Wallasey

Arms of the former Wallasey County Borough Council

Wallasey is a large town on the mouth of the River Mersey on the tip of the Wirral. The town is built up of six townships (Liscard, Seacombe, Egremont, New Brighton, Wallasey Village, Poulton); these villages grew into each other when the Queensway Tunnel under the River Mersey from Liverpool opened in 1934. Liscard is the main shopping centre.

History

New Brighton, which developed from 1830 with the ferry link to Liverpool, featured the tallest building in Great Britain, the New Brighton Tower, between its completion in 1898 and its demolition in 1919–21. New Brighton became one of the most popular holiday resorts in north-west England, but declined after the 1940s, until 1969, when the remaining Tower buildings and the ferry service to Liverpool were lost. The Promenade Pier, which dated from the 1860s, was closed in the 1970s and finally demolished in 1978.

Fort Perchrock and Liscard Battery were built in the area to protect shipping on the Mersey.

It is believed that the name of Wallasey originates from the Germanic word Walha, meaning stranger or foreigner, probably derived from the name Volcae. This is also the origin of the name Wales.

Politics

The County Borough of Wallasey was incorporated into the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral in 1974. The town is contained in the parliamentary constituency of Wallasey, which has been held since the 1992 general election by Angela Eagle of the Labour Party.

Transport

Road

* The Kingsway Tunnel, built in 1971 and located in Poulton, links Wallasey with the centre of Liverpool.
* The M53 motorway begins in Poulton and leads south through the centre of the Wirral Peninsula to Chester and the M56 motorway continues to Manchester Airport.
* The North Wallasey Approach Road begins in Wallasey Village and ends in Bidston at Junction 1 of the M53.
* Leasowe Road gives access to Leasowe and Moreton to the west.

Rail

Present
There are three railway stations: Wallasey Village, Wallasey Grove Road and New Brighton. Trains to Liverpool and Birkenhead depart every 15 minutes (every 30 minutes during late evenings and on Sundays). Grove Road station has a huge 'park and ride' car park with over 160 spaces.

Past
Formerly, an additional railway line ran from Seacombe & Egremont station to Birkenhead and Liverpool. An intermediate station served Liscard & Poulton. The line, and both stations, closed to passengers in 1960. The cutting where the line once ran now forms the approach road to the Kingsway Tunnel.

Bus

Regular bus services depart Liscard Bus Station every 15 minutes and travel via the Kingsway Tunnel to Liverpool. In addition, there are several services which link the districts of Wallasey and nearby towns such as Birkenhead, Leasowe and Moreton.

Famous people from Wallasey

* The post-war art photographer Raymond Moore was born in Wallasey in 1927. He also studied at the Wallasey College of Art.
* Simon "Sice" Rowbottom and Timothy Brown from the band The Boo Radleys also came from Wallasey. The Boo Radleys had a hit with "Wake Up Boo" in 1995.
* Leicester and England Rugby Union player Austin Healey was born in Wallasey.
* The actor Geoffrey Hughes, best known for roles in Coronation Street, Heartbeat and Keeping Up Appearances was born in Wallasey.
* ITV Sports journalist of the 1980s Dickie Davies was raised in Wallasey and attended The Oldershaw School, Valkyrie Road.
* Actor and comedian Deryck Guyler (1914-1999) was born here.
* Walter McLennan Citrine, 1st Baron Citrine, GBE, PC (1887-1983), leading British trade unionist and politician, was born here.
* Actress Louise Delamere, whose work includes No Angels and The Chatterley Affair, was raised in Wallasey and attended St. Mary's R.C. College in Wallasey Village.
* Film director Charles Crichton was born in Wallasey. His films include A Fish Called Wanda (1988), The Lavender Hill Mob (1951) and The Titfield Thunderbolt (1953).
* Actor Graham Stark originates from Wallasey.
* Mountaineer Alan Rouse (1951-1986), first Briton to climb K2, was born in the town and did his first climbing at the Breck.
* Rock'n'roll drummer Nigel Olsson, known for his work with Elton John, was born in Wallasey in 1949.
* The 'gonzo' artist Ralph Steadman, known for his collaboration with the writer Hunter S. Thompson was born in Wallasey in 1936.

External links

*Wirral Met College
* Photographs of New Brighton
*The Art Nouveau Unitarian Chapel