Here’s a great old photo – not of a lost volcano but of Market Street, outside the old Kingsway Cinema (and now Home Bargains). Thanks to Hoylake Photographic Society for allowing me to republish it.
I am dating this photo as summer 1950. The advertised film Bomba & The Lost Volcano was released in 1950 according the the British Film Institute (see here) and starred some chap called Johnny Sheffield. Summer because it looks like it was nice sunny day and the little boy or girl looks to have a summer outfit on.
In the left of the photo must be the Blue Anchor pub? I’m not sure, but that building isn’t there (nor the adjacent Watsons store) anymore and there’s a ships anchor hanging outside. To the right of Watson’s is currently the fish mongers and then the 3 Sisters grocers. What was Watsons then?
Was that an old Woolworths in what is now the empty Jon David shop? The people sitting on the bench on the right are in front of what is now Hoylake Library. Oh, I like the old bus stop sign.
Great stuff 🙂
Was that an old Woolworths in what is now the empty Jon David shop?
Yes, it was a Woolworths
I remember my brother playing in a skiffle group called “The Kainites”. They played at the Kingsway cinema, not sure of exact date but must have been early 60’s. They were named after the lead singer. I was so proud sitting in the audience watching. I would have been about 12 or 13yrs. Michael Cooper, my brother, was about 22yrs. Others in the group were Colin Rimmer, Dave Rimmer, John Dalton and Les Kain, founder, who the group where named after. Sorry if I have missed anyone out, can’t quite remember who was in and who wasn’t.
What memories of my childhood.
The Kingsway Cinema, with 2 films a week, Tommy Knox as the manager. My best friend then was Elsie Dainty who was his niece and we were allowed in free, if there were spaces, on the balcony, to see the films.Either side of the Cinema were shops, Warbicks Electricians and Ann’s the Florist I think were the last before the cinema was demolished.
Before the The Anchor Pub which is opposite was Miss Ormesher,s Shop, then waste land and Kingsway Garage on the corner of Waverley Road.Next to the pub is Watson’s Bakery, then the Fish Shop which was part of Mills’s Greengrocers, then Coopers Grocers, then Woolworths and on the end Mackenzie’s Electrical Shop.
The waste land next to the Kingsway garage was at one time ‘Meadows Yard’ which was a collection of slum dwellings round a central yard with a cold tap in the middle to serve all the inhabitants. Little kids grubbing around and peeing whenever and wherever they felt like it. Too early for me but my mother, who was a librarian, remembered going there to try and retrieve library books. It was cleared probably before the war.
How uncanny that I should just have alighted on this page and your comments. A couple of weeks ago I was at the Newspaper Library in Colindale and was looking through old copies of the Hoylake News and Advertiser. The Kainites appeared at the Kingsway on Thursday 31st October, Friday 1st and Saturday 2nd November 1957, prior to the screening of The Tommy Steele Story. The members of the group were stated as Mike Cooper (banjo), Dave Rimmer (double bass), John Dalton (guitar), Derrick Roberts (drums), Rickkie Jones (guitar) and the leader Les Cain (guitar). There was a photo of them in the issue of the Advertiser on October 25th. The manager of the cinema, Ronald Horton (who had succeeded Tommy Knox sometime that year, I think), stated the following week : “The boys were great. Our takings soared on the three nights they performed and what a wonderful reception they got. It was a joy to see the audience so pleased”.
I would be interested to know if it is the same Dave Rimmer who was once a projectionist at the Kingsway and who worked in other Merseyside cinemas and who was, in fact, the last manager of the Winter Gardens (Hoylake Cinema). He was living in West Kirby when I last heard of him.
Charles Morris
The Dave Rimmer who was in the group with my brother, Mike Cooper is not the one you are talking about. Dave Rimmer in the group went, was from Groveland Avenue, Hoylake, had two brothers Noel, who lived in Chapel Road, until recently. Colin, who was the youngest, who unfortunately died a few years ago. Dave went to live in Australia, a few years later. I thought John Dalton played washboard, the double base was a tea chest. My memory is a bit hazy. If you are right with the date, I was 2 days off being 10, thought I was older than that. Michael would be have been 20 in the May of that year.
I remember the Rimmer brothers from Groveland Avenue.
Their parents were both deaf and were wonderful people. Often wondered what ever happened to the ‘boys’
Great photo! Brings back lots of old memories of my childhood spent in Hoylake.
There were four brothers of which I am the eldest. I joined the RAF at the age of 16 served all over and finally settled down in Lincolnshire. Noel now lives in Moreton, David ( who is at present visiting the UK) has been resident in Australia for the last 48 years, and the youngest Colin settled in St. Albans but unfortunately died in 1992. Have many happy memories of Hoylake and still visit now and again.
