153-594: The Wirral Railway was a railway network in the northern part of the Wirral Peninsula , England. Its route was from Birkenhead Park in the east of the Wirral to West Kirby in the west. A branch off this line at Bidston went north to Secombe and New Brighton. It was incorporated in 1863 as the Hoylake Railway , running from Hoylake to Birkenhead Docks. After changes of name and of ownership, it
306-517: A crypt -like vault . Those on the first floor are entered behind a continuous walkway, often with a sloping shelf between the walkway and the railings overlooking the street. Much of the architecture of central Chester looks medieval and some of it is, but by far the greater part of it, including most of the black-and-white buildings, is Victorian , a result of what Pevsner termed the " black-and-white revival " pioneered by architects John Douglas and T.M. Lockwood . The most prominent buildings in
459-664: A fortress during the Roman expansion northward, and was named Deva either after the goddess of the Dee, or directly from the British name for the river. The 'victrix' part of the name was taken from the title of the Legio XX Valeria Victrix which was based at Deva. Central Chester's four main roads, Eastgate, Northgate, Watergate and Bridgegate, follow routes laid out at this time. A civilian settlement grew around
612-648: A rain shadow effect caused by the Welsh Mountains. Over 1mm of rain is reported on 135.5 days. The Chester Urban Area is an urban area surrounding the city of Chester. The urban area includes the town of Saltney in Flintshire , North Wales and the outlying suburbs of Bache , Blacon , Boughton , Curzon Park , Great Boughton , Handbridge , Huntington , Hoole , Kingsway, Lache , Moston , Newton , Newtown , Queens Park , Upton , Vicars Cross , and Westminster Park . Areas just outside
765-434: A £4.5bn development around the docklands to be called Wirral Waters . The development is a mixture of industrial, office, residential and leisure facilities. Planning permission was granted in 2010 and work began on the site in 2011, with development work potentially lasting for 30 years. The Wirral can be defined both as a geographical peninsula and as a socio-cultural area. The current Metropolitan Borough of Wirral has
918-550: A Grade II listed building. The county police headquarters has since moved again, in 1967, to Nuns Road before leaving the city in 2003 for Clemonds Hey, Winsford . According to the 2011 census, Chester had a large White British proportion of around 110,000 or 90.9% of the population. 1.0% described themselves as Irish. 3.6% as Other White . 2.2% described themselves as Asian. 1.3% described themselves as Mixed Race . 0.6% described themselves as Black or Black British and 0.3% are classed as other. Cheshire West and Chester also has
1071-722: A benign environment. The opening of the Manchester Ship Canal in 1894, with its outfall at Eastham, led to further port-side and industrial development beside the Mersey at Ellesmere Port. In 1886, the Mersey Railway tunnel was opened, linking the Wirral and Liverpool. This led to the further rapid growth of suburbs in the Wirral, particularly in Wallasey, Hoylake and West Kirby, and later Bebington and Heswall. Wallasey's population grew to over 53,000 by 1901, and
1224-655: A charter from Edward III. At this time, large areas of Wirral were owned by Chester Abbey. In 1278 the Abbey was granted the right to hold an annual three-day fair at Bromborough, but the fair declined after the Black Death in 1349. Another fair was established in 1299 at Burton . Meanwhile, Meols continued as an important port, and the eroded coastline there has provided what is described as "the largest collection of medieval domestic items to have come from any single site outside London" . A Subsidy Roll of 1545 shows that
1377-400: A ferry trip to Liverpool landing stage, there changing to a Wallasey Corporation steamer, to complete the journey. Since being taken over by the L.M.S., the Wirral line has been re-laid throughout, and comfortable modern rolling-stock placed in service. Train sets of eight vehicles, former L.N.W. and L. and Y. stock, are now used. The Wirral Railway had been predominantly a passenger line, with
1530-525: A large number of Christians at 76.4%. 14% have no religion, and 8.2% are not stated. 0.7% are Muslim. 0.1% are Sikhs. 0.1% are Jewish. 0.2% are Buddhists. The population was forecast to grow by 5% from 2005 to 2021. The resident population for Chester District in the 2001 Census was 118,200. This represents 17.5% of the Cheshire County total (1.8% of the North West population). The city
1683-540: A locomotive fleet consisting of tank engines. Electrification had been considered as early as 1900; Mercer reported in 1914 that the powers had been acquired; but no action was taken then. In 1936 the LMS decided that the time was right for electrification, and work was put in hand. Station modernisation and signalling improvements were incorporated into the scheme, but the Seacombe line was scheduled for closure. Electric power
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#17327802831841836-742: A major civilian settlement. In 689, King Æthelred of Mercia founded the Minster Church of West Mercia, which later became Chester's first cathedral, and the Angles extended and strengthened the walls to protect the city against the Danes . Chester was one of the last cities in England to fall to the Normans , and William the Conqueror ordered the construction of a castle to dominate the town and
1989-438: A mantle of glacial till , a legacy of the last ice age . Wind-blown sands cover the northern coastal margin. Low ground behind these sand are reclaimed tidal flat deposits which also extend into the heavily modified Birket which occupies a buried bedrock channel. This channel and others beneath the Dee and Mersey estuaries were formed in part by the southeasterly movement of Irish Sea Ice during successive ice ages. Low cliffs of
2142-423: A new oil dock was built at Stanlow near Ellesmere Port, and in 1934 oil refining began there. A large chemical and oil refining complex still dominates the area. In 1929, the 3rd World Scout Jamboree was held at Arrowe Park and this celebrated the 21st Anniversary of the publication of Scouting for Boys . Thirty-five countries were represented by 30,000 Scouts , plus another 10,000 British Scouts who took
2295-599: A palace in a place now known as Edgar's Field near the old Dee bridge in Handbridge. Taking the helm of a barge, he was rowed the short distance up the River Dee from Edgar's Field to the great Minster Church of St John the Baptist by six (the monk Henry Bradshaw records he was rowed by eight kings) tributary kings called reguli . In 1071, King William the Conqueror made Hugh d'Avranches , who built Chester Castle ,
2448-563: A parliament at Thingwall . The pseudo-historical Fragmentary Annals of Ireland appears to record the Hiberno-Scandinavian settlement of the Wirral peninsula in its account of the immigration of Ingimundr near Chester. This Irish source places this settlement in the aftermath of the Vikings' expulsion from Dublin in 902, and an unsuccessful attempt to settle on Anglesey soon afterwards. Following these setbacks, Ingimundr
2601-526: A popular destination for trippers by steamer, but the railway transformed it into a residential town. The Wirral Railway extended from a triangular junction west of Birkenhead Docks to Wallasey, Grove Road. This too opened on 2 January 1888, and was completed as far as New Brighton on 30 March in the same year. The Seacombe, Hoylake and Deeside Railway had been wholly owned by the Wirral Railway Company Limited, and on 11 June 1891 it
2754-472: A population of 312,293 (according to the 2001 census ), and covers an area of 60.35 sq mi (156.3 km ), bounded by the Cheshire Plain , the Dee and the Mersey. The Irish Sea lies to its north west side. The peninsula is formed almost wholly from sedimentary bedrock of Triassic age, being sandstone , mudstones and siltstones . Strata exposed at or near the modern surface include
2907-645: A reconstructed Roman street. One of the blocks in the forecourt of the Castle houses the Cheshire Military Museum. The major public park in Chester is Grosvenor Park . On the south side of the River Dee, in Handbridge , is Edgar's Field, another public park, which contains Minerva's Shrine , a Roman shrine to the goddess Minerva . A war memorial to those who died in the world wars is in
