U3A vistit to Bootle Town Hall

It was a pleasure to show another U3A group around Bootle Town Hall. These groups bring with them not just enquiring minds but also lots of local knowledge.

Crosby U3A visit Bootle Town Hall

Crosby U3A visit to Bootle Town Hall

 Crosby U3A (University of the third age) visited Bootle Town Hall recently. These tours of the Mayoral corridor and the Council Chamber are very popular with local history groups. Bootle Town Hall has a lot history recorded in the gifts that the Council has received over the years. My experience is that  the U3A bring a extra local knowledge with them that adds to our understanding of history of the building and the borough. This visit was no exception as among those attending was the redoubtable Brenda Murray whose long life has been spent studying the history our area.

I met Brenda again later in the week when we both attended A Night at the Opera hosted by Sacred Heart Catholic College and performed by Una Voce. Brenda proudly told me she was the college's oldest old girl having left in 1942.

Formby U3A visit me in the Mayor's Parlour

This morning I had the pleasure of welcoming some of the members of the U3A from Formby to the Mayor's parlour in Bootle.

I travelled down on the train with most of them. I think it fair to say that they were not to clear what they were going to see and their expectations were not that high

I am pleased to say that we confounded their presupposition. Thanks to the Craig, the Mayoral attendant, they had a great morning and freely confessed that they had not expected to have such an interesting time. It was enormously helped by their curiosity and local knowledge. Several of their members had been brought in Bootle and were able to add local knowledge.

We started in the parlour looking at the maces and admiralty oar that proceed the Mayor into council meetings and looked at the various gifts that the Bootle Corporation had received. One of the U3A members remembered that as a young apprentice with family firm had presented a solid silver milk jug to the council which had been made by Boodle and Dunthorne in Liverpool. He was delighted to find it on display in the Mayoress's dinning room.

There is a lot to see in Bootle Town Hall especially in connection with WW2 and the Battle of the Atlantic. In particular the U3A folk were interested in the exploits of Capt Johnnie Walker whose celebrated exploits included sinking five U boats in one day-and incidentally downing a polar bear which had been mistaken for a sixth.

I will no doubt have several more Town Hall visits in the coming year both in Bootle and Southport so I will include more detail with each one. My thanks to Formby U3A who made this first visit such a success .