Central Market, Liscard

Liscard Market Circa 1930 Courtesy of Wallasey Central Library

Lowry refers to a market in his novel Ultramarine; "Then he was walking again with Janet, slowly, through the crowd. Electric lights swam past. Gas jets, crocus-coloured, steadily flared and whirled. The shouts and cries of the market rose and fell about them like a breathing of a monster." (Pg. 43).

In the 1920's, there were only two markets on the Wirral - Liscard Central Market and Birkenhead Market.  There is a strong possiblity that the market that Lowry referred to in Ultramarine was the Liscard one as it  was approximately 400m from Tess Evan's home at 26 Thirlmere Street.

Central Market Buildings was a post First World War development in Wallasey Road, Liscard, which stood on land originally occupied by two dwellings, one of which was Clairville Cottage, before being demolished in the 1960's and replaced by a supermarket which was converted into a Wetherspoons pub called the Clairville.

The market may also be where Dana and Janet buy fish for her mother; "Ruby fisheries. Do you remember going there to get the cod steaks for your mother?" (Pg. 123).