10 replies to this topic

[tullybrone]

Hi,

Can anyone help me with the history of this presuamably long gone (1950's?) establishment which I understand was the Kings Liverpool Regiment Depot?

The footprint has been built over with 3 high rise blocks of flats (1960's?) called Alexander, Churchill and Montgomery House respectively and low level maisonnettes called Kings Court - which all appear to reflect the former military use of the site.

Has anyone any photographs they can share?

Thanks

Steve Y

[CarylW]

Here are a couple of photos for starters.
http://www.flickr.co...N00/5457242562/

Scroll down on this site they have a good one
http://titanic.super...orth-sandsSteve

One here too, same as above but with a little history that I can't verify
Seaforth Barracks, Litherland opened in 1882 and closed 1958, originally being constructed as a cavalry barracks with accomodation for officers; married men, barrack blocks for 128 other ranks and stabling for 80 horses.
http://www.bcmh.org.uk/images.php

More history here:
http://www.litherlan...ffice_1917.html
Includes this that may answer your query
....The barracks later became a depot for the King’s Liverpool Regiment sometime after 1911, becoming the depot for the 3rd and 4th Reserve Battalions of the King's Liverpool Regiment.....

Caryl

[tullybrone]

Thank you Caryl.

Thanks. From my local knowledge I think that the photo of the main gate is likely to be on the Claremont Road side of the barracks where there are some imposing late 19c terraced houses still standing.

Steve Y

[hazel clark]

Does anyone know why it was called  the Seaforth Barracks?  Did it ever have anything to do with the Seaforth Highlanders?

Thanks,
Hazel

[daggers]

There was a link with the Gladstone family who were merchants and politicians in Liverpool.  When such people found the town overcrowded they moved out to what was open country and I believe their new house was given the name Seaforth House.  They were Scots who came south.  WEG was the most famous.  
The district name grew from the house.
I did hear the same question asked when in that area, in a bus.
Ian Riley may challenge this, having more local knowledge.
Daggers

[hazel clark]

Thanks.  The reason I asked was that I can't POSITIVELY find my Grandfather in the 1911 census in either India or Britain and it might have been one more place to check.
H.C.

[Ian Riley]

Daggers, you have great faith in me; too much I fear. Never quite got to the bottom of the naming of Seaforth even though I first asked the question at the age of 8. I am sure I even remember bodies of marching troops in the area that my grandmother had to be restrained from driving through.  A well known on-line encyclopaedia declares that it might depend on Old Norse 'sea inlet' and gives evidence without citation that it was recorded as Safforde in 1128. My copy of  History of Crosby and Area is at my mother's house. My money would be on it taking its name from Seaforth House though there may be evidence to the contrary on earlier maps. Waterloo, just to the north, got named in a patriotic frenzy sometime after 1815.

I did use Seaforth Barracks as a cadet at school which must date me somewhat. It was still rigged for some accommodation then (about 1963?).

The Victoria County History might provide the answer.

Ian

[daggers]

Googling provides many clues, and wiki agrees!  The Gladstones named their house after the clan from which Mrs G was descended.
D

[Sandie]

I remember being corrected by our history master at school after foolishly telling class mates that the Seaforth Highlanders were from Seaforth, Liverpool.
He told the class, after he'd finished laughing, that there was a tentative link. His version was that Seaforth took it's name from Seaforth House, named after Lord Seaforth. I learnt later that he was the maternal grandfather of William Gladstone (Seaforth, not the history master). My understanding is that the Gladstone family built Seaforth House as a 'holiday home' a few miles along the coast from their house in Rodney Street. A village of 'holiday homes' grew around the house and that village became known as Seaforth.

Don't know if this is truth or fiction - The Gladstone family earned their wealth from slavery (true) and owned a sugar plantation in Demerera (again true). The plantation house was also named Seaforth and was burned down after a drunken card game when an oil lamp was knocked over (not sure, sounds a bit Gone With The Wind!).  

Sandie

[andalucia]

The designer of the new housing made sure the lands former use was remembered.

[Ian Riley]

Rawson Road?  Is that a second round of building on the barracks site? Those houses have more of a 1990s feel than 1960s