Around Edge Hill in old paintings and photos

Here is a recording of a talk and slide show presented to an FoWT members meeting via Zoom in December 2021 by Tom Stapledon. This talk is an attempt to show what Joseph Williamson's area in Edge Hill looked like in his days and through the years that followed.

[@merseydave1]

Thank you for the pitorial overview of the area

[@Friends-of-Williamsons-Tunnels]

Thank you for watching

[@missread7781]

Just a side comment. My grandmother born 1886 lived in this area as did a lot of her family; in the courts, houses and cellars. She always said The 'King' of Edge Hill not the 'mole' as I seem to see all the time now. She told me he was a wonderful man who gave employment to the poor. Her father and grandfather (1840s Liverpool) were stonemasons so i wonder if they worked for him. Thank you too for these pictures. I love to see where my ancestors lived.

[@Friends-of-Williamsons-Tunnels]

Thank you for your interest. I think the name "King of Edge Hill" was coined long ago, perhaps even during Williamson's lifetime. The Mole of Edge Hill will be a later name, but I don't know how or when it originated. It would be good to know that your stonemason ancestors worked for Williamson, and perhaps were taken on and learnt their skills while working for him. We can never know, as Williamson didn't seem to keep any records of the people who worked for him, or anything else for that matter. It's made our research so difficult, but it's an intriguing story. The area between Mason Street and Highgate Street was an area of court housing, built soon after Williamson's death in 1840 just across the road from his grand houses. The whole area was flattened in the 1930s along with Williamson's buildings on Paddington.

[@sugarkane4830]

My goodness my Mum and Nan moved to flats in Mason st about 1939. They moved there from a court house in Lyner street. A one bed living room/ kitchen and a celler. Toilet out in the court the neighbour used as well. And at one time 8 people lived in this tiny house.

[@Friends-of-Williamsons-Tunnels]

Thanks for the interesting bit of history. Life was hard in those days for so many. The area between Mason Street and Highgate Street was full of tiny streets with court houses until the 1930s. They were all demolished along with the Williamson buildings on Paddington and the tenement blocks of Paddington Gardens were built there in 1939. Perhaps your Mum moved into Paddington Gardens. We had to wait until 1998 when they were demolished before we got our chance to re-discover Williamson's deep cellar system below that ground.

[@sugarkane4830]

@@Friends-of-Williamsons-Tunnels Yes indeed they did move to Paddington gardens. I find it all so fascinating. Lyner street was off little Woolton st. Which I believe was off Paddington. All gone now.