Well Lane Tragedy

[geoff]

My Parents moved to Well Lane Childwall in the 1920's from Rushton Place in Woolton. In those days there was no Gateacre Park Drive cutting across it . On the right was high hawthorn bushes . And on the left lower down from Elm House was an Oak tree and a banking and then open fields.
My parents mentioned that just before they lived in Well Lane that a Fireman had died there in an accident.
It was only recently that I found out what had happened . It seems that in 1921 during the Irish Troubles . The Fenian's took to attacking local targets in the UK. A number of farm outbuildings in the Liverpool area were set on fire .
One of the farms attacked being down Well Lane Childwall. The Fire Service sent a Fire Engine and crew from Aigburth ( not Allerton) .
After putting the Fire out the Fire Engine and crew drove back up Well Lane but unfortunately the Engine hit the banking on the right and turned over trapping the driver a Fire Officer call Jones. He died from his injuries in the old Royal Hospital.

He is buried at Toxteth Cemetery Smithdown Road. People driving or walking down Well lane today possibly did know of the tragedy that happened there many years ago.

[joanborrowscale80]

Hello Geoff - thanks for your interesting read - If Mike Chitty reads this it might be an article for the newsletter ! Do you have any photographs of the area before Gateacre Park Drive ? Also interesting your mention of Elm House......sadly not there now. What do you know about it. and its history
Joan Borrowscale

[geoff]

Hi Joan , yes I have photos of Jacksons Farm and our Cottage that have long gone. Must check out Elm House . Doctor Dove lived there when I was young. I have lots of information on the Well Lane area of Childwall. Lots of mistakes have made by local historians as regards the position of Jacksons Farm and there is no no mention of Carrolls Farm which bred poultry.
Even on Hartbourne Avenue were Jacksons Farm was they have called the road Jacksons Pond Road . Most of my information on Gateacre is passed down to me by my family who have since died . My father was born in Gateacre in 1897.
So as you can see its a long time ago.

[jborrowscale80]

Thanks geoff. Can you write up the story and pass on to Mike Chitty - Are you in Liverpool
Can you make copies of the photographs you have - these would be very interesting for the Society to add to their huge collection of Gateacre photographs.
I think no-one else knows about the history of Well Lane - there must have been a well there at some time.
Thanks Geoff. What is your surname ?

Joan

[geoff]

Hi Joan , I now live in Gateacre. I often wished that I had written down my Dads memories Of Gateacre . But how many times have people said that.
Most of my memories are of Childwall . So I might write a few posts about my life there between 1942 - 1962.
As this Board is really about Gateacre I will keep my Childwall Memories on the General Board.


Geoff.

[andrew]

My main memory of Childwall in the late '50 when I was a child is of being taken to a barber's shop at Childwall Fiveways. Does anyone remember it?

[geoff]

Hello Andrew , I went to Rudston Road CP School between 1947 and 1953 . So it was the nearest Barbers at the Fiveways before I jumped on a 79 bus down Childwall Valley home. All the Barbers were in white coats and looked like they were just out the army. There was only one haircut then, a short back and sides . And to finish off they applied hair cream which glued what was left of your hair to your scalp. My Rudston Road School Cap usually fell around my ears . The Barbers has long gone . But memories of it still linger.
Also at the time Childwall Library was right opposite. Not were it is now.

[debbie]

Dec 8, 2011 14:48:33 GMT -5 geoff said:

Hi Joan , yes I have photos of Jacksons Farm and our Cottage that have long gone. Must check out Elm House . Doctor Dove lived there when I was young. I have lots of information on the Well Lane area of Childwall. Lots of mistakes have made by local historians as regards the position of Jacksons Farm and there is no no mention of Carrolls Farm which bred poultry.
Even on Hartbourne Avenue were Jacksons Farm was they have called the road Jacksons Pond Road . Most of my information on Gateacre is passed down to me by my family who have since died . My father was born in Gateacre in 1897.
So as you can see its a long time ago.

[debbie]

Hello

Are there photos still around of Jackson's Farms? Harrison Jackson was my husband's Great Uncle.


Thank you.

[adrian]

Jan 23, 2012 9:38:19 GMT -5 andrew said:

My main memory of Childwall in the late '50 when I was a child is of being taken to a barber's shop at Childwall Fiveways. Does anyone remember it?

My first post on this site, hello to you all. I do remember the barbers at the five ways, yes it was short back and sides. It would be around 1964 I would be 10yrs old, I remember sitting on a plank which was across the arms of the barbers chair. I would walk home from there to the pre fabs in Cloverdale Rd where I lived. When I go past the five ways I always think back to that time in the 60's lovely memories. Adrian