81-653: Wallasey ( / ˈ w ɒ l ə s i / ) is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral , Merseyside , England. Within the boundaries of the historic county of Cheshire , it is at the mouth of the River Mersey , on the north-eastern corner of the Wirral Peninsula . At the 2011 Census , the population was 60,284. The name of Wallasey originates from the Germanic word Walha , meaning
162-439: 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
243-410: A Briton, a Welshman, which is also the origin of the name Wales . The suffix “ -ey ” denotes an island or area of dry land. Originally the higher ground now occupied by Wallasey was separated from the rest of Wirral by the creek known as Wallasey Pool (which later became the docks), the marshy areas of Bidston Moss and Leasowe , and sand dunes along the coast. The area was sparsely populated before
324-400: A band stand, a dancing platform, a fountain, seal pond and tennis courts. The gardens were separated into wooded areas, rockeries and flower beds. There was a lake in the grounds, which had a 130-foot (40 m) water chute and gondolas with Venetian gondoliers. There were also a number of venues providing refreshments, including a Japanese restaurant that could cater for up to 700 people,
405-498: A beam 6-inch (150 mm) wide to try and extinguish the flames. New Brighton Tower regularly advertised itself as "the highest structure and finest place of amusement in the Kingdom". A single entrance fee of one shilling (or a ticket for the summer season, costing 10s 6d) was charged for entrance into the grounds, which included the gardens, the athletic grounds, the ballroom and the theatre. An additional charge of sixpence
486-434: A community based station. The town is served by the local newspaper, Wirral Globe which publishes on Wednesdays. Liverpool Echo also covers the area. The town has three railway stations : Wallasey Village , Wallasey Grove Road and New Brighton . Electric trains to Liverpool and Birkenhead generally depart every 15 minutes; this reduces to every 30 minutes during late evenings and on Sundays. Grove Road station has
567-618: A football team, an athletics track and a motorcycle speedway track. The Beatles played at the Tower Ballroom 27 times, more than at any other venue in the United Kingdom except the Cavern Club in nearby Liverpool . In 1830, James Atherton purchased much of the land at Rock Point, in the north-east corner of Wallasey opposite the city and docks of Liverpool. He renamed it New Brighton and organised its development as
648-502: A girder fell and hit the scaffold platform on which they were standing, causing them to fall to the ground. A third man, John Daly, suffered serious injuries. The other four were killed in separate incidents by falling off the tower structure. A fire on the tower at 172 feet (52 m) in 1898 resulted in the death of a fire-fighter from the New Brighton Fire Brigade. He fell 90 feet (27 m) while walking along
729-455: A large car park with over 160 spaces. Until 1969, Wallasey had its own corporation bus service; from this date, the operation was taken over by Merseyside Passenger Transport Executive . The Wallasey bus service was relatively constrained within the borough boundaries and had two distinctive features. One was the unusual livery, which appeared to be two shades of yellow (officially it was "sea green" and rich cream, but it always looked yellow and
810-482: 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
891-585: 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
SECTION 10
#1732766061436972-481: 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
1053-491: A season at the tower without a safety net and often without a balancing pole on the high wire 100 feet (30 m) above the dancing platform. In 1908 the 'Himalaya Railway' was replaced with a scenic railway. An area was set aside within the grounds for athletics , aptly named the Tower Athletic Ground. It consisted of a stadium opened in 1896; the hope was to provide additional entertainment for visitors to
1134-660: A severe brain injury. In another incident on 18 May 1959 five people were injured while watching a motorcycling stunt when a 10-foot (3.0 m) wide section of stands collapsed, causing the spectators to fall 15 feet (4.6 m) to the ground. On 15 May 1919 a fire destroyed the grandstand. During the Second World War , the United States Army took over the Tower Athletic Grounds as a storage facility for military vehicles to be used in
1215-549: A short period in 1897 however. New Brighton Tower was the tallest building in England, standing 567 feet (173 m) tall, and 621 feet (189 m) above sea-level. A total of 1,000 long tons (1,000 t) of mild or low-carbon steel was used, at a cost of £120,000, in contrast to the earlier Blackpool and Eiffel towers, both constructed using wrought iron . The building below the New Brighton Tower, which
