Peerless refinary, Bootle

Your place to talk about your Bootle memories
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rivermersey
Posts: 235
Joined: Mon Nov 26, 2007 12:27 am
Location: Bootle

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Under construction, The Peerless Bootle almost near to completion, I'm guessing this is early 1950's. Dunningsbridge Road looks quiet. The Peerless employed many thousands of local people during it's existance.
Born in Bootle 1960 lived on Bailey Drive then the old roan.
Joycen60
Posts: 251
Joined: Wed Jan 16, 2008 6:57 pm
Location: Northampton

Where are you getting these great photos from?
Lived Olive grove- just in Bootle. Schools Netherton Moss A, Netherton Park and Bootle Girls Grammar
diyman

Joycen60 wrote:Where are you getting these great photos from?
if he tells you that, he might have to do you in,,, :D
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Dan
Posts: 4730
Joined: Sat Jul 07, 2018 6:24 pm

Found this from November 11 2016 Gazette.

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There are some well known Merseyside businesses in that list.
Liverpool Central Oil (always referred to as LCO) on Oriel Street, off Vauxhall Road.
The Peerless. I always associate the Vernon Young name (Southport family) with the Peerless.
Brittania Lard in Birkenhead.

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Founded November 14 1921.
Final accounts filed September 1996.

Ad from 1976.

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Regards

Dan
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Dan
Posts: 4730
Joined: Sat Jul 07, 2018 6:24 pm

Noticed this today.

Sir Leslie Young, Chairman and Managing Director of J Bibby & Sons.
One of the main drivers behind the beginning of the regeneration of Liverpool in the 1980s.

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May 2 1984 with the Queen at the Garden Festival.

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Regards

Dan
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fatboyjoe90
Posts: 5648
Joined: Tue Sep 15, 2009 6:29 pm
Location: merseyside

In the early 1980s, I used to go into the Peerless with my wagon and load up with frying fat and cooking oils, and take it all over the country and the cash was good in those days. :wink:
Cheers Joe.
henry
Posts: 1869
Joined: Tue Mar 21, 2006 6:45 pm

remember the fella who died when he drowned in the vat of oil
HENRY BORN FLORIDA STREET OFF STRAND ROAD
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fatboyjoe90
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Location: merseyside

Hiya Henry, that rings a bell with me, do you have anymore info on it? :wink:
Cheers Joe.
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Dan
Posts: 4730
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I can't find a reference on the net.
I think the accident occurred when I was working at Bibby's. Early to mid 80s.
The man was reported missing at the end of his shift.
The site was searched, his home address was checked, all without success.
His last movements were traced.
It was thought he had gone up on top of the storage tanks. A lot of the tanks were sampled from the top in those days.
One of the tanks was found with an open manhole cover.
The tank was drained and the body was found.
Because of the low density, you can't float in oil- you just sink to the bottom.
I'm sure someone will know his name.

Regards

Dan
henry
Posts: 1869
Joined: Tue Mar 21, 2006 6:45 pm

It was definitely in the Peerless
HENRY BORN FLORIDA STREET OFF STRAND ROAD
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filsgreen
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Joined: Sun May 12, 2013 8:28 am

Walking along Dunningsbridge Road to Scotts at 5 AM was hell in the 70s. Peerless used to emit an acrid smelling smoke, which use to stay in the back of your throat. The smell of fresh bread from Scott's was always welcome. Everytime I smell Jacob's, it always takes me back to those days.
Joycen60
Posts: 251
Joined: Wed Jan 16, 2008 6:57 pm
Location: Northampton

Living near the Peerless factory always remember the smell!!
Lived Olive grove- just in Bootle. Schools Netherton Moss A, Netherton Park and Bootle Girls Grammar
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Invicta
Posts: 2749
Joined: Wed Sep 02, 2015 6:46 pm
Location: Garden of England

Agree, I’d walk through there for Courtaulds, horrible on a nice Summer morning at 05.30am. K
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Dan
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The odours coming from the Peerless would have been composed of short chain carboxlic acids (butyric, caproic, caprylic and capric)
Butyric acid smells of rancid butter.
Caper is Latin for goat. So the other three are variations of the smell of goat.
Mixed into this heady aroma would be the volatiles from the various types of fish oil that was processed there.
So not just the smell of fish, but the concentrated smell of the off- odours form the deterioration of the fish oil that occurs during extraction and transit.

