sign in sign up
<<
Home , Blue plaque, Frank Hornby, Isaac Roberts, Rafael Sabatini, Samuel Franklin Cody

and Lydiate U3A

Local History Group

LOCAL BLUE PLAQUES

London's blue plaques scheme, founded in 1866, is believed to be the oldest of its kind in the world and has inspired many other schemes across London, the UK and even further afield.

Run successively by the (Royal) Society of Arts, the , the Council, and since 1986, English Heritage, it commemorates the link between notable figures of the past and the buildings in which they lived and worked. It is a uniquely successful means of connecting people and place.

The scheme is currently closed to new proposals due to restructuring but will re-open for submissions in June 2014. In the meantime, plaques already on the English Heritage shortlist will continue to be erected.

BLUE PLAQUES

HISTORY OF THE SCHEME

The idea of erecting ‘memorial tablets’ , as they were then known, was first proposed in 1863 by William Ewart MP, in the House of Commons. Only a week later, Henry Cole expressed his support for the initiative, and recommended that a scheme be set up by the Society of Arts (awarded royal patronage in 1908).

The Scheme under the (Royal) Society of Arts

Ewart’s idea had an immediate impact upon the popular imagination and in 1866 the (Royal) Society of Arts founded what would become the blue plaques scheme we know today. The first names considered included those of , David Garrick and Lord Nelson. The Society erected its first plaque in 1867: it commemorated the poet Lord Byron at his birthplace, 24 Holles Street, Cavendish Square, a house demolished in 1889. The earliest blue plaque to survive, also erected in 1867, commemorates Napoleon III in King Street, St James's.

From the outset, the aim of the scheme was to celebrate the link between person and building, and to make ‘our houses their own biographers’ (in the words of a correspondent to 'The Times', 1873).

It was also hoped that the plaque scheme would play a role in encouraging the preservation of houses of historical interest, many of which were then threatened with demolition (including the home of Sir Joshua Reynolds in Leicester Square). The scheme has therefore played an important part in the history of the conservation movement - pre-dating initiatives such as the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (founded in 1877) and the (founded in 1895) - and has been responsible for raising awareness about a number of London’s buildings and, in some cases, saving them from demolition. In 1879, the Society of Arts came to an agreement with the Corporation of the that the latter would erect plaques in the square mile. This demarcation - related to the jurisdictional independence of the City - has remained in place ever since: with the exception of the plaque to Dr Johnson in Gough Square, none of the plaques now in the care of English Heritage are to be found within the City. The Scheme under the LCC and the GLC

In 1901, the scheme passed from the (Royal) Society of Arts to the London County Council (LCC), and became known as the 'Indication of Houses of Historical Interest in London', a name it retained until around the time of the Second World War.

It was under the LCC that the selection criteria were formalised, and the blue plaque design as we know it today was created. The selection criteria agreed in 1954 put an end to the practice of erecting plaques on sites, which for a comparatively short time had been allowed by the LCC but which undermined the fundamental principles of the scheme.

When the scheme was taken over, various forms of plaques were considered. In the end, however, the Society of Arts' roundel was adopted, with two notable changes: the introduction of a laurel wreath border and the LCC's title.

The LCC erected its first plaque in 1903 to the historian Thomas Babington, Lord Macaulay, and set up an average of eight plaques per year in the period up to the outbreak of the First World War. Despite the suspension of the scheme in 1915-19 and 1940-47 due to war-time economies, plaques continued to be erected at a regular pace. By 1965, when the LCC was abolished, the organisation had erected nearly 250 plaques.

On the abolition of the LCC the plaques scheme passed to the (GLC). The aims and working of the scheme remained broadly the same, but the GLC was keen to broaden the range of people commemorated.

The 262 plaques erected by the GLC include those to figures such as Sylvia Pankhurst, campaigner for women’s rights; Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, composer of the 'Song of Hiawatha'; and , the Jamaican nurse and heroine of the Crimean War. Geographically, the GLC covered a wider area than its predecessor, which had been focused solely on central and took on what was, for the plaques scheme, uncharted territory - for instance, Richmond, Croydon and Redbridge.

English Heritage Plaques: 1986 - present

Since 1986, English Heritage has managed the blue plaques scheme, and bases its selection criteria and processes on those operated by the LCC and the GLC.

The first plaque erected by English Heritage commemorated the painter Oskar Kokoschka in August 1986, at Eyre Court, Finchley Road, St John’s Wood.

