Poulton Road

In the 1800’s Poulton Road was called Poulton and Wallasey Road. Between both World Wars there were many shops on Poulton Road. Starting from No. 7 we have John Irwins Grocers and at No.15 Emily Jones drapers, which, by the 1950s, was continued on by her daughter May. On either side of Wheatland Lane were shops with the same name of Lloyd – hence the name of Lloyd’s Corner. On one side of the road was William Lloyd, jewellers and pawnbrokers, and on the other side was Lloyd Brothers, the bakers. Farther on, William (Bill) John Igoe had the grocers and Percy Gepp had the hardware shop at No. 49. Originally Percy lived at No. 47 but in 1923 opened his shop at No. 49. His son carried on the business in Poulton Road before retiring in 2008 so ending 85 years of trading. Cookson’s was at No.53/55. Originally they sold furniture but changed to a pawnbrokers. Next door was Bennett’s drug store, who were in business for many years. On the opposite side of the road, on the corner of Mainwaring Road, was the Co-operative Society Stores. Mrs. Eva Linsman sold furniture at No. 26 and at No.44 were the sports outfitters, George Scott. Onwards were private homes until Hartismere Road, while on the left hand side were more shops, including the fish and chip run by Harry Fishwick and then there was Bill Williams the butcher.

Situated once on the corner of Northbrook Road was the Seacombe Primitive Methodist Church. Opening for worship in 1928 the church was destroyed by a bomb during the March 1941 air-raids.

On the corner of York Road was the Salvation Hall (later to move next door) with a large date stone of ‘A.D 1926’ on the front of the building. Later the larger building was sold to a Wallasey furniture firm for a display centre.

The Queens Cinema opened on 4th November, 1911. It had an unusual frontage with a glass veranda with windows above. On top of the roof there was a platform and a dome supported by pillars. The cinema closed down on 18th July, 1959 and was used as a car saleroom before being converted into a supermarket. At No.109 Poulton Road was Mrs. Morriss fruit shop and next door was the two Perrin sisters tobacconists. Higher up, John Abraham had the butchers and Mr. White had the post office at Somerville, while on the other side of the road were the Gadds – one a barber and the other in the electrical trade.

Off Poulton Road is Park Primary School in Alderley Road and was opened on 4th January, 1908 (New Brighton Primary School in Vaughan Road dates from the same period).

Past Mollington Road, Albert Overs was a grocer and Bill Steadman was an outfitter. There were butchers, greengrocers, and Lunt’s on the corner of Sunbury Road. John Hughes (grocer), Mrs. Muriel Turner (draper) and the dairy men were in this block. Jim Sparling had a fishmongers and, past the doctors, was the chemist (Mr. Wood). Sam Lewis was the grocer on the corner of Devereaux Drive. The two Miss Lennons were milliners. Miss. Dorothy Ledsome was a vocalist at No. 242. On the other side of the road at “Somerville” Somerville Elementary School was erected in 1822. Albert W. Heap was the Headmaster of the Boys’ School and Miss Delany was Headmistress of the Girls School. The Mixed Juniors were in the care of Mrs. Lawson and Miss. M.A. Bidwell looked after the infants.  

On the corner of Eastcroft Road was Bob Fleetwood greengrocers. There was the Co-operative Society Stores and Edwards the Chandlers and other shops. Henry Hornby and Company were the ship repairers and next was Mr. Copland’s Hygienic Laundry. Many of the shops that lay between Hillcroft Road and the 1930’s built ‘Rose & Crown’ pub have now gone and replaced with new modern housing.

Further along, the post office was run by Fred Smith and Bill Poole was the popular hairdresser at No. 401 whose brother was also a hairdresser in King Street. Next door at No. 403 was George Wilson the chemists. Tom Doyle had the cycle shop on the corner of Sherlock Lane (named after Captain Sherlock who was the last captain of the ferry sailing-boats between Liverpool and Seacombe). Walter Nelson lived in ‘Ivy Cottage’ and Mrs. Crawson lived in ‘Madeira Cottage’ and next door was a joiner by the name of Frank Kimber at ‘Almer Cottage’ and Jack Smith lived at ‘Rose Cottage’. ‘Ivy Cottage’ was built at right angles to Poulton Road. It was a two-storey building with a slated roof and had sash windows on the ground floor, with casement windows for the bedrooms. The lower half of the cottage walls had lattices attached for the purpose of growing climbing plants.

Somerville

Somerville gets its name from a house of that name (‘Somerville House’). It was built by James Fisher about 1850/60 and stood between where Hallville Road and Mollington Road is. The large houses on the bend of the road were built not long after.

George Neilson lived at No.4 Somerville and next door was the shipbuilder, James Waddington, who had his yard at Seacombe. William Carson, the gun powder merchant lived in the next house. Thomas Brassey was at No. 14.

A little later other people lived there including retired Richard Eccles at No. 7 and next door was the master mariner, William Ball. John Pilkington was at No. 10 and Mrs. Annie Batty and James Currie next door. E.F. Blakeley was next, he was a successful Hatton Garden businessman whose firm made all sorts of galvanised things. They were also the builders of cast iron church. Richard Blakeley came to live at at No. 14. He was a corn merchant. A few years later, there were changes to the houses. Different people came to live there which included Edward Jones the builder, Peter Hindle, who worked for an insurance company, George Gate, a sprit dealer, Robert Francis, the ship builder and John Karren, a saddler. In the 1900’s, Dr. Robert Thorley Dobson, M.B., Ch.B., the surgeon came to live at Somerville and his practice was taken over by Dr. John William Dale, M.C., M.B., Ch.B., R.A.O.R.U.I,. who was a very highly respected doctor who came to live in Wallasey in 1912 and lived at No.11 for some time. He was born in March, 1876 in Londonderry, Ireland and was the Leader of the Liberal Party. In the First World War he won the Military Cross. He unfortunately suffered from an illness that made walking difficult but this did not stop him from attending his patients. He passed away, aged 63, in 1939.

By the 1920’s there were changes in the eleven houses and, apart from Dr. Dale, there were different house-holders on the area. Gone were the merchants, so we had Samuel Riley at No.3, who was a club steward, Mrs. Montgomery next door and at No. 5 was the correspondent. Frederick Troughton. In the next house was Edward Dyson, who was a lithographic printer by trade. Thomas Davies was a dock pilot at No. 7 and John Holdgate and Samuel Lewis (grocer) and their families were at No. 8. Frederick P. Jones was a managing director and Secretary and lived next door, and at No. 10 was Robert Campbell the traveller.

On the corner of Poulton Road and Mill Lane once stood 'Poulton Hall' which was built between 1790 and 1800 - the site formerly being a farmhouse. The house had various owners, notably Daniel Buchanan, a Cotton Broker, who lived there for more then 40 years. The Hall was demolished in 1933 and houses now occupy the site.