The street is adored by its residents
Malwood Street boasts some of the best views in the city(Image: Liverpool Echo)
Boasting some of the most picturesque views in the city, one resident on Malwood Street was only meant to live there for six months, but six years later she has no intention of moving. Built in the early 1900s, Malwood Street makes up one of what has come to be known as the Bread Streets.
The streets were given their flour-based name following the hugely popular BBC 80s sitcom, Bread, created by the beloved Scouser, Carla Lane. However, the area’s affiliation with bread actually dates much further back, with Wilson’s flour mill based there until it was demolished in the 60s.
Today, the streets are more commonly known for their stunning views of the River Mersey, and on a clear day, the Welsh Hills. Having moved 30 times in 45 years, Sue Orr, 55, said she never expected to be on Malwood Street for very long. She told the ECHO: “We were going to buy a house [elsewhere] and it fell through, so we had to find somewhere quickly and moved here [for six months].”
The homes on the street have stayed largely the same over the years(Image: Liverpool Echo)
Despite only intending to live on the street for a short time, it wasn’t long until she fell in love with it. She added: “It’s the one place I’ve felt like home. We were only supposed to be here for six months, and we’re now here six years. It’s a lovely street with lovely people.”
Opening her blinds every morning, she said that her view changes every day. She said: “I mean you never get the same view twice. You might see it one hour, then you can’t see it at all because of the fog, and next minute it’s brilliant sunshine and you can see the Welsh hills, Moel Famau.”
Having grown up in Liverpool, Sue remembers how the street was “dark and dingy” when she was younger, but now it is anything but. She said: “It’s just so peaceful and quiet and we’ve got people in the local area that help out, at the end of the road we plant plants.”
Lauren Malcolmson moved to Malwood Street from Northern Ireland(Image: Liverpool ECHO/Danny Gutmann)
Just a few doors down from Sue, is Lauren Malcolmson, 31, who first moved in a few years ago. Originally from County Armagh in Northern Ireland, she remembers one of the first things that struck her when she moved to Malwood Street.
She said: “When I had first moved in, there’d been an issue because I couldn’t get any of my furniture into the house because they’re such old buildings. I couldn’t get anything through the door. So, a few neighbours had helped me take the doors off and get my furniture upstairs, which was really, really kind.”
In fact, the friendliness of her neighbours reminds her of back home in Northern Ireland. She said: “Everyone always says that Liverpool is the capital of Ireland. I think a lot of the kindness and approachability and humour around here personifies that a lot. I’ve been in this house for maybe three years now, and I’m like, put the rent up to whatever you want, I’m staying.”
Residents said that there is a real sense of community in the street (Image: Liverpool Echo)
Another resident, Katie Owens, 49, has only lived on the street for a few months, but said that she was instantly attracted to the street before she moved. She said: “This street out of all the streets, this was the one that you could see down.
“There’s no trees at the bottom and you can see the Mersey. As soon as I drive down this street, I can see the river.”
In some ways, the street reminds her of her childhood. She said: “It reminds me of Kenny where my family are from. The streets don’t change, the communities stay [the same], the parents pass the houses onto their kids and their kids.”