Since then English Heritage has erected over 360 plaques bringing the total number to in excess of 880. It has also established the Blue Plaques Panel, which advises the Commission and staff on the selection of individuals for commemoration and is composed so as to bring a variety of expertise to the consideration of cases.

English Heritage has continued the work of the GLC in broadening the coverage of the scheme, both geographically - there are now plaques in all but three of London's boroughs - and in terms of the figures commemorated. English Heritage plaques honour individuals from a wide range of endeavour, such as the guitarist and songwriter , , the creator of James Bond, and the actress , as well as people such as the poet, Lord Tennyson, the pilot , and the nurse Edith Cavell.

ADVICE AND GUIDANCE FOR OTHER PLAQUE SCHEMES

The provision of advice and guidance to individuals, groups and organisations hoping to put up commemorative plaques has been central to the role of English Heritage’s Blue Plaques Team. Drawing upon many years of experience, the team has provided information regarding subjects such as funding, selection criteria, historical research, gaining consents, plaque design, manufacture, installation and unveilings. In spring 2010, this knowledge was condensed into a comprehensive advice and guidance document, 'Celebrating People & Place', covering all aspects of work on commemorative plaques. It is available both online and in hard copy. In summer 2012, a register of plaque schemes across was compiled to assist anyone looking to erect a plaque or start a scheme locally. The listing will help you see at a glance what plaque activity there is in your area.

Plaque to Isaac Johnson erected by the Woodbridge Society at 7 Market Hill, Woodbridge, Suffolk

NATIONWIDE PLAQUES AND SCHEMES

Aside from a pilot scheme operated in 1998-2005, English Heritage does not erect plaques outside Greater London. However, there are many locally administered, long-established and thriving schemes in operation throughout England, many of which are listed on our register of plaque schemes.

In 2010 English Heritage hosted a conference entitled ‘Commemorative Plaques: Celebrating People and Place’, which was the first event of its kind. It was attended by over a hundred delegates representing diverse interests and schemes from around the UK and abroad.

Erected in 2008 under the initiative of Coventry City Council, this plaque to John Thornton, the master glass painter, is based on his masterpiece – the east window of York Minster. It marks the site of Thornton’s house and workshop in the Burges, Coventry.(© George Demidowicz)

Guidance Published Although English Heritage offered advice and information to locally administered plaque schemes for many years, the conference represented the formalisation of this role, and fed into a guidance document published in hard copy and online in spring 2010. This is aimed at anyone with an interest in putting up commemorative plaques.

Further Information If you would like to make contact with a plaque scheme within your area, please see what schemes are active locally to you on our plaques register.

English Heritage Blue English Heritage Blue Plaques in & , , and . http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/content/imported-docs/k-o/national-scheme-list-blue- plaques.pdf

Maghull Blue Plaques

FRANK HORNBY 1863-1936

The Hollies, 32 Station Road, Maghull L31 3DB

Toy manufacturer lived here Liverpool,

The creator of , Hornby model railways and died on September

Figure 1 The Hollies, Station Road 21st, 1936, aged 73 and a millionaire.

The genius who created Meccano, Hornby model railways and Dinky toys and died a millionaire at the age of 73 was born in Liverpool in 1863. Frank Hornby’s father worked in the wholesale provision trade, the family straddled the divide between upper working class and lower middle class and Frank spoke with a Scouse accent all his life. He disliked school, often played truant and left at 16. Years later he recalled that he had read Self-Help by Samuel Smiles over and over again and it inspired him, but for the moment he made little progress and after various clerking jobs he became a bookkeeper at a Liverpool meat importing firm run by a man named David Elliott.

By the late 1890s Hornby was married with two small sons. He made toys for his boys at home in his garden shed, building metal models of bridges, cranes and lorries. An inspired moment came when he thought of making them out of identical parts that could be fastened together with screws and nuts to assemble whichever model was wanted. The separate parts were metal strips half an inch wide with holes for the fastenings at regular half-inch intervals. They came in three standard lengths. The only tools a boy needed to assemble the models were spanners and a screwdriver. Early in 1901 Hornby took out a patent after borrowing £5 from his boss for the fee. David Elliott saw the possibilities and backed Hornby. They set up a separate business and in 1902 the first ‘Mechanics Made Easy’ sets went on sale at 7s 6d (equivalent to £30 or more today), each with an instruction leaflet explaining how to make 12 models. They began to sell and in 1906 the enterprise made a profit for the first time.

