Childhood In The Village

A Memory of Wallasey.

I lived in Lycett Road from 1955 to 1981, what a change! Mostly the quietness at night, no cars or buses, no people. The street lights went out at midnight. The building on the right was Woods, something to do with cars, behind that was waste land till "Grower" Jones, a kind of home grown veggie shop, then nothing till Big Yard with its pig farm, a builders called H.H.Woods, then about two old cottages, then Hoyland and Garners and an old Anderson shelter, then a big house on the corner of Sandy Lane. Back to the roundabout and on the other side was a block of new shops, I think Timpsons was first, then Taskers, then a paint shop, opened by "Len Fairclough", can't remember the next two but then there was Jack and Jills, then an entry, then Macaneenys? Dewhursts, R and A wool shop, Johnny Grahame's, Thomas's then Berties, then Beechwood Ave, Rushtons, Howards, Quails and Joynsons. The rest was Sparks market gardens till the Esso station then The Farmers Arms, then the Phoenix. I may have some things wrong here so put me right by all means. I remember Saturdays lasting forever, standing outside the shop on the corner of Perrin Road, window shopping for toys, Zeta planes from Clarks (Tony's) and fish and chips from "fish Charlies chips", Ladybird school clothes from Fayes.. Matchbox toys from the Railway shop on Leasowe Road and the best steak pies on earth from Goodes. After the M53 came along it all seemed to change, it got busier and more built up and less.....COUNTRYFIED!!  oo arr!!