_What is Heritage?
_Economies of Heritage
Heritage is what the present chooses to make of the past. It is never set in stone and is constantly evolving. This is meant in terms of how objects can become heritage over time or how people’s concepts and attitudes towards heritage change. It is also defined in opposition to what is going on in the present. For example, if a certain type of building is becoming rare and under threat, the historical value of the remaining few increases, and they become heritage.
Heritage is big business. Although the enthusiasts who conserve it are defensive of the idea of heritage as a product or service, this is what it has become. Culture is frequently regarded as beyond price, even though huge amounts of money are spent on pieces of art and designer furniture. Towns and cities now rely on their heritage to attract visitors and provide a key industry in the area. After the exploitation of heritage sites by the leisure and tourism industries in the 1980’s, creating ‘heritage theme parks’ and ‘attractions’ for commercial gain, new systems of funding emerged in the 1990’s, providing money from the state, tourist boards, charities, as well as entry fees and gift shops etc. Heritage sites also add value to surrounding areas and businesses.
Promotion
_[Re]create
2000
Despite community and crime problems in Park Hill, the complex remained structurally sound, unlike many of the system built blocks of the era, and controversially was Grade II listed, making it the largest listed building in Europe. Sheffield City Council hoped this would attract investment to renovate the building, but this was not initially forthcoming. The decision to list the estate was controversial at the time and it continues to attract criticism.
1998: Park Hill Estate is Listed
The first time virtual heritage was used as an exhibit was at Dudley Castle, providing a 'walk-through' of a 3D reconstruction of the castle, opened by the Queen.
By 1987 post-war buildings were being listed, the first being Bracken House in the City of London
_Heritage T Theme Parks arks kss
£37,200,000
Arrivals
come
nnual In
age A sh Herit
Engli
English
Herita
bersh ge M em
ip Num
687,000
nal Tourist
687,300,000 687 300 000
The Globe Theatre is [Re]Created becoming one of the key heritage 62 attractions in London. It is strongly linked to the intangible heritage of the work of William Shakespeare, which ensures its popularity. As no full set of plans existed for the original theatre, assumptions had to be made in the design and construction of the new theatre, but this has not affected the theatres success.
An opinion poll showed that two thirds of people canvassed supported the listing of post-war buildings by English Heritage
A critical analyses of the complex relationship between tourism and war as related forms of conquest, and in particular the production of a national past.
1997: Globe Theatre Rebuilt
1996: Post War Listing Poll 1996: Back to Front: Tourisms of War
455,900,000 455 900 000
During the 1980’s, after the deindustrialisation of many of the UK towns and cities, the past industrial elements of these communities began to be seen as heritage. This is represented most notably by Ironbridge Gorge, associated with the birth of the Industrial Revolution; it became a World Heritage Site in 1972, showing what such an important piece of heritage it is, not just in the UK, but world wide.
1986: Ironbridge Gorge becomes a World Heritage Site
English Heritage was set up under the terms of the National Heritage Act 1983. Its functions for maintaining ancient monuments had previously been undertaken by part of the Department of the Environment which was the successor to the Ministry of Works. The 1983 Act also dissolved the bodies that had hitherto provided independent advice - the Ancient Monuments Board for England and the Historic Buildings Council for England and incorporated these functions in the new body.
1983: National Heritage Act
atio Total Intern
922,000,000
1990
_Heritage a Eyesores
1987: Bracken House is Listed
ers Numb p i h s r e Memb
1975: The Rape of Britain
226,069
t al Trus Nation
Heritage
1,046,864
1980: The Firestone Factory is Destroyed
A key text on the study of the bunkers of the ‘Atlantic Wall’ by Paul Virilio and the changing image of them within France.
1975: Bunker Archaeology
The exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum told the story of the destruction of many of the countries grandest buildings, particularly the country house. The exhibition appealed to the public to save this area of ‘their’ heritage. With the accompanying BBC documentary the campaign gained huge support.
1974: Destruction of the Country House Exhibition
After years of campaigning to ‘Save Covent Garden’, the GLC plans for the area were overturned and many of the buildings were listed. It was the first significant victory for the people over the planners when concerning heritage.
