You wait all day and then three arrive at once!
I normally prepare the Friday Photo in advance and schedule the publication date for the Friday morning, or I’ll create the post on the Friday morning. But after having one of those weeks I just haven’t had chance, so I apologise for the late arrival of today’s photo. As a bonus I’ve got three old images for you of the area around Meols Parade Gardens.
The one above was kindly sent in by Syd Bird and shows the view toward the current Community Centre from Deneshey Road/Queens Park area. The building in the background was then the school so the photo was taken no earlier than 1909.
Below are two images taken from old postcards of the Parade Gardens. Was that a bandstand that you can see or just a sheltered seating area? By my reckoning that bit of the gardens is now just a little, grassed hill. Look how hilly it is in the background towards Meols. I wonder if that’s the roof of the Railway Inn in the distance?
The two bowling greens are still in use today of course and should be opening soon after being closed for winter.
The image below also shows an old jetty down at the Sandhey slipway with boats mooring on the beach – not something you’ll see today. In fact, since the jet skiers stopped using that slipway (was that banned?) I don’t think that it gets used at all?
I can’t say when the photo was taken but the postcard had a postmark date on 3rd June, 1938. The sender said of Hoylake: It is a nice place and the weather is fine but cold. Couldn’t have been a warm June then, back in 1938!
Hi John,
the roof of the building you thought might be the Railway Inn in the two postcard views( just to the right of the bandstand) and peeping out above the sandhills I think belongs to the large house of “Sandhey” which was situated in extensive grounds and the main entrance was via Shaws Drive . This residence was pulled down between the two world wars and houses were built on the site ,this area is now occupied by Garden Hey,Ashford and Firshaw Roads . In an aerial photo I have from the 20s/30s it shows at the rear of the house there was an extensive thickly wooded area and the few remaining trees from that time are now known as Monkey Woods ,or they had that name when I lived in Hoylake.
Syd
Thanks Syd – very interesting!
Yep, they’re still called the Monkey Woods for whatever reason?
John
Do they still have the Monkey Puzzle Trees on the grounds? That is why they were called Monkey Woods.
Great images!
I would love to see photos of more of Hoylake’s oldest nineteenth century seaside houses set in substantial grounds – Sandhey, The Dale, The Gap and The Chase are all now sadly lost to suburban style developments. So much of Hoylake’s history and character went with them and all the old sandstone cottages that have been similarly lost over the years.
hi,
i have an address i am trying to locate in hoylake.
in 1901 is list as ” 1 maine parade,hoylake”
in 1903 is listed as ” garth house parade,hoylake”
does anyone know where this was/is?
thank you
lyn
This is most probably a reference to North Parade which is the official name for the main Hoylake promenade from The King’s Gap to the Hoyle Slip by the new lifeboat station. I have quite often seen reference to Marine Parade for the houses that front the prom but back onto Marine Road.
In 1901-3 the promenade would have only been built for a few years and the extent of development probably didn’t reach beyond Church (now Trinity) Road but possibly up to Clydesdale Road. No1 is most likely the house on the corner of The King’s Gap and North Parade but I don’t know if it is known as Garth House and since I live in Edinburgh I can’t check for you!!
Anyway, it’s a very lovely house with great views. There is a photo of it if you check the News story, ‘Nautical News’, from April 7th on this website – it’s the first house in the picture..
thank you for that peter.
i went back to the census record and it does say “1 marine parade”!
(i would never have found it with the wrong name!)
“garth house” is its name on my grt grt grandfathers will in 1903.
on a quick search i see that no 5 was called “crofton” there was also a “seaways cottate” so maybe it was a personal naming rather than official?
i am not that far away myself,i know what i’m doing this weekend now.
thank you again for recognizing what i was talking about.
lyn
Seaways Cottage was accessed from Marine Road and was, I think, a conversion of some stables belonging to one of the big houses fronting the promenade.
The houses which are currently nos. 3, 4 & 5 Marine Parade were, heaven knows how many years ago, one house. The house was split into three and outriggers built onto the back of each one.
Hi, grandfather lived in Garth House! https://www.ancestry.com/sharing/27268243?h=c8f82b&ranMID=50138&ranEAID=4026539&ranSiteID=Xib7NfnK11s-GgbJuwZEnojYfT4goxJreQ&o_xid=0004026539&o_lid=0004026539&o_sch=Affiliate%20External
We lived at 2 north parade for many years from the early 60s and our neighbours at 1 North Paradw were the Malley family. I now live in Australia but visit Hoylake/ West Kirby often. Really enjoy this site. Thanks for the memories!
I just love looking at these old Hoylake photos .
The sheltered seating area on the photos is not the bandstand as I remember it in the 60’s. I have a very vague memory of a cafe on the sea side wall of the bandstand area. There were pillars with undercover areas all round the edge, and of course the main bandstand (stage) with steps up each side.
My mum used to holiday in Hoylake in the 30’s and early 40’s….she remembers dances at the bandstand with live bands …she also remembers american navy men attending the dances when the were based in Hoylake for a while.
I wondered for sometime what the post on the beach was near Parade Gardens and shown on the above photo which pointing towards Sandhey slipway. Was it a old jetty.? if so any idea when it was in use many thanks for any answers
The iron post next to the prom (half way between Hoyle Road and Sandhey slipways) is on a concrete plinth which can be accessed from a set of steps leading down to a lower wider platform. My mother (bn 1909) told me it was a bathing station. I have never seen any photos of it when it was in use. There is (?) an exit from the parade gardens which would have given convinient access to the facility.