3060-406: A regular train service until 2 July 1866, following a further inspection by Ritchie on that date. There were six trains a day, four on Sundays, running from "Birkenhead Docks" (i.e. Wallasey Bridge Road) to Hoylake; an omnibus connection was operate to Seacombe. "All the stations were of the most elementary type, having cinder platforms very scantily supplied with buildings, a state of affairs which in
3213-460: A small Iron Age fort at Burton , for which the town was named ( burh tūn being Old English for "fort town"). Around AD 70, the Romans founded Chester . Evidence of their occupation on the Wirral has been found, including the remains of a road near Mollington , Ledsham and Willaston . This road may have continued to the port at Meols, which may have been used as a base for attacking
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#17327802831843366-561: A spur leading to the Water Tower , and Thimbleby's Tower . On Eastgate is Eastgate Clock , which is said to be the most photographed clock face in England after those that share the tower with Big Ben . The Rows are unique in Britain. They consist of buildings with shops or dwellings on the lowest two storeys. The shops or dwellings on the ground floor are often lower than the street and are entered by steps, which sometimes lead to
3519-477: A summer music festival and a literature festival . There is a Tourist Information Centre at the town hall. The Cheshire Police Constabulary was historically based in the city from its foundation in 1857. Originally on Seller Street, its headquarters moved to Egerton Street (both since redeveloped), and then from 1870 to 113 Foregate Street, where Parker's Buildings now stand. In 1883, the police headquarters moved to 142 Foregate Street, Chester , now preserved as
3672-412: A temperature of 25.1 °C (77.2 °F) or higher. Given the correctly aligned breezy conditions, a föhn effect will operate, meaning local temperatures are somewhat higher than the surrounding area. The absolute minimum temperature recorded was −18.2 °C (−0.8 °F) during January 1982. Annually, an average of 42.2 air frosts should be recorded. Annual rainfall is barely over 700mm due to
3825-463: A trading port. Evidence of Celtic Christianity from the 5th or 6th centuries is shown in the originally circular shape of churchyards at Bromborough , Woodchurch and elsewhere, and also in the dedication of the parish church at Wallasey to a 4th-century bishop, Hilary of Poitiers . The Celtic names of Liscard and Landican (from Llandecwyn ) both suggest an ancient British origin. The name of Wallasey, meaning "Welsh (or foreigners') island",
3978-464: Is a heritage centre , St Mary-on-the-Hill is an educational centre, and Holy Trinity now acts as the Guildhall. Other notable buildings include the preserved shot tower , the highest structure in Chester, and St Thomas of Canterbury Church . Roman remains can still be found in the city, particularly in the basements of some of the buildings and in the lower parts of the northern section of
4131-571: Is also seen as an east–west divide between the affluent and developing areas of the Wirral. Despite containing urban and industrial areas, the Wirral still has picturesque villages, sandy beaches, large areas of land owned by the National Trust , as well as views across the two estuaries and out into the Irish Sea. Wirral Council has identified over 130 public access points within its administrative area to beaches and to open water. Among
4284-574: Is considered to be an early Christian site: it is known as the Minster of St John the Baptist, Chester (now St John's Church) which later became the first cathedral. Much later, the body of Æthelred's niece, St Werburgh, was removed from Hanbury in Staffordshire in the 9th century and, to save it from desecration by Danish marauders was reburied in the Church of SS Peter & Paul – later to become
4437-453: Is evidence of British settlement. The Welsh name, both ancient and modern, for the Wirral is Cilgwri . In Welsh mythology , the ouzel (or blackbird ) of Cilgwri was one of the most ancient creatures in the world. The Anglo-Saxons under Æthelfrith , king of Northumbria , laid waste to Chester around 616. Æthelfrith withdrew, leaving the area west and south of the Mersey to become part of Mercia , and Anglo-Saxon settlers took over
4590-751: Is evidence of occupation through to the Bronze Age , around 1,000 BC, and funerary urns of the period have been found at West Kirby and Hilbre . Before the time of the Romans , the Wirral was inhabited by a Celtic tribe, the Cornovii . Artefacts discovered in Meols suggest it was an important port from at least 500 BC. Traders came from Gaul and the Mediterranean localities to seek minerals from North Wales and Cheshire. There are remains of
4743-471: Is home to the University of Chester . Formerly a teacher training college, it gained full university status in 2005 and is the county's main provider of tertiary education. The University of Law also has a campus in nearby Christleton . Cheshire College – South & West is a vocational college with campuses in Handbridge as well as Ellesmere Port and Crewe. The King's School , a private school ,
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4896-666: Is stated to have settled near Chester with the consent of Æthelflæd , co-ruler of Mercia . The boundary of the Viking colony is believed to have passed south of Neston and Raby , and along Dibbinsdale . Evidence of Norse speech on the Wirral can still be seen from place name evidence – such as the common -by (meaning "village" in Scandinavian languages) – suffixes and names such as Tranmere , which comes from trani melr (" cranebird sandbank"). Viking Age sculpture corroborates this. Recent Y-DNA research has also revealed
5049-543: Is the most populous settlement of Cheshire West and Chester (which had a population of 357,150 in 2021). It is also the historic county town of Cheshire and the second-largest settlement in Cheshire after Warrington . Chester was founded in 79 AD as a " castrum " or Roman fort with the name Deva Victrix during the reign of Emperor Vespasian . One of the main army camps in Roman Britain , Deva later became
5202-463: The Anglo-Saxon position in the area from then on. The Northumbrian Anglo-Saxons used an Old English equivalent of the British name, Legacæstir , which was current until the 11th century, when, in a further parallel with Welsh usage, the first element fell out of use and the simple name Chester emerged. In 689, King Æthelred of Mercia founded the Minster Church of West Mercia on what
5355-596: The Backford gap, and the town of Ellesmere Port began to develop. The excavation of the New Cut of the Dee, opened in 1737, to improve access to Chester, diverted the river's course to the Welsh side of the estuary and took trade away from the Wirral coastline. Although plans were made to overcome its gradual silting up, including one in 1857 to cut a ship canal from a point between Thurstaston and Heswall to run along
5508-610: The Black-and-white Revival movement. The Industrial Revolution brought railways, canals, and new roads to the city, which saw substantial expansion and development; Chester Town Hall and the Grosvenor Museum are examples of Victorian architecture from this period. Tourism, the retail industry, public administration, and financial services are important to the modern economy. Chester signs itself as Chester International Heritage City on road signs on
5661-592: The Blitz , parts of the Wirral, especially around the docks, suffered extensive bomb damage. There were 464 people killed in Birkenhead and 355 in Wallasey, and 80% of all houses in Birkenhead were either destroyed or badly damaged. During the Second World War, the Wirral held two RAF sites, RAF West Kirby (which was a camp, not an airfield) and RAF Hooton Park and a number of anti-aircraft sites to protect
5814-463: The City of Chester is Samantha Dixon ( Labour ), who has held the seat since a by-election in 2022 . Chester was an ancient borough , with its earliest known charters dating from the twelfth century. It was given the right to appoint its own sheriffs in 1506, making it a county corporate , administratively separate from the rest of Cheshire. The borough gained city status in 1541 on the creation of
