34-677: Heswall ( / ˈ h ɛ z w ɔː l , - w ʊ l / ) is a coastal town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral in Merseyside , England. It was historically part of Cheshire and is located on the Wirral Peninsula . In the 2011 Census , the population was 13,401, which included the nearby village of Gayton . Located on the eastern side of the Dee Estuary , with views across the river to North Wales , Heswall
68-439: 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. When the borough was set up in 1974, it inherited comprehensive systems from the former County Boroughs of Birkenhead and Wallasey . In
102-757: A community-based station. The town's local newspapers are the Liverpool Echo and the Wirral Globe. Heswall F.C. , founded in 1891, play at Gayton Park on Brimstage Road and competes in the West Cheshire Association Football League . Heswall Lawn Tennis Club, based at Quarry Road East for over 100 years, competes in the Cheshire Lawn Tennis Association Inter Club League. Heswall Golf Club, on Cottage Lane,
136-482: A possible devolution deal to confer greater powers on the region. Discussions include whether to introduce an elected 'Metro Mayor' to oversee the entire metropolitan area. After the local elections in 2008 the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral was governed by a Labour Party/Liberal Democrat coalition, the second and third largest parties on the council respectively. Steve Foulkes of Labour was leader of
170-585: A reduced majority. Wirral Council maintains five designated Local Nature Reserves : Bidston Moss, Dibbinsdale, Heswall Dales , Hilbre Island and Thurstaston Common . It also operates the Merseyside part of Wirral Country Park , which was the first country park to be established in Britain. The Metropolitan Borough of Wirral is twinned or has sister city relationships with: The following people, military units, organisations and groups have received
204-481: A result of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 , which effectively changed secondary modern schools into comprehensives as schools were no longer permitted to select by examination failure. In summary, Wirral now has a state secondary sector made up of 16 comprehensive schools (of which two are Roman Catholic) and 6 grammar schools (of which two are Roman Catholic). The Metropolitan Borough of Wirral
238-545: A retreat, but the arrival of two railway connections allowed them to commute. One line is the Borderlands Line from Wrexham Central to Bidston which opened in 1896. This line is still active and has Heswall railway station on the eastern edge of the town. The station was formerly called Heswall Hills to distinguish it from the older, now demolished, Heswall station . The old station was in Station Road in
272-535: A short distance back up Telegraph Road towards Heswall. The Royal Liverpool Children's Hospital originally opened in Heswall as Liverpool Country Hospital for Children in 1909. The hospital was situated on a 3.6 ha (9-acre) site purchased in 1900. It stood on the opposite side of Telegraph Road from ' The Puddydale ’ and had a clock tower and grounds with views over the Dee estuary. The hospital closed in 1985 and there
306-660: Is England 's westernmost metropolitan borough , faced by the city of Liverpool to the northeast over the River Mersey . Bordering is the River Mersey to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and the River Dee to the west; the borough of Cheshire West and Chester occupies the remainder of the Wirral Peninsula and borders the borough of Wirral to the south. The borough was formed on 1 April 1974, under
340-626: Is 13 miles from Chester and 10 miles from Liverpool (via the Queensway (Birkenhead) Tunnel or 56 miles (avoiding the tunnels). The towers of Liverpool's cathedrals can be seen on the horizon from the town. Before the Norman Conquest , Heswall has been cited as a possible location for Dingesmere , mentioned with regard to the Battle of Brunanburh , in Egil's Saga . Heswall was recorded in
374-514: Is about 500 years old. The present church was built in 1879, and is the third to have been built on the site. The previous church was destroyed by a violent thunderstorm on 19 September 1875; the organist and the boy who pumped the bellows for the organ were both killed. The remains of Gayton's windmill, which stopped operating in 1860 and is now converted into a house, can be seen close to the Devon Doorway pub-restaurant on Gayton Roundabout,
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#1732772922463408-522: Is now a Tesco supermarket on the site. The supermarket was extended in the early 2000s, then refurbished during 2011. An affluent area, Heswall was listed as the seventh richest neighbourhood in the UK in 2001, with an average household income of £46,600. In 2022, the median house price in Heswall was £409,500, making it the most expensive in the Wirral area. There are several areas of open space. The largest