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Regards

Dan
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filsgreen
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Thanks, Dan, makes me feel better knowing what crap I was breathing in. :D
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Invicta
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Location: Garden of England

Surprised we survived. I remember coming out of the NORWEST social club to be hit with that, not nice after 6 pints :shock:
Ken
Dennis Cain
Posts: 4
Joined: Sat Jan 12, 2019 10:01 am

My dad actually helped build the new factory in the 50's
He was a bricklayer
All the facade was red brick
I believe the guy that died was named Tommy Long
Someone told me that so can't say for sure
When I was a young lad I used to ride the 28 bus into liverpool with Tommy and Norman Gwyther
Each morning
When I was courting my wife in 67 we were at the Hare and Hounds in the lounge when in walked Tommy,Penno(Pennington) and Clucas
They proceeded to loudly fart the entire time they were there.
Still laugh about it
Now live in white Rock BC
Bootle Grammar Buck
Dennis Cain
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filsgreen
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Thanks for the story, Dennis, welcome to the forum. :D
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Invicta
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Location: Garden of England

Dennis, I went to Netherton Moss with Norman Gwyther , very good footballer.
He used to live facing the school field.
Cheers Ken
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fatboyjoe90
Posts: 5648
Joined: Tue Sep 15, 2009 6:29 pm
Location: merseyside

Hiya Dennis did you used live on Herford Drive? :wink:
Cheers Joe.
Paullong
Posts: 1
Joined: Sun Jan 26, 2020 10:27 am

Hi all.

The man died in the tanks was called Tommy Long from Netherton . He was my uncle, happened before I was born so I don't know much of how it happened.
awelfryn34
Posts: 82
Joined: Tue Nov 01, 2011 7:56 pm

My Mother use to work in the factory 60’s 70’s used to mind my sister’s until she was home, my Mother’s Anne was Pat McHenry lived in William Morris Ave
Roy Retro
Posts: 16
Joined: Mon Feb 09, 2015 9:17 pm

I did my apprenticeship as a maintenance fitter at Peerless from 76 to 80, most of my family worked there at sometime or other, including my dad my mother my uncle my granddad and my great granddad.
The firm originated in Shropshire and my great granddad was the chief engineer there, until they relocated to Liverpool and my great granddad moved with them to the plant based in Cheapside, then in the 50's the new plant opened on Dunningsbridge.
My dad was an electrician there and he got me the job, it was a great place to work (when you got used to the smell).
It was in two parts, the refinery where the oil was refined and the factory where the finished product was wrapped and packed, that's where all the women worked packing margarine into boxes, Freshfield margarine, anyone remember that? and boxing the frying fats.
I remember Tommy Long well, he was a big ox of a man and from what I can gather he was leaning into one of the vats which contained, I think it was palm oil, and he fell inside, as someone has said you would open the hatch at the top and you had a metal cup on a long rod to take a sample, terrible accident to a really nice man but it wasn't the first time that it had happened
That said I have many happy memories of working there and made some great friends
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filsgreen
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Hi Roy, thanks for the info. Was Summer County margarine made there? I Remember it being slightly better than Stork. :D
Roy Retro
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filsgreen wrote: Sun Apr 26, 2020 6:25 pm Hi Roy, thanks for the info. Was Summer County margarine made there? I Remember it being slightly better than Stork. :D
Yes it was, I'd forgotten about that
Gardner 180
Posts: 432
Joined: Sun Dec 02, 2018 6:17 pm

Roy, I have found your Peerless posts interesting. Throughout 1966, I drove vans for W.H.Smith Transport who were part of
W.H.Smith newsagents who are still operating in the U,K. Their vans were on contract to the Liverpool Daily Post & Echo,
and their depot was in Leeds Street in Liverpool. Very often, some of the Peerless Scammell tanker lorries would be seen
in Smiths at Leeds Street for maintainence and oil change. You mentioned Peerless being at Cheapside in earlier days,
which is just a stonesthrow from Smiths at Leeds Street. Are you aware of any pictures of the Peerless tanker lorries ?

Cheers, Ray.
David M
Posts: 1
Joined: Wed Jun 17, 2020 11:10 am

I served my apprenticeship as a pipe fitter at Liverpool Central Oil, I was there from 1970 until it closed in 1983. I did some work at the Peerless refinery in the late seventies. There was some sort of business connection between LCO, Peerless and Bibbys.
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Dan
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Removed photobucket logo.
rivermersey wrote: Mon Feb 23, 2009 7:57 am
Image

Under construction, The Peerless Bootle almost near to completion, I'm guessing this is early 1950's. Dunningsbridge Road looks quiet. The Peerless employed many thousands of local people during it's existance.
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