5967-569: The Diocese of Chester . The borough was reformed to become a municipal borough in 1836 under the Municipal Corporations Act 1835 , which standardised the way many boroughs operated across the country. When elected county councils were created in 1889, Chester was considered large enough to provide its own county-level services. So it was made a county borough , independent from Cheshire County Council . The county borough
6120-552: The Lady Lever Art Gallery at Port Sunlight and the Williamson Art Gallery in Birkenhead. The historical sites include Birkenhead Priory , Leasowe Lighthouse , Hadlow Road railway station and the buildings and ancient carvings on Bidston Hill . For reasons that are both social and geographical, accents on the east side of the Wirral tend to show a stronger Merseyside influence than those on
6273-608: The Norsemen and the Scots , and thus historians consider it the birthplace of England. The battle site covered a large area of the Wirral. Egil's Saga , a story which tells of the battle, may have referred to the Wirral as Wen Heath, Vínheíþr in Icelandic . After invading England in 1066 and subduing Northumbria in 1069–1070, William the Conqueror invaded and ravaged Chester and its surrounding area, laying waste to much of
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6426-611: The Old Dee Bridge , dating from the 13th century, the Grosvenor Bridge of 1832, and Queen's Park suspension bridge (for pedestrians). To the southwest of the city, the River Dee curves towards the north. The area between the river and the city walls here is known as the Roodee and contains Chester Racecourse , which holds a series of horse races and other events. The first recorded race meet in England at Roodee Fields
6579-734: The Victorian era , many of the buildings being modelled on the Jacobean half-timbered style and designed by John Douglas , who was employed by the Duke as his principal architect. He had a trademark of twisted chimney stacks, many of which can be seen on the buildings in the city centre. Douglas designed, amongst other buildings, the Grosvenor Hotel and the City Baths . In 1911, Douglas' protégé and city architect James Strong designed
6732-528: The 18th century the Wirral side of the Mersey had five ferry houses, at Seacombe , Woodside , the Rock , New Ferry and Eastham. Other communications were also improving. Turnpike roads linking Chester with Eastham, Woodside, and Neston were built after 1787. In 1793, work began on the Ellesmere Canal , connecting the Mersey with Chester and Shropshire through the fluvioglacial landform known as
6885-466: The 1950s and early 1960s, producing, for instance, the suburb of Blacon . In 1964, a bypass was built through and around the city centre to combat traffic congestion. These new developments caused local concern as the physicality and, therefore, the feel of the city was being dramatically altered. In 1968, a report by Donald Insall, in collaboration with authorities and government, recommended that historic buildings be preserved in Chester. Consequently,
7038-497: The 1950s usage of the Seacombe branch declined steeply: both the goods traffic and passenger traffic diminished. The passenger service was withdrawn after the close of service on Sunday 3 January 1960. The branch was closed to all traffic on 17 June 1963. Some years later its route was used for the approach road to the Kingsway Tunnel that opened in 1971. Bidston West to North curve closed officially on 28 November 1983, but
7191-723: The Abbey Church (the present cathedral). Her name is still remembered in St Werburgh's Street, which passes alongside the cathedral, and near the city walls , and in St Werburgh's Roman Catholic church in Grosvenor Park Road. The Anglo-Saxons extended and strengthened the walls of Chester to protect the city against the Danes, who occupied it for a short time until Alfred seized all the cattle and laid waste on
7344-579: The Deathly Hallows – Part 1 during the scene where Harry and Hagrid escape on a flying motorcycle and pass through the tunnel. The scene was filmed while the tunnel was closed for repairs. The 2013 film Fast & Furious 6 tunnel chase scene was filmed in the Queensway Tunnel. The unused Birkenhead Dock branch of the Queensway Tunnel was filmed as a New York underpass in the 2014 movie Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit . In October 2017,
7497-568: The Dee Estuary nature reserve. Places of architectural interest include Hamilton Square , Rock Park and Port Sunlight . The view of the buildings on Liverpool's Pier Head when crossing on the Mersey Ferry is famous. Many villages of the Wirral such as Burton are also well preserved with their characteristic red sandstone buildings and walls. The old port of Parkgate also attracts many visitors. The arts are well represented by
7650-684: The Dee and Mersey estuaries, Irish Sea and... the route of the Shropshire Union Canal between Ellesmere Port and Chester". This definition extends the original hundred slightly further east, to the River Gowy. The Shropshire Union Canal joins the Mersey at Ellesmere Port and the Dee at Chester. This canal technically makes the peninsula an island. In the north of the peninsula, the River Fender , Arrowe Brook and Greasby Brook drain into The Birket , which itself flows into
7803-815: The Hoylake line) to Hawarden Bridge on the River Dee, and another line from the Birkenhead Central station of the Mersey Railway to Woodchurch . Woodchurch was a place on the Dee Extension a little south of the present-day Upton station on the Hawarden Bridge line. In fact the Woodchurch line was not built; but on 14 August 1884 the company were authorised to build from Bidston to New Brighton. Also authorised on 14 August 1884
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#17327802831847956-454: The Industrial Revolution. The population was 23,115 by 1841. A considerable amount of land in Chester is owned by The 7th Duke of Westminster who owns an estate, Eaton Hall , near the village of Eccleston . He also has London properties in Mayfair . Grosvenor is the Duke's family name, which explains such features in the city as the Grosvenor Bridge , the Grosvenor Hotel , and Grosvenor Park. Much of Chester's architecture dates from
8109-403: The Kinnerton Sandstone at Burton Point are part of a relict shoreline, the Dee estuary having silted up during the post-glacial period. The former coast can be traced from Blacon northwest to Burton Point and thence to Parkgate where spring tides still reach the historic coastline. A well developed glacial drainage channel , known as the Deva Spillway cuts across the base of the peninsula between
8262-414: The London and North Eastern Railway under the "grouping" of the railways in 1923.) The train service was further increased in the first years of the twentieth century, amounting to 40 or so trains each way on the main line, with eight on Sundays. The New Brighton line had 37 each way, eight on Sundays, and the Seacombe line had 17 and 8 respectively. Pursuant to the Railways Act 1921 ownership of most of
8415-451: The London and North Western Railway and the Great Western Railway had reached West Kirby, and there were discussions about the provision of a joint station there to include the Wirral operation; but these were inconclusive and separate stations were built. The Wirral rebuilt and extended its West Kirby station in 1898 - 1899. The Wirral Railway had obtained powers for a "Dee Extension" in 1883, but this long route had been unaffordable. In 1889
8568-422: The Lord Mayor. Chester's city status is now formally held by the area of the charter trustees, comprising the 15 wards of Cheshire West and Chester which correspond to the area of the pre-2009 Chester City Council. The official city therefore includes rural areas beyond Chester's built-up area, and had a total population of 138,875 at the 2021 census, compared to 92,760 for the built-up area. Chester lies at
8721-421: The Mersey Railway there; there was to be an intermediate station at Birkenhead Docks. The Docks station was now constructed by the SH&DR and, with a short section of connecting line, opened on 2 January 1888, when Wallasey Bridge Road station was closed. The (original) Wirral Railway constructed the extension to Birkenhead Park, and that opened on the same day. The Mersey Railway had extended its own line to meet
