UKC

Liverpool climbing wall - 90s?

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 AlanLittle 01 May 2021

I'm hoping the ukc collective memory can help be out with a vague recollection that's bugging me.

I lived in Liverpool for a few years circa 1990. I know when I first moved there there was no climbing wall in the city; we occasionally went to one at a Leisure Centre in Ellesmere Port. Then the one at the YMCA opened, which was the one I mostly went to in my time there.

I faintly recall also going to a then-new one in a converted church somewhere in north Liverpool. Which from that description sounds like it should be Awesome Walls, but googling them suggests they didn't open until '99 by which time I was long gone. This would have been in the early 90s. Was there another business on the same site before them? Or anything else that matches the description?

 biscuit 01 May 2021
In reply to AlanLittle:

Awesome walls had another site before moving into the church I believe. Not sure if that helps. Dave did tell me all about it one day but I can’t remember where he said he started out. I don’t think it was a church and I don’t think it was called awesome walls.’

 Rick Graham 01 May 2021
In reply to biscuit:

I went to the old one once, iirc it was in an industrial unit. I think it was a mile or so west of the church one.

I think Dave still had it open when he showed me the church one being developed in about 1998.

 Ian Parsons 01 May 2021

You couldn't be combining two separate recollections, could you? Warrington is within easy striking distance of Liverpool, although clearly nowhere near its northern part. The North West Face opened in early 1996, and is in a church.

 steveriley 01 May 2021
In reply to AlanLittle:

I can do better than that, precursor to Awesome Walls was the Climbing House, 1995. Single height industrial unit. The resin traverse wall made its way to Awesome I think.


 biscuit 01 May 2021
In reply to steveriley:

That was it! The climbing house.

No idea if that helps Alan though. 

OP AlanLittle 01 May 2021
In reply to steveriley:

I think we might have a winner, if I‘m misremembering the church part. It was definitely that part of town.

Thanks folks

 llanberis36 01 May 2021
In reply to AlanLittle:

The YMCA wall was really good, nearly as good as Otterspool Prom wall......

 EdS 02 May 2021
In reply to AlanLittle:

There was also a pretty good wall in the Vernon Sangster sports centre in Stanley Park

 Morty 01 Jun 2021
In reply to steveriley:

>The resin traverse wall made its way to Awesome I think.

If I remember correctly, the featured tower (in two parts at the Climbing House in Bootle) was also relocated and erected as a taller tower (where the Clip and Climb is now) when Dave relocated to the church.  I loved the resin bouldering wall, although it did for my knee ligaments when I tried to dyno from a dropped knee position to the top of the wall. Urgh, I can still remember the crunching and tearing sensation in my knee all these years later.  

 Morty 01 Jun 2021
In reply to EdS:

> There was also a pretty good wall in the Vernon Sangster sports centre in Stanley Park

Another wall that I fell victim to.  I dynoed for the bar at the top, missed and fell.  As I fell I caught my ankle on the edge of the crash mat.  After a short ambulance drive to the Royal the Dr there was shocked at how blue my foot had turned in such a short period of time.  I had to tell him it was alright, it was just the dye off my new La Sportiva slippers - the sweat had caused my feet to turn blue and yellow!  Ha ha - boss - great times. 

 Morty 01 Jun 2021
In reply to llanberis36:

> The YMCA wall was really good,

The OG 

>nearly as good as Otterspool Prom wall...

Good if you couldn't be arsed getting the bus / cycling / bumming a lift to Pex 

Post edited at 20:06
 Morty 01 Jun 2021
In reply to EdS:

Can I also throw in a couple of honourable mentions for the wall at Netherton Activity Centre (and obviously Mo Overfield) and the weird wall in a squash court in Southport - what was that all about? 

 Neil Williams 01 Jun 2021
In reply to Morty:

And a short way into West Lancashire, Cliffs Barn in Mawdesley, which I went to a few times as a Scout?  I believe some insurance claims killed off the business, but the actual wall is still there used for group bookings only.  Shame they don't reopen it given that insurance is no doubt easier to get now with walls being more mainstream than they were.

 kevin stephens 01 Jun 2021
In reply to Morty:I remember the Netherton wall being on a stage, with ladies aerobics class on the floor of the hall at the same time, much two way ogling going on

 steveriley 01 Jun 2021
In reply to Morty:

I did a competition at NAC on that funny little stage. Mo was a good guy. I seem to remember Vernon Sangster just had those skimpy judo mats originally 😬

 steve taylor 02 Jun 2021
In reply to steveriley:

Hi Steve - I remember that comp too, but had forgotten the actual location! Watching Jim's face as he realised he was in the final and would have to climb in front of a (small) audience was priceless!

