Cockle Lady, Alice Street, early 1930s


Photo reference number: 1445

Many thanks to Jean Jones who sent us this photo. She explained:

"This photo of the Cockle Lady which was taken by my late Aunt, Miss Ivy Lamprey. Gran [Lamprey] lived at 45 Alice street. The photo was taken before the second World War. We, my brothers and I, can remember Gran telling us this. Sometime after this photo was taken the Cockle Ladies with their donkeys were gathering in the cockles. Something spooked the animals and they refused to move. The tide was coming in fast and some of the ladies were drowned because they wouldn't leave their donkeys.
The house across the road. [Oswald Road]. That small lower window was bricked up in the 1930's because of burglars used it to break in at night when the people were in bed.

My brothers live in Merseyside and I in Lancashire so we are pleased the photo is going home."