UKC

Liverpool climbing wall history

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 AlanLittle 01 Sep 2017
Help an old man out with his failing memory.

I lived in Liverpool for a few years from the late 80s onwards. Moving from Manchester where there was the fantastic for its day MacDougall Centre at the university, Altrincham and a fair few other options, the near absence of climbing walls on Merseyside at the time was a big shock (and Pex Hill was a lifesaver).

There was one at a sport centre in Ellesmere Port that was only open one or two nights a week, and crap. Then there was the small but somewhat better one at the YMCA, where John Redhead was a regular. And - rambling slowly towards my actual point - just before I moved away the first of the modern walls opened. I only made it there a couple of times. I recall it being in north Liverpool and possibly being in an old church, which would match the description of the Hangar. But the Hangar's website says it opened in '99 and I was long gone by then. So, ukc, where was I and what was it called?
baron 01 Sep 2017
In reply to AlanLittle:
Awesome Walls.
By the big chinese restaurant.

OP AlanLittle 01 Sep 2017
In reply to baron:

That's where I'm confused. I had Awesome Walls and the Hangar mixed up. But Awesome say on their website that they opened in '99. Was there another business running the wall at the same site before that?
baron 01 Sep 2017
In reply to AlanLittle:

It was definitely called Awesome Walls when it first opened.
Not sure of the year, about 1996.
 Chris the Tall 02 Sep 2017
In reply to AlanLittle:

There was a wall in Netherton (?) in the early 90s - remember going there at least once whilst working at Bootle. Also went to a wall in a squash court in Southport in 93
 steveriley 02 Sep 2017
In reply to AlanLittle:
University Wall, YMCA, Netherton, Climbing House Bootle (pre Awesome Walls), Vernon Sangster near Anfiield takes you to early 90s I think!
Post edited at 08:32
 john arran 02 Sep 2017
In reply to AlanLittle:

I've never lived or really climbed around there, but I do recall The Climbing House existing sometime around 1997. Pretty sure it was Dave Douglas that started it, so it must have been a precursor to Awesome Walls .
In reply to AlanLittle:

> That's where I'm confused. I had Awesome Walls and the Hangar mixed up. But Awesome say on their website that they opened in '99. Was there another business running the wall at the same site before that?

Alan,
I'm pretty sure that AW did the first conversion of the church so there wasn't any wall when they moved in.
OP AlanLittle 02 Sep 2017
In reply to steveriley:

Thanks all, sounds like it might be the Climbing House I was recalling and I'm misremembering the bit about the church. Had forgotten the university wall too.


Was the little bit of quarried sandstone at the north end of the Anglican Cathedral grounds ever a regular thing? I pottered there a couple of times, never saw anybody else.
 steve taylor 02 Sep 2017
In reply to AlanLittle:

> Thanks all, sounds like it might be the Climbing House I was recalling and I'm misremembering the bit about the church. Had forgotten the university wall too.

> Was the little bit of quarried sandstone at the north end of the Anglican Cathedral grounds ever a regular thing? I pottered there a couple of times, never saw anybody else.

A few of us LUMC regulars climbed on the sandstone walls at the Anglican Cathedral in the mid-80s, both on the quarried slabby blocks, and the quarried wall above the graveyard.

We used the Uni wall pretty much every day - I think I can still remember all of the moves on the high and low traverses - but can't remember what I had for tea last night!!!

It was around 86/87 that DR added natural holds to the Uni wall to complement the brick edges.

 llanberis36 02 Sep 2017
In reply to AlanLittle:

Pex Hill, to far, we all went to otterpool prom.......
 steveriley 02 Sep 2017
In reply to john arran:

Indeed - The Climbing House, pre-dated Awesome Walls and featured both Dave Douglas and the same bouldering/traverse wall. I came across my old membership card in the back of a drawer recently from 1995, member 200-something. nearly turned pro after coming 3rd in a bouldering comp and winning a crab. It's on my desk unclipped to this day, like a saddo
 alan edmonds 02 Sep 2017
In reply to AlanLittle:
Liverpool University had a simple climbing wall in the 1960's.
Post edited at 15:44
baron 02 Sep 2017
In reply to steveriley:

You should have spent more time in lectures and less time finding obscure places to climb!

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