From the outside looking in at St John’s Market fiasco…why would the stall holders refuse to pay their rent…if the market was that bad surely they’d move out? You can’t expect to trade while the Liverpool tax payer pays your rent. I bet half of them arnt even living in Liverpool! No one gets a free ride, and it sounds like yous have had one for long enough!
The post reporters may need to look into the past with a LCC worker "Pam" who was collecting rents in cash! Joe Anderson needs to gilled on this past subject and the missing millions.
Pam had to jump ship some years ago, one wonders why?
Maybe time to demolish the whole upper section of St.Johns inc car park and hotel to create a nice open plateau capable of hosting markets, fairs, entertainment or just a nice place to chill, better than on the cobbles outside St.Georges
So many issues involved in this sorry story including poor political leadership, mismanagement at so many level, an ill thought out redevelopment with a total lack of creativity, a stagnant uninspiring ’offer to customers who voted with their feet…I could go on but why kick something when it down.
There are so many things that could be done to create a modern, diverse, vibrant space to reenergise the city’s retail offer…but sadly the ‘know it all’ council, with their cronies won’t listen…
This makes me very sad. My grandmother had a poultry business in the market and married another poulterer.
My mother told me many stories about the old market and the women, standing by the entrance, who sold fresh parsley.
A pork butcher used to advertise his ham as having been ‘cured at Lourdes’ and one woman had beautiful red hair and usually wore purple.
There was only one person of colour in the market in those days. His name was Louis and my grandmother swore that, when Louis died, all the luck in the market died with him.
My grandmother, Nelly Gildea (née O’Connor), worked long hours and carried her cash in the pocket of the large apron worn while she was working.
My mother said that Nelly was kind and often gave chickens away to hungry looking young mothers with starved looking babies held tightly in their shawls. She’d tell them to go home and make a good broth for themselves and the children. She told my mother never to pass a beggar and my mother passed that on to me and I try not to, though now I limit myself to the first beggar that I meet on a particular day.
My grandmother’s sister, Kate O’Connor, started work in the fish market wearing clogs and carrying the baskets of fish on her head. As a result she was noted for her wonderful posture. She went on to own a business in the Fish Market. She died tragically in 1938 and left her business to May Fortune, her best friend.
My mother’s godmother was Mary Ellen McCormick who was a very successful business woman in the old market. She lived in Blundellsands and her husband, Mick McCormick, used to drive her - and often the Gildea girls - round in their fine car. My mother remembers her being a back seat driver and calling out to her husband, “Bib the ‘ooter, Mick!” if she saw anyone about to cross the road.
I am very proud of my Irish roots and the courage, energy and good humour of a family brought to Liverpool as Irish refugees from the potato famine.
Good article. What a sorry saga. I popped into the stall-market out of curiosity a few months ago because I hadn't been in there for decades. I wasn't impressed, the new layout seemed very sanitised and characterless. What I find a bit odd is that the shops in St Johns still appear to be thriving yet the stall-market is apparently struggling.
By the way I wish the Post would stop posting links to stories in The Echo...... I subscribed to the Post to get away from that rag!
From the outside looking in at St John’s Market fiasco…why would the stall holders refuse to pay their rent…if the market was that bad surely they’d move out? You can’t expect to trade while the Liverpool tax payer pays your rent. I bet half of them arnt even living in Liverpool! No one gets a free ride, and it sounds like yous have had one for long enough!
The post reporters may need to look into the past with a LCC worker "Pam" who was collecting rents in cash! Joe Anderson needs to gilled on this past subject and the missing millions.
Pam had to jump ship some years ago, one wonders why?
Maybe time to demolish the whole upper section of St.Johns inc car park and hotel to create a nice open plateau capable of hosting markets, fairs, entertainment or just a nice place to chill, better than on the cobbles outside St.Georges
So many issues involved in this sorry story including poor political leadership, mismanagement at so many level, an ill thought out redevelopment with a total lack of creativity, a stagnant uninspiring ’offer to customers who voted with their feet…I could go on but why kick something when it down.
There are so many things that could be done to create a modern, diverse, vibrant space to reenergise the city’s retail offer…but sadly the ‘know it all’ council, with their cronies won’t listen…
This makes me very sad. My grandmother had a poultry business in the market and married another poulterer.
My mother told me many stories about the old market and the women, standing by the entrance, who sold fresh parsley.
A pork butcher used to advertise his ham as having been ‘cured at Lourdes’ and one woman had beautiful red hair and usually wore purple.
There was only one person of colour in the market in those days. His name was Louis and my grandmother swore that, when Louis died, all the luck in the market died with him.
My grandmother, Nelly Gildea (née O’Connor), worked long hours and carried her cash in the pocket of the large apron worn while she was working.
My mother said that Nelly was kind and often gave chickens away to hungry looking young mothers with starved looking babies held tightly in their shawls. She’d tell them to go home and make a good broth for themselves and the children. She told my mother never to pass a beggar and my mother passed that on to me and I try not to, though now I limit myself to the first beggar that I meet on a particular day.
My grandmother’s sister, Kate O’Connor, started work in the fish market wearing clogs and carrying the baskets of fish on her head. As a result she was noted for her wonderful posture. She went on to own a business in the Fish Market. She died tragically in 1938 and left her business to May Fortune, her best friend.
My mother’s godmother was Mary Ellen McCormick who was a very successful business woman in the old market. She lived in Blundellsands and her husband, Mick McCormick, used to drive her - and often the Gildea girls - round in their fine car. My mother remembers her being a back seat driver and calling out to her husband, “Bib the ‘ooter, Mick!” if she saw anyone about to cross the road.
I am very proud of my Irish roots and the courage, energy and good humour of a family brought to Liverpool as Irish refugees from the potato famine.
Isobel Bechka
Good article. What a sorry saga. I popped into the stall-market out of curiosity a few months ago because I hadn't been in there for decades. I wasn't impressed, the new layout seemed very sanitised and characterless. What I find a bit odd is that the shops in St Johns still appear to be thriving yet the stall-market is apparently struggling.
By the way I wish the Post would stop posting links to stories in The Echo...... I subscribed to the Post to get away from that rag!
Sorry to hear that Abi has received angry emails, if nothing else though it shows you are writing about the right things!
Simply It Needs Sorting..Council..Traders..General Public..?