
Lowlands
Official Opening
The
Society’s home, Grade II-listed Lowlands,
was officially opened on Friday
28 August 2009.
About
100 specially-invited guests filled the main hall to chat over a glass or two.
There were people who covered the whole spectrum of volunteers, helpers and
supporters over the 52 years since
Lowlands was purchased by the West Derby Community Association (WDCA) from
Alderman Ernest Cookson with the help of the Earl of Sefton.
Our
principal guest who performed the opening was Dame Lorna Muirhead, Lord
Lieutenant of Merseyside. She is pictured below making her speech before
declaring Lowlands officially open.

Dame
Lorna gave an entertaining speech which included a history of the building and
the work done by volunteers to raise £1.2 million to restore and refurbish the
historic building.
The
event was also attended by the Lord Mayor of Liverpool Mike Storey.
The
speeches were followed by refreshments and tours of the building taking in the
many interesting features of the former merchant’s mansion built in 1846.
West Derby Society chairman and WDCA trustee Stephen Guy (right) is pictured with three of the original Lowlands volunteers.

In the centre is Henry Huckstep who was chairman of the West Derby Community Association 1957 – 1965, daughter Margaret who helped set up the famous Pillar Club and Harry Walker who was also among the original band of volunteers.

Guests are pictured listening to the speeches with the French windows and garden in the background. Some veterans recalled Lowlands as it was when the Association bought it in 1957.
A number of alterations were made including the creation of the main hall by
knocking three rooms together.
The
building had been used by the Inland Revenue for offices for about 15 years.
There were reinforced air raid
shelters in the basement.
Some of the Second World War exterior installations were removed as part of
the latest renovations. However, reinforced
doors
remain in parts of the basement.
Trustees
and officials are seen on the stunning staircase which now looks as it would
when the house was first built.

