Compiling street directories from 1893, 1924, 1929, 1935, 1960 and 2007, we have built up a partial picture of the activity on Bold Street over the past century. Here are some interesting things we gleaned from this search:
In 1893 John H. M’Clelland is described as masseur and electrician. Whether this is an example of a multi-talented individual or a printing error, is one of the many mysteries of the Gore’s Directories. At number 8, Bell & Co. listed as blouse specialists in 1924 are described in the 1929 directory (presumably correctly this time) as house specialists. At number 34a, in 1924, a Madame Nedgma is listed as a “palmiste”, whereas a few years later, in 1929, Madame Nedjma is listed as a “mental scientist”. Whether one should interpret this as a slick piece of rebranding, or a printing error- or perhaps a combination of the two- is open to debate!
Another possible connection which struck us, was the prevalence of tailors named Gould on the street. Leslie Gould, tailor worked from number 122 Bold Street in 1929. In 1935, a Lazarus Gould worked as a costumier in number 76 and in 1960, Joseph Gould was a tailor in number 5.
Courtesy of Liverpool Record Office
Finally, the 1960 directory features an ironic twist, with the number of electrolysis salons outnumbered only by furriers. If anyone has any information about these people, please contact us at boldstreet@fact.co.uk
