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Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
National
Charlotte Hadfield

Frozen in time Penny Lane laundry that hasn't changed in decades

This red painted building on Penny Lane offers a window to the past as it's home to an old laundry that's seemingly frozen in time.

The building at number 117, is home to G. Leong Laundry and has been for as long as most residents can remember.

But a mystery surrounds the laundry, which is sadly no longer in use, with locals describing it as a "time warp" that "no one seems to comes in or out of."

According to a street directory from 1938, an owner called Fing Wong Yiu was running the laundry at that time.

Today people are believed to live in the flat above.

Posting a photo of the shopfront back in 1984 compared to 2017, the twitter account Liverpool: Then and Now, said: "Sometimes I'm just as interested if a place has hardly changed one bit over the years. Here's 117 Penny Lane, in 1984 and 2017!"

The post sparked the interest of people in the area, with hundreds liking it and others sharing their memories of the laundry.

The former G Leong Laundry on Penny Lane, Liverpool. Photo by Colin Lane (Colin Lane/Liverpool Echo)

One man said: "Used to live there back in “the day”. No one ever goes in, no one ever comes out.

"It is a portal to a different universe but keep that under your hat."

While another said: "It's a complete mystery! Like a time warp. Never seems to change!

"Never seen it open and I pass it regularly! Can anyone "enlighten" us and solve this puzzle?"

One woman said: "We would use this launderette when I was little... is there a newsagents near?"

A man added: "Walk past this every day and still love it. A proper throwback."

Others said they had heard rumours of the building being haunted, with "strange goings on" seen by residents at times.

The former G Leong Laundry on Penny Lane, Liverpool. Photo by Colin Lane (Colin Lane/Liverpool Echo)

An ECHO article from 2008 makes reference to a ghost seen outside the laundry, with claims it has haunted the area since the 1890s.

A section from the story reads: "By the 1930s, Number 44 Penny Lane became the epicentre of well-witnessed poltergeist activity, with loud thumps and shaking floorboards driving a family out.

"The ghost went into hibernation for a while, and was heard even after Number 44 had been damaged by bombing in World War II."

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The article makes reference to other businesses that were on the street in 1955, including Timothy Whites chemist at 41 Penny Lane, Bob Tunna’s butcher’s shop and Crowes’ baker shop.

It adds: "The midnight walker stopped on the roof of George Leong’s laundry at Number 117, and vanished with a loud bang."

The ECHO has approached the residents of 117 Penny Lane for comment.

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