Bebington

Bebington Merseyside UK Hub

Approximate Population: 13,720

Bebington is a small town and electoral ward within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, in Merseyside, England. It lies 5 miles (8 km) south of Liverpool and 34.5 miles (56 km) west southwest of Manchester, along the River Mersey on the eastern side of the Wirral Peninsula. Nearby towns include Birkenhead and Wallasey to the north northwest and Heswall to the west southwest.

It had a total resident population of 13,720 at the 2001 Census.

The town includes the areas of Port Sunlight (an early planned factory town), Higher Bebington (which includes the Mount Estate), Lower Bebington, Poulton Lancelyn, Spital, Storeton and Woodhey.

Bebington railway station opened in 1838 and is situated on the Wirral Line of the Merseyrail network.

The Church of St. Andrew, on a site occupied since Saxon times, dates from the 14th and 16th centuries.

In 1838, the footprints of an archosaur later called the Chirotherium storetonese were found in a sandstone bed at Storeton Quarry. Examples can be seen at the Liverpool Museum and at Christ Church within the parish of Higher Bebington.

Stone quarried at Bebington was used for the construction of Birkenhead Town Hall, some of the villas around Birkenhead and Rock Parks and most famously of all the Empire State Building in New York City. The stone is considered to be a high quality sandstone which is creamy in appearance. The Quarries were eventually filled in with debris removed during the construction of the two Mersey Tunnels.

Mayer Hall, Bebington Village, was formerly an art gallery built by Joseph Mayer, a Liverpool Businessman. It is now a community resource and still boasts many of its original features.

The Brackenwood golf course was cited in 2004 as a likely site for the Battle of Brunanburh in 937.

Bebington Merseyside UK Hub

St. Helens

St. Helens Merseyside UK Hub

Approximate Population: 102,629

St Helens is a large town in Merseyside, England. It is the largest settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of St Helens with a population of just over 100,000 of an urban area with a total population of 176,843 at the time of the 2001 Census.

Historically a part of Lancashire, the area grew during the 18th and 19th century as a significant centre for coal mining, and glassmaking.  Both prior and during this time it was also home to a cotton and linen industry (notably sail making) that did not last through the mid 19th century as well as salt, lime and alkali pits, copper smelting, and brewing.

The town and borough is notable for being the site of the first fully man made canal opened in autumn 1757, and also the first competition for steam locomotives, in Rainhill Trials.

Today, St Helens is very much a commercial town. The main industries have since left, become outdated, or have been outsourced leaving the float and patterned rolled glass producer Pilkingtons, a world leader in their industry, as the town’s one remaining large industrial employer. Previously the town had been home to Beechams (now part of GlaxoSmithKline), Ravenhead glass (bought out by the Belgian nationalised Durobor), United Glass Bottles (U.G.B.), Triplex (owned by Pilkington, farmed out to India), Daglish Foundry (closed and demolished 1939), and Greenall’s (now located in nearby Warrington).

St. Helens Merseyside UK Hub

Southport

Southport Merseyside UK Hub

Approximate Population: 99, 456

Southport is a seaside town within the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton, in Merseyside, England. The town is located on the Irish Sea coast, 16.5 miles (26.6 km) to the north of Liverpool and 14.8 miles (23.8 km) west-southwest of Preston. Southport has a population of around 100,000,[1] with approximately 40% of the population over 55 years old and around 55% defined as social class ABC1.

Historically a part of Lancashire, tourist attractions include Southport Pier, the second longest seaside pleasure pier in the British Isles, Lord Street, a tree-lined shopping street once home of Napoleon III of France, and a fairground which was originally opened in 1912.

The town contains examples of Victorian architecture and town planning. These include much of Lord Street in addition to Cambridge Hall, Town Hall and Wayfarers’ Arcade.  A particular feature of the town is the extensive tree planting.   This was one of the conditions required by the Hesketh family when they made land available for development in the 19th century.   Hesketh Park at the northern end of the town is named after the Hesketh family.

Extensive sand dunes stretch for several kilometers between Birkdale and Ainsdale/Woodvale to the south of the town.   The Ainsdale sand dunes have been designated as a National Nature Reserve in England and a Ramsar site. Local fauna include the Natterjack toad and the Sand lizard.

Southport Merseyside UK Hub

Southport

UK Hub

Southport Merseyside

Approximate Population: 99,456

Southport is a seaside town within the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton, in Merseyside, England. The town is located on the Irish Sea coast, 16.5 miles (26.6 km) to the north of Liverpool and 14.8 miles (23.8 km) west-southwest of Preston. Southport has a population of around 100,000,[1] with approximately 40% of the population over 55 years old and around 55% defined as social class ABC1.