1973: GLC Covent Garden Proposal Overturned
Following on from the Hague Convention, the World Heritage List was introduced in 1972, aimed at protecting world cultural and natural heritage.
1972: World Heritage List Introduced
1968: London Bridge Sold for $2.5 million 1968: GLC Proposal for Covent Garden
170,986
157,581
12,503
10,870
9,350
6,800
44,454
_The h Rape of Britain i __Baedeker Blitzz
Threat
1980
The book ‘The Rape of Britain’ by Colin Amery and Dan Cruickshank made apparent the destruction of architectural and historical heritage in 30 UK towns and cities, using factual information and photographic evidence. They argued that the built environment was, “being assaulted and despoiled as never before in our history.”
A new 160,100 redevelopment proposal for Covent Garden planned to demolish many of the existing buildings and replace them with a new mixed use ‘modern’ development. The plans caused a lot of controversy throughout London, and particularly in the existing community of Covent Garden.
London Bridge was sold in 1968 for $2,500,000 after a new modern bridge was necessary over the River Thames. The structure was moved brick by brick, but this time to a theme park at Lake Havasu City, Arizona, USA, spanning the Bridgewater Canal. The bridge has become Arizona’s second biggest tourist attraction, after the Grand Canyon. The new location hasn’t affected its popularity.
1970
Designed by Sheffield City Architects, Park Hill was seen as an exemplar project of social housing, new and at the cutting edge of design. Residents were pleased with their new homes.
1961: Park Hill Estate is Completed
The outcry that took place over heritage after the Second World War didn’t just take place in the UK; huge areas of Europe had been destroyed during the war. The ‘Hague Convention for Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict’ was set up in 1954, which stated that signatories must refrain from damaging cultural properties in their own or other countries’ territories during times of armed conflict.
1954: Hague Convention
Replacement
Dated
1994: First Virtual Heritage Exhibition Opens
New
1960
After the Baedeker Blitz people began to realise the importance of the built environment in shaping our heritage. In 1947 under the Town and Country Planning Act the first listing system for heritage buildings in the UK was developed.
1947: Town and Country Planning Act
£
In the 1980’s there were new debates over heritage of the built environment and what buildings could be listed, particularly more recent buildings of the C20. Listed buildings at the start of the 1980’s were generally at least 100 years old, but the demolition of the art deco Firestone Factory in West London, built in 1928, brought the preservation of C20 buildings to popular attention. These buildings were seen as part of the public’s culture and neighbourhoods. This sparked the listing of 150 inter-war buildings such as cinemas, underground stations and factories that previously had not been viewed as heritage.
Promotion
3 3,500,000
National Trust
£35,400,000
£
1950
The German air force carried out a series of air raids in 1942 known as the ‘Baedeker Blitz’, which didn’t target places and buildings of military importance, but cities of significant beauty and notable architecture to reduce the morale of the country. They used the Baedeker Guide [the German tourist guide to Britain] as a reference and aimed to destroy all 300 buildings in it. They bombed Exeter, Bath, Norwich, York and Canterbury. As well as killing 1,600 civilians and destroying 50,000 homes, there was a public outcry as significant buildings such as the Guildhall in York and the Assembly Rooms in Bath were destroyed or badly damaged.
1940
All these examples of creating heritage have shown the ways in which economic success is achieved through heritage, whether the original intentions were for economic gain or in the interest of heritage. The authenticity of many modern pieces of heritage is debatable and there are large criticisms of the heritage industry for the way in which it re-manages and re-creates history for financial gain and for as Diller and Scofidio describe the “ever evolving construction of our national narrative”. The visitor is now the ‘heritage consumer’ and attractions are aimed at supplying their needs through the product of heritage.
The book ‘Flogging a Dead Horse’ made a strong criticism of the heritage industry within Britain and its lack of authenticity. Photographs by Paul Reas and text by Stuart Cosgrove argued it signalled the “death of history”. They describe the ‘heritage theme parks’ that emerged in the 1980’s as an “imagined past……constructed to meet the economic, cultural and ideological needs of the present……rendering history and culture into light entertainment……A modern day leisure industry which 550,400,000 blasphemes the past by exhibiting, selling and trivialising the 2,1 sacred objects of social realism.”
