Wayfarers Arcade, Lord Street
1 sound
Wayfarers Shopping Arcade opened in 1898 and is situated on Lord Street. This Grade II listed, glass roofed building houses over 30 independent shops and boutiques as well as a popular café. The domed and vaulted roof, decorative iron work, stained glass, mosaic flooring and mahogany shop give the arcade a nostalgic feel, virtually unaltered since the Victorian age of its opening.
In our first recording you will hear Maria Eckersley talk about her holidays to Southport in her youth, sometimes spending a week there if she was lucky. With holidays not provided by employers at the time, she had to work a week without pay to make up for her time off. Her family stayed in apartments half-board and the landlady cooked the meals for them each day. Full-board stays were reserved for the upper classes.
Recording ref - UAP014/225 S1-UAP014/226 S2 – Maria Eckersley - ©️ Bolton Library and Museum Services
Image ref - NSP250 - Leyland Arcade (Wayfarers Arcade), Southport - ©️ Sefton Libraries Information Services courtesy of Sefton Looking Back - Image Archive
