Old Memories in New Brighton

Bob Cooper of Macclesfield, Cheshire remembers:

- Bob Cooper

As a child living in the grimy streets of Everton, Liverpool during the 1950s, my two brothers and I looked forward to going “over the water” to New Brighton. This holiday resort was on the River Mersey, so we usually caught the tram on Heyworth Street to the Pier Head, carrying our buckets and spades.

My parents, of course, prepared a pile of sandwiches, cakes and filled a flask with tea. It was exciting leaving our Coronation Street-type house for the day to make sandcastles and paddle in the sea. From the Pier Head, we boarded the ferry, and 20 minutes later, we were on our sandy beach. We never actually swam there as the river then was the colour of milky coffee and not very inviting.

Nearby was a fairground so we enjoyed going on the dodgems and other attractions when we could afford it and inevitably eating ice-creams and candy floss. We did this for several years until our family moved to Prenton, Birkenhead. By then, I was in my teens and New Brighton took on a different slant.