Heritage occurs at different scales, whether it is a mug commemorating the 1966 World Cup or Windsor Castle. This study will focus on heritage on an urban scale and the negative and positive effects it can have on towns and cities. It will also focus on heritage within the UK and the obsession within Britain with the heritage of the built environment, how this has developed and how this can be used to shape towns and cities in the future, with a focus on the Wirral.
A faster, more immediate method of creating heritage is to [re]create it, taking advantage of history or intangible heritage. An example of this recreation in the built environment is the Globe Theatre, which became one of the key historical and heritage attractions in London as soon as it was rebuilt in 1997. It is strongly linked to the intangible heritage of the work of William Shakespeare, which ensures its popularity. As no full set of plans existed for the original theatre, assumptions had to be made in the design and construction of the new theatre, but this has not affected the theatres success.
ntity & Jobs
1993: Flogging a Dead Horse
Promotion
“The substitution of originals with facsimiles presents no anxiety for the tourist so long as the expected narrative is sustained.”
Demolition
665,000
Consumer
Heritage
Local Council
This is the organizing body of New Urbanism with their foundational text the ‘Charter of the New Urbanism’.
£
£
1993: Congress for New Urbanism is Formed
State
£
3 3,480,188
Unofficial
An emerging area of heritage through the development of technology is virtual heritage. This relates to heritage that is represented within a technological domain. It focuses on the tangible aspects of heritage, using 3D modelling, graphics and animation to recreate historical buildings and areas. The first time it was used was as an exhibit in 1994 at Dudley Castle, providing a 'walk-through' of a 3D reconstruction of the castle. Although a useful tool in recreating heritage, it lacks the intangible aspects of heritage that are arguably just as important as the tangible aspects.
£33,200,000
English Heritage
630,000
£
£
_Virtual
3,391,934 ,3
£
One way that heritage has been exploited and undermined in the built environment, is in using it to criticise the current built environment and propose new developments imitating the style of past heritage buildings. This has stemmed from the obsession with heritage of the built environment and is championed by the New Urbanism movement in the USA and figures such as Prince Charles in the UK. Tom Jeffries describes it as the new ‘urban quick fix’ that capitalizes on heritage. It is believed that using traditional forms of design will restore delight to the view of the world. Poundbury, a new town in Dorset, uses these principles and is seen as the new urban solution to failing areas of cities.
£30,100,000
Monuments can create heritage when there is no physical evidence of it at all. They may commemorate an event or past structure that took place in the past. Their presence is extremely important in a heritage landscape. Memorials in battlefields are the main attractions as they provide a physical structure to visit opposed to a field. Monuments can provide a heritage landscape with little work. The ‘Blue Plaques’ by English Heritage in London mark where historically important figures lived or worked. The building becomes an important piece of heritage with the blue plaque, but without it, it is just another building in the urban landscape.
Visitors to UK Heritage Attractions in 2007
Heritage can be transported for convenience and economic gain. Greenfield Village is a tourist attraction in Michigan, USA that as Diller and Scofidio describe is where; ”not only is time re-played but geography is re-placed.” The village is made up of period buildings and structures that have been taken from different areas of America and transported to Greenfield to form a C19 village. Many of the buildings have historical significance, and a strange neighbourhood is created where Henry Ford’s birth house, the Wright brothers’ house, Thomas Edison’s laboratory and the courthouse where Abraham Lincoln practiced law are within walking distance. As Diller and Scofidio explain; ”correspondences between time and space – between histories and geographies become negotiable.” In the UK there are similar examples. The Oyster Bar, a popular historic public house dating back to the C16 in the centre of Manchester has been moved twice in its history. The location of the built heritage is negotiable. The old London Bridge was sold in 1968 for $2,500,000. The bridge has become Arizona’s second biggest tourist attraction, after the Grand Canyon.
595,000
Million
_Imitate
£29,100,000
_Monument
_[Re]place
555,000
UK Tourism Reciepts in 2007
Employed by Tourism in the UK in 2007
For the first time pieces of intangible heritage such as languages and carnivals are officially recognised as pieces of important heritage.
