New Brighton Palais de Danse

The New Brighton Palais de Danse was the name given sometime in 1926 to the ballroom located within New Brighton Tower:

The Ballroom was one of the largest in the world, with a sprung floor and dance band stage. The orchestra had as many as 60 players. Big bands played at the Tower, including Bert Yates, Bill Gregson and Victor Sylvester. Other well known artists appeared at the Ballroom including Mae West in November 1945. Well over 1,000 couples could dance without undue crowding. It was decorated in white and gold, with the emblems of various Lancashire towns. The Ballroom had a balcony, with seats to watch the dancers below. Behind this was an open space, where couples used to learn the dance without interfering with the more proficient ones. History of Wallasey

The phrase Palais De Danse was a popular name given to many dance halls in England during the early 20th Century conjuring up images of cosmopolitan Europe.

The above photograph is one of the most famous dance halls called Palais De Dansein Berlin before the First World War and maybe the precursor to the others. Read more on Malcolm Lowry @ 19th Hole

Lowry refers to the New Brighton Palais de Danse in his novel Ultramarine when Dana recalls dancing there with his girl friend Janet Travena; "I shut my eyes and imagined that this was indeed Janet and I dancing at the New Brighton Palais De Danse. (Pg 106) and later Dana and Janet see "the two saxophonists of the Palais de Danse, Zez and Mas..." (Pg. 130). These recollections are probably drawn from Lowry's visits to the ballroom with Tess Evans in 1927. Lowry may even have originally met Tess at one of the dances at the ballroom as she lived in nearby Liscard.

13 North Drive, New Brighton, Wirral

13, North Drive (middle house with door showing)

Lowry was born at 13, North Drive, New Brighton on 28th July 1909:

On Thursday 29th July, the births columns in the Liverpool Echo announced: ‘LOWRY – July 28th, at Warren Crest, North-drive, New Brighton, to Mr and Mrs Arthur Lowry, a son’.  (Gordon Bowker, Pursued by Furies Pg.7)

In the past, the address has been problematic for commentators and biographers for 2 reasons - the geographical location of the address and whether Lowry's former home was still standing. Both problems were resolved with the 2009 publication of the book From the Mersey to the World.

If we look at the history of Lowry’s birthplace, this confusion amongst different commentators becomes understandable. In 1909, North Drive was in New Brighton, which was part of the County Borough of Wallasey. The electoral ward of New Brighton and later Warren (New Brighton was split into several different voting wards as the town grew) was in the Parish of Liscard. In 1909, Wallasey was in the County of Cheshire; but in 1974 it was amalgamated, along with other districts – including Birkenhead – into the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral. Because of the nearness of Liverpool, and Lowry’s association with the city, some commentators have also incorrectly given Liverpool as Lowry’s birthplace.

Lowry’s brother, Russell, stated in the Malcolm Lowry Review in 1987 in response to a piece by Mark Thomas, entitled ‘Pilgrimage to Caldy’, in the same journal: "Warren Crest wasn’t worth looking for. It isn’t there any more. Wallasey suffered heavy bomb damage during WW2. I understand the site has been redeveloped". (Malcolm Lowry Review Numbers 21 & 22 Fall 1987 & Spring 1988 Pg. 102)

The electoral register for 1909 and 1911 had Arthur Lowry living at No. 13, with no mention of Warren Crest. 

The 1911 Gore’s Directory above confirms that Arthur Lowry was living at No. 13 and additionally that the property was called Warren Crest – which to date is the only documentary evidence of this, other than the birth record in the Liverpool Echo and Russell Lowry’s statements. 

Evidence collected from maps, electoral rolls, photographs and documentary evidence established that 13 North Drive was not damaged in the war and survived. (From the Mersey to the World Pg ).

Since the publication of From the Mersey to the World, further evidence has emerged in the form of the deeds for the house which establishes beyond a doubt that Lowy's birthplace still exists:

The deeds also show that  developer for 13 North Drive was David Benno Rapport, who also developed houses in Caldy where the Lowry family moved to in 1911 taking up residence at Inglewood.

Central Park, Liscard

Liscard Hall, Wirral and the surrounding parkland was home of Sir John Tobin, ship owner, merchant, African trader and one-time Mayor of Liverpool. On the death of his successor, son-in-law Harold Littledale in 1889, Wallasey Local Board bought the estate and opened it to the public on Whit Monday 1891.