1296-546: A tourist destination. In July 1896 a new group, the New Brighton Tower and Recreation Company, with a share capital of £300,000, purchased the estate of the demolished Rock Point House. Their ambition was to create an observation tower in the grounds, designed to rival the Blackpool Tower , while using the remaining grounds to create a more "elegant" atmosphere. The New Brighton Tower and Recreation Company had more than 20 acres (8 ha) of land available to construct
1377-562: A tunnel to Liverpool, the pace of housing development increased, particularly in the Liscard and Wallasey Village areas. The area now called Wallasey comprises several distinct districts which gradually merged to form a single built-up area during the 19th and early 20th centuries. Further growth continued well into the 20th century and eventually spread into the Leasowe area and beyond to Moreton . The UK's first guide dog training school,
1458-496: Is at an elevation of between 0–50 m (0–164 ft) above sea level, with the highest point being around St Peter and St Paul's Church in New Brighton. The area now called Wallasey comprises several distinct districts - Egremont, Liscard, New Brighton, Poulton, Seacombe and Wallasey Village. These gradually merged to form a single built-up area during the 19th and early 20th centuries. Unlike in most other towns, there
1539-649: Is contained in the parliamentary constituency of Wallasey , which has been held since the 1992 general election by Angela Eagle of the Labour Party . Wallasey is situated at the north-east of the Wirral Peninsula, on the western side of the River Mersey and adjoining the Irish Sea . The area is approximately 9.5 km (5.9 mi) east-north-east of the Dee Estuary at Hoylake . Wallasey
1620-423: Is no single Wallasey town centre, although the main shopping area is centrally located at Liscard. Both the parliamentary constituency and the former County Borough of Wallasey also include (or included) Leasowe , Moreton and Saughall Massie , which are now usually regarded as separate settlements. The town forms part of the wider Birkenhead Urban Area , which in 2011 had a population of 325,000. This contains
1701-570: 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
SECTION 20
#17327660614361782-698: Is the last remaining of the three ferry terminals which used to connect the Borough of Wallasey, the others being Egremont Ferry and the New Brighton Ferry, which operated from its own pier, running parallel to the New Brighton pleasure pier. Seacombe Ferry is also the starting point of a four-mile (six-kilometre) unbroken promenade, mostly traffic-free, running alongside the River Mersey to Harrison Drive beyond New Brighton. Local landmarks are St Paul's Church , standing on its own traffic island, and
1863-480: The First World War and requiring renovation the owners could not afford, dismantling of the tower began in 1919, and the metal was sold for scrap. The building at its base, housing the Tower Ballroom, continued its use until damaged by fire in 1969. The tower was set in large grounds, which included a boating lake , a funfair , gardens , and a sports ground . The sports ground housed, at different times,
1944-540: The Football League . Although they were initially rejected, the league later decided to expand Division Two by four clubs and New Brighton Tower were accepted. They carried on playing until 1901 when the company disbanded the team as they did not gain the fan base they were hoping for and so it was no longer considered financially viable. The Tower Athletic Grounds was a multi-purpose stadium and ground that could be laid out for athletics field events. The field
2025-638: The Freedom of the Borough of Wirral. New Brighton Tower New Brighton Tower was a steel lattice observation tower at New Brighton in the town of Wallasey , Cheshire (now in the Borough of Wirral , in Merseyside ), England. It stood 567 feet (173 m) high, and was the tallest building in Great Britain when it opened some time between 1898 and 1900. Neglected during
2106-669: The Rolling Stones also performed at the Tower Building. On 30 May 1898 the Tower Theatre was opened, sited between the legs of the tower. Capable of accommodating an audience of 2,500, it was the largest theatre in England outside London. Each season at the theatre was different; some years it would show a play or an opera, others it would focus on variety acts such as magicians, comedians and lion tamer Mademoiselle Marguerite, with her seven lions. Wrestling
2187-494: The Second World War , the popularity of New Brighton as a seaside resort declined dramatically, as did the use of the docks, and Wallasey gradually became more obviously a residential suburb for Liverpool , Birkenhead and the other towns in the area. The Beatles played some of their first shows outside Liverpool at the Grosvenor Ballroom in Liscard in 1960, and over the next few years also played several times at