They
are (left to right): Barbara Buchanan, Anita
Oliver, Stephen Guy, Pat Hughes and WDCA chairman Pat Blair JP.
The
Society’s 1884 painting of the Village is in the background.
A big thank you to all those Society members who helped make this important day such a success, helping to make our guests feel at home. There has been lots of praise for the event.
.
Wakey
Wakey!
West Derby Wakes were the event of the year for the inhabitants of the village and the surrounding countryside in the 18th century, writes
Alastair
Caird.
It
had been celebrated for centuries and no other place in the county could boast
such revelries.
Originally
the Wakes were held on the anniversary of the dedication of the Ancient Chapel
of St Mary the Virgin. In those early days the celebrations would have taken a
different form to those of later years.
A
service was held in the chapel with the altar and pulpit garlanded with leaves
and flowers and rushes were scattered on the floor.
Yard
Tents
were erected in the chapel yard offering a liberal supply of cakes and ale
while in an adjoining field there were all kinds of games and sports.
Throughout
the morning carts and horses carrying farmers, their families and farm workers
thronged the lanes from Walton, Kirkby, Simonswood, Knowsley, Huyton and
Liverpool.
People
came to enjoy themselves and, as one historian put it: “Merriment and
love-making were the features of the time”.
During
this period parson and clerk attended the Wakes to marry all who applied and
this custom was probably also observed in West Derby.
Pagan
Gradually
the religious element of the festival was forgotten and it degenerated into
something like a pagan ritual. The Wakes attracted legions of hawkers, showmen
and professional sportsmen. There were games of chance, prize fighting, dog
fighting, hard drinking and bull baiting.
The
latter was a cruel entertainment where the bull was tethered to a stake and
then attacked by dogs. There was frenzied betting on the outcome of the
contest.
On
one occasion a group of sailors untied
the bull and drove it to Liverpool where they dragged it into a theatre in
Williamson Square.
The Wakes were discontinued in the 19th century and succeeded by a Club Day on the last Monday in July. About 300 members of the
Tradesmen’s
Benevolent Club were among those taking part in sports on the Castle Field,
Meadow Lane. Later the Oddfellows held a walk on the first Monday in August
– a forerunner of the August Bank Holiday.
Ancestors
When
studying the sports and other recreations of our ancestors it becomes clear
that, although life was hard, they still had a great deal of pleasure in life.
The
year would start with first footings and general merriment. In February there
was Candlemas Day and customs associated with St Valentine were observed.
In
the spring there was Mothering Sunday, Palm Sunday and the great festival of
Easter with buns and eggs.
Pase
egging was a custom practised in West Derby, Wavertree and elsewhere until
about 1870. It was a play performed by a band of boys dressed up in coloured
ribbons, tinsel and paper hats and armed with toy swords. The West Derby pase
eggers were considered the best in south Lancashire.
Strong
Another
custom earlier in the century involved strong young men performing on village
greens and in front of large houses. They dressed in colourful suits,
sometimes made of satin. The main character was the Black Morocco King who
would fight with another called the Noble Turk.
Satan
also appears and the Doctor cures all – even the dead – and they all end
up happily dancing together.
May
Day had many customs including the May Pole. Both Ascension Day and Oak Apple
Day – celebrating Charles II – were holidays. Marriages were most popular
at Whitsuntide and during June.
St
Swithin was remembered in July and at the end of summer, when all was gathered
in, there was the Harvest Home with its feasting and dancing.
Hunting
was popular in autumn and in November the Gunpowder Plot was remembered.
Martinmas
(the feast of St Martin on 11 November) reminded each generation of a saint
who had been extra good to the poor.
Christmas
was marked with the Yule log, family gatherings, feasting and present giving.
All
the bells of the parish churches rang out to close the year.
William
Blundell
By the 17th century a much-noted name in south west Lancashire was Blundell. Perhaps the most distinguished gentleman of that name was
William
Blundell, born at Crosby Hall in 1620.
When
Charles I was rallying support, William raised 100 dragoons for the Royalist
cause. Married at 15, he was a prolific writer who is today remembered for his
diary – a fascinating account of day-to-day life.
These
diaries were published in three volumes by Record Society of Lancashire and
Cheshire. Squire Blundell died in 1698 and was buried in Sefton Church.
Bryan
Blundell was a Liverpool sea captain who founded the Bluecoat School, paying
for the Chambers in 1708. He said: “I saw children begging about the
streets, their parents being so poor as not to have bread for them, which gave
me great concern ...”
Coaches
for hire
The
first record of a Hackney-style carriage in Liverpool was in 1772 when William
Griffiths advertised his coach to “stand and be ready at the Chaise and
Horses” in Fenwick St every day from 10 am to 10 pm.
Rates
to any part of the town were one shilling (5p) for up to three people, 1/6
(7.5p) for four people and two shillings (10p) for six.
Such carriages became popular and were commonplace by around 1775.
Road transport developed rapidly in the early 19th century and, by 1830, 150 stage coaches left Liverpool every day. Horse-drawn
omnibuses
began working in Liverpool on 12 May 1830.
The
designs for the first vehicles are no known but some second-hand vehicles were
obtained from London.
The
First Class passengers inside were to be allowed 18 inches and that “on no
account were Second Class passengers to be allowed inside”.
Ladders
The
early vehicles had iron ladders which ran to an open-topped deck. These
ladders were upright and no lady would be seen climbing them until the
introduction of curved staircases and handrails.
During
the 1830s the growth in omnibus use led to fierce competition on popular
routes and a reduction in fares allowed more people to use the ‘bus.
Some
omnibuses were tourist attractions. The Bath brothers operated a unique
service – open horse-drawn boats mounted on wheels, carrying up to 60
passengers.
The
boats were painted various colours and fitted with cushioned seats. The
service only ran on Sundays, carrying passengers from the Liverpool Exchange
to the Aigburth Hotel.
The
fare was 6d (2.5p) and they were always crowded with passengers.
Meanwhile, the gentry often rode in their private carriages such as this barouche from 1851.

The
omnibus trade boomed until the tram era began in 1869 with the Liverpool
Tramway Company which was taken over by the Corporation in 1897.
Liverpool
first saw motor ‘buses in February 1906 – a Clarkson Steamer took
passengers between Castle St to the Liverpool Cycle and Motor Show at the
exhibition hall in Edge Lane.
In
the summer that year, well-known local motor traders L Blake & Co ran
tourists around the city in an open-top Lacre Observation Car. Each tour
lasted 90 minutes and ran four times a day.
Hotel
The
Adelphi ran a 12-seater Rolls Royce ‘bus
- registration N 51 - between the hotel, railway stations and the Pier
Head.
In
1909 Liverpool Corporation obtained powers to run motor buses under its
General Powers Act. The council voted 32 – 26 against starting a ‘bus
service but on 1 January 1911 purchased the Woolton Company’s business for
£934 – three ‘buses, one charabanc and a leased garage in Allerton Rd.
Towards
the end of 1927 there began a rapid expansion of the Corporation’s motor
‘bus system.
Estates
The
growth of housing estates on the city outskirts was taking large numbers of
people beyond the tram terminuses so ‘buses were needed.
The
first of the new feeder services started on 28 October 1927 between Mossley
Hill, Calderstones, Childwall and Wavertree Clock Tower.
The
rapid development of ‘bus services took a severe toll on the railways and
their revenues. Railway companies were able to expand into the ‘bus market
with the passing of the Railways (Road Transport) Act 1928.
At
the time there were fears that the railway companies would set up ‘bus
services but this did not materialise.
The
companies decided to invest only in existing businesses because of their lack
of knowledge of the ‘bus industry.
In
January 1939, with war looming, Liverpool Corporation’s general managr
reported the need to expand the ‘bus fleet, replacing defective
single-decker six wheelers.
Two
months later the Ministry of Health requested the retention of at least 20
Corporation vehicles to convert to wartime ambulances.
By
the end of 1957 the entire tram network had been replaced by ‘buses. The
Transport Act 1968 effectively eliminated private ‘bus operators and
transferred passenger transport to the newly-created Merseyside Passenger
Transport Authority (MPTA).
The
Local Government Act 1972 created the metropolitan county of Merseyside.
Following the Local Government Act 1985 abolishing Merseyside County Council,
a new Passenger Transport Executive (PTE) was established.
In
1988 these two authorities were merged to become Merseytravel. Today there are
more than 30 ‘bus operators on Merseyside.
We
finish with this view of Liverpool in 1650 when the castle still dominated the
town.