Lowry refers to the park in his novel Ultramarine; "...in search of the tobacco pouch, the last birthday present you gave me, Janet...do you remember? It was in the Central Park, a year ago tomorrow, when we paused to watch the children playing on the swings, and then, 'Look, would that be any good to you dear? Many happy returns of the day..' " (Pg. 123). We must assume that this reference is based on an actual event   between Lowry and his girlfriend Tess Evans as the park is less than a mile from her former home at 26 Thirlmere Street (now Drive).

The Dungeon, Heswall

Lowry refers to a pond in a letter to Carol Brown dated May 1926; "I think ....also of a certain sordid looking but not unromantic pond. And then I dream of walking there with you, and I dream and dream and kiss you to my heart's content." (Collected Letters Vol 1 Pg. 26). Lowry does not identify the location of the pond but given that the letter contains references to a walk from Caldy to Heswall then we must assume that the pond was in area between Caldy and Heswall.

The most likely location is a pond off a path leading from the Dungeon to the cliffs at the River Dee. The Dungeon is a small wooded ravine quarter of a mile to the north west of Heswall which shows a natural stream section through the Tarporly Siltstone Formation of the Mercia Mudstone Group, of Triassic age. The name is probably from the Old English dunge or denge meaning land next to the marsh.

Heswall

Heswall was recorded in the Domesday Book as Eswelle and owned by Robert de Rodelent, who also owned much of the land on the eastern side of the River Dee. In 1277, it became the property of Patrick de Haselwall, who was Sheriff of Cheshire.

In 1801, the population was recorded as 168. By the census in 1841, it had only grown to 398. Prior to 1897 it was known as Hestlewelle or Hesselwelle. Its growth was started by wealthy merchants from Liverpool who had originally chosen it as a retreat but the arrival of two railway connections allowed them to commute. Read more on Wikipedia

Lowry refers to Heswall in a letter to Carol Brown dated April 1926; "I climbed out of the window, on to the balcony, let myself down on our unused tennis lawn, and walked to Heswall. At Heswall I smoked three* (this * on second thoughts is an exaggeration - I smoked only two) pipes: then walked back again in time for breakfast." (Collected Letters Vol 1 Pg. 7). Lowry is describing walking from his home Ingelwood in Caldy to Heswall a distance of 5 miles round trip probably on the footpath that still runs from the edge of Caldy Golf Course through Thurstaston to Heswall.

Heswall is the most scattered village in the whole peninsular. It is splendidly situated and commands extensive views of the mouth of the Deee and the sea beyond. It has become deservedly popular as a health resort and as a residential place for Liverpool merchants. In the environs of the village there are extensive open spaces of heather-covered hillside, where the public are free to wander at will. Andrew Blair Across The Fields of Wirral 1922


From Heswall it is a very pleasant short walk over the fields to Thurstaston, pausing on the way to see the old hall at Oldfield, now two farm-houses, and of little interest except as being the house to which Sir Rowland Stanley of Hooton retired in his extreme old age, and where he died in 1614. Below the pathway the land slopes pleasantly to the Dee, the hedgerows being interesting to the botanist, and whilst you have the land birds about you in the fields and hedges, you may look over the sands of Dee, and watch the interesting sea-birds slowly retreating as they feed before the incoming tide. Harold Edgar Young A perambulation of the Hundred of Wirral in the county of Chester, with an account of the principal highways and byways, old halls, ancient churches, and interesting villages situated between the rivers Mersey and Dee .. (1909)

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).

Trocadero Cinema

Trocadero, New Brighton 1934

Lowry uses the name Trocadero for the cinema in Tsjang Tsjang (Dairen) which Dana, Norman and Popplereuter visit in their drunken drift around the port in Chapter 3 of Ultramarine; "Trocadero" (Pg. 37);  "It appears that the mate wanted to go to the Trocadero, and the skipper thought it was a bore." (Pg. 39);  and signs for the cinema are seen on pages 81, 85, 104 and 109. There is no evidence to date there was a Trocadero Cinema amongst the 8 Japanese owned cinemas in the Dairen in the 1920's

The name originates from the Palais du Trocadéro which was built on the hill of Chaillot for the 1878 World's Fair in Paris. The palace's form was that of a large concert hall with two wings and two towers; its style was a mixture of exotic and historical references, generally called "Moorish" but with some Byzantine elements. Read more on Wikipedia

The name Trocadero became popular in England for the naming of cinemas in the 1920s - examples can be found in London, Rusholme, Leicester, Blackpool, Whitstable, Southport and Derby. Lowry would have been aware that there were 2 examples near to where he lived in the 1920's - in Camden Street, Liverpool and Victoria Road. New Brighton. Lowry probably frequented the Trocadero in New Brighton with Tess Evans during 1927.