The toys were educational as well as enjoyable and the business went from strength to strength. The ‘Meccano’ trademark was registered in 1907 and in 1908 itself was formed. Elliot was a sleeping partner, leaving Hornby in command. Meccano sets were exported to numerous countries and offices were opened in , Berlin, Barcelona and the United States. Hornby had never imagined for a moment that girls would be interested in Meccano and the product was aimed entirely at boys.

In later developments the firm introduced the monthly Meccano Magazine in 1916, Hornby clockwork model trains in 1920 (by 1930 they were outselling Meccano) and Dinky cars, lorries and buses in 1933. A rich man in his later years, Hornby owned a grand mansion in Maghull outside Liverpool. He was also Conservative MP for Everton in the 1930s, but his greatest impact was on the generations of children who loved his toys.

Kensington House now houses the snooker table from Hornbys home

HOLDEN, GEORGE (1783–1865),

St Andrew's Vicarage, Maghull.

theological writer, only son of the Rev. George Holden, LL.D., head- master of the free grammar school at Horton-in-Ribblesdale, Yorkshire, was born at that place in 1783. He was educated at the Glasgow University, where he graduated. In 1811 he was presented to the Figure 2 St Andrew's Vicarage, Maghull. perpetual curacy of the village of Maghull, near Liverpool. Living there in seclusion he read and wrote much. He succeeded his father as vicar of Horton in 1821, but resigned that living in 1825, preferring to devote himself to Maghull. He died suddenly at Maghull on 19 March 1865, aged 81. He was not married. His large library and more than half of his property were left for the benefit of clergy of the diocese of Ripon, who had not the means of gaining easy access to books (HOWSON, Funeral Sermon). The library is kept at the Palace, Ripon. Holden's works prove him to be an accomplished hebraist and an able Christian apologist. Their titles include : 1. ‘An Attempt towards an Improved Version of the Proverbs of Solomon,’ 1819. 2. ‘The Scripture Testimonies to the Divinity of Our Lord Jesus Christ,’ 1820. 3. ‘An Attempt to Illustrate the Book of Ecclesiastes,’ 1822. 4. ‘A Dissertation on the Fall of Man,’ 1823. 5. ‘The Christian Sabbath,’ 1825. 6. ‘The Christian Expositor or Practical Guide to … the New Testament,’ 1830.

Isaac Roberts 27 January 1829 - 17 July 1904) Isaac Roberts was a Welsh engineer and business man best known for his work as an amateur astronomer, pioneering the field of of nebulae.

He was a member of the Liverpool Astronomical Society in England and was a fellow of the Royal Geological Society. Roberts was also awarded the Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society in 1895.

Roberts was born in Groes, Denbighshire, Wales to

William Roberts, a farmer. Although he spent some Figure 3 Quarry Bank House years of his childhood there, he later moved to Liverpool. There, he became an apprentice to John Johnson & Son (which later became Johnson and Robinson), a firm of mechanical engineers, for 7 years beginning on 12 November 1844. He became a partner in 1847, and supplemented his job with night school. When Peter Robinson died in 1855, Roberts was made manager of the firm. When the other partner, John Johnson died, Roberts was in charge of the contracts and affairs of the firm. Roberts began working as a builder in 1859, and was joined by Peter Robinson's son, J. J. Robinson, in 1862. He was very successful, and became known as one of the best engineers in the region.

Isaac Roberts married his first wife, Ellen Anne, in 1875, making him the son-in-law of Anthony Cartmell. Isaac Roberts married Dorothea Klumpke, who was nearly 30 years his junior, in 1901. Roberts died suddenly in Crowborough, Sussex, England in 1904 (he was 75 years old), widowing his then-wife Dorethea Klumpke. He was cremated soon after his death, and his ashes lay in Crowborough for about five years before he was reburied in Flaybrick Hill Cemetery, in Birkenhead. Roberts was patriotic to his home land of Wales, and continued to use the Welsh language throughout his life. He left a substantial amount of money to , Bangor University, and . His epitaph read: "In memory of Isaac Roberts, Fellow of the Royal Society, one of England's pioneers in the domain of Celestial Photography. Born at Groes, near Denbigh, 27 January 1829, died at Starfield, Crowboro, Sussex, 17 July 1904, who spent his whole life in the search after Truth, and the endeavour to aid the happiness of others. Heaven is within us. This stone is erected in loving devotion by his widow Dorethea Roberts née Klumpke." The crater Roberts, on the far side of the Moon was named to jointly honour Isaac Roberts and the South African astronomer Alexander William Roberts.