The wall in the sports centre at Liverpool Uni was where it all began for me in the mid-80s! First the High Traverse, then the Low Traverse.... Happy days.

 Andy Farnell 02 Jun 2021
In reply to steveriley:

I have a vague recollection of doing the NAC comp. That wall actually ended up in a school in Southport!

Dave Douglas's first wall was on an industrial estate behind Oriel Road station.

The Southport YMCA wall opened in about 1990. It was okay, in a small squash court sort of way.

Andy F

 Morty 02 Jun 2021
In reply to Andy Farnell:

> I have a vague recollection of doing the NAC comp. That wall actually ended up in a school in Southport!

I'm sure there was a mini bouldering league at some point that had rounds in the NAC, Southport and somewhere else?  

 ste_d 02 Jun 2021
In reply to Morty:

There was a mini bouldering League organised by Mo I think in the early nineties when I was there as a student, the year I entered it was held at Southport, netherton and the Vernon sangster...

 Andy Farnell 02 Jun 2021
In reply to ste_d:

I remember that now. Mo was a proper beast. Brutally strong. 

Andy F

 JohnO1978 03 Jun 2021
In reply to AlanLittle:

I had the original main door key to the church where Awesome Walls is, my Dad had salvaged it from a big box of keys that were from properties that Merseyside Development Corporation looked after in the 90's. 

I handed it over to Dave Douglas on the night of the 20th Anniversary of the wall and he tried it in the main door lock which was still functioning, him and his other half were a bit stunned when I gave it to them on the night. 

My mate Ronnie aptley named it "The key to good climbing"! 

 Morty 05 Jun 2021
In reply to Neil Williams:

> And a short way into West Lancashire, Cliffs Barn in Mawdesley, which I went to a few times as a Scout?  I believe some insurance claims killed off the business, but the actual wall is still there used for group bookings only.  Shame they don't reopen it given that insurance is no doubt easier to get now with walls being more mainstream than they were.

I think this place is now Rock and River  - an outdoor pursuits place. 

I remember going to Cliff's Barn, before it opened, after a bouldering comp in Salford, probably with Mo and Ian Fitzpatrick - to have a look about.  I'm pretty sure Mo, Ian Fitzpatrick and Ben Morton set the routes for the place when it opened.  It was a bit out of the way for me to go to regularly but it looked like a good wall and I remember seeing their woody later which looked good too. 

My daughter went there a few weeks ago but I don't think anything indoors was open at the time. 

 Andy Farnell 07 Jun 2021
In reply to Morty:

The Cliffs Barn woody was brilliant. A fantastic wall with tough setting. It closed due an accident where a climber broke their ankle very badly on an area of matting that needed attention. The climber had to give up their career (as a fireman IIRC).

Andy F

 JLS 07 Jun 2021
In reply to Andy Farnell:

I have a recollection of visiting a small, rough around the edges wall in the Liverpool area in the mid nineties... my thought is it was maybe 10miles East of Liverpool.  My only real solid memory of it is that they had two telegraph poles outside setup for dry tooling.

Anyone have an idea what wall it was?

 steveriley 08 Jun 2021
In reply to steve taylor:

Hey Steve! My first job was in Chadwick Tower, 100y away. I may have spent the odd lunchbreak on those traverses. The excitement when some natural rock inserts went in!

 gimmer 08 Jun 2021
In reply to Andy Farnell:

Loved Cliffs Barn, used to ride out there on our bikes from Ormskirk.  We were just scrawny youths puntering around on the stuff downstairs. I remember heading upstairs and struggling to do anything on the boards, it was a proper climbers venue.
Great logo on the t-shirts too, wish I still had mine!

 steve taylor 08 Jun 2021
In reply to steveriley:

I spent 3 years in Chadwick tower, in-between thousands of those traverses. I left just before Streaky inserted the real rock.

 Andy Farnell 08 Jun 2021
In reply to gimmer:

> Great logo on the t-shirts too, wish I still had mine!

I had what is still my favourite ever vest from Cliffs. On the back it read "Weak persons rehabilitation centre". Never was a phrase more true.

Andy F


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