*click for larger
A week or so ago, local business owner Chris Clare asked for photos of the building that is now his office on the corner of Wood Street/Market Street. Syd Bird came up with a couple of photos, the first of which from the 1920s shows a busy Market Street (been to the pub fellas?).
Below is the same location in the 1960s. Not the most attractive of shop fronts is it? You can read the background to Liverpool Savings Bank here and I also stumbled upon this blog about Bold Street that also discusses the bank.
The Woolcraft shop next door must have been going for years as I can remember it being there in the 1980s I reckon. If you’ve got any other photos of this block of shops feel free to send them in.


I remember the wool shop still being there when I moved to the Wirral in 1995.
The wool shop was a regular haunt for my mum who was always knitting, nearly every jumper in our family was made by her. The shop under the canopy on this side of Wood St was either Inghams Hardware or Owen and Lammys? Or was that on the corner of Shaw St? Memory faded, I was born in Hoylake in 1964 and moved from the area in 1984, popped back a couple of times, still a great place.
Inghams was on the corner of Shaw Street until it closed about 1975/6.
That was my grandfather’s shop. My mum, Ann, moved to Wallasey but is a great regular around the Hoylake bowling scene now.
The shop under the canaopy was a small DIY shop when I moved here, I can’t remember the name of it but it’s now a bar.
It was simply called ‘The Do-it-Yourself Shop’!
Wasn’t the building on the left corner of the scene the Co-op grocers, before the big new one was built, further along Market street, during the mid sixties (now Wetherspoons). The office upstairs, accessed via an entrance on the side road, was where my Mum used to go to collect her Co-op “divvi” periodically.
Yes it was the Co-op. There were also two more Co-op stores on Market Street, both on the other side. Furthest away was the “big” Co-op, between Cable Road South and Albert Road. This was the most exciting one, complete with its overhead wires and a system of little carriages which conveyed the money from each counter to a central cash station. This shop later became a discount carpet shop, then later Len Hankinson’s car showroom. I forget what it became after that.
In between these two shops was a third and smaller Co-op, and this was the one which in the early 1960s was rebuilt (to the detriment of the other two Co-ops) and which later became Wetherspoons. Its rebuilding involved the claiming of two adjacent shops : one was Wells Gents Outfitters (which relocated to the Meols end of Market Street) and the other was Ridgeways, a haberdashery shop which had formerly been Brewers Grocers.
The Wood Street Co-op became the DIY store, proprietor Mr. McLoughlin.
In an article a couple of years ago some one listed some shops on Market St., one was McIntyre Wool shop, anybody know if the one in the picture is in the same location? I think the person referred to shops after the War not positive though.
Hi Richard,
the McIntyre`s Wool shop I remember was on the opposite side of the road adjoining Jesse Bird`s house which was No.80A Market Street.
In my time (1950s / 1960s) McIntyre’s was the same side as the shops in the picture.
Hi Gorgon
Your correct it was the co op before it became the do it yourself shop, tsb bank wool shop a hair dresser owen and lammies which later later became a flower shop i think cos i ordered my wedding bouquet from there loll paper shop hairdresser owen and lammies co op butcher also Bill Paiges butchers and Leslies fruit and Veg shop t hose are what i can remember when i was growing up.
My brother s in laws owned the wool shop Mr and Mrs Hawthorne when Mr Hawthorne passed away it was a scots gent who owned it before it became the greek restaurant, I think Inghams also had another shop between Manor Rd and Sandringham Ave as i remember my dad sending my there for a tin of swafega
Was Inghams where you could get parrafin out of a vending machine at the side? Where was Owen & Lammies?
Owen and Lammies would of been next to the wool shop i think, then it was a flower shop, then it became Lazaros ‘s greek restaurant then it expanded from the wool shop into the flower shop expanded . I know you could buy parafin from i think Inghams but i don’t remember getting it from a vending machine,
Cheers
Martin Carran was correct in thinking you could buy parrafin in a little tucked away enclave on the side of Inghams shop just as you turned into Shaw Street. Health & Safety would probably go mad about it now!!
Inghams was a terrific shop for everything. I can see now those shelves that lined the shop packed with blue and white striped cornish ware.
Owen and Lammie’s premises were about two doors down from the TSB. Smaller than Inghams but a little treasure trove none the less!
Margot Triggs Page