Wirral or The Wirral (pronounced /ˈwɪrəl/) is a peninsula in the north west of England. The British national grid reference system is a system of geographic grid references commonly used in Great Britain, different from using Latitude and Longitude A peninsula is a piece of land that is nearly surrounded by Water but connected to Mainland via an Isthmus. North West England is one of the nine official Regions of England. 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 It is bounded to the west by the River Dee, which forms the boundary with Wales, and to the east by the River Mersey. The River Dee ( Welsh: Afon Dyfrdwy) is a 70-mile-long (110 km River. See also Mersey River (Tasmania and Mersey River (Nova Scotia. Both terms "Wirral" and "The Wirral" are used locally (and interchangeably), although the merits of each form are the subject of local debate.

The roughly rectangular peninsula is about 10 miles (16. 1 km) long and 7 miles (11. 3 km) wide. The northern part constitutes the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral in Merseyside, and the southern part the borough of Ellesmere Port and Neston in Cheshire. Wirral or The Wirral (ˈwɪrəl is a Metropolitan borough in Merseyside, North West England, which occupies the northern Merseyside is a Metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 1365900 Ellesmere Port and Neston is a local government district, Borough and parliamentary constituency in Cheshire, England Cheshire (or archaically the County of Chester) is a county in North West England. Wirral's boundary with the rest of Cheshire was officially 'Two arrow falls from Chester City Walls', as mentioned in the Domesday Book. The Domesday Book (ˈduːmzdeɪ bʊk also known as Domesday, or Book of Winchester) was the record of the great survey Historically, some places within the Chester District (such as Ledsham, Puddington and even Saughall) have also been considered part of Wirral. For the smaller central city area and principal settlement of this district see Chester. Ledsham is a village and Civil parish in Chester District, Cheshire, England. Puddington is a village and Civil parish on the Wirral Peninsula, Cheshire, England, located close to the border with Wales This article is about the village of Saughall See also Saughall Massie for the village on the Wirral Peninsula. Until 1 April 1974, the peninsula used to be entirely in Cheshire as a hundred. 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.

Contents 1 Origin of the name 2 History 2.1 Prehistoric settlement 2.2 The Romans and Britons 2.3 The Anglo-Saxons and Vikings 2.4 The Normans and the early Middle Ages 2.5 The 16th to 18th centuries 2.6 The nineteenth century 2.7 The twentieth century 3 Geography 3.1 Places on Wirral 4 Landmarks 5 Accents and dialects 6 Wirral in literature 7 Notable people 8 Television and Film 9 Transport 10 Sports 11 See also 12 References

Origin of the name

The name Wirral occurs in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle as Wirheal, literally "myrtle-corner",”from the Anglo-Saxon wir, a myrtle tree, and heal, an angle, corner or slope. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle is a collection of Annals in Old English chronicling the history of the Anglo-Saxons. Myrica gale is a species of Flowering plant in the genus Myrica, native to northern and western Europe and parts of northern 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 Wirral would once have provided a similar habitat^[1]. Formby is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. A habitat (which is Latin for "it inhabits" is an Ecological or environmental area that is inhabited by a particular Species. The name was given to the Hundred of Wirral around the 8th century, although by the time of the Domesday Book and for some time afterwards the name of the hundred changed to the Hundred of Wilaveston, which later became Willaston^[2]. The Hundred of Wirral is the ancient administrative area for the Wirral Peninsula. The Domesday Book (ˈduːmzdeɪ bʊk also known as Domesday, or Book of Winchester) was the record of the great survey The Hundreds of Cheshire, as with other Hundreds in England were the geographic divisions of Cheshire for administrative military and judicial purposes Willaston is a village on the Wirral Peninsula, Cheshire, England.

History

Prehistoric settlement

The earliest evidence of human occupation of Wirral dates from the Mesolithic period, around 7000 BC. The Mesolithic or Middle Stone Age was a period in the development of human technology in between the Paleolithic or Old Stone Age and the Neolithic or New Stone Age Excavations at Greasby have uncovered flint tools and signs of stake holes and a hearth used by a hunter-gatherer community, and other evidence from about the same period has been found at Irby, Hoylake and New Brighton. Greasby is a large village on the Wirral Peninsula, Merseyside, England. Irby is a Village on the Wirral Peninsula, Merseyside, England. Hoylake is a seaside town on the Wirral Peninsula, Merseyside, England. New Brighton is a Seaside resort located in the town of Wallasey, on the north east tip of the Wirral Peninsula, in Merseyside Later Neolithic stone axes have been found at several locations including Oxton, Neston, and Meols, where Neolithic pottery has also been found. The Neolithic (from Greek νεολιθικός — neolithikos from νέος neos, "new" + λίθος lithos Oxton is a suburb of Birkenhead, on the Wirral Peninsula, Merseyside, England. Neston is a small residential town in the district of Ellesmere Port and Neston. This article is about the village on the Wirral Peninsula. See also Meols Cop for the Southport suburb At Meols and New Brighton there is evidence of continuing occupation through to the Bronze Age, around 1000 BC, and funerary urns of the period have been found at West Kirby and Hilbre. The term Bronze Age refers to a period in human cultural development when the most advanced Metalworking (at least in systematic and widespread use included techniques for West Kirby is a town located on the north west corner of the coast of the Wirral Peninsula, Merseyside, England, at the mouth of the River Dee Hilbre Island (ˈhɪlbriː HILL-bree) is the largest of a group of three Islands at the mouth of the Estuary of the River Dee, which is a ^[3]