Historically a part of Lancashire, tourist attractions include Southport Pier, the second longest seaside pleasure pier in the British Isles, Lord Street, a tree-lined shopping street once home of Napoleon III of France, and a fairground which was originally opened in 1912.

The town contains examples of Victorian architecture and town planning. These include much of Lord Street in addition to Cambridge Hall, Town Hall and Wayfarers’ Arcade.  A particular feature of the town is the extensive tree planting.   This was one of the conditions required by the Hesketh family when they made land available for development in the 19th century.   Hesketh Park at the northern end of the town is named after the Hesketh family.

Extensive sand dunes stretch for several kilometers between Birkdale and Ainsdale/Woodvale to the south of the town.   The Ainsdale sand dunes have been designated as a National Nature Reserve in England and a Ramsar site. Local fauna include the Natterjack toad and the Sand lizard.

UK Hub Southport Merseyside

Wallasey

Wallasey Merseyside UK Hub

Approximate Population: 58,710

Wallasey is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, in Merseyside, England, on the mouth of the River Mersey, at the northeastern corner of the Wirral Peninsula. According to the 2001 Census, the town had a total resident population of 58,710.

The name of Wallasey originates from the Germanic word Walha, meaning stranger or foreigner, which is also the origin of the name Wales. The suffix “-ey” denotes an island or area of dry land. Originally the higher ground now occupied by Wallasey was separated from the rest of Wirral by the creek known as Wallasey Pool (which later became the docks), the marshy areas of Bidston Moss and Leasowe, and sand dunes along the coast.

Before the 19th century the area was sparsely populated. Horse races organised for the Earls of Derby on the sands at Leasowe in the 16th and 17th centuries are regarded as forerunners of the modern Derby.

Old maps show that the main centre and parish church (St Hilary’s) were located at what is now called Wallasey Village, and there were smaller hamlets at Liscard, Poulton and Seacombe, from where there were occasional ferries across the Mersey. There was also a mill (at Mill Lane), and from the mid-18th century a gunpowder store or magazine at Rock Point, located well away from the built-up areas.

By the early 19th century, the shoreline between Seacombe and Rock Point started to become an attractive area to which affluent Liverpool merchants and sea captains could retire. Development at Egremont began around this time, and gained pace with the introduction of steam ferries across the river. The area also had a defensive role overlooking the growing port of Liverpool. In 1829, Fort Perch Rock was built, and in 1858 Liscard Battery.

Wallasey Merseyside UK Hub

Bootle

Bootle Merseyside UK Hub

Approximate Population: 77,640

Bootle is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton, in Merseyside, England. It is 4 miles (6.4 km) to the north of Liverpool city centre, and has a total resident population of 77,640. Historically part of Lancashire, Bootle’s economy has been centred around the docks and their associated industries for decades.

Bootle, along with Southport, is one of the two main administrative headquarters for the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton. Among Bootle’s neighbouring districts are Kirkdale to the south, Walton to the east, with Seaforth and Litherland to the north. To the west contains the Port of Liverpool running along side the River Mersey.

The old civic centre of Bootle contains large Victorian buildings such as the town hall and municipal baths. East of this centre is a sizeable area of large office blocks, to the west is the Leeds and Liverpool Canal and large areas of docks lining the River Mersey. To the north is the New Strand Shopping Centre, which gained notoriety after the abduction and murder of two-year-old James Bulger in 1993.

Bootle was originally a small hamlet built near the ’sand hills’ or dunes of the river estuary. The settlement began to grow as a bathing resort for wealthy residents of Liverpool in the early 19th century. Some remaining large villas which housed well-to-do commuters to Liverpool are located in the area known locally as ‘Bootle Village’.

Bootle Merseyside UK Hub

St. Helens

UK Hub

St. Helens Merseyside

Approximate Population: 102,629

St Helens is a large town in Merseyside, England.   It is the largest settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of St Helens with a population of just over 100,000 of an urban area with a total population of 176,843 at the time of the 2001 Census.

Historically a part of Lancashire, the area grew during the 18th and 19th century as a significant centre for coal mining, and glassmaking.  Both prior and during this time it was also home to a cotton and linen industry (notably sail making) that did not last through the mid 19th century as well as salt, lime and alkali pits, copper smelting, and brewing.

The town and borough is notable for being the site of the first fully man made canal opened in autumn 1757, and also the first competition for steam locomotives, in Rainhill Trials.