8874-509: The Mersey Tunnel, so the third rail system was adopted. The position of the third rail was the same as on the Watford New Line electrification, and required the Mersey Railway system to alter its third rail from 22 inches outside the running rail to 16 inches, and to fit duplicate collector shoes to its rolling stock. The new rolling stock was in three-car units of which there were 19, with steel bodies and open saloon accommodation. They had air-operated sliding doors, and automatic couplers. There
9027-413: The New Brighton line was electrified, the London service continued at first, and was the only steam hauled passenger service on the New Brighton line. The coaches ran via West Kirby to Hooton, where they were attached to a main line train. The engine power was customarily a class 3F 0-6-0. On 1 January 1948 most of the railways of Great Britain were taken into national ownership under British Railways. In
9180-416: The River Mersey via Wallasey Pool (Birkenhead Docks). Further south, the Clatter Brook and Dibbinsdale Brook drain into the Mersey at Bromborough Pool . Two approximately parallel sandstone ridges run down the length of the peninsula. The western ridge is made up of Grange and Caldy Hills at 256 feet in height, then Thurstaston Hill (298 ft), Poll Hill in Heswall (350 ft, the highest point on
9333-448: The Romans retreated from Britannia , the Romano-British civilian settlement continued (probably with some Roman veterans staying behind with their wives and children) and its occupants probably continued to use the fortress and its defences as protection from raiders from the Irish Sea . After the Roman troops withdrew, the Romano-British established several petty kingdoms. Chester is thought to have become part of Powys . Deverdoeu
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#17327802831849486-413: The Seacombe branch) in 1938, allowing passenger services to be integrated with the Liverpool urban system. Most of the Wirral Railway network is still in use today as part of the Wirral Line of the Merseyrail rail network. The Chester and Birkenhead Railway opened on 23 September 1840. This was the first penetration of the Wirral by a railway, and for some years no further attempt was made to build in
9639-411: The Wirral at Birkenhead Park, and that extension too opened on 2 January 1888. By this time, the train service had been increased to 22 each way on weekdays, 8 on Sundays. For a period, convenient changes of trains were provided at Birkenhead Park, but through trains were run from 1 May 1890. The Wirral engines did not have the power to climb the gradient in the Mersey Tunnel, nor condensing equipment, so
9792-418: The Wirral except the northern tip. Many of the Wirral's villages, such as Willaston, Eastham and Sutton , were established and named at this time. Towards the end of the 9th century, Vikings began raiding the area. They settled along the Dee side of the peninsula, and along the sea coast, giving their villages names such as Kirby , Greasby and Meols. They introduced their own local government system with
9945-456: The Wirral's Mersey coast for industrialisation. The 1820s saw the birth of the area's renowned shipbuilding tradition when William Laird opened his shipyard in Birkenhead , later expanded by his son John Laird . The Lairds were largely responsible for the early growth of Birkenhead, commissioning the architect James Gillespie Graham to lay it out as a new town modelled on Edinburgh . In 1847, Birkenhead's first docks and its municipal park ,
10098-401: The Wirral) and Burton (222 ft). The less continuous eastern ridge consists of Bidston Hill (231 ft), Prenton (259 ft) and Storeton Hill (229 ft). The shallow Fender valley runs between these ridges. The Wirral features a temperate maritime climate ( Köppen : Cfb ) with mild summers, cool winters and rainfall spread evenly throughout the year. A weather station
10251-404: The Wirral. James Atherton and William Rowson developed the resort of New Brighton , and new estates for the gentry were also built at Egremont , Oxton , Claughton and Rock Ferry. Arrowe Hall was built for the Shaw family in 1835. In the mid-19th century docks were established at Birkenhead and in the Wallasey Pool, and continuing development for a wide range of industry both there and along
10404-521: The Wirral. The Domesday survey of 1086 shows that the Wirral then was more densely populated than most of England, and the manor of Eastham , which covered most of the east of the peninsula from Bidston to the River Gowy , was the second largest in Cheshire. Of the 28 former lords of the Wirral manors listed, 12 bore Norse names. By 1086, most of the area was in the hands of Norman lords such as Robert of Rhuddlan , his cousin Hugh d'Avranches , and Hamo de Mascy . The survey shows 405 family heads living in
10557-472: The Wirral: notably, Ellesmere Port is often described as one of its "border towns". For regional economic planning, the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral is considered part of the Liverpool City Region . There are many towns and villages on the Wirral. Those administered by the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral are listed in List of towns and villages in Wirral (borough) . Those also on the Wirral but administered by Cheshire West and Chester include: The M53
10710-442: The area where boulder clay was absent. The eastern and northern parts of Chester consisted of heathland and forest. The western side towards the Dee Estuary was marsh and wetland habitats. Chester has an oceanic climate ( Köppen : Cfb ), typical of the British Isles but more susceptible to cold than the extreme south. Despite its proximity to the Irish Sea , the temperature regime is similar to areas further inland, owing to
10863-410: The areas of open land are Bidston Hill , Caldy Hill , Eastham Country Park , including the Victorian Pleasure Gardens, Hilbre Island , North Wirral Coastal Park , Thurstaston Common and Thor's Stone and the Wirral Way . Ness Botanical Gardens are part of the University of Liverpool and have won many awards. The visitor centre at RSPB Burton Mere Wetlands provides birdwatching facilities in
11016-464: The banks of the Mersey. The New Chester Road was opened in 1833. The Wirral's first railway was built in 1840, planned by George Stephenson and connecting Birkenhead with Chester . In 1852 Price's Patent Candle Company built a factory and model village at Bromborough. This was followed in 1888 by William Lever 's establishment of the much larger Sunlight soap factory and Port Sunlight garden village, designed to house its employees and provide them with
11169-527: The basement of 39 Bridge Street, which is open to the public. Of the original medieval city, the most important surviving structure is Chester Castle , particularly the Agricola Tower. Much of the rest of the castle has been replaced by the neoclassical county court and its entrance, the Propyleum. To the south of the city runs the River Dee, with its 11th-century weir . The river is crossed by
11322-471: The buildings were used in new and different ways instead of being demolished. The City Conservation Area was designated in 1969. Over the next twenty years, the emphasis was placed on saving historic buildings, such as The Falcon Inn , Dutch Houses , and Kings Buildings. On 13 January 2002, Chester was granted the first UK Fairtrade City status by the Fairtrade Foundation . In 2011 this
11475-423: The case of the intermediate stations has persisted to the time of electrification." Although passenger business was very brisk at first, this soon tailed off and the financial performance of the company was very poor, and the train service was reduced. Robinson wrote: "The building of the line was premature, however. Hoylake in those days was a small fishing village and the rest of the coast quite undeveloped, and it
11628-543: The circuit is in the southwest section in front of County Hall . A footpath runs along the top of the walls, crossing roads by bridges over Eastgate, Northgate , St Martin's Gate, Watergate , Bridgegate , Newgate , and the Wolf Gate, and passing a series of structures, namely Phoenix Tower (or King Charles' Tower), Morgan's Mount , the Goblin Tower (or Pemberton's Parlour ), and Bonewaldesthorne's Tower with