Before the time of the Romans, Wirral was inhabited by a Celtic tribe, the Cornovii. The Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial Celts (ˈkɛlts or /ˈsɛlts/, see Names of the Celts The Cornovii (perhaps meaning people of the horn) were a people of Iron Age and Roman Britain, who lived principally in the modern counties of North Discoveries of artefacts at Meols suggest that it was an important port from at least as early as 500 BC. Traders came from as far away as Gaul and the Mediterranean in search of minerals from North Wales and Cheshire. Gaul (Gallia was the Roman name for the region of Western Europe comprising present day northern Italy, France, Belgium, western ^[4] There are also remains of a small Iron Age fort at Burton, which takes its name (burh-tun) from it. This article is about the archaeological period known as the Iron Age for the mythological Iron Age see Ages of Man. Burton is a Village on the Wirral Peninsula, in the district of Ellesmere Port and Neston in Cheshire, England ^[3]

The Romans and Britons

Around the year 70, the Romans occupied Chester, and traces have been found of their occupation in Wirral. The history of Chester extends back nearly two millennia covering all periods of British history in between then and the present day These include the remains of a road near Mollington, Ledsham and Willaston. Mollington is a small village Civil parish and ward in Chester District, on the outskirts of the city of Chester, England. Ledsham is a village and Civil parish in Chester District, Cheshire, England. Willaston is a village on the Wirral Peninsula, Cheshire, England. This may have continued to the port at Meols, which may have been used as a base for attacking the north Wales coast. Storeton Quarry may also have been used by the Romans for sculpture, and remains of possible Roman roads have also been found at Greasby and at Bidston. Storeton is a small village on the Wirral Peninsula, Merseyside, England. Greasby is a large village on the Wirral Peninsula, Merseyside, England. Bidston is a suburb of Birkenhead, on the Wirral Peninsula, Merseyside, England. 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. The Irish Sea ( Irish: Muir Éireann or Muir Meann; Scottish Gaelic: Muir Eireann Welsh: Môr Iwerddon, ^[4]

The Romans left in about 410, but later coins and other material found at Meols show that it continued to operate as a trading port. There is evidence of Celtic Christianity from the 5th or 6th centuries 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. Celtic Christianity, or Insular Christianity (sometimes called the Celtic Church or the British Church) broadly refers to the Early Medieval Bromborough is a small town on the Wirral Peninsula, Merseyside, England. Woodchurch is an area of the Wirral Peninsula, in Merseyside, England, which is sometimes considered a suburb of Birkenhead St Hilary's Church Wallasey is in the town of Wallasey, Wirral, Merseyside, England ( Wallasey is a large town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, in Merseyside, England, on the mouth of the River Mersey Hilarius or Saint Hilary (ca 300 – 368 was Bishop of Poitiers ('Pictavium' and considered an eminent doctor of the Western Christian The Celtic names of Liscard and Landican (from llan-Tegan) both suggest an ancient British rather than later origin. Liscard is an area of the town of Wallasey, on the Wirral Peninsula in Merseyside, England. Landican is a hamlet on the Wirral Peninsula, Merseyside, England. The name of Wallasey itself, meaning "Welsh (or foreigners') island", is evidence of British settlement. ^[3] The Welsh name, both ancient and modern, for the Wirral is Cilgwri. ^[5] In Welsh mythology, the Ouzel (or Blackbird) of Cilgwri was one of the most ancient creatures in the world. Welsh mythology, the remnants of the Mythology of the pre Christian Britons, has come down to us in much altered form in medieval Welsh manuscripts The Blackbird, Common Blackbird or Eurasian Blackbird ( Turdus merula) is a species of true thrush which breeds in Europe, Asia ^[6]

The Anglo-Saxons and Vikings

The Anglo-Saxons under Æthelfrith, king of Northumbria, laid waste to Chester around 616. St Mary's Church Eastham is in the small town of Eastham on the Wirral Peninsula, Merseyside, England ( Eastham is a small town on the Wirral Peninsula, Merseyside, England. For their language see Anglo-Saxon language. Anglo-Saxon is the term usually used to describe the invading Tribes in the south Æthelfrith (died c 616 was King of Bernicia from c 593 until c The Battle of Chester (in Old Welsh, Guaith Caer Legion and in modern Welsh, Brwydr Caer) is generally agreed to have taken place in 616 as Æthelfrith withdrew, leaving the area west and south of the Mersey to become part of Mercia, and Anglo-Saxon settlers soon took over most of Wirral with the exception of the northern tip. See also Mersey River (Tasmania and Mersey River (Nova Scotia. Mercia (ˈmɝsiə was one of the kingdoms of the Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy. Many of Wirral's villages, such as Willaston, Eastham and Sutton, were established and named at this time. Eastham is a small town on the Wirral Peninsula, Merseyside, England. Great Sutton is a village on the Wirral Peninsula, Cheshire, England.

Towards the end of the ninth century, the Norsemen or Vikings began raiding the area. Norsemen is used to refer to the group of people as a whole who speak one of the North Germanic languages as their native language A Viking is one of the Norse ( Scandinavian Explorers Warriors Merchants, and pirates who raided and colonized wide areas They settled along the Dee side of the peninsula, and along the sea coast, giving their villages names such as Kirby, Frankby and Meols. West Kirby is a town located on the north west corner of the coast of the Wirral Peninsula, Merseyside, England, at the mouth of the River Dee Frankby is a hamlet on the Wirral Peninsula, Merseyside, England and is located between Greasby and West Kirby. They also introduced their own system of local government, with its parliament at Thingwall. Thingwall is a village on the Wirral Peninsula, Merseyside, England. Ancient Irish annals record the population of Wirral by Norsemen led by Ingimund, expelled from Ireland around 902 and getting agreement from Aethelflaed or "Ethelfleda", Queen of the Mercian English to settle there peacefully. Mercia (ˈmɝsiə was one of the kingdoms of the Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy. The boundary of the Norse colony is believed to have passed south of Neston and Raby, and along Dibbinsdale. Raby is a small village located in the centre of the Wirral Peninsula, Merseyside, England. Brotherton Park and Dibbinsdale comprise an area of over 80 Acres of park and woodland on the Wirral Peninsula, Merseyside, England ^[3] Evidence of the Norse presence in Wirral can still be seen from place name evidence - such as the common '-by' (meaning "town" in Danish) suffixes and names such as Tranmere, which comes from trani melr ("cranebird sandbank"). In Grammar, a suffix (also postfix, ending) is an Affix which is placed at the end of a word Tranmere is a suburb of Birkenhead, on the Wirral Peninsula, Merseyside, England. The Common Crane ( Grus grus) also known as the Eurasian Crane, is a Bird of the family Gruidae, the cranes. Similarly, archaeological finds (such as two hogback tombstones) corroborate this. ^[7] On 10 September 2007, a 1,000-year-old Viking transport longship (Nordic clinker design) was discovered under the car park of the Railway Inn in Meols. Events 506 - The Bishops of Visigothic Gaul meet in the Council of Agde. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. A Viking is one of the Norse ( Scandinavian Explorers Warriors Merchants, and pirates who raided and colonized wide areas Longships, or longboats were ships primarily used by the Scandinavian Vikings and the Saxon people to raid coastal and inland settlements during the European ^[8]

