C H ES H·J R E. - Cheshire County Council - Cheshire County ...

~
f I
II
I
·i­
I
.!
I
!It
'CHESH1RE .sLATER'S
.BIRKE:NHEAD,
WITH THE PARISH OF BIDSTON; THE ~TOWNSHIPS OF BIDSTON-CUM-FORD, CLAUGHTON-CUM­
GR.A..:.'GE, MORETON-CUM-LINGHA~r, OXTON, POtiLTON-CUM-8EACOMBE, SAUGHALL M.A.SSIE,
AND-TR.A..:.YMERE; THE SUBURBS, VILLAGES A~l) HAMLETS OFBIDSTON,CLAUGHTON, GRANGE,
OXTON, SEACOMBE AND TR.A.l\MERE.
.BIRKE~"'HE.A.D is ~ municipal and parli~mentarybo~oughIcOlllpanies. -.A. line 'of railway, in length abo.~t nine ;niles,
and populous town In the hundred of Wu-ral and UnIon of has also been opened to Hoylake, the termmusbelng at
its name, 15 miles NoN.W. from Chester, 33.11'. from :lI-funches- thc north end of the docks. The railway bridj;e over the
ter; and 195 from London, seated on the western bank of river Mersey at Runcorn, commenced by the LOndon and
the Mersey, exactly opposite to the great commercia! port North-Western Railway Company in 18?3, was opened. for
of Liverpool Birkenheadhas within the last few years risen traffic in April, 1869. The coustlUction of this brIdge
from comparative obscurity to its present position, forming shortened from 45 to 35 miles the distance by rail
a strikina contrast to the quiet and secluded appearance it between the Birkenhead and the Liverpool docks, and
presented a few centuries since, when under conventional this distance will be reduced to about 1 mile· by the
government. No later than 1818, only a few straggling ~rersey railway tunnel now in course of construction.
houses existed, and the population numbered but fifty; now The new'Voodside station,-in close proximity to the Woodit
is 82,000. The township anciently formed part of the side ferry, and which is approached by a tunnel 566 yards
demesnes ofa priory, founded in 1150, by Ramon de Massey, long running under the town, joins theeristing line close to
Lord·of Dunham, a grandson of one of the followers of the Green lane, Tranmere. There are five platforms of 550 feet
Norman Conqueror. It was erected in the reign of Edward in length, and the whole station building being covered by a
11., who granted the entire monopoly of the ferries to the light iron roof; the station is managed by an amalgamated
monks. ~'heremainsof the monastery are yet in a tolerable committee of th~ London and North-Western and the Great
state of preservation, exhibiting some beautiful specimens of Western railways. The river steamers on the Mersey form
the decorative style of English architecture, which prevailed a numerous and well appointed Heet of ferry boats, running
at the period of its foundation. At the dissolution, the re- at short intervals throughout the day, and those at Woodvenues
of the priory were valued at an anuual rental of £102 side and Seacombe all the night through as well. :!.'he boats
16s. lOd., and part of the estates were soon afterwards trans- to New Brighton afford the opportunity for a visit to the
ferred to the See of Chester, and part granted to the vVorsleys open sea; those to Egremont open up the Liverpool district;
of Lancashire, from whose descendants and representatives whilst Seacombe affords a ready access to the north side of
they became vested in F. R. Pryce, Esq. of the county of the Great Float, where are the magnificent corn warehouses
Flint. Birkenhead was formerly con~olled by a body styled built by the dock board. W oodside ferry is convenient to
the Birkenhead Improvement Commissioners, numbering; the market, park and docks, and 'l'ranmere is equally so.
