| Rock Ferry | |
  Rock Ferry shown within Merseyside |
|
| Population | 13,676 (2001 Census)[1] |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference | |
| Metropolitan borough | Wirral |
| Metropolitan county | Merseyside |
| Region | North West |
| Constituent country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | BIRKENHEAD |
| Postcode district | CH42 |
| Dialling code | 0151 |
| Police | Merseyside |
| Fire | Merseyside |
| Ambulance | North West |
| European Parliament | North West England |
| UK Parliament | Birkenhead |
| List of places: UK • England • Merseyside | |
Rock Ferry is an area of Birkenhead on the Wirral Peninsula, Merseyside, England. Merseyside is a Metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 1365900 In Biology a population is the collection of inter-breeding organisms of a particular Species; in Sociology A nationwide Census, commonly known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday 29 April 2001 The British national grid reference system is a system of geographic grid references commonly used in Great Britain, different from using Latitude and Longitude The districts of England are a level of subnational division of England used for the purposes of local government Wirral or The Wirral (ˈwɪrəl is a Metropolitan borough in Merseyside, North West England, which occupies the northern Metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties are one of the four levels of Subdivisions of England used for the purposes of Local government outside Greater London Merseyside is a Metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 1365900 The region, also known as the government office region, is currently the highest tier of local government sub-national entity of England, with only one North West England is one of the nine official Regions of England. Constituent country is a phrase used often by official institutions in contexts in which a country makes up a part of a larger entity or grouping England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland This list of sovereign states, alphabetically arranged gives an overview of States around the world with information on the extent of their Sovereignty. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located A post town is a required part of all postal addresses in the United Kingdom, and a basic unit of the postal delivery system UK Postal codes are known as postcodes. UK postcodes are Alphanumeric. The, also known as the Chester postcode area, is a group of postal districts near the England / Wales border The UK Telephone numbering plan, also known as the National Telephone Numbering Plan, is the system used for assigning Telephone numbers in the United There are a number of law enforcement agencies in the United Kingdom. Merseyside Police is the Home Office Police force responsible for policing Merseyside in North West England. The fire service in the United Kingdom operates under separate legislative and administrative arrangements in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and The Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service is the statutory fire and rescue service covering the county of Merseyside in north-west England and is The North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust was formed on 1 July 2006 as part of Health Minister Lord Warner's plans to reduce the number of NHS North West England is a Constituency of the European Parliament. This is a list of the 646 constituencies currently represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, as at the 2005 general election Birkenhead is a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. A Gazetteer of place names in the United Kingdom showing each place's County, Unitary authority or council area and its geographical coordinates List of places --> List of cities in the United Kingdom List of towns in England Lists of places This is a list of cities, Towns and Villages in the ceremonial county of Merseyside, England. A geographic coordinate system enables every location on the Earth to be specified in three coordinates using mainly a spherical coordinate system. Birkenhead is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral in Merseyside, England. Wirral or the Wirral (ˈwɪrəl is a Peninsula in the north west of England. Merseyside is a Metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 1365900 England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Administratively, it is also a ward of the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral. In Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States, a ward is an Electoral district Wirral or The Wirral (ˈwɪrəl is a Metropolitan borough in Merseyside, North West England, which occupies the northern Before local government reorganisation on 1 April 1974, it was part of the county of Cheshire. The Local Government Act 1972 (1972 c 70 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom, that reformed local government in England and Wales Events 527 - Byzantine Emperor Justin I names his nephew Justinian I as co-ruler and successor to the throne Year 1974 ( MCMLXXIV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. Cheshire (or archaically the County of Chester) is a county in North West England. At the 2001 Census, the population of Rock Ferry was 13,676 (6,444 males, 7,232 females). A nationwide Census, commonly known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday 29 April 2001 [1]
Contents |
History
In the 17th century there were references to a manor house, Derby House, standing over most of the grounds covered by present day Rock Ferry.
