Lodge Lane Shops

Tiber Street School

History Toxteth

Gerrard/Fyfe Photos

Late Victorian Shops and Proprietors

In 1883 there was a Grocer & Provision dealer (John Huxley) trading and residing in 2 Lodge Lane --

I don't remember this shop in the forties - but I do remember Joseph Browner the Pawnshop proprietor at number 4.

Then there was Samuel Walton the Ironmonger (6),

 Stewart James the Wine and Spirit Dealer (8),

Thomas Langford the Licensed Broker and Thomas B. Harrison the Auctioneer (both at 10).

Ted Rimmer was the first Tobacconist to set up in Lodge Lane living/trading at number 12.

Billy Molloy the Butcher at number 14. At 12c which must have been in Buttermere Street lived Alfred Johnson the Chandler.

Buttermere Street was a little street alongside the Pavilion that can be seen at the right of the Pavilion Bingo image below...

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The Paint Manufacturers E&W Jones took up two buildings at 16 and 18 Lodge Lane.

Originally where the Pavilion Bingo is now, there where five shops, by 1925 the Pavilion appears to have taken over three of these addresses, for some reason 30 Lodge Lane was misplaced as sometimes it was referred to as the Public Baths and other times as other premises.

George Griffin the Butcher traded/lived at number 26.

A&G Carfrae the Fishmongers was at 28 and a t 30 Lodge lane was James Mitty the Tripe Dresser - I had many a plate of Tripe from this guy but I am sure he was trading further down the lane.

At 30A was Amelia Summers the Picture Dealer and at 32A was Robinson Brothers with a Fruit and Greengrocers shop. There were certainly a lot of Fruit and Greengrocer's shops in the late 1890s/early 1900s - all healthy competition...

At 30 Lodge Lane in 1883 we had Lodge Lane Public Baths. and Wash House (opened in 1878)  David Lewis had been  replaced by Nathan Giles, the New Superintendent...

The baths at that time obviously occupied the whole of the land between Beaumont Street and Grierson Street... no sign of the Public Library that came along later on the corner of Beaumont Street...

The land between Grierson Street and Maitland Street boasted the following businesses:

Thomas B. Cockshott was the Tobacconist at number 32

Mark Bottoms was a Grocer & Provisions Dealer (34)

Jacob Bacon was a Picture Dealer at 36.

Henry Turner was another Confectioner and Greengrocer at 38.

Francis Schrader was Baker & Flour Dealer.

John Inger was an Ironmonger at 42.

Thomas Bennett, at 44,  was a Coal Dealer and his sister Honor was a Confectioner.

At the corner of Maitland Street (46) was Thomas Abrahams the Pawnbroker...  that seems to jog my memory... I think you had to climb several steps to get into Abrahams...

At 48 and 50 was Robert M'Birnie a Grocer and Provision Dealer and at 52 (where we lived) was Robert Syers Greengrocer and  Fruiter...

The Good Old Days?

I spent a great deal of my young life staying  with my grandma (Nin - Bertha Evelyn Fyfe), Brother John and sister Jeannette. I remember that my playground, as a kid, in common with hundreds of other kids in the area was the remains of Bomb sites - 'Back Windsor View' had a terrible pounding during the 'Second World War' and we made the best of what was left (the Bombed Ollers were great for getting in to trouble - lots of various sized stones and bricks to throw.)

I remember the great summers (the summers were always hot in those days) sitting on the old Victorian, high kerb that ran down one side of the Street - most people to be seen in the Street would be coming out of their back doors (Maitland Street) that were never locked... making tar bombs out of the solar liquefied tarmac rolled up on to the end of a 'lolly ice stick' and pyrotechnically armed with a matchstick. My Nin also had a great air-raid shelter were we played a lot - I remember an old 'Magic Lantern' in there. I also had an old Khaki Bike lamp which we used for meagre illumination: my dad used to sell them after the war as ex Army surplus...

The building below occupied the site between, to the left, 'Back Windsor View' and to the right Maitland Street, from what I can remember Bollands owned the building. We lived over the shop - our entrance was in Back Windsor View - the only address - although it was classed as 52a Lodge Lane. For some unknown reason it has a new street sign, bearing the name 'Back Windsor Street' Windsor Street is actually about 2 or 3 miles away. (Later I'll tell you a story about 52 Lodge Lane that you may not believe) When I was 13 or 14, I was part of a skiffle group that played on the corner - washboard, tea-chest bass, mandolin and guitar. Charlie Mancuso had an Ice Cream Parlour opposite - Charlie used to always give the band a donation every time we played... well I'm glad he did well - he was a nice guy.  I met an old friend of mine, recently, called Harry who still lives down Lodge Lane and was once part of the group - he still sings in the Karaoke's in Chaplains amongst other places.

Spendwell was originally Bollands

My best pal at the time was John Burke who lived at the top of Maitland Street, a little bit further down I had a couple of  'Posh' friends - I had to play with them because they had a telly and if I kept in with them I could watch 'Four Feather Falls' and 'Muffin The Mule'.

There was a church called St Clements halfway down Beaumont Street on the corner of Dove Street called St Clements. it is still there and thriving.