The New Brighton Trocadero was formally opened on 1st June, 1922 by the Mayor of Wallasey, Alderman Augustine Quinn. The first film shown was 'Perjury', staring William Farnum (1876-1953). Music was provided by the Tracadero Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Mr. Bescoby. The acting manager was Mr. C.H. Hankinson, who had previous experience with the Hippodrome and the Tivoli Theatre. The cost of admission were 6d, 9d and 1/3.

The Trocadero was built from reinforced concrete and was of fire-proof construction. The main frontage was executed in cream tinted terra cotta and the central portion, which rose above the entrance, was finished with a heavy pedimented gable and well proportioned windows. Either side were lock-up shops surmounted by a plain parapet. Throughout the length of the frontage in Victoria Road, was a wrought-iron and glass verandah to provide shelter in bad weather for patrons queuing outside.

The cinema was capable of accommodating some 900 people inside in what was considered at that time, to be the most luxurious surroundings. The main entrance to the cinema had marble paving which provided access through mahogany swing doors that lead into a spacious hall panelled in keeping with the entrance doors. Leading directly from the hall were the entrance doors to the auditorium and immediately to the left was an elaborate staircase, with its massive balustrade. The stairs led to the foyer on the first floor, which in turn gave access to the luxurious balcony which had been constructed on a slope so as to ensure every seat had a clear view of the screen.

The inside walls were of simple and restrained style. The main piers were run up as plasterers finished with enriched brackets from which sprung arched ribs of decorative plasterwork across the ceiling. The intervening wall spaces between the plasterers were richly panelled in modelled plaster work leading up to an effective treatment over the circular windows, and surmounted at the eaves by a well-proportioned classic cornice. The infilling to the ceiling was also effectively broken up by a series of panels and enriched ventilating gratings. The proscenium front and arch was boldly treated forming a fitting frame to the silver screen and its drapers. The tip-up seats were upholstered in blue corduroy velveteen and finished with mahogany backs and arms. Heating the cinema was provided by a low-pressure hot water system, whilst the air conditioning comprised a blower fan to provide fresh, warm air at a low level to eliminate floor draughts. Read more on History of Wallasey

By coincidence, the Trocadero, New Brighton showed 2 films in October 1927 which Lowry mentions in his work - Rex Ingram's Mare Nostrum and The Amateur Gentleman starring Richard Barthelmess. It is possible that Lowry saw these 2 films in New Brighton after he returned from his Far East voyage and prior to him going to study with E.E. Kellett in Blackheath.

Kings Picture House

The site of the King's with new housing in 2009

The Old Court House Picturedome was in Liscard Road and began life as a Police Station, being built in 1845. The building was then converted into a 400 seater cinema and opened on Saturday 31st January, 1914.

Performances began each evening at 6.30 pm and 10.30 pm with matinees at 3.00 pm on Wednesday and Saturdays. On Mondays and Wednesdays the programmes were changed twice weekly. Ticket prices were 3d for the Pit Stalls, 6d in the Stalls and 9d for the Balcony.

On the outside of the theatre wide, steep steps led to a small entrance hall with its central paybox and a pair of steep staircases on either side provided access to the balcony. Inside the theatre the auditorium was square shaped with a lofty ceiling and a silver screen was raised high up on the end of the wall. The electric generator was housed in the former basement which had been the prison cells.

Between the 13th June 1914 and the autumn the Old Court closed, in part due to the drab design of the building but on 14th November of that year the newly decorated cinema reopened as the Kinema under the management of C.W Harrison.

By the early 1920s the cinema was renamed Kings and in 1931 talkies were being shown. Throughout the 1930s the Kings underwent several changes in management and refurbishments. On 2nd November 1963 the cinema closed for the final time. The building was subsequently used for a time as a bingo hall but was finally demolished in 1986 and new properties built on the site. Read more

Lowry refers to the cinema in his novel Ultramarine when Dana and Janet are walking around Egremont; "Later, however, avoiding Egremont Ferry as they ascend a street of houses built on an incline to Brighton Road, which runs parallel to the promenade, as they waver at the King's picture-house, with its peeling stucco, where they are showing on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Love's Crucifixion, with Olga  Tschechowa.." (Pg. 131). We must assume that Lowry and Tess frequented the cinema which was about a mile from her home at 26 Thirlmere Street in Liscard from which they could have walked or got a tram.  Love's Crucifixion was not shown at the King's according to newspaper records from 1929 when the film was released though it may have returned at a later date.