Residential building did not really happen until the early part of the 19th century, the rise of the ferry, and the establishment of the Royal Rock Hotel and bath house in 1836. Public baths originated from a communal need for cleanliness Often the term public is misleading to some people as they will have restrictions based upon who can use the facility Between then and 1870, the area received an influx of luxurious housing, the villas of Rock Park and many other large houses around the Old Chester Road making Rock Ferry one of the most desirable addresses in the North West. A villa was originally an Upper-class Country house, though since its origins in Roman times the idea and function of a villa has evolved considerably In the later part of the 19th century, Rock Ferry expanded due to the need to house the increasing population of workers, especially at Birkenhead's Cammell Laird shipyard. Cammell Laird, one of the most famous names in British Shipbuilding during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries came about following the merger of Laird By 1901, the population stood at 2,971. [2]
In 1910, the Olympian Gardens were opened adjacent to the Royal Rock Hotel. These pleasure gardens were considered a great attraction and customers travelled from the whole of Wirral and, using the nearby ferry terminal, from Liverpool. A pleasure garden is usually a Garden that is opened to the Public for Recreation. Liverpool ( is a City and Metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary The gardens hosted classical piano concerts and also slapstick comedy shows, with performers including Arthur Askey and Tommy Handley. Slapstick is a type of Comedy involving exaggerated physical violence or activities which exceed the boundaries of common sense such as a character being hit in the face with Arthur Bowden Askey CBE ( June 6, 1900 &ndash November 16, 1982) was a prominent English Comedian. Tommy (Thomas Reginald Handley ( 1892 January 17 &ndash 1949 January 9) was an English Comedian mainly known for the At times the gardens held a prestige similar to the more famous Vauxhall Gardens in London. Vauxhall Gardens /vɒks'ɔl/ was a pleasure garden, one of the leading venues for public entertainment in London, England from the mid 17th century to London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. Shows were held in a large tent set amongst the trees and shrubs of land owned by Charles Boult. The gardens closed in the late 1920s after Mr Boult's death. [3]
The decline of local industries in the 1950s took its toll, and by the 1980s the area had a bad reputation for crime. Many of the spendid buildings were dilapidated and unrestored, while the building of a large council estate towards Tranmere did little to help matters. A housing estate is a group of buildings built together as a single development This decline was reflected in the loss of the Royal Rock Hotel, as well as many of the shops in the Old Chester Road and Bedford Road; whereas before Bedford Road had supported a wine merchant, a jeweller, two tailors, three banks, and two bookshops, most shops stood vacant. Large-scale regeneration work in the 1990s, which involved the demolition or restoration of many such derelict properties, and the building of new housing, means that the area has improved considerably.
Architecture and famous residents
The best-known part of Rock Ferry is Rock Park, on the banks of the River Mersey, an area of large Victorian villas of sandstone from Storeton quarry. See also Mersey River (Tasmania and Mersey River (Nova Scotia. The term Victorian architecture can refer to one of a number of Architectural styles predominantly employed during the Victorian era. Storeton is a small village on the Wirral Peninsula, Merseyside, England. The houses were built between 1837 and 1850, and were the first early Victorian properties to be designated listed buildings. A listed building in the United Kingdom is a building or other structure officially designated as being of special architectural historical or cultural significance The lodge and nine other houses were demolished in the 1970s to make way for the New Ferry By-Pass (A41), including Hawthorne House, number 26, the former house of Nathaniel Hawthorne when he was consul to Liverpool in the 1850s. The A41 is a formerly-major Trunk road in England that links London and Birkenhead, although as stated below it has now largely been Nathaniel Hawthorne (born Nathaniel Hathorne; July 4 1804 – May 19 1864 was an American novelist and Short story writer The property was subsequently owned by astronomer Isaac Roberts, who installed a seven-inch refractor in a revolving dome on the top floor. Isaac Roberts ( January 27 1829 - July 17 1904) was a Welsh Astronomer who was a pioneer in Photography of Immediately after the building of the bypass, the remainder of Rock Park was quickly designated a conservation area in 1979. A conservation area is a tract of land that has been awarded protected status in order to ensure that natural features cultural heritage or biota are safeguarded
Other areas of architectural significance include Egerton Park, an oasis of late ninteenth-century villas in a leafy setting, and the Byrne Avenue Baths, a 1930s swimming pool with plenty of Art Deco features. Art Deco was a popular international design movement from 1925 until 1939 affecting the decorative arts such as Architecture, Interior design, and Industrial The row of semi-detached houses on Rockville Street, built in 1837, is one of the earliest rows of private houses in Britain to use Gothic detailing on their exteriors, while St Anne's Catholic Church on Highfield Road was designed by E. W. Pugin. Edward Welby Pugin (1834–1875 was the eldest son of Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin and Louisa Barton F. E. Smith, later Earl of Birkenhead, also briefly lived in a house on Green Lawn. Frederick Edwin Smith 1st Earl of Birkenhead, GCSI, PC ( 12 July 1872 – 30 September 1930) was a British