11781-507: The city and bounded by the Shropshire Union Canal , was at the very heart of this industry. The large Chester Cattle Market and the two Chester railway stations, Chester General and Chester Northgate Station , meant that Newtown with its cattle market and canal , and Hoole with its railways were responsible for providing the vast majority of workers and in turn, the vast amount of Chester's wealth production throughout
11934-531: The city centre are the town hall and the cathedral . The town hall was opened in 1869. It is in Gothic Revival style and has a tower and a short spire. The cathedral was formerly the church of St Werburgh's Abbey . Its architecture dates back to the Norman era, with additions made most centuries since. A series of major restorations took place in the 19th century, and in 1975, a separate bell tower
12087-480: The city include: Christleton , Eccleston , Guilden Sutton , Littleton , Mickle Trafford , Mollington , Saughall and Waverton . The more unusual landmarks in the city are the city walls , the Rows and the black-and-white architecture. The walls encircle the bounds of the medieval city and constitute the most complete city walls in Britain, the full circuit measuring nearly 2 miles (3 km). The only break in
12240-476: The city walls. The most important Roman feature is the amphitheatre just outside the walls, which underwent archaeological investigation in the early 21st century. Roman artefacts are on display in the Roman Gardens which run parallel to the city walls from Newgate to the River Dee, where there's also a reconstructed hypocaust system . An original hypocaust system discovered in the 1720s can be seen in
12393-465: The convenience of travel by the Mersey Railway over a transfer to a ferry that could not convey them to the centre of Liverpool. The eastern chord of the triangular junction with the New Brighton line was chiefly used by a summer passenger service between Seacombe and New Brighton, but by this time a direct tramway service was in operation, and this was found much more convenient. The train service
12546-472: The docks of Birkenhead and Liverpool. After the Second World War , economic decline began in the older industries in the area which had started to become known as Merseyside. However, there continued to be industrial development along the Mersey between Birkenhead and Ellesmere Port, including the large Vauxhall Motors car factory on the site of RAF Hooton Park. Plans were announced in 2006 for
12699-615: The dominant traffic had been iron ore trains which ceased in 1980. Wirral Peninsula The Wirral Peninsula ( / ˈ w ɪr əl / ), known locally as the Wirral , is a peninsula in North West England . The roughly rectangular peninsula is about 15 miles (24 km) long and 7 miles (11 km) wide, and is bounded by the Dee Estuary to the west, the Mersey Estuary to the east, and Liverpool Bay to
12852-477: The eastern end of the network, and traffic had to be suspended. It was reported: Sale of a Railway: ln pursuance of a Chancery decree, obtained by Mr. Robert Vyner, who has never been paid for his land, that portion of the Birkenhead and Hoylake Railway which runs through his property, was offered for sale by auction at the Queen’s Hotel, Chester , on Saturday [18 September 1869]. One of the conditions of sale
13005-491: The end of the run: the motorman emerged from his compartment with a hose, lifted an iron cover plate from a hole in the station platform and connected the hose to an underground air-supply line. Incredible though it may seem, there was no compressor on the train, but reliance was placed on periodic charging of a reservoir which fed air to the Westinghouse brakes and also to the Westinghouse electro-pneumatic controllers for
13158-527: The event the Seacombe portion of the line was not built at this stage as it would have been particularly expensive. Accordingly, the railway was constructed as a single line from Hoylake to Wallasey Bridge Road only, a distance of just over five miles. It was inspected by Captain Ritchie of the Board of Trade on 16 June 1866 and was opened to traffic on Monday 18 June 1866. However this apparently did not result in
13311-659: The first Earl of Chester (second creation) . From the 14th to the 18th century, the city's prominent position in North West England meant it was commonly known as Westchester. This name was used by Celia Fiennes when she visited the city in 1698. and is also used in Moll Flanders . In the English Civil War, Chester sided with the royalist cause of King Charles I but was subdued by the Parliamentarians in 1643. The Mayor of Chester, Charles Walley,
13464-472: The first in Britain and the inspiration for New York's Central Park , were opened, and the town expanded rapidly. Bolstered by migration from Ireland, Wales and rural Cheshire, Birkenhead's population of less than one thousand in 1801 rose to over 33,000 by 1851, and to 157,000 by 1901. The town became a borough in 1877, incorporating within it Oxton and Tranmere. The improved communications also allowed Liverpool merchants to buy up and develop large estates on
13617-518: The following (in stratigraphic order i.e. uppermost/youngest at top): A small outcrop of Carboniferous rocks occurs around Little Neston, being an extension of the Flintshire Coalfield across the Dee estuary. These Coal Measures rocks were formerly exploited by a small mining operation . The strata have a slight, generally easterly dip and are cut by numerous extensional faults most of which are aligned broadly north–south. For
13770-632: The forest laws was a chief forester who was appointed with a ceremonial horn , and the position soon became a hereditary responsibility of the Stanley family . However, after complaints from minor Wirral landowners about the wildness of the area and oppression by the Stanleys, Edward the Black Prince as Earl of Chester agreed to a charter confirming the disafforestation of the Wirral, shortly before his death from amoebic dysentery . The proclamation
13923-573: The former Mersey Railway route, now also, of course part of the LMS. Trains ran every 15 minutes, enhanced to 10 minutes at the busiest times. The Seacombe branch passenger service was now exclusively operated by steam trains of the London and North Eastern Railway (as successor since 1923 to the Great Central Railway ). Through coaches from New Brighton to London had been inaugurated in 1923, one journey in each direction being made. When
14076-467: The genetic trail left by Scandinavians on the Wirral, specifically relatively high rates of the haplogroup R1a , associated in Britain with Scandinavian ancestry. Bromborough on the Wirral is also one of the possible sites of an epic battle in 937, the Battle of Brunanburh , which confirmed England as an Anglo-Saxon kingdom. This is the first battle where England united to fight the combined forces of
14229-451: The length of the Wirral to Chester, this and other schemes came to nothing, and the focus of general trade moved irrevocably to the much deeper Mersey. However, from the late 18th century there was coal mining near Neston, in tunnels stretching up to two miles (three kilometres) under the Dee, and a quay at Denhall was used for coal exports. The first steam ferry service across the Mersey started in 1817, and steam-powered ships soon opened up
14382-514: The main line railways of Great Britain was transferred to one or other of four new large companies; the process was known as the "grouping". The Wirral Railway Company became part of the new London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) at the beginning of 1923. Writing in 1928, McNaught said At present the only through connection to and from the Wirral section is represented by one or more through carriages running once daily in each direction between New Brighton and London (Euston). Instead of entering
14535-624: The main roads entering the city. Charles Leigh concluded in 1701 that there was probably a British city called Genuina (or Gunia) before the arrival of the Romans. The Roman Legio II Adiutrix during the reign of the Emperor Vespasian founded Chester in AD 79 as a " castrum " or Roman fort with the name Deva Victrix . It was established in the land of the Celtic Cornovii , according to ancient cartographer Ptolemy , as
