Hoylake
Hoylake maps (2 available)
Map of Merseyside
Beautifully hand-drawn and coloured, dating from around 1840
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Personalised maps
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Hoylake books (3 available)
The Wirral Photographic Memories
Paperback
- 4 photos on Hoylake appear in 1 Frith books - View photos of Hoylake
- Read extracts and see photos from these books on Hoylake and Merseyside
Hoylake memories
Read and share memories of Hoylake and Merseyside inspired by Frith photos
"Hoylake Baths"
I recall happy memories of the Bathing Pool. It had two fountains spurting over fake rocks. We used to climb on these to cool off. In those days the Summers seemed to go on forever. The baths used to attract large attendances in those days.
I can remember when the baths were closed on warm evenings. With a crowd of friends we would climb over the rear walls to enjoy free swimming until the police came and we would all scarper. Great fun & laughs, life was so much better in those days.
The baths were eventually closed by the Council because of falling attendances and running costs but a local group of volunteers ...read more here
Contributed by ron mcshane
Merseyside memories
"Hoylake Baths"
I recall happy memories of the Bathing Pool. It had two fountains spurting over fake rocks. We used to climb on these to cool off. In those days the Summers seemed to go on forever. The baths used to attract large attendances in those days.
I can remember when the baths were closed on warm evenings. With a crowd of friends we would climb over the rear walls to enjoy free swimming until the police came and we would all scarper. Great fun & laughs, life was so much better in those days.
The baths were eventually closed by the Council because of falling attendances and running costs but a local group of volunteers ...read more here
A memory of Hoylake contributed by ron mcshane
World War II
I was born in West Kirby and lived at 5 Dunraven Rd. I remember being a young choir boy at St Bridget's. My father, great grandmother, grand mother, Aunt and Uncle are all buried in St. Bridget's. Inside the Church is (was) a plaque on the wall dedicated to the soldiers from West Kirby that lost their lives in World War I. My grand father William J. Andrews is on that plaque.
A memory of West Kirby contributed by John Andrews
Our Wedding Day.
I was married in St. Joseph's 9th February 1963. The Priest who married us was Father Mc'Gonigal. Such a nice gentleman. The weather that day was snowy & very cold.
A memory of Upton contributed by Brenda Vanderwert
Extracts From Hoylake & Merseyside books
This busy scene shows yachts being rigged ready to sail and others with their sails full as their occupants enjoy the fresh sea air of Liverpool Bay. Hoylake is still a very popular destination for yachtsmen and women, who now sail largely in fibreglass-hulled vessels rather than in the wooden ones seen here.
An extract from from"The Wirral Photographic Memories".
The original Hoylake baths were opened in June 1913, and were filled by the sea flowing over a low sea wall. However, this caused problems with the condition of the bathing water, with various bits of flotsam, jetsam, sand and mud washing into the baths. New baths (the ones we see here) were built in 1931, and they proved extremely popular; the English National Championships were held here. The baths were closed and demolished in 1984.
An extract from from"The Wirral Photographic Memories".
This photograph was taken in the other direction to H277056 (page 35), looking east along Market Street. The name Hoylake refers to Hoyle Lake, a deep-water anchorage just off the shore and favoured by ships transporting cargoes of goods and passengers either along the Dee Estuary or into Liverpool. By the time the lake silted up in the 1830s, the name Hoylake had replaced Hoose, the original name of the village that nestled in the sand-hills on the fringes of Liverpool Bay. The attractive building on the left is St Luke’s Methodist church.
An extract from from"The Wirral Photographic Memories".
We are looking west along Market Street from the corner of Cable Road, a scene that has changed remarkably little, apart from a big increase in the volume of traffic, especially on sunny weekends and holiday periods. The ornate canopy over the pavement on the left still shelters pedestrians from rain (and sun), but the shop is now a café called Ruby rather than a shoe shop. The clock on the wall of the building at the end of the row still tells the good people of Hoylake the time too.
An extract from from"The Wirral Photographic Memories".
The windmill, which still stands on the summit of Bidston Hill, was built as a flour mill in 1800 and functioned as such until 1875. The tenuous fingers of decay and various storms caused much damage in the ensuing years, but it was restored and new sails were added in the 1990s. There are now frequent open days when the interior and the operating machinery can be seen.
An extract from from"The Wirral Photographic Memories".