Ferry service and shipping
There are records of a ferry service from Rock Ferry pier to Liverpool from 1709 onwards,[4] until being discontinued on 30 June 1939. Events 350 - Roman usurper Nepotianus, of the Constantinian dynasty, is defeated and killed by troops of the Usurper Year 1939 ( MCMXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Although the ferry landing stage was removed in 1957 and the terminal building demolished, the pier now forms part of Tranmere Oil Terminal, although much modified. Tranmere Oil Terminal is situated on the River Mersey, 1½ miles south of Birkenhead. A stone slipway originally used by the ferry service also remains. [5]
The Royal Mersey Yacht Club was founded at Rock Ferry in 1844. Rock Ferry was home to the Enterprise Small Craft Company, which built a number of notable boats in the 1920's and 1930's. Among these were 11 Seabird Half Rater one design sailing yachts in 1924 and Robinetta in 1937. The Seabird Half Rater is the oldest one design class still sailing in Britain Denys Arthur Rayner DSC & Bar, VRD, RNVR ( 9 February 1908 - 4 January 1967) fought throughout the Second
The Naval training school vessels HMS Conway and HMS Indefatigable were moored at the Sloyne, in the River Mersey near the pier. HMS Conway was a naval training school or " School ship " founded in 1859 and housed for most of its life aboard a 19th-century wooden Battleship HMS Conway was a naval training school or " School ship " founded in 1859 and housed for most of its life aboard a 19th-century wooden Battleship Eight ships of the Royal Navy have been named HMS Indefatigable: was a 64-gun Third rate Ship of the line launched in 1784 These were ships converted for the purpose of training boys for a life at sea. During the nineteenth century, the reformatory ships HMS Akbar and HMS Clarence were also moored there. Three ships of the Royal Navy have been named HMS Clarence: The first ''Clarence'', launched in 1812 was a 74-gun Third-rate [6] In the early years of the Second World War, both the Conway and Indefatigable were moved from the Mersey to avoid damage. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including
Isambard Kingdom Brunel's SS Great Eastern was beached at Rock Ferry for breaking up in 1889, which took eighteen months to complete. Isambard Kingdom Brunel, FRS (9 April 1806 &ndash 15 September 1859 (ˈɪzəmbɑrd ˈkɪŋdəm brʊˈnɛl was a British Engineer. History Concept After the Great Exhibition of 1851 which had publicized Australia's wealth and natural resources waves of people were eager to emigrate from
Transport
The area is served by Rock Ferry railway station on the Wirral Line of the Merseyrail network. Rock Ferry railway station is situated in the Rock Ferry area of Birkenhead, Wirral, England. The Wirral Line is one of the two lines owned and operated by Merseyrail on Merseyside, England, the other being the Northern Line (the Merseyrail Merseyrail is the name given to the electric metro-style commuter Train network centred on Liverpool in the metropolitan county of Merseyside Regular services (every fifteen minutes) operate northbound to Liverpool via Birkenhead and southbound to Chester and Ellesmere Port. Liverpool ( is a City and Metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary Chester is the County town of Cheshire, England. Lying on the River Dee, close to the border with Wales, it is home to 77040 Ellesmere Port is a large industrial town and cargo port in the district of Ellesmere Port and Neston, Cheshire, England, situated in the south of the There are also several bus routes running along New Chester Road into Birkenhead and Liverpool.
Education
The area is home to Rock Ferry High School, which became an Associate College of Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (LIPA) in 2006. The Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts ( LIPA) is a School in the English city of Liverpool that offers training in Acting, [7] Rock Ferry also has many local primary schools, such as Rock Ferry Primary, St Annes Primary and The Dell Primary.
Cultural references
Welsh singer Duffy revealed in a 2008 interview with British music magazine Uncut that her single "Rockferry", released in the UK in 2007, is loosely based on Rock Ferry. Aimee Anne Duffy (born 23 June 1984 in Bangor Gwynedd, Wales) known professionally as Duffy, is a Welsh R&B " Rockferry " is the debut single of Duffy, written by Duffy and Bernard Butler This is also the title of her debut album, which was released in the UK in February 2008.
References
- ^ a b 2001 Census: Rock Ferry. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved on 2 July 2007. Events 310 - Pope Miltiades is elected 626 - In fear of assassination Li Shimin ambushes and kills his rival Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century.
- ^ Cheshire Towns & Parishes: Rock Ferry. GENUKI UK & Ireland Genealogy. Retrieved on 2 July 2007. Events 310 - Pope Miltiades is elected 626 - In fear of assassination Li Shimin ambushes and kills his rival Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century.
- ^ Ward, Mary. "The Changing Years", Rock Ferry Local History Group, Wirral Metropolitan College, 1991.
- ^ Port Cities: Ferries across the Mersey. E. Chambré Hardman Archive. Retrieved on 28 October 2007. Events 306 - Maxentius is proclaimed Roman Emperor. 312 - Battle of Milvian Bridge: Constantine Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century.
- ^ Maund, TB (1991). Mersey Ferries - Volume 1. Transport Publishing Co. Ltd. . ISBN 0-86317-166-4.
- ^ School ships in the Mersey. E. Chambré Hardman Archive. Retrieved on 9 January 2008. Events 475 - Byzantine Emperor Zeno is forced to flee his capital at Constantinople. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common
- ^ "Online newsletter", Rock Ferry High School. Retrieved on 19 August. Events 43 BC - Octavian, later known as Augustus compels the Roman Senate to elect him Consul.
External links
| Areas of Birkenhead |
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