Interest in astronomy[

Figure 4 Starfield: Isaac Roberts's observatory and home in Crowborough, Sussex In 1878, Roberts had a 7-inch refractor at his home in Rock Ferry, Birkenhead. Although at the time he used this for visual observation, he began to explore stellar photography, his forte, a few years later.

In 1883, Roberts began experimenting with astrophotography. He first used portrait lenses with apertures varying from 3/8 to 8 inches. Roberts was pleased with the results, and ordered a reflecting telescope with a silver-on-glass mirror of 20 inch diameter (100 inch focal length) from Howard Grubb and by 1885 he had built an observatory building to house it.

He mounted photographic plates directly at the prime focus in order to avoid the loss of light that would occur from using a second mirror. This allowed him to make significant progress in the then-developing field of astrophotography.

In 1886 Roberts displayed his first photographs at the Royal Astronomical Society at Liverpool, which he was president. These images showed, for the first time, "the vast extensions of nebulosity in the Pleiades and Orion."

Isaac Roberts' magnum opus is generally considered to be his picture of the Great Nebula in Andromeda

Astrophotography requires very long exposure times (sometimes an hour or more) to record faint objects on a photographic plate. Long exposure could also record objects invisible to the human eye. Isaac Roberts developed a technique of "piggyback" astronomical photography, mounting the camera/lens on a larger equatorial mounted telescope that was used as a "guidescope". The combination kept the camera aimed accurately over the long exposure time as the Earth rotated. Most consider Roberts' magnum opus to be a photograph showing the structure of M31, the Great Nebula in Andromeda (now known as the Andromeda ) taken on December 29, 1888. The long exposure photograph revealed that the nebula had a spiral structure, which was quite unexpected at the time. Photographs such as this changed astronomy by revealing the true form of nebulae and clusters, and eventually helped to develop the theories about . He published his celestial portfolio in a large format book [2] that is the first popular account of celestial photography of the deep sky. In addition to his considerable advancements in the field of astro- photography, Roberts also invented a machine called the Stellar Pantograver that could engrave stellar positions on copper plates. The Science Museum (London) has Robert's 20-inch reflector.

Isaac Roberts the famous astronomer lived there in 1885 and a crater on the moon is named afte him. The sisters later moved on to Quarry House in Hall Lane, having purchased it from Frank Hornby’s widow, Clara.

From teaching a few girl pupils there, they created Maricourt College which today serves the educational needs of 1400 students.

Our Lady of Mercy -History

From the earliest foundations in Bermondsey (1839) and Liverpool (1843), to the spread of the Congregation throughout England and Wales, education has been a priority.

The Sisters of Mercy moved to Maghull in 1939, at a time when it was little more than a village outside Liverpool. They had been obliged to close Hardy Street Convent, a Branch House of Mount Vernon near the Liverpool docks, because of the bombing in World War 2. They settled in a house called Kennessey, once owned by a famous astronomer, Isaac Roberts, near St. George’s Catholic Church and started a small all age girls’ school there.

Ten years later, when Maghull had developed into a small town, they donated Kennessy to the Parish to help its own Parish school and purchased a large house nearby known as Quarry Brook from Mrs. Hornby, wife of the famous maker of Meccano Toy Trains. In accordance with the Butler Education Act of 1944, the Sisters then restricted the school’s intake to children aged 5 to 11.

There was, however, a serious shortage of provision of Catholic Grammar School places for girls in the district and surrounding boroughs and so they decided to begin building a school for 11+ girls in the Quarry Brook grounds. It was to be known as ‘Mater Misericordiae’, a title beloved by Mother Catherine McAuley, and the motto on its badge was to be ‘Gaudeamus in Domino’:Let us rejoice in the Lord. It was a brave venture but one which our Foundress would have approved.

William Vestey, 1st Baron Vestey Bt (1859 – 1940)

English shipping magnate.

William Vestey was born on January 21, 1859. He came from an old Liverpool family of traders. In 1876, at the age of seventeen, he was sent to Chicago by his father Samuel Vestey, a provisioner of Liverpool.[2] He first managed a meat canning factory that was financed by his father. Together with his younger brother Edmund, he established Vestey Brothers (which later became the Vestey Group) in 1897 from a family butchery business in Liverpool. They were pioneers of refrigeration, opening a cold store in London in 1895 . The Vestey brothers then went to South America in an attempt to make a fortune because the economy there was booming. They started by buying game birds and storing them in the cold stores of American companies before shipping them to Liverpool. These early activities soon developed into importing beef and beef products into the UK, which in turn led to them owning cattle ranches in Brazil, Venezuela and Australia an d their own meat processing factories in Argentina,Uruguay, New Zealand and Australia.

