Guinea Gap Baths

A Memory of Wallasey.

Me and my friend Marilyn, went to Primary school together in London. Her dad was the manager of our local swimming baths. I was devastated when he was offered promotion, it was at a pool in Wallasey, called Guinea Gap Baths. This was just the start of many happy holidays we spent in Wallasey, our parents were great friends and we came up every year for about twelve years. We got up early and went swimming, I think the coach's name was Tony, but he shouted too much so we stopped going to early morning swims. We always remember the milkman coming in the morning and shouting up "Morning Mrs Rushton" and the reply "Morning Mr Forshaw" - the sounds I remember so fondly. We used to go along to The New Brighton Pool to watch the Miss New Brighton beauty contests. We used to feel very important as Mr Rushton was also manager of this pool too. We used to get The Royal Iris across The Mersey to Liverpool to look around the shops,( this ferry boat is now green and mouldy and lying on its side in the Thames). We also used to go to Wales for a little holiday and have very scary memories of four adults and four children going up The Horseshoe Pass in a little Ford Poplar. Our walks along the front to New Brighton hold special memories too, especially when we think back to the advertisement we saw introducing a new group called The Beatles and remember thinking they can't even spell it right so didn't bother going to see them....if only. I have such lovely and fond memories of Wallasey and Liverpool, and have visited fairly recently. I am now sixty one, and Mrs Rushton is sole survivor of our parents, who now lives down south and is in her 90's. How I wish I could turn back the clock...

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