Another great old photo from Syd Bird archives – thanks Syd.
As you can see it’s The Green Lodge Hotel, taken possibly around 1880. The building has changed a bit over the years with an extension to the righthand side of the property at some point. The pub has also undergone a few internal refits over the years too. Currently a Marstons pub, for many years it was known as a Burtonwood Brewery pub – Â Burtonwood joined forces with the Thomas Hardy brewery in 1999 before selling to Marstons.
Here’s an image of The Lodge as it looks today:
What was the property to the left originally – was it something other than a private home as it is today?
It would appear that St Hildeburghs Church hadn’t yet been built – though I suppose it could be out of shot.
As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.
Interesting photo that. Whilst it’s recognisably the Green Lodge the surrounding area looks very different – Stanley Road and The King’s Gap are little more than dirt tracks.
If that’s in any way a firm date then St. Hildeburgh’s isn’t just out of shot. In his booklet “St Hildeburgh’s Parish church of Hoylake†Peter Surridge suggests that construction wasn’t begun until 1897 (page 3).
The photo of The Green Lodge brings back lots of memories. I recall a family called Bennett (I think) running it late 50s and into the 60s.
There was a “Men Only” bar and woe betide any female who ventured in. My dad loved to enjoy the all male company there.
There was waiter service in the large lounge to the right of the entrance hall.
In those days children could only be taken into the hallway or of course the garden.
On a fine day the garden would get very busy and I recall many happy times spent there. I lived in Meols for a short while when my children were small and we would often walk up with the pram and meet my parents in the garden of The Lodge.
I’ve not been there for many years- so thanks for the brilliant photographs.
All my early (and initially under-age)drinking was at The Lodge in the mid to late ’70s. At 16 I felt so rough after my brother’s stag night that I almost missed his wedding at St Luke’s! That was when ‘Mac'(McAfee I think)and his wife were the landlords. He had been a policeman in pre-independence Kenya and had very fierce Alsations in the back yard! They had a son,Sean,who was a year or so below me at school and they sometimes gave me a lift to school in their white VW beetle.
The house next door (Greenham Cottage?) used to belong to a Mr Jacob of Jacob’s Biscuits in Liverpool, he had a Jaguar XJ6 with the number plate ‘ANJ 1’; I think his name was Andrew Neil Jacob.
As a pub I think The Lodge has great unrealised potential.
“Mac” was son in law to the Bennets I think. He married one of their daughters.
I got married in St Hildeburghs- so a number of guests nearly missed the service!
Happy memories.
In 1960 The licencee of the Green Lodge Hotel was Fred Bennett. When he died, his daughter Eileen and her husband “Mac” took over. Eileen and other members of the Bennett family still live locally.
Fred Bennett took over “The Lodge” some time in the 1950s. Prior to that, the landlord was Jack Fearon (not sure of spelling) who ran it with his wife Leo. During the war, or thereabouts, Terry Travis was landlord.
Fred Bennett had a son, Mike, and three daughters Eileen (who married ‘Mac’ McGee), Pat (who married John Long) and Maureen.
‘Mac’ had been around The Lodge in the 1950s and then joined the Kenyan (or Rhodesian) police before returning to take over the running of The Lodge in about 1968/69. Fred Bennett died in 1971, I believe.
Referring to the older picture, it always seemed to me that the central, three-storey portion would have been the oldest part; the bottom right hand window, on close inspection, looked as if it had been a door at one time. The ground floor of this section was the “Tudor Room” in the 50s/60s and was a quieter alternative to the main lounge, which could get very busy at weekends, and the ‘Men only’ bar.
For a time, the ‘Men only’ bar had photos of its regulars displayed on the walls, and some of them had their own tankards kept behind the bar. The one-time curate of the parish, one Pagett, had a quart tankard there !
Ah yes! McGee, that was it!
The ‘Tudor Room’ (also known asd the Smoking Rooom)was great for a beer and chat with friends and there was a small hatch opposite the door where you could order beer from the back of the Men’s Bar.
After Mac there was a couple from the Isle of Man who took it on; they did excellent buffet lunches I recall. I loose track after that but when the place was gutted it lost all its character.
My mother, Wendy Bennett recently came across this post, which I know was written sometime ago so excuse the delay!
Fred Bennett was my grandfather, although unfortunately I never knew him as he died before I was born in 1981. He was married to Triff Bennett, and they had 4 children, Pat Long who died a few years ago, Mo Storey, who still lives locally, Eileen Mcgee and my father Mike Bennett who died in September 2008. Eileen and Mac ran the Green Lodge after my grandfather for several years. Mac died about 10 years ago but Eileen still lives locally. Her son Sean now lives in the Isle of Man.
My sisters and I have very fond childhood memories of the Green Lodge. Sitting on the grass outside making daisy chains with cans of pop and crips because as children we weren’t allowed in!!
My mother, whom still lives locally has the ‘Men Only Bar’ sign still up in our family house and we still also have the ‘Fred’s bar’ sign too.
Its a very different place from what it used to be unfortunately but still as close to St Hilderburg’s for the quick pre wedding drinks!!