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In those not so long ago days when the internet was just an idea and not the driving reality it is today, if you’d have mentioned the name Harry Ormesher to me then I would not have made the Iron Door Club connection. Rather, I would have first thought of the twin cathedrals of Saturday afternoon worship for Merseyside football / soccer fans that are the blue of Goodison Park & Everton FC and the red of Anfield & Liverpool FC. Because, for the best part of 25 years, Harry Ormesher was the official match-day photographer for both clubs.

The very first time I know for sure that Harry Ormesher and I were in the same place was on one Saturday afternoon, November 1964, at what became known as ‘The Battle of Goodison’. The memory of which more than 50 years later still makes me shudder when I think about it – see …

https://www.theguardian.com/football/fr ... 64-archive

The photographs that Harry Ormesher took that violent Saturday afternoon were to appear on the sport pages of many a national newspaper the following Monday.

If I’ve done my sums right, Harry Ormesher would have been aged 30 at this November 1964 time; while the Iron Door would have closed for the last time some 7 months previously.

The surname Ormesher is of Old Norse origin and is particularly associated with the West Lancashire region around the town of Ormskirk which is located more or less equal 10-mile distance from Liverpool and Southport. Prior to the Norman Conquest of 1066, Ormskirk was a settlement believed to be inhabited by Vikings who didn’t feel much like making the long trek back to the land from whence they came and decided to stick around.

As I understand it, Harry Ormesher’s family wealth initially came from the British fondness for betting on horseracing. Harry’s father was a well-known bookmaker on racecourses in the North of England. While Harry Ormesher retained his love for the thoroughbred racehorse to his dying day, he wasn’t apparently keen on becoming involved in bet-taking side of the family enterprise. However, I’d be interested to hear from Geoff Hogarth if, as a young man, Harry was partial to the occasional wager or ever talked about the Ormesher family attractions to horseracing.

During the some 25 years or so that Harry Ormesher plied his trade as a photographer he was based in Southport working out of studio on Lord Street …
... where he trained his son Bradley to carrying on the Ormesher name in terms of photography before moving to Bears Farm in the Suffolk village of Hundon that became known as the Old Suffolk Stud where he lived out his days breeding racehorses. While I don’t know if the Ormesher studio is still open for business on Lord Street, son Bradley still lives in Southport and - like father like son – is an award winning sports photographer currently working for the Murdock News Organization …

http://www.qlocal.co.uk/southport/news_ ... 440659.htm

Peter: Thanks again for this interesting analysis and rich history connecting Harry Ormesher and the Iron Door Club. Music and Football go hand in hand. I will never forget the chills that ran down my spine when hearing massive crowds singing in unison at the top of their lungs. That you and Harry shared one of these football moments was a great thing. Please keep these magic moments coming.

Congratulation Peter on a brilliant researched article highlighting an important period of Harry Ormesher's life. My first meeting with Harry was in 1956, I was working in my art studio Slater Art Studio's Ltd in Slater Street, looking out of the window onto the street below, observed aTR2 open roofed sports car, the young male driver was wearing a long flowing brightly coloured scarf and was smoking a very large cigar. In seconds he had bounded up the stairs and was in the studio ordering some show-cards for his photographic studios and shop in Seaforth. That was the first of many meetings which eventually resulted in the birth of the Iron Door Jazz club. Harry never mentioned his love of horses I had met Harry's father on numerous occasions, his main occupation at the time was a very large club in Wigan called the SPORTMAN a number of full size snooker tables were installed. Fred Davies and his brother were frequent visitors to the club, Harry's father was a superb snooker player who could hold his own with the two world champion snooker players the Davies brothers .The club was also home to the many wrestlers who were prominent in the mining area. Harry did not bet on the horses .I think I should mention one incident ,it was on the occasion of one of Harrys birthdays he was living in Southport close to Ginger McCains second hand car sales business,early in the morning Harry heard tapping on his bedroom window on looking out he saw Ginger McCain who was one of Harry's great chums standing next to the famous race horse of all time RED RUM ,for a birthday treat Harry was invited to ride the horse for it's morning exercise.

Very nice reminiscences Geoff. Your additional comments are much appreciated.