• Seafield House, Darmonds Green, West Kirby, Wirral, CH48 5DT

Abbeyfield
Hoylake & West Kirby

A Saturday Afternoon Trip Through Time

On Saturday 3 October 2026, we spent a wonderful afternoon at Lear House stepping back into the past. Our guest speaker, Dominga Devitt, joined us to present her talk, ‘The History of Lear House in West Kirby’, and it proved to be a fascinating journey into the story of our home and the town around it.

A blonde woman sits in a chair, reading from a blue folder into a microphone before a keyboard and a screen displaying a Saturday time-travel photograph of a vintage dining hall.
A woman stands at a microphone speaking to a group of seated residents in a lounge during a Saturday afternoon trip through time.

Discovering West Kirby’s Past

Dominga’s talk was packed with detail, and we found out a great deal about the history of West Kirby as well as Lear House itself. For those of us who know the town well, it was a lovely chance to see familiar places through fresh eyes and to understand how the house has been part of the community for generations.

A woman speaks into a microphone whilst two others sit in armchairs in a community room decorated with Union Jack bunting for a trip through time.

A Rare Find: The 1934 Annual Report

As part of her research, Dominga spoke with a local historian, who very kindly gave her a copy of the 1934 Annual Report for The Lear Home of Recovery. It is a real treasure, offering a glimpse of life at the house more than 90 years ago, long before it became the Lear House we know today.

Records from those early years survive elsewhere too. Cash books for The Lear Home of Recovery covering 1913 to 1939 are held at Wirral Archives, a reminder of just how long this house has been caring for people.

Front cover of the 1934 Lear Home of Recovery annual report from Seafield House, West Kirby, Cheshire, offering a time-travel glimpse into a Saturday afternoon.
Front cover of the 1934 Lear Home of Recovery annual report from Seafield House, West Kirby, Cheshire, offering a time-travel glimpse into a Saturday afternoon.
Two black and white historical photographs from a Saturday trip showing a large house on a hill above a stone wall and field, with a small group of sheep in the foreground of the lower image.

Photographs That Tell a Story

The report includes some old photographs of the house, and they show just how much land was originally attached to the property. Seeing the grounds as they were in the 1930s gave everyone a real sense of how much West Kirby has grown and changed around Lear House over the decades.

Rules for Patients in 1934

The regulations for patients also make an interesting read! They offer a fascinating snapshot of how daily life was organised for patients at the time, and a gentle reminder of how much things have changed since.

A list of house regulations including mealtimes and visiting hours, signed by order of the committee to govern every Saturday afternoon through time.
Two black-and-white photographs of a large house viewed from a garden, evoking the feeling of a Saturday afternoon trip through time.

Thank You, Dominga

A huge thank you to Dominga for the time and care she put into her research, and for sharing it with us so warmly. Our thanks also go to the local historian whose generosity brought the 1934 report into the afternoon. Moments like this remind us that Lear House is not just a home for today, but a place with a long and proud history in West Kirby.

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