On 4th July 2020, Love Wavertree opened their new community hub and shop ('ReLoved') at 203 Picton Road, on the corner of Sandown Lane. For several years the building had housed the VMM Charity Shop, and before that it was a television rental shop called 'TV Astra'. Discovering Historic Wavertree, published in 1999, drew attention to the faded inscriptions within the 'blank window' recess on the corner: Francis and McKay in gold letters, peeling off to reveal the words Flour & Provender Dealer underneath.

Sadly, we no longer have these ghost signs to remind us of the building's past, though the sack loading slot is still recognisable on the Sandown Lane elevation. With its multi-coloured brickwork and decorated lintels, its origins as a mid-Victorian commercial building are clear. But what is its history?

Until the 19th century, Wavertree village consisted of a cluster of cottages towards the top end of the present-day High Street, surrounded by farmland and the landscaped grounds of 'country houses' belonging to Liverpool merchants and other wealthy individuals. Gradually the village began to spread along Wavertree Lane (later known as Wavertree Road, and today Picton Road) in the direction of the fast-expanding port of Liverpool. One such development was Almond Terrace, a row of four houses (two semi-detached pairs) immediately to the west of Sandown Lane, with long front gardens separating them from Wavertree Road. It was in the front garden of No.4 Almond Terrace that '203 Picton Road' was later built.