2268-472: The 19th century and horse races organised for the Earls of Derby on the sands at Leasowe in the 16th and 17th centuries are regarded as forerunners of the modern Derby . Old maps show that the main centre and parish church ( St Hilary's ) were located at what is now called Wallasey Village , and there were smaller hamlets at Liscard , Poulton and Seacombe , from where there were occasional ferries across
2349-682: The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association , was founded in the town in 1931. A statue sits outside the Floral Pavilion Theatre to celebrate this. The Wallasey Golf Club is where club member, Dr Frank Stableford, developed the Stableford system of points scoring. This was first used in competition in 1932. Because of its docks and proximity to Liverpool, parts of the area suffered aerial bombing in 1940–41. After
2430-592: The Kingsway Tunnel to Liverpool. In addition, there are several services which link the districts of Wallasey and nearby towns such as Birkenhead, Leasowe and Moreton. The following people were from Wallasey: 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
2511-673: 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
Wallasey - Misplaced Pages Continue
2592-553: The Mersey . There was also a mill (at Mill Lane), and from the mid-18th century a gunpowder store or magazine at Rock Point, located well away from the built-up areas. The main activities in the area were farming and fishing. The area also had a reputation for smuggling and “ wrecking ”, the act of luring ships onto rocks or sandbanks with false lights in order to raid their cargo. Underground cellars and tunnels, which were used to hide cargo pilfered from wrecked ships still exist in
2673-508: The New Brighton Tower Ballroom in 1898, the second time he performed the piece. In 1900 he conducted Tchaikovsky 's Pathétique symphony at New Brighton Tower. The interior of the ballroom was completely destroyed by fire in 1956, but it was restored in its original style and reopened two years later. On 10 November 1961, The Beatles played for an audience of 4,000 people at the New Brighton Tower Ballroom as
2754-588: The Parisian Tea Garden, the Rock Point Castle restaurant, which could accommodate 400 people, and an Algerian café. At the grounds of the tower there was a large permanent funfair, with rides including Figure of Eight, Wall of Death , Donkey Derby, The Himalayan Switchback Railway and The Caterpillar. To give easy access from the promenade entrance to the tower, a chair lift was introduced. In 1898–99 an acrobat named Hardy performed for
2835-683: The Tower Ballroom in New Brighton. On 12 October 1962, they played there as the support act for Little Richard . Wallasey was also the home base of two other leading Merseybeat groups, the Undertakers featuring Jackie Lomax , and the Pressmen featuring Ritchie Prescott and Phil Kenzie who later became a successful saxophone soloist. The world's first passenger hovercraft service operated from July 1962 to September 1962 between Leasowe and Rhyl in North Wales . Local MP Ernest Marples
2916-484: The Wallasey Pool, and by 1877 the dock system between Wallasey and neighbouring Birkenhead was largely complete. The area around the docks became a centre for engineering industries, many associated with shipbuilding , and other activities including sugar refining and the manufacture of cement and fertilisers . Bidston Dock , the last in the area, was opened in 1933, but was filled in during 2003. During
2997-584: The anvil music in Das Rheingold ". Bantock often played for the workmen during their lunch breaks, when they could frequently be heard saying, "play it again, guv'nor". Soon, Granville had a full orchestra at his disposal, so he convinced the management committee to allow him to give classical concerts on Fridays and Sundays. He then embarked on advanced concerts of new composers, as well as his own works. As he had difficulty finding time to practise these works, Bantock used afternoon sessions, in which he
3078-404: The areas near the sea offer a much improved beach and many leisure activities. The Floral Pavilion plays host to regular productions and national stars such as Ken Dodd , and Vale Park is a public park. Housing here ranges from large villas near the sea to suburban semi-detached homes, and some terraces in parts of the area. New Brighton is served by a railway station of the same name. Poulton
3159-510: The ballroom remained. The metal was sold to scrap dealers. The tower was the tallest structure to be demolished in the UK until 7 September 2016, when a taller chimney at Grain Power Station was demolished. On 5 April 1969 the ballroom was destroyed by fire, the cause of which is unknown. In place of the tower's grounds, including the athletics ground and stadium, a new housing estate
3240-404: 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
3321-561: 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
Wallasey - Misplaced Pages Continue
3402-417: 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