For
hundreds of years the fortress was the largest building in the area. This view
shows Liverpool just after the Civil War about 50 years before the port began
its spectacular growth.
Following
the construction of Liverpool Castle, the smaller wooden fortress in West Derby
fell into disuse. Liverpool Tower, in the centre of this view, was the town
stronghold of the Earls of Derby. St Nicholas’s parish church, on the left, is
the only building still standing although much altered.
Didn’t
we have a lovely time ...
...
the day we went to Beaumaris.
It
was 4 July but we weren’t celebrating Independence Day – we were off to the
seaside for a bit of Welsh history.
With
the Parr’s coach expertly driven by Alix (who gave us a Health & Safety
talk before we set off), we were soon crossing the Britannia Bridge and heading
along the leafy road into Beaumaris.
There
was a slight calamity as we were getting off the coach – the chairman broke
one of the raffle prizes, a bottle of wine (which he had to replace at
his own expense, of course).
Everyone
had a great time looking around. The main attraction, Beaumaris Castle is seen
in this sketch by the chairman.

Some
of us went around the historic prison which has not held any inmates since the
1870s. It still boasts a treadmill where felons burnt off boot leather and also
surplus energy.
Others
took a sail on the Menai Straits with its magnificent views including Puffin
Island. We were told that the loveable little birds had returned after the huge
rat population was destroyed in a conservation programme.
The
historic Beaumaris courthouse is a lot bigger but not as old as our own tiny
Tudor treasure.
It
has had famous visitors such as Charles Dickens who once attended a hearing sat
on the very cramped wooden press bench fitted with an unusual cubby hole for
notebooks.
Chairman’s
Comments
There
is a General Election looming and politicians are judging almost everything
they say and do in relation to votes.
Our
free democracy has been fought for over the centuries and we are still
struggling to ensure tyranny does not triumph.
This
brings me to one of my favorite tyrants of the recent past. Despite being
probably the most dangerous man in Europe 100 years ago, he was always a comic
figure in Britain – Kaiser Wilhelm of Imperial Germany.
As
we see the regular sad spectacle of the bodies of British soldiers being
brought home from Afghanistan, it is sobering to think of the terrible losses
this country bore in the First World War mainly because of the actions of this
man - Kaiser Bill – and his generals.
It
seems almost bizarre now to think that British people sent these postcards
during the carnage of the trenches.

It
is a cliché to say that it is the British sense of humour that sees us through
our problems but these images bear it out.
German
cartoons lampooning the Allies at this time have an almost Gothic quality with
their grim sarcasm. I would suggest the British ones have an element of
affection towards the comic absurdity of the German Emperor.
Despots
like the Kaiser, Hitler, the Tsar, Lenin, Stalin and Mugabe in our own time pay
lip service to democracy. They always argue that they were voted in despite the
deep flaws in the electoral systems.
It
is strange how we can still laugh at the Kaiser but probably not at the other
lot.
He
had a certain absurdity that very much appealed to the British public.

There
may also have been a grudging recognition that he was the black sheep of the
British royal family. Wilhelm’s grandmother was Queen Victoria and it is an
irony of history that she died in his arms.

All
this gets me musing about how fortunate we have been with our royal family and
politicians at least in the last century or two.
However
– using another cliché – we should not forget the lessons of history.
There
have been times when despots have ruled Britain and there is always a danger
that history will repeat itself. That’s why it is so important to vote.
Stephen
Guy