Royal Mail have moved our parcel collection office to Sandhills, so now we have to drive to collect our undelivered mail rather than walk. Its not too far though and gives me the chance to stop by the huge Chinese supermarket to buy MSG filled snacks. The Royal Mail building is on the site of an timber yard which was crossed over head by the goods railway line to the docks. Opposite is the bricked up windows and doorway of what, I guess, was once Sandhills Station. This building has the remains of the goods railway to its left and the still existing passenger railway to the right.
Sandhills Station
While were were in the car we went to look at the Everton Water Tower. I have been in contact with the British Water Tower Appreciation Society (http://bwtas.blogspot.com) this week and it reminded me of the Water Tower in Everton, a place I have been meaning to visit for a long time. The tower is a tank covered in impressive masonry next to a covered reservoir. The area around the tower is strange. Once it would have been rows of terraced houses here with hotels, public baths, a boys home and churches. All that was cleared in the name of progress. There are still some of the 1960s/70's houses remaining that replaced the terraces. I dont believe they ever looked good. These houses have in turn been replaced by semi-detached houses in the 1990s. The newer houses are nice enough but the area has a forgotten backwater feel to it. Many of the roads have been blocked off or restricted to traffic, probably for good reason. This has left the roads looking abandoned.
the Everton Water Tower
Everton Brow was redeveloped in the 1980s, and a large area of parkland was created where the barracks and schools and houses once were. There are impressive views of the city, the river, the Wirral and even snow capped mountains beyond. It is a shame that the area hasn't had some more development in the last 30 years.
