Many things have changed in Wirral since the 2000s, from shops and restaurants that no longer exist, to fun activities dearly missed.
There are many things people would love to experience from noughties Wirral just one more time. Whether it’s a shop you loved to browse for hours, a favourite restaurant where you’d often dine with your family, or a pub where you enjoyed drinks with friends.
The ECHO has compiled the below list of 11 things many people are bound to remember and miss about Wirral in the 2000s. Of course, it doesn’t include everything that you can no longer do, but hopefully it’ll bring back some happy memories.
READ MORE: 11 things you could do in 1980s Wirral that you can't do now
Be sure to let us know in the comments section what you miss most about Wirral in the noughties, whether it's a place or activity mentioned in our list, or something else entirely.
1. Rent a film from Blockbuster
Nowadays, people can browse multiple streaming services to find a film to watch, but in the 2000s, you’d have to visit your local Blockbuster. With aisles of films from every genre imaginable, many families will have fond memories of renting films from the store - and struggling to pick only a couple. There were numerous Blockbusters across Wirral which all disappeared when the company closed down in the early 2010s.
2. Enjoy a meal at What’s Cooking?
Adored by families, restaurant chain What’s Cooking? offered a variety of American diner food and drinks, including burgers and steaks. There were branches in Heswall and West Kirby, but now Wirral families have to travel to Liverpool to get their What’s Cooking? fix with the only Merseyside branch of the restaurant being at the Albert Dock.
3. Take the kids to the soft play area at McDonald’s
Before McDonald’s gave its restaurants a fancy refurb to make them more modern, many branches in the 2000s had huge soft play areas, including in Wirral. Many children had their birthday parties there, and if you were a kid in the Noughties, you can probably remember the horrible realisation that you've put your hand in a crushed chip or chicken nugget inside one of the tunnels… McDonald’s got rid of the soft play areas and replaced many of them with outdoor ones - not great on a rainy day.
4. Buy pick 'n' mix at Woolworths
Many people will miss the huge pick ‘n’ mix sweet wall at Woolworths. Wirral had a few branches of the iconic chain, including stores in Heswall and Birkenhead. As well as sweets, the shop had an eclectic mix of goodies, from kitchen supplies to clothing. Woolworths disappeared from the high street at the end of the 2000s after the company fell into administration in 2008.
5. Dance at The Tavern in New Brighton
Many will recall boogying the night away at The Tavern (better known as 'The Tav'). The venue on Magazine Lane in New Brighton opened in 1960, and while it caused a lot of controversy over the years, it remained open until 2015 before being reduced to rubble in 2016 and now flats have been built on the site.
6. Smoke indoors
For several years, you could smoke indoors whenever you fancied in the Noughties. It’s hard to imagine people smoking in enclosed public places now, but with the ban not coming into force until 2007, it was a very common occurrence in the early 00s.
7. Eat at Pizza Express
Another 2000s Wirral restaurant that’s dearly missed is Pizza Express. Although the restaurant chain still has branches around the UK, the Heswall restaurant no longer exists. If Wirral residents want their pizza and dough balls fix, they have to travel over the water to Liverpool where there are multiple Pizza Express branches. There was one in Marine Point in New Brighton for a while, but that too has sadly now closed.
8. Shop at Beatties in Birkenhead
Merseyside is home to a few department stores where you can spend hours browsing the variety of items on offer. In the 2000s, Beatties in Birkenhead was a “premium” department store that sold everything from home decor to beauty. The store on Grange Road went on to become House of Fraser, which has since closed.
9. Browse CDs at HMV
Like with films, everyone can stream music from their favourite singers and bands on various websites and apps or download them to their phones nowadays. In the 2000s, however, you would have to browse HMV to get your hands on the latest CDs to play in your car or on your CD player at home. Wirral had an HMV store in the Pyramids shopping centre in Birkenhead which closed when the company went into administration in the 2010s.
10. Have a pint at The Slak
Wirral is home to many popular pubs, and in the Noughties there was one in Heswall that attracted many locals. The Slak on Milner Road had numerous names over the years, including the Sandon Arms and most recently the Bar & Courtyard, but many still referred to it as The Slak for years. The pub closed in 2014 and has since been demolished and homes built on the land.
11. Buy school shoes from Barratts
Wirral has had many shoe stores come and go over the years, but Barratts has remained iconic with it being the go-to place to buy school shoes ahead of a new term in the 2000s. If you were a child then, you’ll no doubt remember struggling to choose the trendiest pair of shoes, while the priority for parents was to pick whichever pair looked the sturdiest so that they would last the entire school year. The store in Birkenhead’s Grange Precinct closed after the company went into administration in 2013.
What do you miss most about Wirral in the Noughties? Let us know in the comments section below.
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