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. Bromborough is a small town on the Wirral Peninsula, Merseyside, England. The Battle of Brunanburh was a West Saxon victory in 937 by the army of Athelstan, King of England, and his brother Edmund, For their language see Anglo-Saxon language. Anglo-Saxon is the term usually used to describe the invading Tribes in the south This is the first battle where England came together as one country, to fight the combined forces of the Norsemen and the Scots, and thus historians consider it the birthplace of England. Norsemen is used to refer to the group of people as a whole who speak one of the North Germanic languages as their native language It is thought that the battlesite was so large that it covered a large area of Wirral. Egil's Saga, a story which tells of the battle, may have referred to Wirral as Wen Heath, Vínheíþr in Icelandic. Egils saga is an epic Icelandic saga possibly by Snorri Sturluson (1179-1241 AD who may have written the account between the years 1220 and Icelandic ( is a North Germanic language, the language of Iceland. ^{[7] [9]}

The Normans and the early Middle Ages

After invading England in 1066 and subduing Northumbria in 1069/70, William the Conqueror invaded and ravaged Chester and its surrounding area, laying waste to much of Wirral. The Harrying (or Harrowing) of the North was a series of campaigns waged by William the Conqueror, in the winter of 1069 &ndash 1070 William I of England ( 1027 His reign which brought Norman culture to England had an enormous impact on the subsequent course of England in the Middle Ages The Domesday survey of 1086 shows that Wirral at that time was more densely populated than most other parts of England, and the manor of Eastham, which covered most of the eastern side of the peninsula from Bidston to the River Gowy, was the second largest in Cheshire. The Domesday Book (ˈduːmzdeɪ bʊk also known as Domesday, or Book of Winchester) was the record of the great survey Eastham is a small town on the Wirral Peninsula, Merseyside, England. Bidston is a suburb of Birkenhead, on the Wirral Peninsula, Merseyside, England. The River Gowy is a River in Cheshire, England, and a Tributary of the River Mersey. Cheshire (or archaically the County of Chester) is a county in North West England. Of the 28 former lords of 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. Robert of Rhuddlan (died 3 July 1093) was a Norman adventurer who became lord of much of north-east Wales and for a period lord of all North Hugh d'Avranches 1st Earl of Chester (died July 27, 1101) was one of the great magnates of early Norman England. The first Hamon de Massey was the owner of the manors of Agden, Baguley, Bowdon, Dunham, Hale and Little Bollington The survey shows only 405 heads of families in the whole of the peninsula, suggesting a total population of 2,000-3,000. ^[10][3]

For about 250 years the Earls of Chester ruled the whole of the County Palatine, including Wirral, almost as "a kingdom within a kingdom". A county palatine is an area ruled by a Count palatine (or Earl palatine who may hold the higher title of Duke) with special authority and autonomy Between 1120-1123, Earl Ranulph le Meschin converted Wirral into a hunting forest, an area in which game, particularly deer and boar, could be allowed to flourish undisturbed. Ranulph le Meschin also known as Ranulph de Meschines III "le Briquessart" (1074-1129 was the 1st Anglo-Norman Earl of Chester in Cheshire A royal forest is an area of land where certain rights are reserved for a Monarch or the Aristocracy, usually set aside for Hunting (see Medieval hunting A deer is a Ruminant Mammal belonging to the family Cervidae. The boar or wild boar ( Sus scrofa) is an Omnivorous, gregarious Mammal of the biological family Suidae. A chief Forester was appointed with a ceremonial horn, and the position soon became a hereditary responsibility of the Stanley family. The blowing horn or winding horn is a sound device by and large shaped like a horn or actually a cattle horn arranged to blow from a hole in the pointed end of it Earl of Derby is a title in the Peerage of England. The title was first adopted by Robert de Ferrers 1st Earl of Derby under a creation of 1139 However, after complaints by the residents about the wildness of the area and oppression by the Stanleys, a charter confirming the disafforestation of Wirral was issued by King Edward III on July 20, 1376. Edward III (13 November 1312 &ndash 21 June 1377 was one of the most successful English monarchs of the Middle Ages. Events 1304 - Wars of Scottish Independence: Fall of Stirling Castle - King Edward I of England takes the last rebel stronghold ^[11][3]