3483-489: The entertainment buildings in hard-wearing, red Ruabon brick with terracotta and stone dressings, and the plan of the buildings was octagonal, with the Tower, also built on an octagonal plan, at its centre. The roofline of the three-to-four-storey building was dramatic, as four corners of the octagon were emphasised by tall pavilions with steeply pitched roofs topped by cupolas The tower had four lifts , each capable of reaching
3564-490: The estuary, and was later extended westwards towards Leasowe. The New Brighton Tower , the tallest in the country, was opened in 1900 but closed in 1919 and dismantled shortly afterwards. However, its ballroom continued as a major venue, hosting numerous concerts in the 1950s and 1960s by local Liverpool bands as well as other international stars. After 1886, with the opening of the Mersey Railway allowing access via
3645-456: 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
3726-603: The headline act of a five-and-a-half-hour concert named Operation Big Beat. Rory Storm and the Hurricanes , Gerry and the Pacemakers , Remo Four and Kingsize Taylor and the Dominoes also performed at the concert. The Beatles played at the venue 27 times, commemorated in a blue plaque erected in New Brighton in 2011. The only British venue The Beatles played at more often was the Cavern Club . Little Richard and
3807-429: The inspector in charge would blow a whistle and there would be an amazing Le Mans -style start with up to fifteen double-decker buses , including racing engines, close manoeuvring and competitive gestures between the crews for the first few hundred yards until the routes gradually diverged across the borough. Now, regular bus services ( Arriva North West routes 432 and 433) depart Liscard every 10 minutes and travel via
3888-457: The introduction of steam ferries across the river. The area also had a defensive role overlooking the growing Port of Liverpool . In 1829, Fort Perch Rock was built, and in 1858 Liscard Battery . In 1835 Liscard Hall was built by another merchant, Sir John Tobin . Its grounds later became Central Park. His family also developed a “model farm” nearby. With the expansion of trade on the Mersey, new docks were constructed between 1842 and 1847 in
3969-692: The invasion of France. Following the war the stadium was reopened as the home ground for New Brighton A.F.C. , whose Sandheys Park had been requisitioned for housing. They sold it to the Wallasey Housing Corporation in 1977. In 1900, New Brighton Tower athletic grounds boasted the UK's first visit from a group known as The Ashanti Village, in which 100 West African men, women and children re-created an Ashanti village, produced and sold their wares and performed "war tournaments, songs [and] fetish dances". Although they had arrived, delays meant that they were not set up in time for Whitsun
4050-474: The latter half of the 19th century New Brighton developed as a popular seaside resort serving Liverpool and the Lancashire industrial towns, and many of the large houses were converted to inexpensive hotels. A pier was opened in the 1860s, and the promenade from Seacombe to New Brighton was built in the 1890s. This served both as a recreational amenity in its own right, and to link up the developments along
4131-413: The main shopping area, with the covered Cherry Tree precinct and an extensive shopping parade outside. Central Park, originally the grounds of Liscard Hall, is the largest park in the town. Much of the area is residential and contains mainly high-density semi-detached housing with some terraces. The gatehouse of the old Liscard Battery remains. Liscard Hall was destroyed by a fire on 7 July 2008. The damage
SECTION 50
#17327660614364212-531: The most southeasterly section of Wallasey, is best known for its Mersey Ferry terminal, with regular ferry boat departures to Pier Head in Liverpool and Woodside in Birkenhead. There is a commuter ferry service direct to Liverpool during peak hours, while for the rest of the day the ferries are geared to serving tourists with a circular cruise visiting Birkenhead Woodside ferry terminal as well. Seacombe
4293-652: The national average on 'A' Level results. Local news and television programmes are provided by BBC North West and ITV Granada , the local television station TalkLiverpool also broadcasts to the area. Television signals are received from the Winter Hill TV transmitter and the Storeton relay transmitter. Local radio stations are BBC Radio Merseyside , Heart North West , Capital North West & Wales , Smooth North West , Greatest Hits Radio Liverpool & The North West , InDemand Radio and Wirral Wave Radio,
4374-403: The north end of Wallasey Village, the main street leads to the promenade and coastal park, and two golf courses. The promenade passes here, running from the 'Gunsite' around to Seacombe, a total of over 7 mi (11 km). New Brighton was a popular seaside resort after the mid-19th century, but declined in popularity after the 1950s. Nevertheless, the marine promenade is part of a walkway and
