Cheshire County Council - Cheshire County Council - www.cheshire.

DIRECIORY.] CHESHIRE. BIRKENHEAD. 71in the Gothic style, with an embattled nave and twopinnacles over the doorway: there are sittings for 800:a smaU portion of the ground attached was formerlyused as a burying ground.The Presbyterian Church of England, in Grange roadwest, erected in 1847, is a building of stone in theGothic style, consisting of nave with a turret over theentrance, and has 650 sittings. The Welsh Presbyterianchurch, in Parkfield avenue, opened in 1859, is a plainstructure of brick with stone facings, and seating 750persons: in 1903 an organ was added at a cost of ;^3,70o.The Baptist chapel. Grange road, erected in 1858, at acost of about ;^6,ooo, is a large building of stone in thoDoric style; it has in front four fluted Doric piUars, surmountedby a faijade of Stourton stone: it has 620sittings.The Friends' Mission hall, Cathcart street, opened in1878, for 270.The Congregational chapel, which occupies a commandingposition at the junction of the Woodchurchand Oxton roads, is an edifice of Stourton stone in theDecorated style, consisting of chancel, nave, aisles andan eastern tower, 109 feet high, with crocketed pinnacles24 feet in height: an ornamental panelled wainscottingextends round the interior, which affords 540 sittings.The Primitive Methodist chapel. Grange road, erectedin 1870 at a cost of ;^3,7So, is an edifice of brick withstone dressings, with sittings for 780 persons. ThePrimitive Methodist chapel, in Holt road, Tranmere,erected in 1879 at a cost of ;^3,4oo, is of brick withstone dressings, in the Italian style, and will seat 600persons. There are also mission chapels in Beckwithstreet and New Chester road. New Ferry.The Unitarian chapel, in Bessborough road, erected in1903, is a building of Gothic style of Ruabon brick withHeswell stone facings: there are 420 sittings.The Welsh Congregational chapel, in Vittoria street,erected in 1883 at a cost of about ;£^s8o, is of brick, andwill seat 250 persons.The Friends' meeting house, in Park road south, of redbrick and stucco, was erected in 1892, at a cost of ;^2,ooo,and affords 200 sittings.The Free Church of Wales, in Claughton road, erectedin 1903, is a building of red brick with terra cottafacings in the Gothic style, and will seat 400 persons.There are several other places of worship.St. Aidan's Theological College, Forest road, Claughton,was founded 1846. The present building, erectedin 1856, on a site of about 7 acres, purchased for ;^9,325from the Birkenhead Commissioners, is a large andhandsome structure of brick, standing on a raised terrace,in the Tudor style, from designs by Mr. Vvyatt,ot London, and the late Mr. Henry Cole, of Birkenhead,architects, and includes a chapel, erected in 1882 ata cost of ^3,500, from the designs of Mr. David Walker,architect, of Liverpool: this is of brick and stone inthe Decorated style, and consists of chancel, nave anda small western tower containing one bell: the stainedeast window is a memorial to Richard Bryars J.P. d.1884; and there are 250 sittings: the chapel is open tothe public and there are week day and Sunday servicesduring term time. The object of this college is to traincandidates for holy orders in the Church of England:the college accommodates 50 resident students; theview from the building presents a beautiful panoramaof sea and landscape, including Birkenhead park, theWallasey peninsula, and the entrances to the port ofLiverpool.The Cemetery, at Flaybrick HUl, between Tollemacheand Boundary roads, was laid out in 1864, under thesuperintendence of Mr. Edward Kemp, the weU-knownlandscape gardener, and contains over 26 acres ; the consecratedportion of 17a. or. i6p. together with 3a. 2r. 9p.consecrated in 1891, now extends over 20a. 2r. 25p. setapart for the Established and Catholic churches ; the restis unconsecrated: the chapels are in the Early Decoratedstyle, from designs by the late Messrs. Lucy and Littler,architects, of Liverpool; the total cost was upwards ofj^42,ooo. The cemetery is the property of the corporation,acting as a burial board, and is managed by thecemetery committee. George Lance, the distinguishedpainter of fruit subjects, was interred here June 25.1S64.The Town HaU, in Hamilton square, and facing thesquare of that name, was erected during the period1883-7, ^^ ^ ^°^* °^ .