twenty-one, butis nowgoverned bya corporation consisting of !Rock Ferry, New Ferry and Eastham, further inland, open
a. mayor, 14 aldermen, and 42 councillors, the charter of in-i up a delightful country; and the last-named is famous for
corporation having been granted on August 13th, 1~7'lits beautiful wood, where .pie-nics are held in the summer
'8irkenhead was formed intoa parliamentary borough in 1861, months. Woodside ferry was first established in 1282, and
its boundary including the neighbouring townships ofIwas then worth forty shillings a year, but now 12,000,000 pas­
CLAUGlITON, O.x:TON, TRA~llEP.E, and part of BE.BIXGTON. D. ·smgers crOss yearly, and yetno life has been lost in the traffic
MacIver, Esq. J.P. is the sitting member. The principal for the last forty years. The landing stage is a fine structure,
streets of the town arelaid out with great regularity, crossing completed, we believe, in 1862; it consists of iron
each other at right angles, and are about twenty yards in pontoons moored to the shore, and decked over to form a
I
width; but the back streets are narrow and composed of perfectly level promenad,e. The communication with
small and mean dwellings. The greater part of the larger the shore is by means of tw'o ponderous iron bridges, that
houses are of white stone from the neighbouring quarries. for foot passengers being covered with glass. At the shore
"Hamilton square,a beautiful quadrangle of about eightacres, end are good waiting rooms; also an extensive promenade'
is scarcelv excelled by any buildings in the kingdom. In this entirely sheltered from the weather. The south end of th~
square is" a. handsome bronze statue, 10ft. 5 inches high, of stage, for a length of 300 feet, includ.ing one of the bridaes,
the late John Laird, Esq. the first M.P. for the borough, is appropriated to the use of the Birkenhead corporation.
erected in 1877. The park is a,nother great ornament to lThe 500 feet northwards and the other bridge is under the
Birkenhead, and was suggested by the late Sir William [superintendence of the dock board. In connection with the
J ackson, Bart. It consists of about 180 acres, seventy ofIlatter there is also a floating brid$~ 678 feet in lenath by 30
which were laid out by the late Sir J oseph Paxton, in a style Ifeet in width, by lIleans of which an easy in~line for
not surpassed by any other area of a similar kind in this heavy traffic is maintained at all times of the tide.
country; bythe Act of Parliamentauthorising its formation, Birkenhead was the first town in England to have tramway
it is free for the use of the public for ever. Its cost was cars, and tramways are now laid down throuah some of the
£120,000. Within the entrance gate is a fountain, erected principal streets to the adjoining suburbs. The Birkenhead
by public subscription, to the memory ofthe late John Somer- lmpro~ement Commissioners having resolved in November
ville J ackson, Esq. one of the pioneers of progress in Birken- 1843, to applyto Parliament for powers to construct docks i~
h.ead. A'piece of gro~nd, twenty-thre~acres in extent, beau- Wa!lasey Pool, bills were passed fO!; that purpose in March,
tJfully Situated, lookmg on to the river Mersey, has been 184;).1n October, 1844, the foundation stone was laid bythe
appropriated to the public as a park by the corporation, at late Sir Philipde MalpasGreyEgerton,M.p. forSouthCheshire'
a cost of £30,000, and is a great boon to the inhabitants of and on April 5th, 1847, two docks, called the Morpeth and
that part of the borough. The town is very conveniently Egerton docks, were opened by LOl·d Morpeth the Chief
situatedforcommercialenterprise,hariDg=unicationwith· Commisioner of Woo:1s and ·Forests. The f~rmer dock
the entire railway system of the country. The Birkenhead,Iwhich is appropriated fa the general trade of the port ha~
Lancashire and ~heshireJ u~ction Railway wa.;; the earliest a water. area of 11 acres and 2,404 yards, and a quaya.'ge of
constructed, the first sod havlUg been cut by Sir R. Brooke, 1,299 lmeal yards; at the east end, bl'll.nching out of this
at Norton, near Preston Brook, on 14th November, 1846, and dock, are two passages, 50ft. and 85ft. in width respectively
when completed, joined the London and North-Western line the latter of which can be used as a gravina dock. Th~
at Crewe. .It was s~bsequently connected with the Great ~gerton dock, at the eas.t end of which is a ~ssage leading
Western RaIlway, whICh enabled the latter company to open mto the Morpeth do,~k, IS 3 acres and 4,011 yards in extent
their through route to London on 14th November, 1854. withaquayageof754linealyards" TheseweresubsequentIy
In July, 1859, the Birkenhead line was purchased by the extended by the construction of other docks and a great
London and North-Western and Great Westel'n Railway floating harbour, the latter havin~been first opened on April
Companies, and was transferred to them on the 17thAugust, 10th, 1851, and completed on November 1st, 1860. The
1860, since which period it has been worked by the joint Birkenhead doeks have attained a world-wide reputation
.am