4455-498: The northern part of the Wirral Peninsula . Major settlements include Birkenhead , Wallasey , Bebington , Heswall , Hoylake and West Kirby . Wirral 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
4536-410: The ordeal and left without giving their names to officials. The ballroom had a sprung floor and dance band stage. It could accommodate more than a thousand couples dancing and had a separate area for couples to learn the dances before taking to the main floor. It was decorated in white and gold with emblems of Lancashire towns, and had balcony seating for spectators. The composer Granville Bantock
4617-526: 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
4698-880: The remainder of the Wirral Peninsula and borders the borough of Wirral to the south. The borough was formed on 1 April 1974, under 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
4779-408: The service was generally known as the "yellow buses"). Secondly the services mostly radiated from Seacombe Ferry terminal across the borough and bus departures coincided with the arrival of the ferry. Vehicles were lined up facing outwards from the kerb and, every 10–15 minutes, the passengers (several hundreds at peak hours) would arrive from the ferry boat. When all had boarded their respective routes,
4860-572: The top in 90 seconds and conveying up to 2000 people an hour. The views from the top included the Liverpool skyline, the River Mersey estuary and the River Dee . On a clear day, visitors could see across the Irish Sea to the Isle of Man , along with views of the Lake District and Welsh Mountains. In its first year, the tower attracted up to half a million visitors to the top. At night,
4941-512: The tower in the winter months. The capacity of the grounds varied, but at one point was as high as 100,000, although attendances rarely, if ever, approached that figure. The New Brighton Tower and Recreation Company formed a football team, New Brighton Tower F.C. , and applied for membership to the Lancashire League . The team joined at the start of the 1897–98 season and promptly won the league. The club then applied for election to
SECTION 60
#17327660614365022-549: The tower was Andrew Handyside and Company , based in Derby . The ground breaking happened on 22 June 1896, before the formation of the new company, completion of land purchase and announcement of contracts on 26 July 1896. The construction of the steel lattice tower started in July 1897 and was completed some time between 1898 and 1900, 5 years after the Blackpool Tower had been finished. The grounds were opened before then for
5103-446: The tower was illuminated by fairy lights. On 7 September 1909, two visitors were left stranded at the top of the tower as the final lift car of the night descended without them. The woman and twelve-year-old child were not noticed during the final round of inspection and so, without a way to communicate with anyone on the ground, they spent the night on the tower until 10 am the following morning. They did not appear too concerned by
5184-484: The tower, which enabled them to include more attractions than at Blackpool Tower. The company Maxwell and Tuke , who had designed Blackpool Tower buildings and Southport Winter Gardens , was responsible for overseeing and supervising the project, despite the deaths in 1893 of the company founders, James Maxwell and William Charles Tuke. The excavations and laying of the foundations for the tower were contracted to William Clapham of Stockport. The primary contractor for
5265-452: The town. As late as 1839, the “Pennsylvania” and two other ships were wrecked off Leasowe in a severe storm, and their cargoes and furnishings were later found distributed among local residents. By the early 19th century, the shoreline between Seacombe and Rock Point started to become an attractive area to which affluent Liverpool merchants and sea captains could retire. Development at Egremont began around this time, and gained pace with
5346-471: The traditional start of the summer season. As was common at fairgrounds of the time, there was a Bioscope exhibition showing the latest wartime pictures to audiences of up to 2,000. In the summer of 1907 there was a Hale's Tours of the World exhibition in the tower's grounds, consisting of short films shown in a stylised railway carriage with sound effects and movements at the appropriate times. The tower
5427-505: The ventilation tower for the Kingsway Tunnel with its mighty extraction fans. As with Poulton, the area developed with housing for the dockworkers and nearby industries, and much of the housing is owned by Magenta Housing or is terraced. The Guinea Gap swimming baths are located between Seacombe and Egremont. When compared to the national average, the schools of Wallasey slightly underperform on GCSE results. However, they are above