442-570: Is one of the six constituent local government districts of the Liverpool City Region . Since 1 April 2014, some of the borough's responsibilities have been pooled with neighbouring authorities within the metropolitan area and subsumed into the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority . The combined authority has effectively become the top-tier administrative body for the local governance of
476-728: Is the Dales , an area of dry, sandy heathland overlooking the River Dee. It has the status of both Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and Local Nature Reserve (LNR). Within this SSSI lies 'the Dungeon', a small river valley cut into the hillside. A path connects the Dales to the Wirral Way and the coast. Other open areas also overlooking the Dee are the Beacons, and Poll Hill, which
510-400: Is the highest point on the Wirral Peninsula. Whitfield Common, off Whitfield Lane, contains open land as well as playing fields and tennis courts. Heswall is well served by St Peter's C of E, Gayton and Heswall Primary Schools. Pensby High School is the local secondary school situated in nearby Pensby . Heswall Primary School serves the local community of Heswall and surrounding areas on
544-462: Is the home of Wirral Science Under the Stars, an event run by the school that brings together science links in real life settings with education. Heswall bus station is owned and managed by Merseytravel . The bus station consists of four stands. The main bus operators at Heswall are Arriva North West , Stagecoach Merseyside & South Lancashire , and A2B Travel. Heswall Flower Club is mentioned in
578-532: The Domesday Book of 1086 as Eswelle , owned by Robert de Rodelent, who also owned much of the land on the eastern side of the River Dee. In 1277, it became the property of Patrick de Haselwall, who was Sheriff of Cheshire. In 1801, the population was recorded as 168. By the census in 1841, it had grown to 398. Before 1897 it was known as Hestlewelle or Hesselwelle . Its growth was started by wealthy merchants from Liverpool; they had originally chosen it as
612-585: The Freedom of the Borough of Wirral. Pensby High School Pensby High School is a co-educational secondary school in Pensby , on the Wirral Peninsula , Merseyside , England . The school site was originally split between a boys' school and girls' school which was federated, allowing joint staffing/teaching across the two schools whilst the pupils of each school (in years 7 to 11 but not
646-745: The Local Government Act 1972 , as a merger of the county boroughs of Birkenhead and Wallasey, along with the municipal borough of Bebington and the urban districts of Hoylake and Wirral . This is a chart of trend of regional gross value added of Wirral at current basic prices published (pp. 240–253) by Office for National Statistics with figures in millions of British Pounds Sterling. ^1 includes hunting and forestry ^2 includes energy and construction ^3 includes financial intermediation services indirectly measured ^4 Components may not sum to totals due to rounding Plans were announced in 2006 for
680-539: The Winter Hill TV transmitter. Heswall's close proximity to North Wales means that BBC Wales and ITV Cymru Wales can also be received from the Moel-y-Parc TV transmitter. Local radio stations are BBC Radio Merseyside , Capital North West & Wales , Heart North West , Smooth Radio North West , Greatest Hits Radio Liverpool & The North West , Hits Radio Liverpool and Wirral Wave Radio,
714-673: The Labour administration in a motion of no confidence and the two parties governed again until the May election. Labour made gains in May 2012, gaining majority control of the council for the first time since local elections in 2002 saw Labour become a minority. Wirral is led by Phil Davies. In 2014 , the Green Party gained their first seat on the council, defeating Labour in their typically safe seat of Birkenhead and Tranmere . They retained it in 2018 with an increased vote share, albeit with
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#1732772922463748-535: The Lower Village on another line from West Kirby to Hooton . This opened in 1886 but the line closed to passengers in 1956. The track of the old railway became a footpath, the Wirral Way . The speedy development of Heswall has seen the once separate villages of Gayton, Heswall, Pensby and Thingwall become joined by continuous housing. The oldest structure is the tower of St Peter's Parish Church, which
782-541: The Wirral Peninsula. Heswall Primary School opened in 1909. It was originally on the eastern edge of The Puddydale , opposite the Royal Liverpool Children's hospital on Telegraph Road (now converted into a local Tesco ). The original building was demolished in 1982 after falling into disrepair. Prior to demolition, the juniors were moved to the current Whitfield Lane site in 1976 and the school became known as Whitfield Primary School. The infants joined