At the end of the twelfth century, Birkenhead Priory stood on the west bank of the River Mersey on a headland of birch trees, from which the town derives its name. Birkenhead Priory is in Priory Street Birkenhead, Merseyside, England. See also Mersey River (Tasmania and Mersey River (Nova Scotia. Birch is the name of any Tree of the genus Betula ( Bé-tu-la) in the family Betulaceae, closely related to the Birkenhead is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral in Merseyside, England. The ruined priory is Merseyside's oldest surviving building and its Benedictine monks provided the first Mersey ferry service around 1330, having been granted a passage to Liverpool by a charter from Edward III. Merseyside is a Metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 1365900 Benedictine refers to the Spirituality and Consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in The Mersey Ferry is a Ferry service operating on the River Mersey in north west England, between Liverpool and the Wirral Peninsula Liverpool ( is a City and Metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary ^[12] 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 went into decline after the devastation of the Black Death in 1349. The Black Death, or the Black Plague, was one of the deadliest Pandemics in human history widely thought to have been caused by a bacterium named Yersinia Another fair was established in 1299 at Burton. Burton is a Village on the Wirral Peninsula, in the district of Ellesmere Port and Neston in Cheshire, England 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". ^[3][13]

The 16th to 18th centuries

A Subsidy Roll of 1545 shows that the total population of Wirral at the time was no more than 4,000. Subsidy Rolls are records of Taxation in England made between the 12th and 17th centuries The peninsula was divided into about 15 parishes (Wallasey, Bidston, Upton, Woodchurch, West Kirby, Thurstaston, Heswall, Bebington, Bromborough, Eastham, Neston, Burton, Shotwick, Backford and Stoke). Upton is a large village on the Wirral Peninsula, Merseyside, England, situated close to Birkenhead. Thurstaston is a Village on the Wirral Peninsula, Merseyside, England. Heswall is a town on the Wirral Peninsula, Merseyside, England. Bebington is a small town and electoral ward within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, in Merseyside, England. Neston is a small residential town in the district of Ellesmere Port and Neston. Shotwick is a village and Civil parish on the Wirral Peninsula in Cheshire, England. Backford is a village and Civil parish in the Chester District of Cheshire, England. Stoke is a Civil parish in Chester District, Cheshire, England. Most of these were divided into smaller townships, of which the largest in terms of population were Neston, Burton, Wallasey, Tranmere (then within the parish of Bebington) and Liscard. Tranmere is a suburb of Birkenhead, on the Wirral Peninsula, Merseyside, England. However, none of these were more than small rural villages. ^[3]

Wirral's proximity to the port of Chester influenced the history of the Dee side of the peninsula. From about the fourteenth 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. Parkgate is a village on the Wirral Peninsula, in the part that remains in Cheshire, in the North West of England. Thurstaston is a Village on the Wirral Peninsula, Merseyside, England. Hoylake is a seaside town on the Wirral Peninsula, Merseyside, England. However, there 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. ^[3]

At the same time, the use of larger ships and the growth of commerce and industry in Lancashire started to lead to the growth of Liverpool. Liverpool ( is a City and Metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary The first wet dock in Britain 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. A lighthouse is a Tower, building or framework designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or in older times from a fire and used as an The commercial expansion of Liverpool, and the increase in stage coach traffic from Chester, also spurred the growth of ferries across the River Mersey. The Mersey Ferry is a Ferry service operating on the River Mersey in north west England, between Liverpool and the Wirral Peninsula See also Mersey River (Tasmania and Mersey River (Nova Scotia. By the end of the 18th century the Wirral side of the Mersey had five ferry houses, at Seacombe, Woodside, the Rock, New Ferry and Eastham. Seacombe is a district of the town of Wallasey, on the Wirral Peninsula, Merseyside, England. Woodside is a small riverside locality in Birkenhead, on the Wirral Peninsula, Merseyside, England, situated almost Rock Ferry is an area of Birkenhead on the Wirral Peninsula, Merseyside, England. New Ferry is a small town located on the Wirral Peninsula, Merseyside, England. ^[14]

Other communications were also improving. Turnpike roads linking Chester with Eastham, Woodside, and Neston were built after 1787. Turnpike trusts in the United Kingdom were bodies set up by Act of Parliament, with powers to collect road tolls for maintaining the principal highways In 1793, work began on the Ellesmere Canal, connecting the River Mersey with Chester and Shropshire through the fluvioglacial landform known as the Backford gap, and the town of Ellesmere Port began to develop. The Ellesmere Canal was a canal in England and Wales, originally planned to link the Rivers Mersey, Dee, and Severn, by running from Shropshire (ˈʃrɒpʃɪə/ /-ʃə alternatively known as Salop or abbreviated in print only Shrops, is a county in the Fluvioglacial landforms are Landforms moulded by glacial meltwater Backford is a village and Civil parish in the Chester District of Cheshire, England. 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

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. ^[15] 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 the length of Wirral to Chester, this and other schemes came to nothing, and the focus of general trade moved irrevocably to the much deeper Mersey. Heswall is a town on the Wirral Peninsula, Merseyside, England. However, from the late 18th century there was coal mining near Neston, in tunnels stretching up to two miles under the Dee, and a quay at Denhall was used for coal exports. Coal mining is the extraction or removal of Coal from the Earth by Mining. ^[3]

The nineteenth century

The first steam ferry service across the Mersey started in 1817, and steam-powered ships soon opened up Wirral's Mersey coast for industrialisation. Hamilton Square in Birkenhead, Merseyside, England is a Town square surrounded by Georgian terraces Birkenhead is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral in Merseyside, England. The 1820s saw the birth of the area's renowned shipbuilding tradition when John Laird opened his shipyard in Birkenhead, later expanded by his son William. John Laird ( 14 June 1805 – 29 October 1874) was a Scottish shipbuilder and key figure in the development of the town William Laird may refer to William Laird (1780-1841 Scottish shipbuilder and entrepreneur who founded the Cammell Laird shipyard at Birkenhead 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. James Gillespie Graham (1776 – 1855 was a Scottish Architect, born in Dunblane. Edinburgh ( ˈɛdɪnb(ərə Dùn Èideann) is the Capital of Scotland and is its second largest city after Glasgow. In 1847, Birkenhead's first docks and its municipal park, the first in Britain and the inspiration for New York's Central Park, were opened, and the town expanded rapidly. Birkenhead Park is a public Park in the centre of Birkenhead, on the Wirral Peninsula, Merseyside, England. New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous Central Park is a large public Urban park in New York City, with about twenty-five million visitors annually 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 Claughton, Oxton, Prenton and Tranmere. A borough is an Administrative division of various countries In principle the term borough designates a self-governing Township although in practice