14688-501: The military base, which probably originated from trade with the fortress. The fortress was 20% larger than other fortresses in the Roman province of Britannia built around the same time at York ( Eboracum ) and Caerleon ( Isca Augusta ); this has led to the suggestion that the fortress, rather than London ( Londinium ), was intended to become the capital of the Roman province of Britannia Superior . The civilian amphitheatre , which
14841-587: The monasteries , and ruins of the former east end remain outside the church. Much of the interior is in Norman style and this is considered to be the best example of 11th–12th-century church architecture in Cheshire. At the intersection of the former Roman roads is Chester Cross , to the north of which is the small church of St Peter's , which is in use as an ecumenical centre. Other churches are now redundant and have other uses: St Michael's in Bridge Street
14994-473: The most part the bedrock is poorly exposed being covered by superficial deposits of Quaternary age. Notable exposures of the Helsby Sandstone occur at Bidston Hill and at Red Rocks at the northwestern tip of the Wirral along with the tidal islands at Hilbre . Elsewhere Mercia Mudstone rocks outcrop prominently at Caldy Hill, Thurstaston Common and Heswall Dales. Much of the Wirral is covered by
15147-407: The nearby Welsh border. Chester was granted city status in 1541. The city walls of Chester are some of the best-preserved in the country and have Grade I listed status. Apart from a 100-metre (330 ft) section, the walls are almost complete. It has several medieval buildings. However, many of the black-and-white buildings within the city centre are Victorian restorations, originating from
15300-562: The north Wales coast. Storeton Quarry may also have been used by Romans for materials for sculpture. Remains of possible Roman roads have also been found at Greasby and at Bidston . By the end of the Roman period, pirates were a menace to traders in the Irish Sea , and soldiers may have been garrisoned at Meols to combat this threat. Although Roman rule ended with the departure of the last Roman troops in 410, later coins and other material found at Meols show that it continued to operate as
15453-680: The north. Historically, the Wirral was wholly in Cheshire ; in the Domesday Book , its border with the rest of the county was placed at "two arrow falls from Chester city walls". However, since the Local Government Act 1972 , only the southern third has been in Cheshire, with almost all the rest lying in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral , Merseyside . An area of saltmarsh and reclaimed land adjoining
15606-576: The only bid; the lot including the Dock Cottages station, North Birkenhead (where the line commences), adjoining land, and the railway as far as lot two, which included the Bidston station, and a length beyond this lot being also knocked down to Mr. Roberts for 1,500 l . No offers were made for the other two lots. It was stated that Mr. Roberts was acting for Mr. Vyner. In fact Vyner had bought back his own land, and generously did not force closure of
15759-648: The opportunity to camp in the vicinity. The rail tunnel under the Mersey was supplemented by a vehicle tunnel in 1934, the Queensway Tunnel . A third tunnel opened in 1971, the Kingsway Tunnel , connecting with the M53 motorway which now runs up the centre of the peninsula. These new roads contributed to the massive growth of commuting by car between Liverpool and the Wirral, and the development of new suburban estates around such villages as Moreton , Upton, Greasby, Pensby , and Bromborough. In 1940–1941, as part of
15912-537: The parish of Bebington) and Liscard, and were the same size as small rural villages. The Wirral's proximity to the port of Chester influenced the history of the Dee side of the peninsula. From about the 14th century, Chester provided facilities for trade with Ireland, Spain, and Germany, and seagoing vessels would "lay to" in the Dee awaiting favourable winds and tides. As the Dee started to silt up, harbouring facilities developed at Shotwick, Burton, Neston, Parkgate , Dawpool , and "Hoyle Lake" or Hoylake . However, there
16065-566: The peninsula, suggesting a total population of 2,000–3,000. The Earls of Chester ruled the whole of the County Palatine , including the Wirral, almost as "a kingdom within a kingdom" for about 250 years. Between 1120 and 1123, Earl Ranulph le Meschin made several edicts that converted the Wirral into a hunting forest . This made the area subject to Forest Law which made the hunting of game, such as deer and boar , by unauthorised persons subject to harsh penalties. To enforce
16218-664: The peninsula. Observing the success of the Liverpool, Crosby and Southport Railway in encouraging residential building, and travel, a group of business people led by Braithwaite Pool, a career railwayman, proposed a railway, to be called the Hoylake Railway. It was to connect Hoylake with Birkenhead. The route was soon modified to connect Seacombe (instead of Birkenhead) to Hoylake, with a branch from Bidston to Wallasey Bridge Road to serve Birkenhead docks. Parliamentary powers were obtained on 28 July 1863. Authorised capital
16371-417: The population of the Wirral was no more than 4,000. The peninsula was divided into 15 parishes (Wallasey, Bidston, Upton , Woodchurch, West Kirby, Thurstaston , Heswall , Bebington , Bromborough, Eastham, Neston , Burton, Shotwick , Backford and Stoke ). Most parishes were subdivided into smaller townships, of which the largest in terms of population were Neston, Burton, Wallasey, Tranmere (then within
16524-749: The powers for construction were transferred to the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway and the Wrexham, Mold and Connah's Quay Railway jointly. The line became known as the North Wales and Liverpool Railway and the transfer was authorised by Act of 12 May 1889. The Wirral Railway's interest in the line was at an end, but the MS&;LR and the WM&;CQR acquired running powers to Seacombe, which they later exercised. (The two companies became part of
16677-453: The railway for some time. However he must have lost patience eventually, for on 30 June 1870 a writ of ejectment was secured for him, and the Hoylake Railway was required to remove all its movable assets from the affected land. The section of line westward from Leasowe to Hoylake, outside Vyner's area of interest, was kept in operation for the time being, from 8 July 1870. Road coaches provided connections from Leasowe level crossing, where there
16830-413: The right to appoint a Lord Mayor . Chester City Council was abolished in 2009 when local government across Cheshire was reorganised; Cheshire County Council was also abolished, and the three districts of Chester, Ellesmere Port and Neston and Vale Royal merged to form a unitary authority called Cheshire West and Chester. Charter trustees were established to maintain Chester's city status and appoint
16983-573: The shelter provided by the Pennines to the northeast and the Welsh Mountains to the southwest. The nearest official weather station is at Hawarden Airport , about 4 miles (6.4 km) west of the city centre. The absolute maximum temperature recorded was 37.1 °C (98.8 °F) on 18 July 2022, the highest temperature reported in Wales. In an average year, the warmest day should reach 29.3 °C (84.7 °F), and 12.0 days in total should attain
17136-532: The south-west of the peninsula lies in the Welsh county of Flintshire . The name Wirral literally means " myrtle corner", from the Old English wir , a myrtle tree, and heal , an angle, corner or slope. It is supposed that the land was once overgrown with bog myrtle, a plant no longer found in the area, but plentiful around Formby , to which the Wirral would once have had a similar habitat . The name
17289-479: The southern end of a 2-mile (3.2 km) Triassic sandstone ridge that rises to a height of 42 m within a natural S-bend in the River Dee (before the course was altered in the 18th century). The bedrock, also known as the Chester Pebble Beds, is noticeable because of the many small stones trapped within its strata. Retreating glacial sheet ice also deposited quantities of sand and marl across
17442-645: The surrounding land to drive them out. It was Alfred's daughter Æthelflæd , Lady of the Mercians, that built the new Anglo-Saxon burh . A new Church dedicated to St Peter alone was founded in AD 907 by the Lady Æthelfleda at what was to become the Cross. In 973, the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle records that, two years after his coronation at Bath, King Edgar of England came to Chester where he held his court in
