41-535: Thornton Hough ( / ˈ h ʌ f / ) is a village in the Wirral district of Merseyside , England. The village lies in the more rural inland part of the Wirral Peninsula and is of pre- Norman Conquest origins. The village grew during the ownership of Joseph Hirst into a small model village and was later acquired by William Lever , founder of Lever Brothers , the predecessor of Unilever . Thornton Hough
82-494: A reproduction Romanesque style church in 1906. William and Segar Owen designed various houses including Thicketford. Thornton Hall, once the home of wealthy shipping merchants, the Bamford Brothers of Liverpool, is believed to have been built in the mid-1800s. It was transformed into a hotel in 1954 and many of its original features remain intact including oak carvings and the ornate mother of pearl embossed ceiling in
123-439: 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
164-544: A children's play area. The local primary school is Thornton Hough Primary School located on St George's Way and is the catchment school for children living in Thornton Hough, Raby Mere , Raby and Brimstage . This school building was originally built to serve as a military building, but was turned over for school usage after the Second World War . The original playground has been reduced in size due to
205-591: A mock-Tudor style on a stone base. Thicketford built in 1892 is preserved in a largely unaltered condition. Hesketh Grange, a grade II listed building, was built in 1894 for Leverhulme's father. Thornton Hough was a township and chapelry in the parish of Neston , of the Wirral Hundred . It became a civil parish in 1866. Historically within the county of Cheshire , it was part of the Wirral Rural District between 1894 and 1933. In 1933
246-482: 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
287-585: 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
328-481: 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
369-500: A school and school master's house and Wilshaw Terrace before 1870. All Saints , the parish church , is a grade II listed building built in 1867, it has a spire and tower displaying five clock faces. The north transept window, designed by H. Gustave Hiller is a memorial to Joseph Hirt. Lever's architects used a wide variety of building materials including red and buff sandstone, brick, timber framing, render and pebbledash with roofs made of clay tiles or thick stone slates which creates
410-660: 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
451-465: Is 'The Red Fox', a public house and restaurant on the border of Thornton Hough and Neston. The Thornton Hough Scarecrow Festival was held between 1999 and 2006. Residents participating made scarecrows of varying designs and quality, which were judged at the end of a week-long open season. The festival also included a fête on the village green. By 2006, when the festival attracted over 35,000 visitors, it had raised £75,000 for village projects. In 2017
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#1732782403247492-547: Is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Torintone , under the ownership of Robert of Rhuddlan . The present name of the village was established when the daughter of local landowner Roger de Thorneton, married Richard de Hoghe during the reign of Edward II . By the beginning of the 19th century, Thornton Hough formed part of the Neston Estate owned by Baron Mostyn of Mostyn, Flintshire . The population of
533-570: 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
574-539: Is roughly 10 miles (16 km) from Liverpool and 12 miles (19 km) from Chester . It is part of the Clatterbridge ward and is in the parliamentary constituency of Wirral South . At the 2001 census , Thornton Hough had 770 inhabitants. The name Thornton means "thorn-tree farm/settlement" and likely derives from the Old English words þorn (hawthorn tree) and tūn (a farmstead or settlement). It
615-817: The Freedom of the Borough of Wirral. St George%27s Church, Thornton Hough St George's Church is in Manor Road, Thornton Hough , Wirral , Merseyside , England. Formerly home to a congregation of the United Reformed Church, the church closed in July 2021 and the building is now privately owned. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building . The church
656-745: 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
697-425: The crossing . All the windows are round-headed; the windows along the sides of the church and at the west end have three lights, and those at the east end have two. The windows in the transepts are paired, with a round window above. At the west end are two gabled porches with round-headed entrances. The tower has angle buttresses , and in the bell stage are two-light bell openings and blind arcading . On top of
738-470: The Italian Room. Thornton Manor , built in an Elizabethan style dates from the 1840s, and was once the home of Lord Leverhulme . From 2005 the house and gardens underwent extensive renovation. The building is now a wedding venue and provides facilities for corporate functions. Thornton House, a grade II listed building built by Douglas & Fordham in 1893 is a two-storey timber-framed house in
779-673: 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
820-657: The Parish Hall which is used for the fortnightly youth club. Since it opened, the hall has been used for a variety of local events and as a venue for parties. The hall is used by the badminton club, play-school, Cubs , Scouts , Rainbows , Brownies and Guides . The village has a number of shops and a post office next to which is the British Legion , known as "the Men's Club" as women were barred except for on two days per year. The Village Stores struggled to compete with