In 1914, they built a meat processing works at Bullocky Point, Darwin, Australia, but closed its operations in 1920 after the Darwin Rebellion. The Vestey Group’s cattle station in Australia was the focus of a landmark strike in the 1960s, the Gurindji strike, which was instrumental in Indigenous Australians regaining rights to their land. In 1915, the brothers, after being refused a request for income tax exemption made to David Lloyd George, moved to Buenos Aires to avoid paying income tax in the UK. The family later administered the business through a Paris trust that enabled it to legally avoid UK tax until the loophole was closed in 1991. From 1915 to 1918, they moved to Chicago then to Argentina and back to England. Lord Vestey later became an important benefactor to Liverpool Cathedral, where he funded the building of the bell tower. During World War 1 another Vestey company, the Blue Star Line, now part of P&O Nedlloyd, was a major supplier of Argentine beef to England, and it was for this service to the wartime provisioning of England that William Vestey was later raised to the peerage. He was made a Baronet of Bessémer House in the Metropoliton Borough of Camberwell on 21 June 1913 and Baron Vestey, of Kingswood in the County of on 20 June 1922. His first wife died in 1923 and was buried in Liverpool Cathedral. He then married Evelene Brodstone of Superior, Nebraska on 1 August 1924. She had been working as a stenographer with the Vestey Meat Packing Plant in Chicago, where she was spotted by his brother. She would rise through the company, eventually becoming the highest paid female executive in the world. On 24 July 1941, the 2nd Lady Vestey was buried at Evergreen Cemetery of Superior in Nebraska. Each spring during memorial weekend, Superior holds the annual Lady Vestey Festival in her honor. This is the town's largest annual celebration and it attracts many people from around the area. He died in 1940 and his ashes were buried in Liverpool Cathedral. He was succeeded by Samuel Vestey, 2nd Baron Vestey(1882–1954).

Rafael Sabatini 1875 – 1950

Rafael Sabatini was an Italian/English novelist of romance and adventure. He is best known for his worldwide best-sellers:

 The Sea Hawk (1915), a tale of an Elizabethan  Englishman among the pirates of the Barbary Coast  (1921), a tale of the French Revolution in which a fugitive hides out in a commedia dell'arte troupe and later becomes a fencing master (Sabatini wrote a sequel ten years later)  (1922), in which the title character is admiral of a fleet of pirate ships (Sabatini also wrote two sequels comprising short stories)  Bellarion the Fortunate (1926), about a cunning young man who finds himself immersed in the politics of fifteenth-century Italy

In all, Sabatini produced thirty-one novels, eight short story collections, six non-fiction books, numerous short stories, and a play. Rafael Sabatini was born in Iesi, Italy, to an English mother (Anna Trafford) and Italian father. His parents were opera singers who became teachers. At a young age, Rafael was exposed to many languages, living with his grandfather in England, attending school in Portugal and, as a teenager, in . By the time he was seventeen, when he returned to England to live permanently, he was the master of five languages. He quickly added a sixth language – English – to his linguistic collection. He consciously chose to write in his adopted language, because, he said, "all the best stories are written in English." After a brief stint in the business world, Sabatini went to work as a writer. He wrote short stories in the 1890s, and his first novel came out in 1902. In 1905 he married Ruth Goad Dixon, the daughter of a Liverpool merchant. It took Sabatini roughly a quarter of a century of hard work before he attained success with Scaramouche in 1921. The novel, a historical romantic set during the French Revolution, became an international best-seller. It was followed by the equally successful Captain Blood in 1922. All of his earlier books were rushed into reprints, the most popular of which was The Sea Hawk from 1915. Sabatini was a prolific writer; he produced a new book approximately every year, and maintained a great deal of popularity with the reading public through the decades that followed.[1] Several of his novels were adapted into films during the silent era, and the first three of these books were made into notable films in the sound era, in 1940, 1952, and 1935 respectively. His third novel was made into a famous "lost" film, , directed in 1926 by with in the lead, and long viewable only in a fragment excerpted in Vidor's silent comedy . A few intact reels have recently been discovered in Europe. The fully restored version premiered on TCM on 11 January 2010. Two silent adaptations of Sabatini novels which do survive intact are 's Scaramouche (1923) starring Ramón Novarro, and The Sea Hawk (1924) directed by and starring Milton Sills. The 1940 film of the same name, with , is not a remake – but a wholly new story which just used the title. A 1924 silent version of Captain Blood, starring J. Warren Kerrigan, is partly lost, surviving only in an incomplete copy in the . The Black Swan was filmed in 1942 starring and Maureen O'Hara.