Brighton Street, Egremont

A street which runs parallel to the River Mersey from running from Church Road, Seacombe to King Street, Egremont. Built as part of the expansion of Wallasey in the late 1800's linking Seacombe to New Brighton with the main tram route between the 2 places. Once a major shopping and business area in the 1920's which has seen declined with many of the original buildings being demolished.

Lowry refers to the street in his novel Ultramarine though he calls it a road; "Later, however, avoiding Egremont Ferry as they ascend a street of houses built on an incline to Brighton Road, which runs parallel to the promenade" (Pg. 131) and "the one figure now drifts slowly under the grainy sky past Morgan Roberts' Osteopathy and Manipulative Treatment and the children's playground on the left and into Brighton Road again." (Pg. 132).

Children's Playground, Egremont

Lowry refers to a children's playground in his novel Ultramarine;  "the one figure now drifts slowly under the grainy sky past Morgan Roberts' Osteopathy and Manipulative Treatment and the children's playground on the left and into Brighton Road again." (Pg. 132).

Given the topography of the above - the playground would be one which overlooked the Seacombe Promenade and accessed from Demesne Street. The playground still exists as seen in the above photograph.

Queen's Park Railway Station

Lowry refers to this station in his novel Ultramarine; "At a quarter to eight, descending from his train at Queen's Park, where, to please her mother, he has once seen Janet safely into a tin church for a prayer meeting. the one figure now drifts slowly under the grainy sky past Morgan Roberts' Oesteopathy and Manipulative Treatment and the children's playground on the left into Brighton Road again."

There has never been a station with that name on the Wirral. This is a rare instance in the novel when Lowry doesn't use real places on the Wirral or Liverpool. Given the topography of of the above - the station would be in the vicinity of Egremont/Seacombe. The nearest station would have been Seacombe at the junction of Church Road/Borough Road on the former Wirral Railway lines. There is also a possibility  that Lowry for some reason had the Queen Park Station in Kilburn in mind. Lowry does make reference to Kilburn Empire in his novel Under The Volcano and he may have been familiar with the station.

County Inn, Wallasey

Lowry's refers to this pub in his  novel; Ultramarine; "The puddles are lying at the foot of the Wallasey sandhills after the rain, the groundsel is growing on the vacant lot by the County Inn. At eleven-thirty Samuel Broster comes smiling out of the bar parlour, tying his apron." (Pg. 133).

The pub remains unidentified as no such pub existed in Wallasey in the late 1920's.

Bidston

Bidston is a suburb of Birkenhead, on the Wirral Peninsula. In the 1920's, the area was vastly different to today's landscape of modern housing, retail and industrial parks and new road layouts. In the 1920's, the area had 3 distinct areas: Bidston, Bidston Hill, and Bidston Moss.

Bidston Village has appeared in records since Doomsday, but evidence for occupation goes back to the Stone Age. The Village still maintains its medieval shape of church, farms, village green and manor house.

Bidston Hill comprises 100 acres of heathland and woodland maintained by Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council as a nature reserve and public park. The land was purchased in stages from 1894 to 1908 by Birkenhead Corporation from local landowner Lord Vyner. It is the site of Bidston Windmill, built around 1800 and the former Bidston Observatory and Bidston Lighthouse. Read more

Bidston Moss was originally low-lying wetland marsh at the head of Wallasey Pool. Early reclamation by railway companies led to the use of a triangular piece of land between railway tracks being used for the West Cheshire Golf Course. In 1936 most of the land was given over to residential, commercial and industrial landfill which ceased in 1995 before conversion to a nature reserve.

Lowry refers to Bidston in his novel Ultramarine when Dana recalls crossing the Great Float via the former swing bridge at Duke Street Birkenhead: "We stood there often on our way to Bidston" (Pg. 62). In the 1920's, Bidston Hill was a popular attraction for people to visit to picnic and take in the panoramic views of the Wirral, Liverpool and the Mersey Estuary. We must assume Lowry visited the hill with Tess Evans during 1927.