816-404: The city region and the leader of Wirral Borough Council, along with the five other leaders from neighbouring local government districts, take strategic decisions over economic development, transport, employment and skills, tourism, culture, housing and physical infrastructure. As of July 2015, negotiations are currently taking place between the UK national government and the combined authority over
850-561: The council increased its number of seats by 2 to 27 and has now entered into coalition government with the Liberal Democrats as the leading coalition partner with the leader of the Conservatives, Jeff Green, becoming the new leader of the council. The Labour Party increased its representation on the council by 4 to 24 and remained the second largest party though they are now in opposition with their leader, Steve Foulkes, who
884-417: The council. The Conservative Party was the largest party represented, and was in opposition with its leader Jeff Green being leader of the opposition. After the local elections in 2010 the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral was governed by a Conservative Party/Liberal Democrat coalition, which reflected the coalition at national level. The Conservative Party, continuing to be the largest party represented on
918-456: The former parts of Cheshire known for education purposes as " Bebington " and " Deeside ". However this Act introduced "open enrolment", allowing parents from anywhere in the borough, and outside it, to apply for a place for their child at any secondary school. As a result, significant numbers of pupils from the former "comprehensive areas" attend schools in the former "selective areas" and vice versa. The distinction between different types of school
952-622: The juniors in 1982 unifying the school on one site again – eventually becoming Heswall County Primary school. The current Whitfield Lane site was formerly the location of the Beehive Dairy. The school has retained the Beehive logo in its school badge. The single form entry school has 220+ children on roll. Now known as Heswall Primary School, the school is surrounded by the Barnston fields and has its own field and wooded areas. The school
986-473: The part of Wirral formerly administered by Cheshire County Council , it inherited a selective system of grammar and secondary modern non- Roman Catholic schools and a comprehensive Roman Catholic school ( St John Plessington Catholic College ). Until the implementation of the Education Reform Act 1988 , education in Wirral continued to be organised in four areas; Birkenhead, Wallasey and
1020-499: The song "This One's For Now" by the band Half Man Half Biscuit on their 2014 album Urge For Offal . Heswall Village Fete is the scene for Coldplay 's " Life in Technicolor II " music video. Heswall is the destination on the front of a bus in the 2014 John Lewis Christmas advert, 'Monty The Penguin'. Local news and television programmes are provided by BBC North West and ITV Granada . Television signals are received from
1054-528: Was founded in 1902 and has an 18-hole championship golf course. Metropolitan Borough of Wirral The Metropolitan Borough of Wirral is a metropolitan borough of Merseyside , in North West England . It has a population of 322,453 (2022), and encompasses 62 square miles (161 km ) of the northern part of the Wirral Peninsula . Major settlements include Birkenhead , Wallasey , Bebington , Heswall , Hoylake and West Kirby . Wirral
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1088-421: Was governed by a minority Labour Party administration. Foulkes was leader of the council with Phil Davies as deputy leader. The Liberal Democrats lost a councillor who switched to Labour, Steve Niblock shortly after the elections. There are now no independents on Wirral Council. Labour have 36 seats, Conservatives have 23 and the Liberal Democrats 7. In February 2012 the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats defeated
1122-421: Was leader of the council now leader of the opposition. The Liberal Democrats lost 4 seats decreasing their tally to 15 remaining the third largest party on the council but continuing to participate in the governing of the council as the junior coalition partner to the Conservatives. The one independent represented on the council lost their seat. After the local elections in 2011 the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral
1156-502: Was to an extent masked, as all secondary modern and most comprehensive schools were named "High School". As a further result of this Act, St Anselm's College and Upton Hall School , both within the Birkenhead education area, became the only independent schools in the country to become state funded grant-maintained schools , retaining selective admissions policies to become Roman Catholic grammar schools . A further change came as
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