West Derby Road

View up West Derby Road, taken 1960's by George Hope. Living over the undertakers was a different kind of upbringing. Following mother while she cleaned, dusted and hoovered around the coffins in the 'show room' come 'chapel of rest', was the norm....

The famous Hippodrome during the demolition phase of the block.

A modern view of West Derby Road and the Derby Arms with an old fashioned twist, being sight of the famous former Grafton ballroom further down the road.

The famous former Necropolis that stood at the junction of West Derby Road and Everton Road. This image was brilliantly cleaned up by Mike Pealing. Denis Hargreaves explains that the site was closed in 1898, then landscaped and opened as a public park in 1914, named after Alderman J R Grant, hence Grant Gardens. There are approx 80,000 still buried there with no obvious trace of former gravestone or monuments..

A fascinating advert for Everton Toffee, confirming it was supplied to Her Majesty the Queen (Victoria), manufactured by R.H. Wignall (late of the Old Original Toffee Shop on Browside by the Everton Lock-Up Tower. Mr Wignall was the grandson of Molly Bushell, the original Everton Toffee Girl). This advert indicates depots/shops for Everton Toffee at 39 London Road, and 169 West Derby Road (opposite the Zoological Gardens). Clearly, the latter shop was positioned to pick up trade from the zoo which opened in 1833 and closed in 1865. Victoria came to the throne in 1837, so this enables us to date this advert between that date and 1865. A little note on the bottom indicates that it was possible to send and export Everton Toffee to any part of the world.

West Derby Road and the famous Ogden's Pipe advertising board.

Flat House pub on West Derby Road.

The amazing interior of the Hippodrome, one of Liverpool's most historic entertainment venues, originally Hengler's Circus. Mary Thornton uploaded this image top the Netherfield Rd Facebook platform to highlight what it was once like up in the 'Gods'.

It's 1950 and the band at the famous Locarno Ballroom on West Derby Road prepares for another big night. Uploaded to the Netherfield Road Facebook platform.

This intriguing image looks up West Derby Road, probably pre-WW2 looking at the number of horses and carts.To the right stood the famous Royal Hippodrome Cinema, previous Hengler's Circus. Ahead is the steeple of Emmanuel Church and the legendary Grafton Rooms, Olympia/Locarno beyond that. Behind the wall and building on the left once stood the Necropolis, a giant cemetery that ultimately made way for the green space we now now as Grant Gardens. This picture was uploaded by Jimmy Johnson to the Heyworth Street & Surrounding Area Facebook.

St Michael's Church, West Derby Road, uploaded to Netherfield Road & S.A. Facebook by Denis Hargreaves.

West Derby Road where the Clock and Olympia pubs can be seen, busy before nights out at the Grafton.

A fine view of West Derby Road in 1949.

How grand with these Necroplis gates on West Derby Road that once stood directly opposite the Royal Hippodrome Cinema, sites that could not have been more different? The Necoropolis Gates led into the old cemetery on the green space that is now Grant Gardens. The other was a palace of entertainment, originally the Hengler's Circus, but known to all locals as the 'Hippy' cinema.

The Palladium Cinema on West Derby Road.

This fantastic colour picture is from West Derby Road, looking down towards Brunswick Road with Low Hill on the left.Sadly all of the classic buildings like the two Gregson's Well pubs have long gone.

Fitting in nicely with the poster below, this is the famous Locarno Ballroom in glorious colour which stood, of course, next to the possibly even more famous Grafton Ballroom. This was the first dance floor I ever ventured onto, entering a mass of Liverpool girls dancing around their handbags. This could be a more than testing experience for any young teenager, even an inner city boy. I had stood on the fringe of the dance floor with a mate, possibly for two hours, plucking up the courage to enter the fray. When I did, this older girl just looked me up and down and said: "How old are you?" The conversation ended there. It was a long time before I ventured back on that floor, but all part of the Scouse learning curve.

An intriguing poster featuring the legendary Locarno ballroom which was adjacent to the equally famous Grafton.

A very sad photo, taken in the 1980's of the demolition of the 'Hippy' or Hippodrome Picture House. Many a good film was shown here in glorious technicolour. Note the old sign that has been revealed saying 'Henglers' - the historic name of the circus that was once on the site.

Emmanuel Church on West Derby Road.

A busy day on West Derby Road.

West Derby Road's palace of entertainments, the Grafton, the Locarno and, pictured here, The Olympia. A great Then & Now study off the Heyworth Street & SA Facebook platform.

This is an interesting picture of Grant Gardens, previously the Necropolis graveyard on West Derby Road.

WEST DERBY ROAD AND THE ETERNAL TRIANGLE: Something was attracting the girls to the old Grafton Ballroom, or the New Grafton Rooms as the sign says here. So what was the big attraction? One sign points to an Over 21s Super Singles Scene on Thursdays with two bands and a separate disco. The second, slightly hidden, is indicating 'Ladies Free' on Fridays. I presume the lads had to pay full price to share the scene and meet some local girls both nights. I can recall attending the Locarno ballroom next door for the first time when I was about 17, but looked about 14. I stood on the fringe of the proceedings with my mate for the whole night, terrified by the prospect of potentially stepping into a group of girls dancing around their handbags. The big moment came and this girl looked at me and said: "How old are you? I'm a policewoman and I'd step off the dance floor or I'll get you chucked out." All her mates roared with laughter as we backed away as if we had just stepped into a ring of cobras! Whether she was joking or not didn't matter. It took a long time after that before my pal and I ventured again onto any dance floor, let alone at the Grafton or Locarno. We always roared with laughter when we recalled that moment of teenage terror, but it clearly never put us off those forthright Scouse girls. It was all about our right of passage ... courtesy of the legendary Grafton . . . and we would soon be feeling much more confident and grown up. I knew a wonderful lady called Joan Adair. She loved her local Liverpool history and captured my attention one day when she spoke about the ETERNAL TRIANGLE on West Derby Road. It went like this: "You go to the Grafton, meet a girl, and start going out. Soon you would be walking up the steps of the famous and nearby Brougham Terrace Registry Office to get married. Next stop after that would be the nearby Mill Road Maternity Hospital. The West Derby Road Eternal Triangle would be complete and you would be ready to take on the circuit again!. Joan passed away a couple of years ago, but every time I drive past the Grafton I smile and remember her little Eternal Triangle theory. Absolutely brilliant!

Looking from Everton Road towards one of the grandest cinemas in Liverpool, Everton's Royal Hippodrome with one of the Gregoson's Well pubs to the right.

It's a sunny day in May, 1970 and an old 'Corpy' bus passes the junction of West Derby Road and Boaler Street. The Olympia/Locarno and Grafton entertainment complex is blocked of by the soaring steeple of a church. This picture is from the 2007 book 'Streets of LIierpool' by Martin Jenkins and Charles Roberts.

My husband and I ,outside Brougham Terrace Registry Office 1967.

Brougham Terrace Registry Office, on West Derby Road. I was married here in 1967. Now that is an achievement- still happily married 2018.

Many Saturday afternoons spent here, dancing away to the sounds of the 60s. Matinee dancing for young boys and girls, plenty of flirting also.

West Derby Road in 1913

West Derby Road from Brougham Terrace

The Necropolis at the junction of West Derby Road and Everton Road was built in 1825. There would be 80,000 burials over the next 75 years before it was closed, the site ultimately becoming the well known Grant Gardens.

The former Royal Hippodrome cinema on West Derby Road, previously the equally famous Hengler's Circus.