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Sun 26th Sep 2004, 08:02 PM
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Administrator
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Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Southport, Lancashire, UK
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Historical Walk continued
After we had walked past the Bold hotel we came to the Old Police Station, this is an imposing double fronted building and is much taller than those around it. It is said that the windows to the cellar still have the bars across them.
Directly opposite is the third of the five pubs, now just an ordinary house. (Can't remember the name of it).
A little further on Geoff told us about the ghost that is said to haunt the little shop now selling exclusive lingerie (I wonder what the old lady thinks about THAT). There are people who have alledgedly seen this lady sitting next to John Jebb who was the previous owner and ran an Antique Shop. One day he heard banging and scraping on the floor above him, he gingerly sent upstairs to find that the chairs had been stacked up with their legs angled outwards. Just as he was about to approach them they all fell down into a heap. Many people could feel/see the ghost and would not go into his shop when 'she' was there and said that they would come back later.
Opposite the shop is Checkers which was the Co-op and dairy which was on Manor Road.
I forgot to get a pic of the 02 shop which I think Geoff said was the fourth pub.
On the opposite corner of Botanic Road/Manor Road, next to the Post Office, stands the last pub (now a house).
We wandered a bit further towards The Old Smithy and Churchgate which is a tiny part of the road that everyone used to access St Cuthberts Church.
Churchgate
At one time unless you were married at St Cuthberts then your marriage was not legitimate.... Well I WAS so MINE is.
A little bit further on we were shown THE most well known building in Churchtown...... a corrugated tin shed.....
This is where Dan Dare was born.
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Sun 26th Sep 2004, 09:41 PM
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Administrator
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Location: Southport, Lancashire, UK
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Back to the botanical Gardens end of Churchtown and on to Meols Hall.
Well the entrance anyway. White Nancy is the resident ghost of Meols Hall and can be seen walking down the long driveway.
Before the Botanic Gardens was created, there used to be a park called Strawberry Garden. This was on the land that is now behind the Meols Hall fence, it comprised flowers, strawberry plants, floral arches and places to sit and enjoy the quiet.
The sea used to come right up to the gates of Meols Hall and under the drive, in front of the gates, a wharf was found.
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Sun 26th Sep 2004, 09:59 PM
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Join Date: May 2003
Location: In my Jammies and uughhhhh boots...
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There was also supposed to be a ghost in the grounds of St Cuthberts. Apparently, if you walked around the grounds anti-clockwise a number of times just after midnight, you were supposed to see the ghost. Can't remember if it was the pirate that is buried there, or the white lady. Anyway, we didn't see anything 
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Mon 27th Sep 2004, 12:55 AM
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Location: Fireyplace
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Great stuff Ped! The part about the sea having used to come up to the gates of Meols Hall made me go  I've always thought it was ridiculous that some insurance companies consider my house as being in a flood plain, but maybe this historical stuff is the reason why.
I can just imagine that old lady in the lingerie shop - but would she be sitting there tut-tutting, or would she be exchanging her knee-length bloomers for sussies and a thong? 
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Mon 27th Sep 2004, 08:52 AM
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Well Skichic, St cuthberts Church (the original one) was built on a grassy knoll and when the tide came in it was totally surrounded by the sea.
Bankfield Lane is so named because it had a bank to keep the sea from innundating the land.
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Wed 29th Sep 2004, 08:19 PM
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I believe that a ship was wrecked in the Denmark Road area, so watch out Ski!
Great pics here and in the other section Ped. I believe that the last pub was called The Farmers Arms.
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Thu 30th Sep 2004, 12:53 AM
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Quote:
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Well Skichic, St cuthberts Church (the original one) was built on a grassy knoll and when the tide came in it was totally surrounded by the sea.
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Quote:
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I believe that a ship was wrecked in the Denmark Road area, so watch out Ski!
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eek! *Wonders whether I can jack my house up on stilts!*
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Fri 1st Oct 2004, 08:32 AM
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Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: new zealand
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historic walks
Great to view all the familiar places in Southport again-in fact I had a wander round there a month or so ago.
One correction re Meols hall and the ghost-she is called Jenny Chitbonnet-believe me this is true- I saw her once when I was about 7 years old standing on the Bus stop seat against the fence and this was def her name -not as advised in the article
Best Rgds from N.Z.
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Mon 4th Oct 2004, 04:45 PM
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Anyone who wishes to see more about 'The Churchtown Village Trail' on which the historical walk was based should link into http://www.northmeols.merseyside.org/ and click onto the Village Trail page.
There should be copies of the leaflet available at the Botanic Gardens Museum and the Tourist Information Centre in Eastbank Sq. although you may have to ask for it. It is usually kept under the counter- why I don't know. I was one of the authors of the leaflet for the North Meols Civic Society and we produce it for free distribution with the help of donations. Sefton do not assist-they couldn't afford to!!!!!!
As the the Meols Hall ghost - I've always known it as 'White Nancy' and I think it is known as that in Peter Aughtons book.
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Mon 4th Oct 2004, 06:01 PM
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Administrator
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Was my telling of the tale OK... Sandyken?
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Mon 4th Oct 2004, 08:14 PM
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Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: Southport
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Telling the tale
Pedoja - your telling of the tale was excellent. The photos add another dimension to the trail.
A tale that you didn't mention concerns the area around the Smithy. This was known as 'Cocks Clod' at one time - the origin has been lost in time although one version is that it was the place were opposing youths gathered to fight it out. This may be supported by the youths from High Park area being known as 'Zulus'. This because they came from the other side of the Congos' ( the nickname for the Congregation Church - now United Reform). Their opponents were the youths from Marshside.
This rivalry between the areas was still in evidence when I was at Churchtown School in the 1940's.
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Thu 7th Oct 2004, 02:07 AM
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Join Date: Oct 2004
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Re Meols Hall ghost
In reply to Syd of NZ the ghost was called Nancy Chipbonnet and she is usually called "White Nancy", but I remember my sister (who's older than me) saying once that when she was at Churchtown school the ghost was referred to as "Black Nancy". That would be in the late 1940's.
Nice to see the stocks have wooden inserts now - take away the railings and they are ready for use. 
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Thu 7th Oct 2004, 09:05 AM
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Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: new zealand
Posts: 67
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Historic Walks
Thanks Esmerelda-there must be a grain of truth in the Meols Hall ghosts name if two of us got the same.
Can see where the White Nancy came from-interesting place around old Churchtown-still a great spot,
Rgds from New Zealand
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