861-406: The bigger and cheaper supermarkets before its closure in 2007. It is now Jennifer O'Neill Cakes and Dragonfly Couture Stationery, 'The Seven Stars', is a traditional public house established in the 1840s on what was once a turnpike route between Birkenhead and Neston. In 1905 the smithy moved from its original site into a half timbered building and was extant in 2009. Just outside the village
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#1732782403247902-478: The building extensions of decking and garden areas. The Parish Hall was the original village school until it closed in 1953, it has a Victorian exterior, although its interior has been updated. The Village Hall is a large extension to the original wooden hall belonging to St George's Church and was built in the 1970s by Collins Construction. It is referred to as the New Village Hall to set it apart from
943-452: 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
984-561: 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
1025-417: 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
1066-456: 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
1107-750: The impression that the village appears to be older than it is. Lever used several architects, including John Douglas . The firm of Grayson and Ould designed the Village Club and Post Office, Weald House, several houses in The Folds and rebuilt Thornton House in 1895 and designed its lodges and stables. Jonathon Simpson built the Lever School and his son, James Lomax-Simpson, rebuilt the Smithy, designed D’Arcy Cottages and extensions to Thornton House. He also designed Saint George's United Reformed Church ,
1148-565: The newly formed county of Merseyside , No successor parish was created for the former borough of Bebington. As of 2024, Thornton Hough is within the Clatterbridge Ward of the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral . The village is represented nationally through the parliamentary constituency of Wirral South . Thornton Hough's central feature is the village green with its cricket pitch and pavilion, tennis courts, and
1189-554: The parish was absorbed into the urban district of Bebington, which subsequently became the Municipal Borough of Bebington in 1937. After 1933 Thornton Hough was therefore an urban parish and so had no parish council, instead being directly administered as part of Bebington. Further changes occurred on 1 April 1974, when local government reorganisation resulted in most of Wirral, including Thornton Hough, being transferred from Cheshire to metropolitan borough of Wirral in
1230-442: The parish was recorded as 165 in 1801, 164 in 1851, 547 in 1901 and 506 in 1951. Joseph Hirst, a Yorkshire woollen millowner, bought farmland land in 1866 and began the development of a small model village, building a church, a school and 'Wilshaw Terrace'. The village was bought and expanded by William Lever who developed housing for family, estate workers and company staff in a similar way to Port Sunlight , building another shop,
1271-526: 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
Thornton Hough - Misplaced Pages Continue
1312-569: The school, a social club and the Congregational church. Development continued in the early 20th century. Thornton Hough is in the central part of the Wirral Peninsula, approximately 11 km (6.8 mi) south-south-east of the Irish Sea at Leasowe Lighthouse , 3.5 km (2.2 mi) north-east of the Dee Estuary at Parkgate and about 6 km (3.7 mi) west-south-west of the River Mersey at Bromborough . The centre of
1353-455: The tower is a corbelled parapet and a recessed pyramidal roof. To the southeast of the tower is an octagonal stair turret with blind arcading and a pyramidal roof. The interior of the church is richly and elaborately decorated, the sculptor being Edward O. Griffith . His work includes the capitals , which are decorated with biblical scenes. The altar contains a frieze , roundels, and arcading with marble columns. The wooden altar rail
1394-528: The village green was used as a location for the film Tolkien . 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
1435-466: The village is situated at an elevation of between 50–55 m (164–180 ft) above sea level. Thornton Hough and the villages of Brimstage and Raby are in an Area of Special Landscape Value, a protective designation to preserve the character and appearance of the area There are 22 listed buildings in the village which was made a conservation area in 1979. Hirst employed Kirk and Sons of Huddersfield to design All Saints Church and its vicarage,
1476-520: Was carved by Hatch of Lancaster , and contains columns, all of which are different. Both the pulpit and the font are in Caen stone , and are Norman in style. The pews are decorated with cable moulding . The stained glass in the apse windows dates from 1926 and is by Burlison and Grylls . In the windows on the south of the church is glass by Hardman & Co. dated 1907, and by Heaton, Butler and Bayne from about 1919. The two- manual pipe organ
1517-461: Was designed by J. Lomax-Simpson and built in 1906–07 for Lord Leverhulme . It is in Neo-Norman style, reflecting Lord Leverhulme's Nonconformity . St George's is constructed in sandstone with stone-slate roofs. The church has a cruciform plan consisting of a five- bay nave , north and south transepts , a chancel with an apse and a north porch, a south vestry , and a tower over
1558-421: 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
1599-421: 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
1640-408: Was made in 1907 by Norman and Beard . At the southwest corner of the churchyard is a hexagonal covered entranceway. This was also designed by Lomax-Simpson, built in 1906–07, and constructed in sandstone with a stone-slate roof. It has Neo-Norman detailing. There is a round-headed arch on each side, with buttresses, two gargoyles , and a parapet on a corbel table. It has a pyramidal roof. Inside
1681-502: 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