Moreton Cross

 
Moreton Cross is the junction of Upton Road, from Upton, Pasture Road, from Moreton Shore, and Hoylake Road ran right across, to Hoylake & West Kirby, from Reeds Lane. The large roundabout in the centre was sort of kidney shaped. Heading off up Hoylake Road once more, we pass the main shopping area, with the Coach & Horses pub on the right. Passing Boots on the left, and the bowling green on the right on the corner of Barnston Lane we go up hill slightly to Barclays Bank on the left and Mortimers Toy Shop on the right - oh what an Aladdin's cave of items I could only dream of. My father never seemed to have any money! It was not until much later I found it went mostly on drink!! My mum had some sort of "allowance" - how she coped I will never know? More shops and then Woolworths before Hoylake Road headed towards the Grange Pub and then out of Moreton onto the Meols Stretch.

1936

Plough Inn Moreton, date unknown. Image from Jack Wollam (NZ). That white building to the rear was the Coach & Horses


Colour is of course artificial, being painted onto a b/w image

 

The Cross, around 1914. From Upton Road, looking at what is now Pasture Road, to the left and right is now Hoylake Road. It was then Birkenhead Road.

When I first saw this it reminded me more of the junction Bermuda Road/Hoylake Road but I think it is The Cross but maybe pre 1900s. That will be the 'plantation' on the right, by the post.

When the Coach & Horses was brand new 1928 (ish)

1936
1937. The partial sign on left says Upton & Chester. The sign behind the man
in the foreground says Birkenhead
From Upton, you will find two roads; one going steeply down to Saughall Massie, and the other by the convent gates and sign-posted to Moreton. Take the latter and you are immediately strolling down a typical Cheshire highway. The well-set grey walls are bright with lichen or crowned with clumps of trailing ivy, while high above them wave and sway dark branches of ancient trees. Autumn seems to linger here in undecided mood, or it would seem as if every tree has a gay fancy of its own. Some are russet brown; some are warm scarlet; the limes show green and gold on the same branches; the firs are their own sombre hue; and the virginia creeper here and there shows a vivid, cherry colour. Moreton church is a chaste example of early English architecture, and a perfect model for all new village churches throughout the country. 1920.

1940
late 1950s


1959
1971

Probably mid 60s. Moggy Thou and Cortina or Corsair, go faster stripe!

1962 (In the top left hand corner of this you can see where I have marked the Atlantic Garage BUT, next to it you can see the stone cottage I mentioned further back up. The buildings on the corner of Sandbrook Lane were Sandbrook Farm. Sandbrook ran on into Manor Road Upton and then up to Upton Station.
From 1971 I did not live in Moreton, so there is a sizeable gap between the last, and following images.
And the same shot in February 2008

 

1971 (taken by myself and right)
Feb 2012

Image from Eddie Williams

July 2003 Moreton Cross
Upton Road looking back towards the Cross as in the 1971 image above.

Coach & Horses, taken from by the (once) cinema

The clock on the Cross

March 2008: Email received: Lil (Thomas) Jackson here, the clock on the roundabout was dedicated to the late Joyce (Rigby) Leech a family friend who died quite young and very suddenly, she was a devoted youth worker at Moreton Youth Club. I would like to get in touch with Linda Austin who was asking for me on your page after I wrote my article.

 The opposite view to the image above which took you into Pasture Road, past the old "flea pit", the cinema where I got in for 9d on a Saturday morning, then passing the Royal British Legion Cub and past the old Moreton Youth Club and Library, the "pink building" on the right, past the old and new libraries, (the newest being near the Cross) excellent chip shops, Morton Arms pub (never did find out why it was spelt different), opposite Pasture Crescent and over the railway bridge, passing Cadbury's factory on the right and the brick works on the left and towards Moreton Shore. The Apollo Dance Hall (still there in 2007) stands on the left hand side as you near the shore, next to the bus stops where the 22 would pull up from Birkenhead and the 77, also from Birkenhead Woodside, but via Prenton and Woodchurch.

The previous Coach & Horses
Towards Upton Road and Christ Church. Back at the Cross, if you turned left (in the image above), you were heading for Upton. More shops on the left and right. Chadwick Street, a L shaped street, held the Post Office and Cop Shop before emptying out, by Boots, onto Hoylake Road. Passing Christ Church, mainly homes occupied this road, all the way out of Moreton. Moreton Football Club was along here, reached by a driveway between homes. I believe MFC now play down Sandbrook Lane. Note: at the time Chadwick Street is the only 'street' in Moreton and I believe still is in 2016

The Cross from by Sacred Heart Church
March 18th 2010
I stood there, on Moreton Cross, where Les Turner's tobacconist used to be under the little arcade (above), next to the Plough, and watched the world go by, just as I used to do in the 60s, sitting on the stone wall alongside on Oakenholt Road which led to the Clinic. The wall has gone now, (2012) its a supermarket. Nobody was paying any attention to each other, young mothers with overloaded prams screeching at the mongrel struggling alongside. Cigarette hanging out of the corner of her mouth, trying to gossip on her mobile phone. The child with jam stained bib about its neck. The teated bottle of Ribena nestling on the canopy. A teenager runs out into the traffic, of which there is vast amounts for such a relatively small area. He is heedless of the swerving motorbike and accompanying horns. Progress? No, surely not.
After leaving Moreton Cross, you are heading towards Meols (or Meolse as it should be spelt) Hoylake
looking down the hill that you can see in the image above this; the hedged area  on the corner of Barnston Lane, left, was the bowling green.

I can just about remember those shops on the right.

Bus to moreton shore		 The building on the right has District Bank on its side, this is now where the Coach & Horses stands. When this image was taken the C&H will have been its original building to the right but set back out of sight.

Image from Eddie Williams
Upton Road with the 'Plantation' at the rear. Before they built the roundabout this was a fenced area where loose animals were paddocked before being claimed by their owners.

Brookland House Moreton Cross now site of Catholic Church
Jack Woollam, he lived in Brookland House. The Plough is to the rear.


Next to Les Turner's was The Plough. Poston's Garage is no more.
2012 - The Plough has now made way for a Tesco supermarket.

1920s

Coach & Horses left, Plough right
2003