Here’s a photo (of a photo) taken in 1978 during the embankment construction off Meols. I happened to spot the photo posted on twitter by Graham Connolly.
I was living in Meols back then and I’m certain I’d have been down on the prom riding my trusty Raleigh Arena, but I can’t say I remember the embankment being built. I’ve a vague recollection of sand bags outside the drives of houses on Bennets Lane. Prior to the embankment the road was susceptible to flooding as this photo from a few years ago clearly shows.
From a flood prevention point of view the embankment has certainly worked but whether, along with the man-made groins, sand movement has been adversely affected I’m not able to say. This article suggests it has, and discusses the movement of sand, and the growth of spartina grass, between Leasowe and Hoylake.
I’ve tried and failed (via google) to find out how much the construction of the embankment cost, but it can’t have been cheap in real terms. There’s a heck of a lot of concrete if nothing else.
That was when they found an old Hoylake fishing smack called “Emblamatic” buried under the previous embankment. She was lifted out and left afloat on moorings but unfortunately eventually broke up before she could be taken shore!
This was the new embankment. My father worked on it. They pulled out the tank traps and dismantled the WW2 pillboxes that were along mockbeggar Wharf to Hoylake. Used to play in them as a kid.