17595-477: The system, also made the short connection between Wallasey Bridge Road and the docks. Both of these new sections were opened on 1 April 1878. Now concentrating on its railway operation, the company changed its name to the Seacombe, Hoylake and Deeside Railway , by an act of Parliament of 18 July 1881. The Wirral Railway was incorporated by act of 13 June 1883; it was to build a "Dee Extension" line from Bidston (on
17748-442: The terminal station at West Kirby, this train passes direct on to the joint line there, and is detached at Hooton to join a through express from Birkenhead (Woodside). This innovation has been very popular since its introduction in 1923, as the journey from Birkenhead to New Brighton, though only some 5 miles as the crow flies, is in actuality somewhat inconvenient, involving either the crossing of Birkenhead Docks by swing bridges, or
17901-442: The then-active fire station on the west side of Northgate Street. Another feature of all buildings belonging to the estate of Westminster is the 'Grey Diamonds' – a weaving pattern of grey bricks in the red brickwork laid out in a diamond formation. Towards the end of World War II , a lack of affordable housing meant many problems for Chester. Large areas of farmland on the city's outskirts were developed as residential areas in
18054-479: The town also achieved borough status soon after the turn of the century. The dockland areas of Wallasey and Birkenhead continued to develop and prosper in the first half of the century, specialising in trade with Africa and the Far East. A host of other port-related industries then came into existence, such as flour milling, tanning, edible oil refining and the manufacture of paint and rubber-based products. In 1922
18207-523: The town hall and it contains the names of all Chester servicemen who died in the First World War. There are cruises on the River Dee and the Shropshire Union Canal, as well as guided open-air bus tours. The river cruises and bus tours start from a riverside area known as the Groves, which contains seating and a bandstand . A series of festivals is organised in the city, including mystery plays ,
18360-399: The traction motors. When a satisfactory charge had been obtained, the motorman turned off the cocks on supply-pipe and reservoir, and pulled up the hose with a loud "sssh—ack" as the air in the hose escaped. The Wirral line was operated on the third rail system but the Mersey Railway system was on fourth rail , so the new trains were fitted with negative contact shoes and a contactor which
18513-468: The trains changed engines at Birkenhead Park. The through trains continued until 30 June 1894, when disagreements between the Wirral and Mersey companies led to a suspension of co-operation. Writing in 1914, Mercer observed that the Wirral had become known as "'The Dormitory of Liverpool' owing to the number of people who reside on the Cheshire side of the Mersey and travel across under the water daily to and from business." In addition, New Brighton had become
18666-493: The tunnel branch was used for the filming of the drama, Bulletproof , starring Noel Clarke and Ashley Walters . Scenes for the 2016 film Florence Foster Jenkins , starring Hugh Grant and Meryl Streep , were filmed around New Brighton. In television, sitcom Watching , produced by Granada Television between 1987 and 1993, was partly set and filmed at various Wirral locations, particularly Meols . More recently, Mike Bassett: Manager , starring Ricky Tomlinson
18819-468: The two estuaries on either side of the Wirral and is interpreted as having played a major part in the deglaciation of the region in late-glacial/post-glacial times. Although it has been stated that "it is difficult to find any work in which there is a written description of the exact area defining the Wirral Peninsula", historian Stephen Roberts defines it as "the peninsula which is bounded by
18972-707: The west side. Neston once had a distinctive dialect derived from the migrant workers at the Denhall Colliery. The Wirral has hosted a variety of different films and television programmes. Chariots of Fire was filmed at various locations on the Wirral including the Oval Sports Centre, Bebington , the Woodside Ferry Terminal, and Bridge Cottage in Port Sunlight village, while the 1950 Ealing comedy The Magnet
19125-670: Was a Welsh name for Chester as late as the 12th century (cf Dyfrdwy , Welsh for the river Dee). Another, attested in the 9th-century History of the Britons traditionally attributed to Nennius , is Cair Legion (" Fort " or " City of the Legion"); this later developed into Caerlleon and then the modern Welsh Caer . (The town's importance is noted by its taking the simpler form in each case, while Isca Augusta in Monmouthshire , another important legionary base,
19278-553: Was a follow-up to the film Mike Bassett: England Manager , and featured a fictional football club called Wirral County, a parody of Tranmere Rovers , who Bassett (Tomlinson) managed after being sacked from the England job. Chester Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire , England, on the River Dee , close to the England-Wales border . With a built-up area population of 92,760 in 2021, it
19431-597: Was a separate company, the Wirral Railway Company Limited . This new company was authorised to purchase the previous Wirral Railway company as well as the Seacombe, Hoylake and Deeside Railway. Having acquired those companies, the WRC Ltd kept them in existence for the time being. In substitution for the cancelled Woodchurch line, the earlier Wirral Railway company had obtained powers to extend from near Wallasey Bridge Road to Birkenhead Park, joining
19584-469: Was abolished in 1974, merging with the former Chester Rural District and Tarvin Rural District which covered the surrounding rural areas to create a new Chester district , which was a district-level authority with Cheshire County Council providing county-level services. Chester's city status was extended to cover the whole of the district created in 1974. In 1992, Chester City Council was given
19737-478: Was automatically operated according to the system. This was considered to be a cheaper option than installing a fourth rail throughout the new Wirral electrified area. There was a 50-foot gap in the conductor rails at each end of the Birkenhead Park station: the only such changing point on any British Railway. The new service was inaugurated on 13 March 1938, with trains running through to Liverpool through
19890-415: Was built in the 1st century, could seat between 8,000 and 10,000 people. It is the largest known military amphitheatre in Britain, and is also a Scheduled Monument . The Minerva Shrine in the Roman quarry is the only rock-cut Roman shrine still in situ in Britain. The fortress was garrisoned by the legion until at least the late 4th century. Although the army had abandoned the fortress by 410 when
20043-454: Was discontinued in 1911, and the east chord was closed and the rails sent to France during World War I . The main line to West Kirby was single track, with passing places at Moreton and Hoylake after 1878. With increasing traffic volumes this became an operational difficulty, and the line was doubled as far as Hoylake in June 1895; Hoylake to West Kirby was doubled in 1896. The joint railway of
20196-464: Was dissolved by Act of 1 July 1872, when a new company, the Hoylake & Birkenhead Rail and Tramway Company was incorporated. It was authorised to operate street running tramways in Birkenhead, and to take over the assets and operation of the Hoylake Railway. It acquired the assets of the Hoylake Company for £22,000 and settled the outstanding debt with Vyner. The railway part of its operation
20349-451: Was extended to the entire borough. There is one main tier of local government covering Chester, at unitary authority level, being Cheshire West and Chester Council . Much of the Chester urban area is an unparished area , but some of the suburbs are included in civil parishes such as Great Boughton and Upton-by-Chester and there is also a small parish in the centre of the city called Chester Castle . The Member of Parliament for