5508-453: Was closed in 1914 following the outbreak of the First World War , for the duration of which the steel structure was not maintained and consequently became rusty. During the war the government made unsuccessful attempts to buy the tower for its metal. Controversy still surrounds the decision to dismantle the tower after the war ended; some still believe the structure was safe and could have been repaired. Demolition began in 1919 and by 1921 only
5589-615: Was encircled by an athletics track surrounded by a banked cycle track, which hosted the World Cycling championships in July 1922. It was the biggest sporting and motorcycling track in the North of England. In 1933, the athletics track was replaced for use every Saturday by motorcycle speedway racing. Disaster struck the motorcycling in 1911 when T. Henshaw's bike struck six spectators at around 50 miles per hour (80 km/h). This left Henshaw with serious fractures and one woman with
5670-415: Was enlisted as musical director in 1897 at the ballroom to provide music each weekday for six hours of ballroom dancing. To begin with, as the tower was being erected, he was in charge of a "semi-military band" that played outdoors with the fear that the tower might fall upon him and his players. Bantock is quoted as saying, "The noise of the riveting of the tower while we were playing ... reminded me of
5751-421: 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
5832-480: Was hosted at the theatre as early as 1903, and had become a weekly event by 1937. When the Americans occupied the site during the Second World War , they used the Tower Theatre to show their own roadshows to the troops. The tower's grounds were enclosed by iron railings, and throughout the gardens the roads and paths were illuminated with 30,000 red, white and green fairy lights at night. The tower's grounds had
5913-421: 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
5994-432: Was levied on those who wished to go to the top of the tower. There was a menagerie within the building, containing Nubian lions , Russian wolves (which had eight cubs in 1914), bears in a bear pit , monkeys, elephants, stags, leopards and other animals. There was also an aviary above the ballroom. The Tower Building also contained a shooting gallery and a billiard saloon with five tables. Maxwell and Tuke clothed
6075-451: Was originally a small fishing and farming hamlet beside the Wallasey Pool (hence its name). It developed with the growth of the docks, mainly as an industrial and terraced housing area. Egremont developed as an affluent residential area in the early 19th century, and was named by one Captain Askew who built a house in the area in 1835 and named it after his Cumberland birthplace . Seacombe,
6156-468: Was responsible as Minister of Transport (1959–64) for introducing parking meters , yellow lines and seat belt controls to the UK. The "Solar Campus" on Leasowe Road was the first building in the world to be heated entirely by solar energy . It was formerly St George's Secondary School, and was completed in 1961 to the designs of Emslie Morgan. The solar panels on this establishment have since been removed due to high costs and has been renamed. Wallasey
6237-423: Was so severe, the whole building had to be demolished. Wallasey Village has a mixture of mostly 20th century semi-detached and detached housing, a shopping street, with a floral roundabout in the centre. St Hilary's Church is an ancient foundation; the old tower is all that remains of a 1530 church building which burned down in 1857. There are two railway stations , Wallasey Village and Wallasey Grove Road . At
6318-487: Was struck by an F1/T3 tornado on 23 November 1981, as part of the record-breaking nationwide tornado outbreak on that day. Wallasey became a County Borough in 1913, and its town hall was officially opened in November 1920. The borough boundaries expanded to include Moreton and Saughall Massie in 1928. The County Borough of Wallasey was incorporated into the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral on 1 April 1974. The town
6399-456: Was supposed to play dance music, to rehearse his classical pieces. When the classical pieces spread to the afternoon programme, the management felt it was not commercially viable to continue the concerts. After three years at the tower, Bantock was appointed Principal of the School of Music at Birmingham and Midland Institute . The composer Edward Elgar conducted his Enigma Variations at
6480-443: 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
6561-405: Was to contain the ballroom, was constructed by Peters and Sons of Rochdale. It was a four-storey red-brick building with arched windows and hexagonal, copper-domed turrets. A series of accidents during the tower's construction resulted in the deaths of six workmen and serious injury to another. Two of the men, Jonathan Richardson and Alexander Stewart, were killed when a crane hook snapped and
#435564