The improved communications also allowed Liverpool merchants to buy up and develop large estates in 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. New Brighton is a Seaside resort located in the town of Wallasey, on the north east tip of the Wirral Peninsula, in Merseyside Egremont is an area of the town of Wallasey, on the Wirral Peninsula, Merseyside, England. Oxton is a suburb of Birkenhead, on the Wirral Peninsula, Merseyside, England. Claughton (pronounced "Clawton" ˈklɔːtən is a residential district in Birkenhead, on the Wirral Peninsula, Merseyside, England Arrowe Hall was built for the Shaw family in 1835. Arrowe Park is an area of parkland wood heath and leisure facilities to the west of Birkenhead on the Wirral Peninsula, Merseyside, England ^[3]

The mid 19th century saw the establishment of docks at Birkenhead and in the Wallasey Pool, and continuing development for a wide range of industry both there and along the banks of the Mersey. The New Chester Road was opened in 1833. Wirral's first railway was built in 1840, planned by George Stephenson and connecting Birkenhead with Chester. "Railroad" and "Railway" both redirect here For other uses see Railroad (disambiguation. George Stephenson ( 9 June 1781 &ndash 12 August 1848) was an English Civil engineer and mechanical engineer Chester is the County town of Cheshire, England. Lying on the River Dee, close to the border with Wales, it is home to 77040 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 a benign environment. William Hesketh Lever 1st Viscount Leverhulme ( 19 September 1851 &ndash 7 May 1925) was an English Industrialist philanthropist Port Sunlight is a Model village on the Wirral Peninsula, Merseyside, England. 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. The Manchester Ship Canal is a wide long river navigation in North West England, opened on 21 May 1894

In 1886, the Mersey Railway tunnel was opened, linking Wirral and Liverpool. The Mersey Railway connected Liverpool and Birkenhead, England, via the Mersey Railway Tunnel under the River Mersey. This led to the further rapid growth of suburbs along its lines in Wirral, particularly in Wallasey, Hoylake and West Kirby, and later Bebington and Heswall. Wallasey's population grew to over 53,000 by 1901, and the town also achieved borough status soon after the turn of the century. ^[3]

The twentieth 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. Flour is a powder made of Cereal grains It is the key ingredient of Bread, which is a staple food in many countries and therefore the availability An oil is a substance that is in a viscous Liquid state ( "oily") at ambient temperatures or slightly warmer and is In 1922 a new oil dock was built at Stanlow near Ellesmere Port, and in 1934 oil refining began there. Stanlow Refinery is part of Shell Stanlow Manufacturing Complex, Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, England. An oil refinery is an industrial Process plant where Crude oil is processed and refined into more useful Petroleum products, such as Gasoline A large chemical and oil refining complex still dominates the area. Stanlow Refinery is part of Shell Stanlow Manufacturing Complex, Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, England.

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. The 3rd World Scout Jamboree was held in 1929 at Arrowe Park in Birkenhead, United Kingdom. Arrowe Park is an area of parkland wood heath and leisure facilities to the west of Birkenhead on the Wirral Peninsula, Merseyside, England Scouting for Boys A Handbook for Instruction in Good Citizenship is the first book on the Scout Movement, published in 1908 Thirty-five countries were represented by 30,000 Scouts, plus another 10,000 British Scouts who took the opportunity to camp in the vicinity. Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide Youth movement with the stated aim of supporting young people in their physical mental and spiritual

The rail tunnel under the Mersey was supplemented by a vehicle tunnel in 1934, the Queensway Tunnel. The Queensway Tunnel is a Road Tunnel under the River Mersey, in the north west of England, between Liverpool and Birkenhead A third tunnel opened in 1971, the Kingsway Tunnel, connecting with the M53 motorway which now runs up the centre of the peninsula. The Kingsway Tunnel is a road Tunnel under the River Mersey in Merseyside, northwest England, between Liverpool and Wallasey The M53 is a 20 Mile (32 Km) Motorway in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral and Cheshire on the Wirral Peninsula in These new roads contributed to the massive growth of commuting by car between Liverpool and Wirral, and the development of new suburban estates around such villages as Moreton, Upton, Greasby, Pensby, and Bromborough. Moreton is a town on the north coast of the Wirral Peninsula, Merseyside, England. } Pensby is a large village on the Wirral Peninsula, Merseyside, England, located to the north east of Heswall.

In 1940-41, as part of The Blitz, parts of Wirral, especially around the docks, suffered extensive bomb damage. The Blitz was the sustained bombing of Britain by Nazi Germany between 7 September 1940 and 10 May 1941 in World War II. There were 464 people killed in Birkenhead and 355 in Wallasey, and 80% of all houses in Birkenhead were either destroyed or badly damaged. ^[3] During the Second World War 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 in order to protect the docks of Birkenhead and Liverpool. West Kirby is a town located on the north west corner of the coast of the Wirral Peninsula, Merseyside, England, at the mouth of the River Dee Hooton Park, on the Wirral Peninsula, Cheshire, is an airfield originally built for the Royal Flying Corps in 1917 as a training aerodrome for pilots

After the Second World War, economic decline began to set in in Birkenhead, as elsewhere in the area which had started to become known as Merseyside. 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 Merseyside is a Metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 1365900 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. Vauxhall Motors is a British automobile company It is a subsidiary of General Motors Corporation (GM and is part of GM Europe. ^[3]

