It’s not just the lovely sea view and friendly community that makes residents proud to live here
Frank Lund has been a centre part of the community for 20 years(Image: Liverpool Echo)
There’s a street in the heart of New Brighton, which has shared a sense of community for decades. Magazine Brow in New Brighton is named for its historical connection to underground powder magazines built in the 18th century for storing gunpowder from the Port of Liverpool.
Old pictures seen by the ECHO, of what was once a fishing village, show its transformation over time into a thriving street with its own shop, post office and two pubs. Today, the area is home to beautiful historic buildings, such as the 1759 Magazine Hotel, which once served sailors reloading their ships and a tranquil park perfect for basking in the summer sun.
Wynford Zania, 69, moved onto the street with her husband 15 years ago. She said: “I wasn’t struck by the house at first, it seemed much smaller than where we moved from but my husband, who was working in America at the time, said to go for it so I did.
“Now, I love it, I don’t think I appreciated how great an area it was when I first moved in. Life around here is very nice, the neighbours are very nice and we have a lovely sea view, especially from the bedroom window. It’s really quiet and everyone is friendly. There’s a huge community feel and everyone gets together.”
Phillip Alderson, 53, originally from Moreton, agreed. The dad moved to Magazine Brow four years ago and has “loved” living in the area since.
Phillip loves the community feel on Magazine Brow(Image: Liverpool Echo)
He said: “It’s a nice spot. It’s nice being right by the river, I can just grab my mug of tea and go sit down by the river and there’s a park at the end of the street for my daughter.”
The dad moved from a flat where he felt isolated. He used to drive to New Brighton and walk down the front during covid. He said: “I remember walking down this end of the promenade and thought to myself ‘this bit looks really nice.’
“The neighbours at my flat were getting on my nerves at the time so I asked the agent if they had a house I could move into and the keys they gave me were for this house, one road away from where I had just been walking [on New Brighton promenade]. I moved in and have loved it ever since.”
For many of its residents Magazine Brow’s incredible history is something they’re now so proud to be apart of. Speaking to people living on the beautiful street they can’t help but tell you about the historic buildings that stand prominently near the banks of the River Mersey.
In fact, guided tours have recently started in the area, with punters visiting the local pub and residents have even organised their own mini-festival for tourists coming to the area.
Scarecrow Festival organised by neighbours Kate Johnson, Claire Brierton and Gavin Scott began last week (August 16) with visitors taking part in a free scarecrow trail.
Scarecrow Festival, New Brighton pictured Steve and Kate Johnson with Gavin Scott(Image: Photo by Colin Lane)
The self-funded event has seen neighbours and local businesses alike create their own incredible scarecrows – from traditional designs to famous characters, celebrities and an NHS hero. You can read more about Scarecrow Festival here.
Phillip, who took part in the festival, creating his own Barbie scarecrow, inspired by his own battle and the 2023 movie’s link to breast cancer. He said: “It’s great seeing families come up and it’s great to see how many people have got involved. Usually, they [visitors] just come up to the pub and go back down to the river – there’s two pubs along here that are renowned for doing food.”
Kate, who has lived on Magazine Brow for 21 years told the ECHO how her home has “got a feel to it.” She said: “It’s such a unique area with unique properties and has a real community village feel. It’s so cute and lovely living here, I feel like it’s an unspoilt part of Wallasey.
Another resident, at the heart of the community is Frank Lund, 80, who has lived on Magazine Brow for 20 years. Residents told the ECHO how he has been a magnet pulling the community together.
The Magazine in New Brighton
Artist Frank was partly responsible for the Black Pearl, a hand built pirate ship docked on the New Brighton Promenade for years for children to play on. The ECHO was also told how incredible his scarecrow entry was to this year’s festival.
Frank said: “I’ve been here a long time, it’s a great place, it’s a good spot. We’re right by the sea, it has a number of shops at the top of the road, we have things that go on in the park, the whole street get involved and it keeps things moving.
“It’s a quiet area, we’ve never had trouble here, not in the years I’ve lived here anyway. There’s a big sense of community. It has lots of history too, hence the name magazine, magazine gun powder.”
One person, who did not want to be named, recalled the endless list of things going on in the area. The 73-year-old said: “It’s a good spot, everybody is lovely and friendly.
“It’s a really nice sense of community, we’re all quite close really and there is always lots going on, like the Scarecrow Festival, things going on at the park, open water swimming.”
She added: “There’s often music being played at the band stand, sometimes a brass band and I can hear it from my house, it’s lovely. Now I’m talking about it, I’m realising that there is a lot going on here, it’s really lovely.”