His only son, Rafael-Angelo (nicknamed Binkie), was killed in a car crash on 1 April 1927. In 1931, he and his wife Ruth divorced. Later that year he moved from London to Clifford, Herefordshire, near Hay-on-Wye. In 1935 he married the sculptor Christine Dixon (née Wood), his former sister-in-law. They suffered further tragedy when Christine's son, Lancelot Dixon, was killed in a flying accident. On the day he received his RAF wings, he flew his aeroplane over their house, but the plane went out of control and crashed in flames before their eyes.[ By the 1940s, illness forced the writer to slow his prolific method of composition, though he did write several additional works even during that time. Sabatini died on 13 February 1950 in Switzerland. He is buried at Adelboden, Switzerland. On his headstone his wife had written, "He was born with a gift of laughter and a sense that the world was mad", the first line of Scaramouche.

Samuel Franklin Cody

Samuel Franklin Cowdery (later known as Samuel Franklin Cody; 6 March 1867 – 7 August 1913, born Davenport ,Iowa, USA was a Wild West showman and early pioneer of manned flight. He is most famous for his work on the large kites known as Cody War-Kites that were used by the British in World War I as a smaller alternative to balloons for artillery spotting. He was also the first man to conduct a powered flight in Britain, on 16 October 1908. A flamboyant showman, he was and still is often confused with Cody, whose surname he took when young.

