St Leonard's in the 60s

Your place to talk about your Bootle memories
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IanA
Posts: 421
Joined: Sat May 06, 2006 10:25 pm
Location: Scotland

A blast from the past - the Crossbeats! Info too about John Mockford and his curates.

http://www.crossbeats.co.uk/y62stlens.htm
Sheelagh Tequila
Posts: 1203
Joined: Sat Apr 03, 2010 11:17 pm
Location: Formby

Lovely pics Ian, was Tom Cooper the one I would know as Tommy Cooper the butcher, lived Burns Street and had his shop on the corner of Boswell St.
I was a St.Joans girl but i remember a nice Vicar who I think wore a big boot.

Sheelagh :D
IanA
Posts: 421
Joined: Sat May 06, 2006 10:25 pm
Location: Scotland

That is, indeed, Tommy Cooper. Last I heard, he was ordained and living in Burscough. The chap with the built-up boot was the one before John Mockford - I was quite little when he used to go up and down Peel Road and I found him a scary figure. (Daft, I know.) I can't think of his name right now but someone will remember.
cleevesinger
Posts: 5
Joined: Sat May 30, 2015 5:45 pm

Thank you so much Ian for posting those photo's, brought back lovely memories of St Leonards, I started going to that church when I was about eleven, got confirmed and went to the youth club. My cousin Joyce Lee was a brownie leader there. I recall Roy Hughes (he was in the church choir) from little Norton St, Alan Perry from Cowper St, and my best friend at the time Lilian Briscoe from Gray St, I am still in contact with her! I remember the Crossbeats really well! Roy Hughes had a small band and he would practice in the church hall, thanks again, Jenp ( am I right in saying you are the same Ian that lived in Keats St, where my grannie Banks lived)
IanA
Posts: 421
Joined: Sat May 06, 2006 10:25 pm
Location: Scotland

Darned right I am! Did Granny Banks live in number 2? I was never good at names...

I was one of the first two choir boys in St Leonard's church. Tommy came round to the Sunday School looking for boy singers - I hated Sunday School so I volunteered, thinking that by going to the services I would escape. The reality was that I ended up going to morning service, evensong AND Sunday School!!!! The other boy (slightly older than me) Frank Garitty died some years ago. David and Paul Hunter joined next - I think their dad was a church warden. I owe Tommy Cooper a huge vote of thanks because he first got me interested in music - I subsequently trained as a music teacher and it's paid the bills for nearly 40 years. St Leonard's, in those days, - even linked with St Mary's - had a vicar and three or four curates. Changed times.
cleevesinger
Posts: 5
Joined: Sat May 30, 2015 5:45 pm

Hi Ian yes granny Bankes lived at no 2 and her sister lived on the other side of the road, Ginny (don't know her surname) my gran lived on her own and my cousin Janet and I use to stay with her in the school holidays, I only lived in Tennyson St,!! haha, lovely memories of her, she was a lovely lady, remember Mr Glendenning her neighbour standing outside his house, Jenny.
IanA
Posts: 421
Joined: Sat May 06, 2006 10:25 pm
Location: Scotland

'Mr Glen', as my granddad was known locally, was a much respected chap. He fought with the Irish Guards in the Great War and was badly wounded on two separate occasions. He didn't have an easy life and was unemployed for a good long time. Another old soldier, Mr Crawford, lived across the street at something like number 9 or 11. The folks on the other side of the road (presumably your Ginny) had a dog - a white thing (was it called 'Sean' pronounced 'Sharn'?) - and I'm sure I have a photograph somewhere. Most folks struggled - always scouse on a Friday, waiting for the pay packet - but everyone looked out for each other. Mum used to take a bucket and cloth, a cob of sandstone and a white stone for the edge of the step and, on a Saturday morning, she would scrub the step of number 4 and any other at that end of the street where she thought the person was unable to do for themselves. At number 6 lived 'Daisy Bell' who used to give us a 3d bit for going to Joe's on Peel Road for 6d worth of 'cat fish'. She went a bit funny later on and accused us of shooting her cats off the wall despite us not having anything to shoot them with.
eric jenkinson
Posts: 73
Joined: Fri Oct 19, 2012 9:01 am
Location: kerry ireland moved from bootle 1975

Hi Ian the vicars name was Mr Adamson,he was the vicar who married my mum and dad,that would be 1950 ,great photos bring back many memories
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