^43.000, and is a structure of stoneand grey granite, in the Renaissance style, from designsby Messrs. C 0. Ellison and Son, architects, of Liverpool,and was opened 10 Feb. 1887; the main front presentsa bold pedimented entrance, carried on ten detachedcolumns 30 feet high, rising from a spacious platform 12feet above the street level, and approached on both sidesby a ffight of steps, guarded by balustrading of greygranite, with massive red granite rails, which is continuedacross the whole of the frontage; over the doorway is aprojecting balcony: the public haU seats from 600 to700 persons: on the other fioors are the various offices,the rooms in each department being en suite; in thebasement of the tower is a large ureproof mun"mentroom. In 1901, 10 July, the clock tower, 200 feet inheight, together with the council chamber and otherportions, were destroyed by fire, and have been rebuilt.The municipal insignia comprise a mayor's chain andbadge and a corporate seal. The chain and badge, presentedto tbe corporation in 1878, by Macgregor Lairdesq. were manufactured in Liverpool, and tbe designthough simple is good; the chain consists of 17 ornamentallinks united by smaU chains, and the pendentbadge displays the arms and crest of the borough,enclosed in an enriched frame or border. The boroughseal is simply an embossing stamp bearing the samearms. On the incorporation of the town in 1877, aquartered shield of arms was adopted comprising thearms of the Priory, with others, but this not beingapproved by the Royal College of Arms, was discardedand a grant of arms was made to the boroughby the College in 1878; these arms are:—quarterly orand arg. on a cross gu. a crozier of the first in pale,between two crescents of the 2nd. In the ist quarter alion pass. gu. 2nd, on a mound an oak tree ppr. 3rd,an estoile az. 4th, 2 lions pass. gu. Crest, upon a rock,ppr. in front of a crozier erect, or, a lion pass. az. restingthe dexter paw on an anchor, also or; the motto chosenis:—"Ubi Fides ibi Lux et Eobur."In front of tbe Town Hall is a bronze statue of .JohnLaird esq. first M.P. for the borough (d. 29 Oct. i874)»modelled by Mr. A. Bruce Joy, of London, and erectedin 1877.The Sessions Court, in Chester street, erected in 1886-7,at a cost of upwards of ;^40,ooo, and opened in April,.1887, is a building of stone in the Classic style, fromdesigns by Messrs. T. D. Barry and Son, of Liverpool.The borough court of Quarter Sessions is held here, andthere is also a court for the Wirral Petty Sessions:here also are the police head quarters, and at the back,is a bridewell.The County Court House, in Pilgrim street, erected ini860, is a plain building of stone, comprising court roomsandthe usual offices.The Market Hall, opened in July, 1845, is 430 feet longby 131 wide, forming a covered space of upwards of anacre and a quarter, and cost, inclusive of the site, about^33,000: it is a quadrangular structure of stone, brickand iron, the roof being divided into three bays, supportedon two arcades, connected by arched cast iron-,girders; there are nine entrances.The open space caUed the " Hay Market," opposite thebottom of Hamilton street and the top of Conway street,was laid out in 1868 at a cost of about ^8,000, but thismarket has since been chiefiy transferred to Marketsquare.The Birkenhead Public Library was established underthe "Public Libraries Act, 1855" (18 and 19 Vict. c.70) ; the Central Library, in Market place south, erectedin 1909, is a large structure of brick with stone dressings,from designs by Messrs. Sproat and Warwick,'architects; the total stock is about 90,000 volumes, and'the issue from all departments in 1909 was 284,000volumes: special features of the library are its extensivecollection of Cheshire books (probably the best existing) ;its Shakesperian collection of over 800 volumes, in additionto which there is a valuable topographical section:the children's library contains over 4,000 volumes : eachbranch library has close upon 7,000 volumes for homereading. Borrowers' tickets are issued to school children(without charge or guarantee) on the recommendationof school teachers; extra tickets can be obtained bystudents &c The operations of every department ofthe old library building in Hamilton street havingbecome congested, the committee decided to ask thehelp of Mr. Carnegie, who preferred the sum of/•2o,ooo for the erection of new library buildings.;^i5,ooo to be devoted to the Central Library and/"S.ooo for the re-erection of the two branch libraries.The three new buildings were completed in 1909. Thelibrary hours are from 9 a.m. to 9.30 p.m. but onTuesdays to 2 p.m. only.The Laird School of Science and Art, in Park roadnorth, built in 1871 by the late John Laird esq. M.P. isa plain edifice of brick and freestone, the facade beingornamented with sculptures representing mechanics,shipbuilding, painting, sculpture, navigation and architecture,and at the entrance are two caryatides in Yorkstone, symbolical of painting and sculpture; the interior