20502-537: Was filmed in Wallasey and New Brighton. The 51st State was partly filmed around the docks in Birkenhead. Awaydays , based on a novel of the same name by Kevin Sampson , was filmed extensively on the Wirral. In 2012 the movie Blood , starring Paul Bettany and Stephen Graham was filmed on the Wirral. The Queensway Tunnel in Birkenhead is also featured in the Harry Potter film, Harry Potter and
20655-400: Was fully absorbed. Construction to Seacombe itself was now undertaken; as this was a ferry terminal, heavy residential traffic was foreseen. Branching from the New Brighton line by another triangular junction, the Seacombe line was difficult in engineering terms, but it was opened on 1 June 1895. The hoped-for residential traffic did not develop as intended, with residential passengers preferring
20808-703: Was given to the Hundred of Wirral (or Wilaveston) around the 8th century. The earliest evidence of human occupation of the Wirral dates from the Mesolithic period, around 12,000 BC. Excavations at Greasby have uncovered flint tools, signs of stake holes and a hearth used by a hunter-gatherer community. Other evidence from about the same period has been found at Irby , Hoylake and New Brighton . Later Neolithic stone axes and pottery have been found in Oxton , Neston , and Meols . At Meols and New Brighton there
20961-419: Was issued by his father Edward III on 20 July 1376. At the end of the 12th century, Birkenhead Priory stood on the west bank of the Mersey at a headland of birch trees, from which the town derives its name. The ruined priory is Merseyside's oldest surviving building and its Benedictine monks provided the first official Mersey ferry service around 1330, having been granted a passage to Liverpool by
21114-517: Was known first as Caerleon on the Usk , and now as Caerleon ). King Arthur is said to have fought his ninth battle at the "city of the legions" ( Caerlleon ) and later St Augustine came to the city to try to unite the church, and held his synod with the Welsh Bishops. In 616, Æthelfrith of Northumbria defeated a Welsh army at the brutal and decisive Battle of Chester and probably established
21267-448: Was maintained on the peninsula, at Bidston , between 1845 and 2002. The major urban centres of the Wirral are to its east: these include Birkenhead and Wallasey . To the west and south, the Wirral is more rural. Two-thirds of the population of the Wirral live on one third of the land in Birkenhead and Wallasey, according to Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council. Other towns to the south and west of this area are usually considered part of
21420-456: Was no proper station, and Birkenhead and Seacombe. A new company, the Hoylake & Birkenhead Tramway Company , was formed on 19 November 1870. Its objective may have been to acquire the Hoylake company's line and convert it to a tramway. It soon deposited a parliamentary bill to build a line from Woodside to Birkenhead Docks, but there proved to be procedural difficulties and the new company
21573-462: Was not a gradual progression of development, and downstream anchorages such as that at Hoyle Lake (which replaced Meols) were in occasional use from medieval times, depending on the weather and state of the tide. The main port facilities were at Neston and Parkgate. At the same time, larger ships and economic growth in Lancashire stimulated the growth of Liverpool . The first wet dock in Britain
21726-478: Was on 9 February 1540. The Shropshire Union Canal runs to the north of the city and a branch leads from it to the River Dee. The major museum in Chester is the Grosvenor Museum, which includes a collection of Roman tombstones and an art gallery . Associated with the museum is 20 Castle Street, which has rooms furnished in different historical styles. The Deva Roman Experience has hands-on exhibits and
21879-598: Was one motor coach in each three car unit, and it was equipped with four 135 hp motors. Additional power was considered to be required for the steep gradients in the Mersey Tunnel. Electrical equipment was supplied by British Thomson-Houston , and the vehicles were manufactured by Metropolitan Carriage and Wagon Company and the Birmingham Railway Carriage and Wagon Company . The units later became British Rail Class 503 . Automatic notching
22032-517: Was opened in Liverpool in 1715, and the town's population grew from some 6,000 to 80,000 during the 18th century. The need to develop and protect the port led to a chain of lighthouses being built along the north Wirral coast. The commercial expansion of Liverpool, and the increase in stage coach traffic from Chester, also spurred the growth of ferries across the River Mersey . By the end of
22185-407: Was opened. The elaborately carved canopies of the choir stalls are considered to be among the finest in the country. Also in the cathedral is the shrine of St Werburgh . The former monastic buildings are north of the cathedral. The oldest church in the city is St John's , which is outside the city walls and was at one time the cathedral church. The church was shortened after the dissolution of
22338-433: Was provided. When the trains were running in the Mersey Tunnel where there is a gradient of 1 in 27, provision was made to increase the notching point of the acceleration relay. This could be actuated by a sealed push-button in the driver's cab, for use in exceptional circumstances, such as a six-car train operating with one motor coach out of action. Tuplin wrote that the new vehicles did not have an on-board air compressor; at
22491-486: Was purchased by the Wirral Railway Company Limited in 1884. The network was extended to West Kirby , New Brighton , and Seacombe , and to Birkenhead Park station where it joined the Mersey Railway , enabling through trains through the Mersey Railway Tunnel to Liverpool . In the 1923 grouping the Wirral company became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway , which electrified the line (except
22644-489: Was removed from office and replaced by Alderman William Edwards. Another alderman, Francis Gamull , a royalist MP and former Mayor, was ordered to surrender Dee Mills: they were to be demolished, and new mills built on city land. Chester played a significant part in the Industrial Revolution , which began in the North West of England in the late 18th century. The city village of Newtown, located northeast of
22797-402: Was soon found that the traffic was too small to make it a paying concern. Money was also owing from the construction of the line, and a Mr Vyner of Bidston had not been paid for land the company had acquired from him; the debt was £9,000, which the company did not have at its disposal; indeed its other liabilities amounted to £20,000. He was able to arrange for bailiffs to seize part of the line at
22950-546: Was started on 1 August 1872, Vyner's part of the line evidently having been retained intact. In 1873 the company opened a street tramway between Wallasey Bridge Road and the Woodside ferry terminal in Birkenhead. This was of course horse-operated; it was sold on to the Birkenhead Tramway Company on 11 October 1879. The company extended the railway line from Hoylake to West Kirby, and, at the other end of
23103-400: Was taken at 11 kV 50 Hz 3 phase from the Clarence Dock power station; the cables were laid through the Mersey Tunnel. The traction supply to the trains was at 650 V DC by third rail. Goods traffic continued to be steam hauled. 10 + 1 ⁄ 2 route miles of railway were electrified. It had been proposed to electrify at 1,500 v dc overhead, but this was technically impossible through
23256-466: Was that the purchaser was to pay, beyond his bid for the land, for everything found upon it a valuation made by the auctioneers, Messrs. Churton and Elphick. The solicitor representing the railway company protested against anything but the land being sold; but the auctioneer said he was acting under the authority of the Court of Chancery, and proceeded to put up the four "lots". The first lot was knocked down to Messrs. Roberts and Potts, Chester, for 4,000 l ,
23409-412: Was £100,000 with £33,000 in permitted borrowing. The Hoylake company desposited further bills in quick succession, showing a desire to reach far beyond the initial area and break the Great Western Railway (GWR) and London and North Western Railway (LNWR) duopoly in the Wirral; these proposals included a long viaduct over the River Dee to Mostyn . All the Bills were heavily cut back or rejected. In
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