WWII Aerial Images

With thanks to Phil Pritchard.

RAF - Frame-72 Marshlands Road. 16-08-41 - from a flight to photograph and document the coast for defences.

Large spoil heaps are visible, upper centre and left. Buildings at the bottom of today’s Marshlands Road are centre left. The Harp Inn is middle right.

Additional information (from Phil Pritchard):

Clockwise from Top Left:

  1. 'West" tip, in front of it are the Neston Colliery (few remains), and the circular walls around Shaft No.1 & 2.

  2. Colliery branch from Parkgate Station.

  3. A few houses at top of West Vale, railway bridge and embankment.

  4. "East" tip - and vertical face, with excavator and wagons. The whole tip was taken away to build RAF Wrexham and the Shropshire airfields. There were 18 wagons on the job, around the clock, never stopped (from an interview).

  5. White semi-detached houses along Home Croft & north side of Marshlands Road - these were built with smallholdings between the wars, and still exist.

  6. Forshalls Farmhouse at bottom of Marshlands Road.

  7. Abutments of the railway bridge over Marshlands Road and the tip that ran down to the Harp Inn - tip since removed.

  8. Harp Inn, behind it, Kemps Cottage (Lime Kilns) and Seven-Row.

RAF - Frame-73 Quayside. 16-08-41 - from a flight to photograph and document the coast for defences.

Far left is Seven Row, with New Street upper left. Some buildings from the era of Ness Colliery (closed 1855) are visible centre and left. 

Additional information (from Phil Pritchard):

Clockwise from Top Left:

  1. Seven-Row and New Street.

  2. Location of Greenfields Drive estate.

  3. Lane up to Ness from Quayside.

  4. Marl Pit - still in existence.

  5. Farm on Winstanley Road / Sunningdale Way occupying the location of some of the pre-1855 colliery workings, and the sewerage works.

  6. Old colliery building - in front of the light-coloured field

  7. Five bungalows - built between the wars, still in existence. Sandstone cottage at south end of Quayside.

  8. Very large gutter with waste pipe from sewerage works.