At long last …photos of Finniland!
Many thanks to Ian Bell who kindly sent in these rare photos of Finniland. What was Finniland? Well, erm, it was Hoylake’s very own theme park I suppose.
It was the brain child of local steak house owner Frank Sheridan (I think that was his name) and was located in Grosvenor Road next to Finnigan’s restaurant. I mentioned that old place a few years ago. As I never visited Finniland, all I can remember of my view from the train window was that it was, well, all a bit odd really. Perhaps Frank Sheridan was  going for a spooky, macabre kind of vibe with his theme park as it featured birds of prey, blood and skulls.
I never dined at Finnigan’s so I can’t comment on the food. Actually that’s not strictly true. I did, once or twice, frequent the premises for a drink after the pubs had closed. If you paid a £1 at the side door (knock first), which bought you a plate of chips, you could then have a few drinks with your, “meal”. Either the chips or the beer gave me one memorable headache that lasted a couple of days. Just a hunch, but it wasn’t the chips.
Serving food was obviously a way around the licensing laws as the Grape Escape used to do the same thing …75p for a slice of pizza from the mini-kitchen and then you could have a few bottles of beer until closing time at midnight. Â Same thing at Quattros in West Kirby I think.
Did you visit Finniland? What was it like? Did you get over it? Have your say in the comments below after looking at these (large) photos of the old place:
I have tried to tell people about this place in the last and they all thought I was making it up. I went there 25 years ago I’d say for a friends birthday party. Amazing to see the pics !!
Ah yes Finnegans …….Entry via side door through kitchen where steaks were lined up,Winnie on the piano,there was always the free taxi service via electric milk float at 4 in the morning…..Ah yes!!!!!!!
My dad work tjer for uears
Hey Russ , how’s your dad doing?
Oh god I had completely forgotten about this place!
I remember Finnis and being built. My folks never took me there, though! Remember also the back door entrance for late night after hours drinks!
My mate installed a reclaimed wrought iron staircase in Sherman’s semidetached house in Dovedale Road way back! What was that all about?!
My dad loved the staircase. For me growing up
With it was a nightmare… House was painted pink , sunken bath, horse in the back garden…. early 70s
He wanted Fiiniland to compete with the one in the Isle of Man!
Most of the bricks and odd items came from Heritage Demolition on the Four Bridges where he would go to purchase after a good weekend’s Bar!!! He had a Pond put in, which he had floodlit and purchased some very expensive fish from Waterworld,
The invited guests arrived for the grand opening, prior to a meal in Finnegans, in darkness he gave the order for the switch on and the elecrics for the floodlights had been wired wrong and electrocuted the fish and blew the electrics in the restaurant So the story goes!!.
No fish no meal. Frank was one of Hoylake’s characters!!
Finnegans was were you went for the atmosphere and not the haute cuisine. If you ordered a rare steak it would be quite likely to arrive burnt to a cinder. It was the ideal place to go in a gang and for stag nights and the like. In April 1974 I went with a load of lads and lasses and we ordered several bottles of “Spanish plonk” from the wine list. That was how it was described .and they weren’t joking. Afterwards I had the worst hangover I have had in my entire life !
I now live in Franks old house in Dovedale Road that had the spiral staircase. It wasn’t the only quirky thing in the house let me tell you!! Apparantly Frank used to keep his horse in the back garden too. Anyone got any more old pics?
Hi,
I am trying to find out some more info about Frank and his family. What Number Dovedale Road did he live at. I don’t suppose you know any more about him and the family ???
Have just seen this. I can’t remember the number, but yes, Finnigan was kept in the stable in the back garden (just in front of the air raid shelter, and converted from the old garage). She wasn’t there all the time.
I used to come and ride her and take her out.
Frank was a true eccentric and actually a born leader. He was kind of a big fish in a small pond, but that’s what the Wirral is like really. It’s a larger than life community in a geographically small area.
I spent a lot of time in that house and I actually admired the way he went for it with the architectural style.
Yeah loads … we had a horse and carriage in the back yard .. an enormous suncken bath upstairs….. a big pond with enormous fountain in the garden
Hi Frank
I often listen to Stranger on the shore and it always reminds me of going to your place with dad, Bill Evans
The horse Finnigan was used to pull the carriage he used on a Sunday .I grew up in 44 Dovedale road when I was 8 when we had normal stairs 😂
I used to live in Grosvenor Road and all the neighbours objected to his plans. In short the Council approved his monstrosity on the grounds that only commercial risk mattered.
Frank had a dreadful restaurant and I recall the fire brigade arriving to deal with the kitchen vents which filled with grease and caught fire.
The FinnieTrain was a disaster waiting to happen as it drove around the block by the station car park.
Its closure was great relief.
I bet you never ate there .Looking back now Finnigans was 20 years a head of it’s time as Hoylake was still living in the 60s full of Antique shops and nothing exciting. Finnigans had the best steaks Aberdeen Angus scotch beef steaks and the Value looking back was fantastic. It was a fun entertaining place to visit of singing and dancing . So tell me were did you go out in Hoylake? The Plasterers Arms for a pie maybe ..
Good for you, Mark!
We loved going there on Sunday afternoon ‘after hours’ with our dad, Bill Evans. It certainly was one of a kind and full of character. I have commented above, ‘Stranger on the Shore’ by Acker Bilk always reminds me of dad and Finnigans.
Loved the steaks in there and I used to drive finnagin in his cart and give cart rides on moreton common in the school holidays, and frank came through to park st in Wallasey to see Alf the old guy that lived in the cottage before the stables at the end, and I drove them both round to the primrose pub and sat outside looking after finnigan whilst they where getting tipsy 🙈🤣 great memories 🤗
I remember when Finnigan went to Wallasey for a rest. I visited once or twice while she was there.
I used to drive her around Hoykake and West Kirby and was devastated when she was sold to Neston, but glad she went to a good home.
Great place! Jean and I used to go there for a steak fairly regularly. Great atmosphere,
juke box and ‘plonk’.
Omg I used to have the salt beef at Finnigan’s which was amazing. The music was fabulous too. Such lovely memories. We used to go every Friday night 🤗
Frank was a good friend of mine.
I went down to Finnigans one sunny evening for a steak and a pint with a friend .
Frank came downstairs from his flat/office and was extremely excited to show me his new project – Finniland !
Well, bizarre is not the word 😂
Fibreglass ghouls popping out of doors , ghosts on tracks, spooky noises etc . So I told him it was great idea, obviously. We went back into the restaurant, had a few celebratory pints to toast his impending success and I went home .
It never opened – no planning permission from memory.
What a great bloke , always made me laugh ðŸ˜
I remember going to the Grand opening when I must of been around 6 or 7 (I’m 38 now). It was quite scary and all a little unsettling I seem to recall 🤣. I vividly remember sitting under the extremely old, rusty and very dangerous looking corrugated iron roof at the front, eating the soggiest chips of all time cry smiling at my brother and wanting it to all end 😆
Great days
Finniland did open! We hired the place to host one of my son’s birthday parties there when we lived in Strand Road. It was a bit scary and we adults did find it somewhat macabre but the kids loved it and found it exciting. We had exclusive use for the party and the kids ran around and jumped out at each other making ghostly noises. The burgers and chips served up were not half bad too!
That John Davies is a Knob !!!
I used to love Finnigans as a kid,,,,, We used to go there every other Sunday and for Birthdays and celebrations with all the family!!! The spare ribs were my favourites with ‘red cabbage and prawn crackers,,,,,, good memories.