Geography

Wirral can be defined as both a geographical peninsula and socio-cultural area. The current Metropolitan Borough of Wirral has a population of 312,293 people (according to the 2001 census)^[16], and covers an area of 60. Wirral or The Wirral (ˈwɪrəl is a Metropolitan borough in Merseyside, North West England, which occupies the northern A nationwide Census, commonly known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday 29 April 2001 35 square miles, bounded by the Cheshire Plain, the River Dee and the River Mersey. The square mile is an imperial and US unit of Area equal the area of a square of one statute mile. The Cheshire Plain is a flat Boulder clay plain situated entirely within Cheshire. See also Mersey River (Tasmania and Mersey River (Nova Scotia. The Irish Sea lies to its north west side. The Irish Sea ( Irish: Muir Éireann or Muir Meann; Scottish Gaelic: Muir Eireann Welsh: Môr Iwerddon, ^[12] The Shropshire Union Canal joins the River Mersey at Ellesmere Port and the River Dee at Chester. The Shropshire Union Canal is a navigable Canal in England; the Llangollen and Montgomery canals are the modern names of branches of the SU system This makes the geographical peninsula, as a technicality, an island. An island (ˈaɪlənd or isle (/ˈaɪl/ is any piece of land that is completely surrounded by water in two dimensions above high tide and isolated from other significant

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" ^[17], historian Stephen Roberts defines it as "the peninsula which is bounded by the Dee and Mersey estuaries, Irish Sea and. . . the route of the Shropshire Union Canal between Ellesmere Port and Chester". The original Hundred extended slightly further east, to the River Gowy. ^[3]

In the north of the peninsula, the River Fender, Arrowe Brook and Greasby Brook drain into the River Birket, which itself flows into the River Mersey via Wallasey Pool (Birkenhead Docks). Wallasey Pool was a natural Tidal inlet of water that separated the towns of Wallasey and Birkenhead on the Wirral Peninsula, England Further south, the River Clatter and River Dibbin drain into the Mersey at Bromborough Pool. Bromborough is a small town on the Wirral Peninsula, Merseyside, England. ^[10]

Two approximately parallel Triassic sandstone ridges run down the length of the peninsula. The Triassic is a geologic period and system that extends from about 251 to 199 Ma (million years ago Sandstone is a Sedimentary rock composed mainly of Sand -size Mineral or rock grains. 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 the Wirral) and Burton (222 ft). A foot (plural feet or foot; symbol or abbreviation ft or sometimes &prime – the prime symbol) is a non-SI unit Thurstaston is a Village on the Wirral Peninsula, Merseyside, England. Heswall is a town on the Wirral Peninsula, Merseyside, England. Burton is a Village on the Wirral Peninsula, in the district of Ellesmere Port and Neston in Cheshire, England The less continuous eastern ridge consists of Bidston Hill (231ft), Prenton (259ft) and Storeton Hill (229ft). Bidston Hill is of heathland and woodland that contains historic buildings and ancient rock carvings Prenton is a suburb of Birkenhead on the Wirral Peninsula, Merseyside, England. Storeton is a small village on the Wirral Peninsula, Merseyside, England. ^[10]

The major urban centres of Wirral are to its east; these include Birkenhead and Wallasey. Birkenhead is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral in Merseyside, England. Wallasey is a large town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, in Merseyside, England, on the mouth of the River Mersey To the west and south, Wirral is more rural. Two thirds of the population of 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 Wirral; notably, Ellesmere Port is often described as one of its 'border towns'. 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 ^[17]

Places on Wirral

The towns and villages on the Wirral are in one of three local authorities:

• The Metropolitan Borough of Wirral: Category:Towns and villages in Wirral
• The Borough of Ellesmere Port and Neston: Category:Ellesmere Port and Neston
• The following places on the Wirral are in Chester District: Capenhurst, Ledsham, Puddington, Saughall, and Shotwick. Wirral or The Wirral (ˈwɪrəl is a Metropolitan borough in Merseyside, North West England, which occupies the northern Ellesmere Port and Neston is a local government district, Borough and parliamentary constituency in Cheshire, England For the smaller central city area and principal settlement of this district see Chester. Capenhurst is a village and Civil parish in Chester District, Cheshire, England and located on the Wirral Peninsula Ledsham is a village and Civil parish in Chester District, Cheshire, England. Puddington is a village and Civil parish on the Wirral Peninsula, Cheshire, England, located close to the border with Wales This article is about the village of Saughall See also Saughall Massie for the village on the Wirral Peninsula. Shotwick is a village and Civil parish on the Wirral Peninsula in Cheshire, England.

Landmarks

Despite containing urban and industrial areas, 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. The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organization in England, Wales The Irish Sea ( Irish: Muir Éireann or Muir Meann; Scottish Gaelic: Muir Eireann Welsh: Môr Iwerddon, ^[18] Many villages of Wirral are well preserved with their characteristic red sandstone buildings and walls. Sandstone is a Sedimentary rock composed mainly of Sand -size Mineral or rock grains. Sights or places of interest include:

• Bidston Hill
• Caldy Hill
• Hilbre Island
• Lady Lever Art Gallery
• Thurstaston Common and Thor's Stone
• "The Thing" - site of Wirral's Viking parliament
• Mersey Ferry
• Ness Gardens
• North Wirral Coastal Park and Leasowe Lighthouse
• Port Sunlight
• Victorian Pleasure Gardens at Eastham Country Park
• Williamson Art Gallery
• Wirral Way and Hadlow Road railway station

