors, many people will probably remember Dr. Eliott, who had a surgery in the house next to Bunny’s Garage on Market Street, also Dr. Rigby. Do people also remember Dr. Mawby (if I have got the spelling right) and, going further back, Dr. Burgess ?
I am pleased to say I knew Edna Rose well. I totally agree that the neglect was unintentional,she was a true animal lover.Sadly the house in Warren Rd Ibelieve became uninhabitable.
I am also proud to say that Edna gave me one of her sculptures and it is displayed in my house to this day.
I can remember Dr Rigby, both in Sandringham Ave and Bertram Drive (and his receptionist who reminded me of Janet in Dr Finlay) – he used to let his Siamese cat into the surgery and stroke him/her on his knee while talking. and also his partner Dr Elliot who lived at the top of Alderley Road. Whenever I had a childhood illness – like chickenpox, measles etc, Dr Rigby was always away, and we had to squash into Dr Elliot’s waiting room like sardines as it was 2 benches on each side of his front porch.
Dr Ashe I had forgotten, but the name rings a distant bell.
As for dentists – I went to Mr Shillaker on the corner of Trinity Rd and possibly Ferndale Rd or Avondale Rd- he had a LHD drive car which might have been a Lancia and made him seem very exotic. He did extractions on, I think, Tuesday mornings, with a terrifying anaesthetist in attendance – I think his name might have been Thompson. I can remember opening my eyes hoping it was all over, and he roared at me to close them as I hadn’t yet ‘gone under’.
Dr. Ashe was a character and a great doctor. I knew him well both as our doctor but socially as a member of Hoylake photographic society. I remember one Grand national Saturday he had been called out to see a patient , on his way back he called in sat on the floor to watch it with a cup of tea. Super chap.
My aunt was taught sculpture by Miss Rose at the Laird School of Art, probably in the late 1930s/early 1940s. Mignon sculpted an angel with folded wings out of a candle with a penknife sometime afterwards. It was absolutely amazing. Sadly, she was never able to work as an artist, but trained as a primary school teacher in about 1949 on the accelerated training scheme having previously worked in the Control Commission in Berlin. She spent all her teaching years in London, and died nearly 6 years ago at 85, so unfortunately I can’t ask her for any memories of Miss Rose. My uncle, now 90, may have some, I’ll try and remember to ask him.
My mother and father and we three boys lived in Meols. Dr Hablot Browne was our family doctor. I have always remembered him almost as a Dickensian character himself in his dark suits and his gaiters. I am almost 84, but I can remember those days so well. Somewhere near to Dr Browne’s house I seem to remember our dentist had his practice; Mr Williams I think. All this was about 1939 to 1946. Wonderful days!
I remember Dr Janie. I think she delivered me! She always wore beautiful white blouses embroidered with flower and a hat with flowers in it. She had a rather poorly sister who she looked after. She drove a car with darkened windows. She never exactly parked it, she just dropped it wherever. My father thought she deserved an honour. Her surgery was always packed. She had a deep voice. When she made a house visit she would come up the stairs asking ‘and how is the patient today?’ You felt better at once.