It is not clear why Cody became fascinated by kite flying. Cody liked to recount a tale that he first became inspired by a Chinese cook; who, apparently, taught him to fly kites, whilst travelling along the old cattle trail.[7] However, it is more likely that Cody's interest in kites was kindled by his friendship with Auguste Gaudron, a balloonist Cody met while performing at . Cody showed an early interest in the creation of kites capable of flying to high altitudes and of carrying a man. Leon also became interested, and the two of them competed to make the largest kites capable of flying at ever- increasing heights. Vivian too became involved after a great deal of experimentation. Financed by his shows, Cody significantly developed Lawrence Hargrave’s double- cell box kite to increase its lifting power, especially by adding wings on either side. He also developed a sophisticated system of flying multiple kites up a single line, which was capable of ascending to many thousands of feet or of carrying several men in a gondola. He patented his design in 1901 and it became known as the Cody kite. Balloons were then in use for meteorological and military observation, but could only be operated in light winds. Cody realised that kites, which can only be operated in stronger winds, would allow these activities to be carried out in a wider range of weather conditions. His kites were soon adopted for meteorology, and he was made a Fellow of the Royal Meteorological Society. In December 1901 he offered his design to the , as an observation "War Kite" for use in the Second Boer War, and made several demonstration flights of up to 2,000 ft in various places around London. A large exhibition of the Cody kites took place at Alexandra Palace in 1903. Later he succeeded in crossing theEnglish Channel in a Berthon boat towed by one of his kites. His exploits came to the attention of the Admiralty, who hired him to look into the military possibilities of using kites for observation posts. He demonstrated them later that year, and again in 1908 when he flew off the deck of battleship HMS Revenge on September 2. The Admiralty eventually purchased four of his War Kites. In 1905, using a radically different design looking more like a tailless biplane, he devised and flew a manned "glider-kite". The machine was launched on a tether like a kite and the tether was then released to allow gliding flight. The design showed little similarity to his earlier kites but had more the appearance of a tailless biplane. It was notable in being the first aircraft to use ailerons (in fact they were elevons) effectively to control roll.[8] Cody eventually managed to interest the British Army in his kites. In 1906 he was appointed Chief Instructor of Kiting for the Balloon School in and soon after joined the new Balloon Factory down the road at Farnborough. The Factory would eventually become the Royal Aircraft Establishment. In 1908 the War Office officially adopted his kites for the Balloon Companies he had been training. It was this group that would evolve into the Air Battalion of the Royal Engineers, No. 1 Company of which later became No. 1 Squadron, and eventually No. 1 Squadron . Finally, in 1907 he created an unmanned "power-kite". Somewhat similar to his standard kite but with bigger wings and a tailplane with twin fins in place of the rear cell, this was fitted with a 15 hp Buchet engine. It was not allowed to fly free, so Cody strung a long aerial wire down the length of the Farnborough Balloon Shed and flew it indoors. All that remained to him was to bring the manned-free-flying glider together with the power- kite's engine to create Britain's first aeroplane. Before Cody could turn his newfound skills to aeroplanes, he was required to help complete an airship then under construction in the Farnborough Airship Shed. In December 1906 he was despatched to France, where he purchased a 40 hp Antoinette engine. During 1907 he was given full authority as the designer of the airship's understructure and propulsion system. On October 5 British Army Dirigible No 1 Britain's first powered airship, flew from Farnborough to London in 3 hours 25 minutes with Cody and his commanding officer Colonel J E Capper on board. After circling St Paul's Cathedral they attempted to land in the grounds of Buckingham Palace, but 18 mph headwinds forced them to land at Crystal Palace. There, the airship was later damaged by the high winds and it never flew again. Later that year the Army decided to back the development of his powered aeroplane, the British Army Aeroplane No 1. After just under a year of construction he started testing the machine in September 1908, gradually lengthening his "hops" until they reached 1,390 ft (420 m) on 16 October. His flight of 16 October is recognised as the first official flight of a piloted heavier than air machine in . The machine had been damaged at the end of the 16 October flight. After repairs and extensive modifications Cody flew it again early the following year. But the War Office then decided to stop backing development of heavier-than-air aircraft, and Cody's contract with the Army ended in April 1909. Cody was given the aircraft, and continued to work on the aircraft atFarnborough using Laffan's Plain for his test flights. On May 14 he succeeded in flying the aircraft for over a mile, establishing the first official British distance and endurance records. By August 1909 Cody had completed the last of his long series of modifications to the aircraft. Cody carried passengers for the first time on 14 August 1909, first his old workmate Capper, and then Lela Cody (Mrs Elizabeth Mary King). On 29 December 1909 Cody became the first man to fly from Liverpool in an unsuccessful attempt to fly non-stop between Liverpool and . He set off from Aintree Racecourse at 12.16 p.m., but only nineteen minutes later was forced to land at Valencia Farm near to Eccleston Hill, St Helens, close to Prescot because of thick fog. On 7 June 1910 Cody received Royal Aero Club certificate number 9 using a newly built aircraft and won the for the longest flight made in England during 1910 with a flight of 4 hours 47 minutes on 31 December. In 1911 a third aircraft was the only British plane to complete the Daily Mails "Circuit of Great Britain" air race, finishing fourth, for which achievement he was awarded the Silver Medal of the R.Ae.C. in 1912. The Cody V machine with a new 120 hp (90 kW) engine won the £5,000 prize at the 1912 British Military Aeroplane Competition Military Trials on Salisbury Plain. Cody continued to work on aircraft using his own funds. On 7 August 1913 he was test flying his latest design, the Cody Floatplane, when it broke up at 500 ft and he and his passenger (the cricketer William Evans) were both killed. He was buried with full military honours in the Aldershot Military Cemetery; the funeral procession drew an estimated crowd of 100,000. Adjacent to Cody's own grave marker is a memorial to his only son, Samuel Franklin Leslie Cody, (father of a son also called S.F. Cody) who joined the Royal Flying Corps and "fell in action fighting four enemy machines" in 1917. A team of volunteer enthusiasts built a full-sized replica of British Army Aeroplane No 1 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the first flight. It is on permanent display at the Farnborough Air Sciences Trust Museum in Farnborough, UK. The display is about three hundred metres from the take-off point of the historic flight. In April 2013 two of Cody's great-grandsons appeared on BBC One's Antiques Roadshow with two Michelin Trophies, won by Cody, each valued at £25,000 - £30,000.

Figure 5 The wreckage of Cody's fatal air crash

Figure 6 Gale and Polden postcard of Cody's funeral procession on 11 August 1913

Maghull telephone exchange 1926 -1968

Taylors Lane, Maghull

Albany cinema

This afternoon show was The Beatles’ first live appearance since and Paul McCartney returned to Liverpool following their trip to Paris.

It was the group’s only appearance at the Albany Cinema, which was on Northway in Maghull, Liverpool. The event was a charity fundraiser for the local St John Ambulance Brigade, and in the audience was the mayor, councillors and civic dignitaries.

The event lasted for three hours. It was put on by Jim Gretty, a country and western guitarist who worked in Hessy’s music store in Liverpool, and who sold Lennon his first guitar in 1957.

Top of the bill was comedian Ken Dodd, and the compère was Arthur Scott. Also on the bill, in order of appearance, were The Dusty Road Ramblers, Les Arnold, Joe Cordova, Dunn and Markey, Bob McGrady, Lennie Rens, Shirley Gordon, Bert King, The Eltones, The Beatles, Dennis Horton and Gladys Ambrose, Jackie Owen and the Joe Royal Trio, Edna Bell, Jim Gretty and Denis Smerdon.