Bidston features in his novel In Ballast to the White Sea; Sigbjørn recalls making love with Nina on the hill;"They leaned in silence, looking over towards Bidston Hill where they had once made love, but which was now invisible." (Ch. V11); the hill, the observatory and the windmill are noted when Sigbjørn drives to Birkenhead to catch the train to Liverpool on his journey to Preston;  "and down the incline beyond, faster here, to get a run for Bidston Hill where trees, hedges, and houses rushed up to them as from a screen, to be instantly transferred into new, ever-changing scenes; and soon they had reached the summit where it was so clear they could see the Observatory through the trees." and further on in the journey; "Noctorum on the right and Bidston Common on his left. With huge and tattered sails the old windmill loomed before them like a derelict being driven before the storm on the dark sea of the moor where snow patches on the heather were like white crests of waves." (Ch. X1); the windmill had been damaged in a storm in a 1927 remaining unrepaired for several years, Lowry changes the topography at this point as the windmill and observatory were not visible from Upton Road on which Sigbjørn is travelling; "This wound in great curves over the back of the Wirral.......it mounted a final hill at the other side of the county, thickly wooded and crowned by an observatory and an ancient windmill. This was Bidston and the last station of the ancient Telegraph." (Ch. X111). The "ancient telegraph" refers to the site of penultimate station of the Liverpool - Holyhead  Semaphore Telegraph.

Brown's Bioscope

A Bioscope shows started as fairground attractions consisting of a travelling cinema. The heyday of the Bioscope was from the late 1890s until World War I.

Bioscope shows were fronted by the largest fairground organs, and these formed the entire public face of the show . A stage was usually in front of the organ, and dancing girls would entertain the crowds between film shows

Films shown in the Bioscope were primitive, and the earliest of these were made by the showmen themselves. Later, films were commercially produced. Bioscope shows were integrated, in Britain at least, into the Variety shows in the huge Music Halls which were built at the end of the nineteenth century.

Lowry refers to Brown's Bioscope in his short story 'Enter One In Sumptuous Armour';  "While the Argyle announced Harry Champion, Brown's Bioscope. It was melancholy to be bidding adieu to these familiar placards which were like friends." (Psalms Pg. 233). The Argyle Theatre claimed to be the first theatre outside London to show animated pictures, running electric cables through Birkenhead in 1896 to the theatre, where the films were projected onto a sheet. The bioscopes were still be shown at the theatre in the 1920s as can be seen in the advertisement from 1925 above.

Little Tich

Harry Relph (1867 – 1928), known on the stage as "Little Tich", was an English music hall comedian. He was noted for the characters of The Spanish Señora, The Gendarme and The Tax Collector, but his most popular routine was his Big Boot dance, which involved a pair of 28-inch boots, commonly called "slapshoes" in the days of vaudeville. He was also popular as a pantomime dame; in one season he appeared with Marie Lloyd and Dan Leno also in the cast. Read more on Wikipedia

Lowry refers to Little Tich in his short story 'Enter One In Sumptuous Armour';  "An advertisement for the Hippodrome said Little Tich, 6:30, 8:30." (Psalms Pg. 233)

Harry Champion

William Crump (1865 – 1942), better known by the stage name Harry Champion, was an English music hall composer, singer and Cockney comedian, whose onstage persona appealed chiefly to the working class communities of East London. His most famous recordings include "Boiled Beef and Carrots" (1909), "I'm Henery the Eighth, I Am" (1910), "Any Old Iron" (1911) and "A Little Bit of Cucumber" (1915). Read more on Wikipedia

Lowry refers to Harry Champion in his short story 'Enter One In Sumptuous Armour';  "While the Argyle announced Harry Champion, Brown's Bioscope. It was melancholy to be bidding adieu to these familiar placards which were like friends." (Psalms Pg. 233).

Coach & Horses, Greasby, Wirral

The Coach and Horses is a very old pub, definitely in business in 1832 (named on the Bryant map of that year) possibly dating as far back as 1725.

