seaforth shore

[jddry]

win mccusker and linda crawford on seaforth shore about 1965 does anyone have info on the big house and the timber shed at the back.jddry

[daveowe]

The building is Seafield House which had been built by a William Fernie to be used as Hydro, the house was reputed to have contained 365 windows, one for each day of the year. The hydro never materialised and it became known as Fernie's folly. It was acquired by the order of the Sacred Heart, originally having been established in Bootle, it became known as Seafield Convent. Located on the foreshore between the International Hotel and Potters Barn. In 1908 the order relocated retaining the Seafield Convent name, then established themselves also with a school on Crosby Road, using the proceeds from the sale of Seafield House to the MDHC. The Seaforth House site was required for further dock expansion, however with the recession this developement never happened and the building remained standing. At the outbreak of WW11 it was requisitioned and became the RN Hospital Seaforth, to take in Royal Naval casualties and Merchant Navy casualties from the Battle of the Atlantic, this being the place the famous U-boat hunter Capt 'Johny' Walker died.. After the war it was returned to MDHB, sometime in the late 1950s- 1960s it was used by the Inland Revenue as a tax office it was demolished and eventually the site became part of what is now Royal Seaforth Dock.

(Corrected name Seafield House..Seaforth Hall was the home of the Gladstone family)

[kenswayken]

Could the timber shed by part of Denny Mott & Dicksons yard ?

[doddygirl]

In 1969 it was used by the Post Office as the start of the National Giro Bank
Irene

[Ed Davies]

Great research Dave
That's Interesting Irene so that's where the Giro started?

[kenswayken]

My Wife confirms the Giro started there. She was one of the first employees. Interesting stuff Ken

[PETER CRAIG]

.

[vinny]

Nice one Dave got me interested thanks

[daveowe]

Some pics of Seafield House

http://www.mersey-gateway.org/server.ph ... aFile.5263

This pic shows the building with top floors removed, have reason to believe a fire caused extensive damage
http://www.mersey-gateway.org/server.ph ... aFile.8235

The demise of the buildings
http://www.mersey-gateway.org/server.ph ... aFile.3663

[marielou]

jd, Plenty of info on this link."History Part 2"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seafield_Convent_Grammar

Marie

[doddygirl]

My Wife confirms the Giro started there. She was one of the first employees. Interesting stuff Ken

I started there in May 69 and was sorry when we were moved to the new building in Bootle. I loved that old building, and it was great for the beach if we could get the afternoon off on a warm day
Irene

[dave s]

I too worked there for National Giro, 1968 if I remember correctly and, like doddygirl didn't much care for the new building on Bridle road.
Being young and not overly interested in the work I seem to remember lunch hours being spent in the Royal Hotel or the International.
I've happy memories of the place. Dave.

[islandmann]

Anyone remember the dogs home along that stretch of crosby road potters bar, Grass verge the sand would actually blow onto crosby road itself. Remember the ribble bus number 3 we would get as kids to get to crosby baths Regards all islandmann.

[Dan]

Aerial view of Seaforth in 1932.

Not very good on Seaforth, but Seafield House dominates the foreground.

The International Marine Hotel stands alone on the tip of the triangle of land to the right.

Amazing how far back the beach stretches.

[Chris Dodge]

I recognise those 2 houses on the right of the shore from the old maps, called Laverock Bank and Moss Bank. A glimpse of what the whole Bootle coast looked like before the docks.