Accents and dialects

The peninsula has a range of accents, though the proximity of the accents of Liverpool and Cheshire means that many people's are between the two. Bidston Hill is of heathland and woodland that contains historic buildings and ancient rock carvings Caldy Hill is an area of heath and woodland on a sandstone outcrop on the Wirral Peninsula. Hilbre Island (ˈhɪlbriː HILL-bree) is the largest of a group of three Islands at the mouth of the Estuary of the River Dee, which is a Sunlight Soap magnate William Hesketh Lever the first Lord Leverhulme, founded the Lady Lever Art Gallery in 1922 and dedicated it to the memory of his wife Royden Park and Thurstaston Common comprise an area of almost 250 acres of parklands wood and heath on the Wirral Peninsula, Merseyside, Thingwall is a village on the Wirral Peninsula, Merseyside, England. The Mersey Ferry is a Ferry service operating on the River Mersey in north west England, between Liverpool and the Wirral Peninsula Ness Botanic Gardens has evolved since Arthur Kilpin Bulley 1861-1942 began to create a garden in 1898 The North Wirral Coastal Park, on the Wirral Peninsula, England is a coastal park including public open space common land natural foreshore and sand-dunes Leasowe is an area on the north coast of the Wirral Peninsula, Merseyside in the north west of England, near Moreton and between Wallasey Port Sunlight is a Model village on the Wirral Peninsula, Merseyside, England. Eastham is a small town on the Wirral Peninsula, Merseyside, England. The Williamson Art Gallery and Museum is situated in Birkenhead, Merseyside, England and houses the town's collection of art The Wirral Country Park is a Country park on the Wirral Peninsula, England, lying both in the Metropolitan Hadlow Road railway station was a station on the Birkenhead Railway Hooton to West Kirby branch line which served the village of Willaston, in In Linguistics, an accent is a manner of Pronunciation of a language In Birkenhead, Wallasey and Moreton the influence of Liverpool is particularly strong. Moreton is a town on the north coast of the Wirral Peninsula, Merseyside, England. Accents in the South and West Wirral areas are not as strong, however. Neston once had a distinctive dialect derived from the migrant workers at the Denhall Colliery but this is now all but extinct. Neston is a small residential town in the district of Ellesmere Port and Neston. A dialect (from the Greek word διάλεκτος dialektos) is a variety of a Language that is characteristic of a particular group of ^[19]

Wirral in literature

• Sir Gawain spent Christmas on Wirral before his confrontation with the Green Knight. Gawain (ˈgɔːwɪn or /gəˈweɪn/ also called Gwalchmei Gawan Gauvain Walewein etc Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a late 14th-century

The wilderness of Wirral:

few lived there

Who loved with a good heart

either God or man

Olaf Stapledon, a writer, spent much of his life in West Kirby and Caldy, and many landscapes mentioned in his works can be identified. William Olaf Stapledon ( May 10, 1886 &ndash September 6, 1950) was a British philosopher and author of several influential works West Kirby is a town located on the north west corner of the coast of the Wirral Peninsula, Merseyside, England, at the mouth of the River Dee Caldy is a Village on the Wirral Peninsula, Merseyside, England, located to the south east of West Kirby.

Notable people

The area has been home to many notable people, including: Ian Botham (cricketer), Matt Dawson (rugby player), Emma Hamilton (mistress of Horatio Nelson), Glenda Jackson (actress and politician), John Peel (disc jockey and radio presenter), Paul O'Grady (TV presenter) and Harold Wilson (Prime Minister who was Head Boy of Wirral Grammar School for Boys). Sir Ian Terence Botham, OBE (born 24 November 1955) is a former England Test Cricketer and Test team captain and current Matthew James Sutherland "Daws" Dawson MBE (born 31 October 1972 in Birkenhead) is a now retired English Rugby union Emma Lady Hamilton (born 1761 baptised 26 April 1765 &ndash 15 January 1815 is best remembered as the mistress of Lord Nelson and as the muse of George Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson 1st Viscount Nelson 1st Duke of Bronté, KB (29 September 1758– 21 October 1805 was a British Glenda May Jackson, CBE, (born 9 May, 1936) is a British actress and Politician, currently Labour John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004 known professionally as John Peel, was an English Disc jockey, radio Paul James O'Grady MBE (born 14 June 1955 James Harold Wilson Baron Wilson of Rievaulx, KG, OBE, FRS, PC (11 March 1916 &ndash 24 May 1995 was one of the most prominent British politicians Wirral Grammar School for Boys was founded in 1931 situated on Cross Lane Bebington, on the Wirral. Several pop groups also come from the area including The Boo Radleys and Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark. The Boo Radleys were a British Alternative rock band of the 1990s who were associated with the Shoegazing and Britpop movements Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (often abbreviated to OMD) are a Synthpop group whose founding members are originally from the Wirral Peninsula A full list of notable people from the Wirral can be found on List of notable people from The Wirral. The following is a list of notable people who are associated with the Wirral Peninsula: Elvis Costello (Singer/songwriter lived in Birkenhead

Television and Film

• The television sitcom Watching, produced by Granada Television between 1987 and 1993, was partly set and filmed at various Wirral locations, particularly Meols. Watching was a British television sitcom, produced by Granada Television for the ITV network and broadcast for seven series and four specials Granada Television is the United Kingdom ITV contractor for North West England. This article is about the village on the Wirral Peninsula. See also Meols Cop for the Southport suburb ^[20]
• The Lime Pictures production Hollyoaks films occasionally, on location, on the Wirral. Lime Pictures, formerly known as Mersey Television, is a British Television production company founded by renowned producer and writer Phil Redmond Hollyoaks is a British television Soap opera which was first broadcast on 23 October 1995 on Channel 4.
• The film Chariots of Fire was filmed at various locations on the Wirral including the Oval Sports Centre, Bebington and the Woodside Ferry Terminal. For the instrumental theme see Chariots of Fire (instrumental. Bebington is a small town and electoral ward within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, in Merseyside, England. Woodside is a small riverside locality in Birkenhead, on the Wirral Peninsula, Merseyside, England, situated almost ^[21]
• Although ostensibly set in Liverpool, the film The 51st State was partly filmed around the docks, in Birkenhead, on the Wirral. The 51st State (also known as Formula 51) is a 2001 British film produced by Focus Films (UK directed by Ronny Yu, written
• The 2006 TV series Mike Bassett: Manager, starring Ricky Tomlinson 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 bring sacked from the England job. Mike Bassett Manager is a British TV comedy series which began transmitting from September 29, 2005 on ITV. Eric Tomlinson, (better known as Ricky Tomlinson) (born 26 September 1939 in Bispham Blackpool) is an English Actor. Mike Bassett England Manager is a 2001 satirical Comedy film directed by Steve Barron, following the fortunes of the manager Tranmere Rovers Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League One and based at Prenton Park, Tranmere
• The Ealing comedy, "The Magnet" (1950), was filmed in Wallasey and New Brighton. For the film see Ealing Comedy (film. For the film comedies see Ealing Comedies.

