Your Memories

“I learnt to swim at this baths 26 years ago. Deryn was my instructor. I completed all my life saving qualifications and was a member of the Birkenhead swim team. My brother and I used to love the disco and inflatable parties.”

25 yard breaststroke

This is indeed ‘where I learnt to swim’ , in the mid/late 60’s. Polystyrene ? float strapped to my back, and a no nonsense instructor. Also seem to remember swimming gala entries, i think maybe cubs rather than school, watching from the balconies above between events. However family moved to Bebington in 1972 ish and the new Oval sports centre made Byrne Avenue seem rather old. I am quite surprised it was ‘ only’ opened 1933…….as it was pretty ‘dated’ ‘only ‘ 30 years later. Would love to visit sometime.

We used to attend here

We used to attend here most days when we were children. We lived in Rock Ferry, and my Grandma and family lived in Byrne Avenue when we were children. I visited these baths every week. When in high school we also attended each week for sports. I am super excited to attend again as I have not been for many years, I would also love to do some work together with the community so that we can boost our community, which has now become run down, it takes the people to change a community and bring back the life of that place and area. Rock Ferry is now so run down its lost the life it used to have. I believe we can change this if our hearts are in it and we are willing to do the work together.
I learnt how to swim here, and so did all my other siblings, I even believe my mother and her siblings all learnt to swim here also. I am praying that this swimming baths is used to revive the Rock Ferry Community for the better of all, this can only be done if all band together, this would be including other small businesses and families in the area.

My heart has a huge place for Byrne Ave Baths.
Much Love to all
Amy. X

“The swimming teacher there in the mid 70’s was a older guy.. He was ruthless! Threw you in, kept the hoop pole just out of reach while you doggy paddled like mad not to drown. But he had a kinder side out the pool, you could choose a comic out of his office and brought it back the week after. By god you swam tho! Tough love”

“I remember going for a bath ther. Our house.didnt.have a bath so we used to all go to byrne av to have a bath. Loved byrne.av baths. Me and my sister swam there evryday twice a day during the.summer holidays”

Our Great Aunt, Jean Lewis

Our Great Aunt, Jean Lewis, still living in Prenton, aged 98, was a first aider with the St John Ambulance during World War II when Byrne Avenue Baths was utilised as a community first aid post. She volunteered three night shifts a week as a first aider and three nights a week as a fire watcher. I’ll find out more and update you.

“This was a MECCA for Amatuer boxing IN Birkenhead for years in the 40s &50s I BOXED THERE MANY TIMES before going on to win an A.B.A. championship. Also for many more like PAT MacATEER who was British & Empire champ..// As well as a popular DANCE HALL on Weekends that used to attract all the R.A.F recruits from West Kirby. Also the Rock Ferry POLO TEAM… Great Memories in BYRNE AVE BATHS..”

My Dad was the Swimming Instructor

My Dad was the swimming instructor at Byrne Ave in the 1960’s.
Herbert HUDDART. used to shout a lot.
Happy days.
Mike Huddart

“When my eldest son was 8 he swam a full length for the first time whilst on the balcony about his baby brother took his first steps I cheered with pride and went into labour. X all on 12 12 2002”

“I remember having great times there. Most of my siblings were members of the ladies and boys swimming club. One of my eldest sister’s I believe was a diving champion she no longer alive . We used to train here for swimming galas both regional and national. We had our main trainer , then on a Thursday night we had another trainer for the national swimming galas. We even trained Sunday mornings. Swimming galas also took place here as did water polo matches. I also remember when the pool was shut for short periods in the winter playing netball matches there . The period I am talking about was the 1960’s earlier for my older siblings.”

“Like many people on Wirral, I love this building. It was an integral part of our lives, and many of us have enormously fond memories of time spent there. Now we have a chance for it to become the heart of Rock Ferry as it was for generations prior”

“When I was very little, I remember my father and I taking a bath in one of the cubicles, and my father shouting to the man “a bit more hot in cubicle 6 please” (not sure of the exact number as I was really small) , must of been around the early sixties”

“I went to Bedford Drive primary school and we went there every week for our swimming lessons we used to walk through Edgerton Park to get there. Life saving getting the brick from the bottom of the pool in my Pjs. All swimming galas held there as well. Fantastic place xx”

” Rock ferry primary used the pool to teach us how to swim. I remember back in the 80’s walking from Ionic street in pairs holding hands with whoever you were paired up with! We used the pool religiously during the summer holidays and I took my first ever girlfriend there on our first “date”. My father used to go to ninjitsu classes at Byrne Avenue also when I was in my late teens, it is a place that holds many great memories and would be able to provide many more for others if it is saved. I hope we can keep this part of our community here and restore it.”

“I went swimming with rockferry primary school and learned to swim there in the 70s and my 2 children went with the same school in the 90s and and learned to swim as well also my dad went swimming everyday at 12 o’clock till 1 meeting friends there for many years I also remember when it had 2 pools the family one now it’s the gym lots of great memories of meeting friends there and taking my children to different clubs in the holidays somewhere for them to go for a few hours swimming,football,the holiday clubs were a god send and you knew were your child was”

My dad & uncle boxed there.late 40s early 50s.we then lived rite over the road from the entrance in byrne av itself.me & my 2 brothers were members of the swimming club there.for a gud few years.we swam all over.great times.then in the winter the top pool was boarded over.i was a member of the tennis table club.which was held on a sat tea time.”

” I’m a non-swimmer, but really enjoyed the roller skating sessions on a Saturday. I also remember going to see wrestling matches in the early 60’s. I can still remember the times I was cajoled into getting in the pool & how stupid I felt because I had a swim ring on!! I’m medically forbidden to swim (severe ear problems) but have always envied swimmers/divers. Back to the wrestling – I’d only watched it on T.V. before so the shouts of ‘rip his leg off & hit him with the sloppy end’ came not only as a surprise but have remained etched in my memory to this day!! It must have been in the early 60’s.”

“We had our wrestling school there from April 2006 until the centre closed. Many of my students now wrestle on a full time basis, all of our students loved training at Byrne av and still miss it today.”