The Beatles were the first act following the interval.

The Albany Cinema was later demolished, being replaced by a Lidl supermarket on which stands the current plaque.

Maghull Racecourse and the Grand National

The earliest indications of a race meeting taking place at Maghull, near the Aintree district of Liverpool, was in 1808, possibly making use of Ormskirk racecourse. At this time the course had the backing of Sefton Corporation, and the principal race was the Royalty First Corporation Cup.

However, the meeting ceased in 1815, as did a number of local meetings in that same year.

By the 1820s, horse racing was well established on land in Maghull.

By 1827 a local farmer John Formby re-established racing at Maghull, albeit Flat racing, on a marshy area of his Old Racecourse Farm off the Sefton Road.

The racing suffered from the state of the ground and the local Racing Committee implored Formby to improve the state of the course or risk it being superseded by a course just down the road at Aintree. By 1828 discussions had come to a head, Formby pressing ahead with his development of Maghull, while Lord Sefton and his powerful friends choosing to develop Aintree in direct competition against him. The first race meeting to take place at Aintree was on Tuesday 7th July 1829, although at this stage it was for Flat racing only.

The Grand National is a National Hunt horse race held annually at Aintree Racecourse in Liverpool, England. First run officially in 1839, it is a handicap steeplechase over 4 miles 3½ furlongs (7,141 m) with horses jumping 30 fences over two circuits.

It is the most valuable jump race in Europe, with a prize fund of £1 million in 2014.

Old Racecourse Farm later became the site for the Meadows Hotel; and Old Racecourse Road, off Sefton Lane, commemorates the sport. The Old Forge

What is now the Old Forge, just off Liverpool Road North/Hickson Avenue in Maghull, was once a well known blacksmith business. When the business closed in the 1960′s the building remained pretty much as it was the day that it closed until 2010 when it was tastefully converted into a lovely modern house.

A quote from Tony Robertson’s blog

"Local history is fascinating and just down the road from our house is Maghull’s newest historical plaque. It commemorates the ‘Old Forge’ that was Maghull’s blacksmith for many years.

It is now the lovely home of the Olsen family but prior to them recently renovating the property it had been a place where time had literally stood still.

You see the blacksmith business closed many years ago but the property remained as it was the day the business ceased. Only 3 or 4 years ago you could walk right up to the window and be treated to a previous time some of some 40 years ago.

Pictured is Mayor of Maghull Geoff Howe with Mayoress Jenny and the Olsen family on the day the new plaque was unveiled." William Martin Dunsmore

2348 Squadron - Maghull

1963 - 1970 - Flt Lt W M Dunsmore DFC

In Maghull, the wartime 1837 Squadron, formed by the Headmaster of Maghull Senior Boys’ School, Mr H J Recton, was eventually succeeded by 2348 Squadronon on the 19th October 1959 under the command of Flt Lt H D Dormer. Colonel Sir Douglas Glover TD MP was the first Honorary President. Parading at Deyes Lane Secondary Modern School until its own Headquarters were built, the unit continued the school association.

The hand-over of the new Moorhey Road Headquarters took place on 13 May 1964 following leasing of land by the Air Ministry from Maghull Parish Council, under the guidance of Councillor (and Squadron Commander!) Squadron Leader Bill Dunsmore DFC RAF (Rtd). Col. Sir Douglas Glover officially opened the building.

Sqn. Ldr. Dunsmore who served as Town Mayor also carried the dubious distinction of claiming to be the world’s first hijacker! As a second world war POW, he and his crew overpowered their Italian Cant Seaplane captors and diverted their flight, bound for the Italian Naval Base at Taranto, to Malta - only to be intercepted on arrival by the RAF Spitfires with near - fatal consequences!

The Blazon for the Squadron Crest

Argent, a Swepe Proper, charged with a stone, Or”is derived from the Armorial Bearings granted to Richard Maghull on 23rdSeptember 1664 at Ormskirke. He was a descendant of the 13th centuryWilliam de Maghull of Maghull Manor. The Squadron's motto: Pete Vere et Certe translates Aim Sure and True. But to some it remains just Pete ‘n’ Vera! http://www.aviait.com/act/cera_una_volta/echi/CUV_Echi_ 2014/Segnalazione%20articoli_marzo/The_first_hijack.pdf