Transport

The M53 motorway runs along the length of Wirral, from near Chester. The M53 is a 20 Mile (32 Km) Motorway in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral and Cheshire on the Wirral Peninsula in Chester is the County town of Cheshire, England. Lying on the River Dee, close to the border with Wales, it is home to 77040 At the north eastern end, Wirral is joined to Liverpool by three tunnels under the River Mersey: two road tunnels Mersey Tunnels, one from Wallasey (Kingsway) and one from Birkenhead (Queensway) and the Mersey Railway tunnel. Liverpool ( is a City and Metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary The Mersey Tunnels connect Liverpool with the Wirral Peninsula, under the River Mersey. The Mersey Railway connected Liverpool and Birkenhead, England, via the Mersey Railway Tunnel under the River Mersey.

The Wirral Line of the electrified Merseyrail network links West Kirby, New Brighton, Chester and Ellesmere Port via many other suburbs to Liverpool Lime Street station through the underground Liverpool Loop line. 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 Liverpool Lime Street railway station on Lime Street is a mainline and underground Railway station serving the city centre of Liverpool, England Another National Rail line (known recently as the Borderlands Line or "Mid-Wirral line") offers hourly diesel services from Bidston (on the West Kirby branch of the Wirral Line) to Wrexham in North Wales. The Borderlands Line is the Railway line between Wrexham, Wales, and Bidston, Wirral, England. Wrexham (Wrecsam is a town and principal area in Wales. It is the largest town in North Wales and lies to the east of the region

The Mersey Ferry regularly crosses to Liverpool from both Woodside and Seacombe, providing both a commuter shuttle service and pleasure cruises. The Mersey Ferry is a Ferry service operating on the River Mersey in north west England, between Liverpool and the Wirral Peninsula

The nearest airports are Liverpool John Lennon Airport and Manchester Airport. Manchester Airport is a major Airport in the vicinity of Manchester, England, and the largest airport in the United Kingdom outside the

Sports

• Tranmere Rovers Football Club is Wirral's principal football club and play at Prenton Park, Birkenhead. Tranmere Rovers Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League One and based at Prenton Park, Tranmere Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a Team sport played between two teams of eleven players and is widely considered Prenton Park is a multi-use Stadium in Birkenhead, England. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is They currently play in Coca Cola League 1. The Football League, also known as the Coca-Cola Football League for sponsorship reasons is a league competition featuring professional football clubs

• Several Football League teams have played at New Brighton including the defunct New Brighton Tower F.C. and New Brighton A.F.C., who now play in the West Cheshire League. New Brighton Tower FC were an English football club based in New Brighton, in Wallasey, that folded in 1901. New Brighton AFC are an English football club from the seaside resort of New Brighton, in Wallasey, Merseyside. 2008-09 Members Recent divisional champions

• The Open Championship took place at the Royal Liverpool Golf Club in Hoylake in 1897, 1902, 1907, 1913, 1924, 1930, 1936, 1947, 1956, 1967 and 2006. The Open Championship, or simply The Open (often referred to as the British Open outside the UK) is the oldest of the four major championships The Royal Liverpool Golf Club is a leading Golf club in Merseyside in North West England

• Vauxhall Motors F.C. are the leading non-league football club on the Wirral. Vauxhall Motors Football Club is an English football club based at Rivacre Park Rivacre Road in Hooton, sandwiched between Eastham and They play in the Blue Square North Division (formerly Conference North) and play their home games at Rivacre Park. The Conference North (currently billed as Blue Square North for sponsorship reasons is a division of the Football Conference in England, taking its place

• Cammell Laird F.C. are a non-league football club on the Wirral and play in the Northern Premier League at Kirklands, Rock Ferry. Cammell Laird Football Club is an Association football club based at Kirklands Stadium in Rock Ferry, Birkenhead, Merseyside, History The Northern Premier League (NPL was founded in 1968, as the northern equivalent of the Southern League, decades after the other two leagues at what Rock Ferry is an area of Birkenhead on the Wirral Peninsula, Merseyside, England.

• Hoylake, in north west Wirral is one of the premier European land sailing or sand yachting sites, and was host to the week-long European Championships in September 2007. Hoylake is a seaside town on the Wirral Peninsula, Merseyside, England. Land sailing, also known as sand yachting or land yachting, is the act of moving across land in a wheeled Vehicle powered by Wind ^[22]

• West Kirby, in north west Wirral, is home to the Marine Lake which is used for windsurfing, sailing and sea kayaking and hosts the international Wilson Trophy sailing competition. West Kirby is a town located on the north west corner of the coast of the Wirral Peninsula, Merseyside, England, at the mouth of the River Dee Windsurfing is a surface water sport using a windsurf board also commonly called a sailboard usually two to five meters long and powered by a single sail Sailing is the art of controlling a Sailing vessel. By changing the Rigging, Rudder and dagger or centre board a Sailor manages the force A Sea kayak or touring kayak is a Kayak developed for the sport of paddling on open waters of lakes bays and the ocean

See also

• The Wirral Hundred
• Wirral Waters

References

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