Today, St Helens is very much a commercial town. The main industries have since left, become outdated, or have been outsourced leaving the float and patterned rolled glass producer Pilkingtons, a world leader in their industry, as the town’s one remaining large industrial employer. Previously the town had been home to Beechams (now part of GlaxoSmithKline), Ravenhead glass (bought out by the Belgian nationalised Durobor), United Glass Bottles (U.G.B.), Triplex (owned by Pilkington, farmed out to India), Daglish Foundry (closed and demolished 1939), and Greenall’s (now located in nearby Warrington).

UK Hub St. Helens Merseyside

Birkenhead

Birkenhead Merseyside UK Hub

Approximate Population: 83,729

Birkenhead is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral in Merseyside, England. It is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the west bank of the River Mersey, opposite the city of Liverpool. At the 2001 Census, the town had a population of 83,729. Historically part of Cheshire, Birkenhead is perhaps best known as a centre for ship building, as a seaport and its related industries. Because it is close to Liverpool, many residents commute there.

In 1886 Birkenhead and Liverpool were linked by an underground railway system, which today is part of the Merseyrail network. The major underground station in Birkenhead is Hamilton Square, the nearest station to the ferry terminal. Hamilton Square station is linked to the “Liverpool Loop” of the Wirral Line, which includes James Street, Moorfields, Liverpool Lime Street and Liverpool Central stations, all of which are underground.   Other stations located in Birkenhead include Birkenhead Central, Green Lane, Rock Ferry, Conway Park, Birkenhead Park, Birkenhead North and Bidston.

The Wirral Line from Birkenhead travels south to Chester and Ellesmere Port, north to New Brighton and westwards, across the Wirral Peninsula, to West Kirby. The Borderlands Line leaves Bidston station, in the north of Birkenhead and travels through the rural centre of Wirral, ultimately leaving England near Shotton and terminating in Wrexham, Wales.

From 1878, until its closure in 1967, Birkenhead Woodside railway station was the town’s mainline railway terminus.   Originally located close to Woodside Ferry Terminal, the site has been redeveloped into flats, a bus depot and offices for HM Land Registry.

Birkenhead Merseyside UK Hub

Liverpool

Liverpool Merseyside UK Hub

Approximate Population: 435,500

Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880. Liverpool has a population of 435,500, and lies at the centre of the wider Liverpool Urban Area, which has a population of 816,216.

Liverpool has more galleries and national museums than any other city in the United Kingdom apart from London.   The Tate Liverpool gallery houses the modern art collection of the Tate in the North of England and was, until the opening of Tate Modern, the largest exhibition space dedicated to modern art in the United Kingdom. The FACT centre hosts touring multimedia exhibitions, whilst the Walker Art Gallery houses an extensive collection of Pre-Raphaelites.

Sudley House contains another major collection of pre 20th century art and the number of galleries continues to expand:   Ceri Hand Gallery opened in 2008, exhibiting primarily contemporary art, and Liverpool University’s Victoria Building was re-opened as a public art gallery and museum to display the University’s artwork and historical collections which include the second-largest display of art by Audubon outside the US.

The Liverpool Biennial festival of arts runs from mid-September to late November and comprises three main sections; the International, The Independents and New Contemporaries although fringe events are timed to coincide.   It was during the 2004 festival that Yoko Ono’s work “My mother is beautiful” caused widespread public protest when photographs of a naked woman’s pubic area were exhibited on the main shopping street.   Despite protests the work remained in place.

Liverpool Merseyside UK Hub

Liverpool

UK Hub

Liverpool Merseyside

Approximate Population: 816,900

Liverpool has more galleries and national museums than any other city in the United Kingdom apart from London.   The Tate Liverpool gallery houses the modern art collection of the Tate in the North of England and was, until the opening of Tate Modern, the largest exhibition space dedicated to modern art in the United Kingdom.   The FACT centre hosts touring multimedia exhibitions, whilst the Walker Art Gallery houses an extensive collection of Pre-Raphaelites.

Sudley House contains another major collection of pre 20th century art and the number of galleries continues to expand:   Ceri Hand Gallery opened in 2008, exhibiting primarily contemporary art, and Liverpool University’s Victoria Building was re-opened as a public art gallery and museum to display the University’s artwork and historical collections which include the second-largest display of art by Audubon outside the US.

Artists have also come from the city, including painter George Stubbs who was born in Liverpool in 1724.

The Liverpool Biennial festival of arts runs from mid-September to late November and comprises three main sections; the International, The Independents and New Contemporaries although fringe events are timed to coincide.   It was during the 2004 festival that Yoko Ono’s work “My mother is beautiful” caused widespread public protest when photographs of a naked woman’s pubic area were exhibited on the main shopping street.   Despite protests the work remained in place.

UK Hub Liverpool Merseyside