Lowry refers to the pub in his short story 'Enter One In Sumptuous Armour'; "I noticed the pubs longingly. ..in Greasby, the Coach and Horses. I was sorry to be leaving the pubs behind though I had never entered one." (Pg. 232). Lowry refers to the pub in In Ballast to the White Sea; Sigbjørn passes the pub on his way to Birkenhead to catch the train to Liverpool on his journey to Preston; "Soon they had turned the dangerous Frankby corner into the Greasby road, passed the village green and the village cross, and roared into the straight. At the corner, by the Coach and Horses, he slowed down." (Chapter X1)

Coach & Horses in January 2009

Greasby, Wirral

Greasby is a large village on the Wirral Peninsula, England. The earliest known human settlement in Merseyside has been found at Greasby, dating from approximately 7000 BC. A rectangular floor of sandstone slabs and pebbles suggests regular use by the nomadic hunters of that period. Greasby was an Anglo Saxon settlement, as witnessed by the form of the name, Gravesberie, in the Domesday Book. Gravesberie derives from the Old English gräf and burh, recorded as meaning a "stronghold by a grove, trench, canal or wood". The name was Scandinavianised to Greasby, under the influence of Old Norse speakers in Wirral (gräf and býr, with býr meaning "settlement" or "farmstead").

After the Second World War the area expanded considerably, with significant residential development across previously agricultural land. This has resulted in Greasby becoming contiguous with the nearby settlements of Moreton, Upton and Woodchurch. Read more on Wikipedia

In the 1920's the main road to Birkenhead from Frankby went through Greasby. This is the route that the narrator takes in the short story 'Enter One In Sumptuous Armour' from Caldy to Birkenhead;" There was a sea of mud round the farm yards. We splashed through little villages named Frankby and Greasby." and  "I noticed the pubs longingly. .....in Greasby, the Coach and Horses. I was sorry to be leaving the pubs behind though I had never entered one." (Pg. 232). Lowry also refers to the village in his novel Ultramarine when Dana and Janet go for a walk on the Wirral; " It was in Greasby they saw a horse in the stable - 'dreaming and warm'.. "(Pg. 42). Lowry is possibly referring to Greasby Hall Farm seen below.

Lowry refers to village in In Ballast to the White Sea; Sigbjørn passes through the village on his way to Birkenhead to catch the train to Liverpool on his journey to Preston; "Soon they had turned the dangerous Frankby corner into the Greasby road, passed the village green and the village cross, and roared into the straight. At the corner, by the Coach and Horses, he slowed down." (Chapter X1).

Lowry also refers to the village in a letter to Carl Brown dated April 1926; "I walked to Greasby looking for the dog which had gone in the other direction - but I sang all the way." (Collected Letters Vol 1 Pg. 9).

Frankby, Wirral

Frankby is a hamlet on the Wirral Peninsula, England and is located between Greasby and West Kirby. The name Frankby come from the Old Norse Frankis-byr, meaning "Franki's/Frakki's (Frenchman's) farm". The "by" suffix, included in neighbouring place names such as Greasby, Irby and Pensby, applies to settlements believed to be Viking in origin. The settlement of Frankby was mentioned in the Domesday Book entry for neighbouring Greasby. Frankby was formerly a township in the West Kirby Parish of the Wirral Hundred. Read more on Wikipedia

Lowry refers to the hamlet in his short story 'Enter One In Sumptuous Armour';" There was a sea of mud round the farm yards. We splashed through little villages named Frankby and Greasby." and  "I noticed the pubs longingly. In Frankby there was the Farmer's Arms - Caerwyle (Lowry's spelling) Ales and Stout." (Pg. 232).

Indian Motocycle

Indian motorcycles were manufactured from 1901 to 1953 by a company in Springfield, Massachusetts, USA, initially known as the Hendee Manufacturing Company but which was renamed the Indian Motocycle Manufacturing Company in 1928. The Indian factory team took the first three places in the 1911 Isle of Man Tourist Trophy. During the 1910s Indian became the largest manufacturer of motorcycles in the world. Indian's most popular models were the Scout, made from 1920 to 1946, and the Chief, made from 1922 to 1953. Read more on Wikipedia

Lowry refers to the company's motorcycles in his short story 'Enter One In Sumptuous Armour'; "Fine motorcycles whizzed by or splashed past us:....I watched for the blue Indian, an American make, which we usually encountered at nine fifteen in Upton, just before we reaching the Ring o' Bells just before the. I had never got rid of a childhood impression that its rider was somehow identified with the machine, that together it was a real Indian who lived somewhere in a hollow." (Psalms Pg. 233) and "As we left Upton the blue Indian slanted by, a little late to-day, almost half-past nine." (Pg. 233).