I remember you, your 3 brothers and your parents. I lived in Grove Road and was a friend of your brother Noel. I left Hoylake in 1955 shortly after getting married and have often wondered what happened to you and your family
ihi george,iremember you well, We worked together at thompsons in west kirby.happy days.after which i joined the merchant navy in which i servrd for over ten years. after leaving the sea i tried several jobs before working for the mersey docks and harbour board forover twenty years ending up as a liverpool dockmaster.i would love to hear from you and if you like you can ring me on 0151 678 8944
Hello sue, I have just discoversd Hoylake Junction and was surprised to see references about the rimmer family from groveland avenue. Please forgive me for trying to place your good self . your surname etc. and how you came to know our family, and where you lived in Hoylake. regards Noel, [one of the four boys you mentioned]
Hello Noel.
So nice to hear from you
We Calvert’s (5 girls/one boy) lived at 40 Groveland Avenue and I remember you all. I think my sister Heather was a friend of Colin….
However it was your lovely parents that I remember most. They were really wonderful people.
When they moved to the next street (Walker St?) I used to do your mum’s hair…or should I say practice on her, as I was only 15 and an apprentice at the time. She certainly put her trust in me!
You were very lucky, to have had such lovely parents.
Regards Sue
Hi Sue, Noel rimmer here, Thank you for your kind comments about my parents, they were indeed special people. now about your family,when i left the sea i was looking for a job ashore andworked for a while as a barman at the punch bowl pub and iam sure sure your mother worked part time there and if so i remember her well. she was a really lovely person . she did me a great kindness once which i will never forget I will tell you about it if you wish. if you would like you can call me on 0151 678 8944 .regards Noel.
I have forwarded this to my cousin Les. He was in the band.
The shop on the corner next to Woolworths was a TV radio, record store
you could go in and have them play a single record you would put your head into a booth to listen to the music. I think Gail Rochford Gilchrist’s Mum worked in the shop
Yes, I bought my first 45 there – Lily the Pink by the Scaffold. I think the shop was MacKenzies!
That was Mckenzies, where we bought Beatle records, Del Shannon and the like for 6/4d. each. You went upstairs to the record dept.
I think the store past Woolworths was Haskins Sports, maybe someone else could verify? Great old photo.
Haskins was quite a bit further down, just beyond the Ship Inn, where “The Row” is now.
Charles Morris
My parents moved to West Kirby in December 1956 & that was the best thing that ever happened to me.
Of course I went to the Hoylake Parade Secondary School down Hoyle Road. After leaving The Parade in July ’58 I went to work for D Gill in West Kirby for a few weeks & then moved to James McKenzie in Market Street, Hoylake & worked there as ‘shop lad’ 9/58 to 9/59 when Ted Tomlinson was manager. Joy Johns ran the record counter when I joined Mac’s. After a year at the shop I worked for Mac’s in Birkenhead. While I was at the shop I met Evan Roberts Chief Projectionist at the Kingsway and of course Mr Horton the manager & worked at the Kingsway in the evenings after Mac’s. I don’t remember the last show at the Kingsway, but I was one of two projectionists who put on the last show at the Tudor Cinema in West Kirby.
Such great memories of Hoylake!
Thanks evryone for filling in the blanks!
I lived in Hoylake then Meols for 18 years then moved to Canada where I now live.
Cheers,
Martin
theres such good memorys on this website .. i lived in grove road(opposite grove park ) until i was 18 when i joined the army … i enjoyed many good years playing in grove park and sometimes wandered up to queens park for a game of pitch and put .
i also spent every summer at “hoylake baths” which was knocked down when the concourse was opened in west kirby …. it was £3 for a summer contract that allowed you to use the baths for the whole summer ….
does anyone remember when the parish hall burned down at the end of grove road ( it was actually in lake road ) … we slept right through it …..
and finally the good old shops in grove road … mr bramall the butcher,and mr smith the sweet shop … and there was a greengrocer in shaw street but i cant remember his name …… happy days i shall never forget ..
great website with so many memories !
Going back a bit earlier than you have there was Bramalls butcher, Bethall grocer, Ferriss fish & chips, Johnson newsagent, and on the corner of Grove Road and Shaw Street Roberts greengrocer on the other side of Shaw Street was Fleets the blacksmith and Price monumental works
I was born in Hoylake in 1937 and my parents lived there until their deaths.
My mother was also born in Hoylake – Mabel Woodhouse nee Hindley.
The green grocer on Grove was known as Chucksy Roberts and the grocer
was Bobby Bethel.. There was a photograph of my father with the Hoylake
Cygnets football team reproduced for your website and my brother Ken was the goalkeeper and my cousin Norman Beech was also in the picture.
I remember the Winter Gardens, the Kingsway and the Tudor in West Kirby.
