Issue 109 – June 2016
MARTIN & CO BE PROPERTY SERVICES
FROM LITTLE ACORNS By Stephen Guy
OAK trees once covered the land where they had grown unmolested for many centuries. Britain’s natural forests Ă RXULVKHG ZKHUH WKH JURXQG ZDV suitable to support mighty trees. Abundant game lived in the greenwood when this island was sparsely populated. North West England had vast areas of lakes, swamps and marshes before they were drained over generations by early settlers. South Liverpool was densely wooded over large areas spreading out from Toxteth Park, a royal hunting forest. The last of the great oaks was felled during the Napoleonic Wars when timber was in great demand for warships. A solitary survivor is the Allerton Oak in Calderstones Park, perhaps spared because its trunk was damaged. The huge boughs have metal supports. In Saxon times Aigburth was known as “the place of the oaksâ€?. Norsemen sailed up the river and settled here, as did the Celts. The area was transformed as Liverpool expanded, with mansions such as Aigburth Hall (pictured). In 1907 it was occupied by Arthur Cook, one of a number of
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steamship owners who lived in the district. The house was demolished in 1935. The big houses needed large numbers of staff to keep them UXQQLQJ HIĂ€FLHQWO\ 6LQJOH VHUYDQWV such as nannies, cooks and maids often slept in basements while
married couples occupied lodges. Others lived nearby in terraces such as The Village, off Aigburth Vale. Quite a few wives took in washing and Green’s Cottages was known as Dolly Tub Row. A dolly tub was a type of hand-operated washing machine – dirt was loosened from clothes in soapy water by vigorous use of a dolly peg. This was often a copper cone on the end of a pole. A wash board was used for shifting more stubborn stains by rubbing the clothes over its ribbed surface. Demolished in the 1960s, The Village was once a self-contained community with schools, SXEV ÀUH VWDWLRQ VPLWK\
and police station. The popular People’s Hall nearby was given to the community in 1901 by John Temple. It replaced the Aigburth Vale Cocoa Rooms. Further down Aigburth Vale was Palmyra, home of Samuel Waring of the famous Waring & Gillows furniture stores and manufacturers. It featured a huge octagonal-roofed conservatory, enhanced with a large mirror, linked to a series of interconnecting glasshouses. Q Learn more about the history of Liverpool at the Museum of Liverpool, Pier Head, open 10am to 5pm every day, admission free.
IDENTITY CRISIS
A one-woman show written and performed by Phina Oruche at The Unity Theatre on June 22, 23 and 24, 2016 See pages 26 and 27