We all swam in the Hoylake baths and my brothers played tennis in the gardens alond towards meols. Oh happy days!!!..
thanks george …. was your dad “albert marchbank” the funeral director … i remember him as he did my mum and dads funeral and the one thing i remember about albert was his smile … he allways had time for everyone
i dont remember johnsons newsagent but i do remember fleets the blacksmith/ironmonger,and i remember a guy who used to work there called “danny” .. he was a mate of my brothers “dave smy” and “eric smy” ….
the monumental works was behind fleets and wasnt there a house next to it were the owner lived,and the entrance was by the telephone box on the corner of grove road and trinity road
hoylake has obviously changed over the years however one place that i do remember and i cant find any info on the place was the factory that was by the plasterers arms … there was a house by the pub on some wasteland and then the factory was by there .. i think it used to be some kind of engineering company and i can remember looking in there when the place shut down ….
anyway thanks for the memories and all the best george …. take care mate !
Brian
Albert Marchbank was my uncle, he passed away in 1982 his wife Nellie sold the business to the Co-Op and she then went to join her daughter Anne in New Zealand. I was in Hoylake about 2 years ago and Bramalls was a violin shop and Johnsons (No 27 Grove Road) was a general store. The house belonging to the monumental works was called The White House and as you say the entrance was in Trinity Road by the telephone box
Best wishes. George
heres some trivia for you guys
the bass guitarist from the rock band “AC-DC” lived in hoylake…. cliff williams was birn in 1949 but moved to hoylake in 1961 …. he was influenced by the merseybeat sound and joined his first group when he was 13 …
also “Mike Rutherford” of genesis fame and mike and the mechanics was a boarder at the lea,s school in meols drive … what a town !
Good Lord – Cliff Williams! Is he the same guy who lived in Trinity Road and went to Calday Grange?
I used to know him at school and, particularly, at the nearby youth club – he & his Mum (“Clifford”, she called him!) left Hoylake sometime mid-sixties and I never heard of him again – until today!
Wonder if he would remember me and send me a million or two?
Hi john
yes,that sounds like cliff …. his interest in music was rumoured to be influenced by the beatles and the merseybeat sound …. however he left hoylake exactly when you said and moved back to London ( he was actually born in Romford Essex ) ….
he got a job on a demolition site and played with some bands … he also played with a band called “home” with some other popular musicians
however his break came in 1977 when he auditioned for AC/DC and after being accepted the rest is history ….. he is married to Georganne and has 2 children ( erin and luke )
along with the other members of AC/DC his fortune is rumoured to be around 40 million pounds … lets not forget “back in black ” was one of the best selling albums in history
that said Malcolm young ( rhythm guitarist in ac/dc ) has recently had a stroke and the rumours are AC/DC have split up .. but with their fortunes they don’t need to work anymore
Bomba and the Lost Volcano is on IMDb as a 1950 film, third in a series of Bomba movies – The part of Bomba played by the boy who played Boy in Tarzan movies.
Hello all at Hoylake Junction!
What a wonderful celebration of a beautiful place.
I’m a writer/historian working on a book about the Beatles’ muses. I am seeking to contact anyone who lived around Waverly Road or Trinity Road, where John Lennon’s wife Cynthia Powell lived in the 1940s and 50s. Anyone who might have known the Powell family, perhaps played bowls with Charles, the dad, or attended auctions with Lillian, I would be delighted to know. Also, anyone who knew Cynthia or Ron (Charles Jr) or Tony.
Final query: Apart from the Kainites, who were the big music “local heroes” in the late 1950s?
Any help would be gratefully welcome.
Mike Feeney Callan
G,DAY MIKe
Just reading your comments about local hero bands.
One of the best (big head that I am) was the Coney Island Skiffle Group that plat played at The Cavern on its opening night in 1957. Members were Brian Curtis, Neil Short, Roger Baskerfield, Derek Haynes and Colin and David Rimmer. We played at various venues in the Wirral and also appeared on Hughie Green,s Opportunity Knocks
Good and great times with many happy memories. Now I am 84 yo living a wonderful life on the Gold coast with lovely family and friends.
Cheers
David Rimmer
Hi David – interesting comments but I reckon this ‘blog’ site (or whatever it is ) is pretty much dead and I would recommend that you try using the very active Facebook group called ” Old Hoylake/ Meols/ West Kirby’ where your input can be assured an immediate readership & – probably – some responses !
My Great great grandfather ran a golf /sports shop Hoylake Arthur haskins 1854 /1940 and my great grandfather was also Arthur haskins 1886/1918 killed in ww1 sad thankyou
Hi I now live in Victoria Australia. My mother was Phyllis Haskins. My Grandfather was George Haskins – the youngest of the brothers. He was a hairdresser/barber and had a shop in Hoylake – Brenda
Hallo to Noel and David Rimmer
I was browsing Hoylake Junction and found your names. I too lived in Groveland Avenue. I think Noel that you and my brother Jim Grace were quite close pals. Jim passed away about seven years ago. David, I too live in the land of Aus. Victoria.
I remember your parents too. Best regards. Ann Bennett……née Grace