Billion
Million
Living history has generally concerned itself with ‘traditional’ forms of history, re-enacting famous battles and dressing up as Victorian gentry, but in 2001 Jeremy Deller re-enacted the ‘Battle of Orgreave’, a key event of the miners strike in 1984 . His aim was for the, “Battle of Orgreave to become part of the lineage of decisive battles in English History.” This raised new issues of the importance of recent social and political events, the impact they have on communities and whether they represent heritage.
2003: Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heriage £27,100,000 3,270,020 7
International Tourist Reciepts in 2008
Many people would rather not confront the truth. The ‘Enola Gay’ exhibition at the Smithsonian in Washington DC in 1994 sparked huge controversy for its depiction of the dropping of the first atomic bomb. Sam Johnson, a Smithsonian Regent stated, “We’ve got to get patriotism back into the Smithsonian. We want the Smithsonian to reflect real America and not something that a historian dreamed up.” The exhibition was based on factual information, but many of the public wanted the exhibition to focus on the end of the war, not the destruction of an entire city. Changes were attempted and as the main aim of the exhibition began to be compromised it was cancelled. Maybe history needs to be fabricated to create a successful piece of heritage?
To create ‘real’ built heritage it takes time. As Peter Howard explains;” Not everything is heritage, but anything could become heritage.” Similarly Paul Virilio in ‘Bunker Archaeology’ describes how the bunkers of the Atlantic Wall, although of archaeological importance in his eyes, to the majority of the French public they represented occupation and the fear of death when he visited them between 1958 and 1965. He saw it as a question of time, and people would eventually learn to appreciate the structures, which has taken place. They are now important pieces of military history, architecture and part of the geography of heritage tourism in northern France. There appears to be a cycle in heritage, particularly in the built environment in 5 stages, seen in the diagram below. This is a loose framework of how buildings can become heritage over time; it may differ depending on specific circumstances of other buildings, but most will go through a similar process. Using this cycle of heritage, it may be possible to predict heritage of the future or create buildings with the purpose of becoming heritage.
2,843,930
Billion
Similar to the recreation of heritage, ‘living history’ aims to give the observer a sense of stepping back in time through historical activities, dress, tools and re-enactments in interactive presentations. Living history will often take place at historical locations, and many heritage attractions use it. It became popular in the UK in the 1980’s as part of the new industrial ‘heritage theme parks’ to improve and increase the range of attractions available. The ‘Plimouth Plantation’ at Plymouth Rock, USA, where the Pilgrims first settled is an extreme version of living history. The original village is recreated with staff impersonating the pilgrims performing daily routines and speaking in Elizabethan English. Authenticity is paramount, and even animals of the period were recreated through back-breeding.
£25,500,000
£640 £74
_Time Must Pass
£
Due to the increasing interest in heritage and its economic value, towns and cities are using it to promote themselves, attract visitors and create or improve their tourist industry. Eyam, a village in Derbyshire known as ‘plague village’, takes advantage of its role in the plague of 1665 to create its own tourist industry.
Practices
1942: Baedeker Blitz
Value of Tourism in the UKs GDP
International Tourists in 2008
Heritage is fabricated all the time for the benefit of tourism within cities, such as Robin Hood and Nottingham. There is no history of Robin Hood, but the story is world famous and attracts visitors from all over the world to the city and Sherwood Forest to see where the fictional character lived. There are statues of him , an annual Robin Hood Festival and the city council has even used the character as a symbol of the city. The story isn’t based on the truth, but history is altered all the time to create a better story so that tourists will be attracted to a place, as well as for political and nationalistic aims.
702,600,000
Identity
4.5% q2.1 q250
_Living History
684,100,000 Foundational text for the Congress for New Urbanism 2,728,983
Objects
Due to the strong economic value of heritage, it is being created or recreated so that cities can benefit financially. Las Vegas holds very little heritage itself, but has built its own versions of famous buildings from all over the world that represent successful pieces of other cities heritage, including the Eiffel Tower, the Statue of Liberty and the Manhattan skyline. Even though the buildings are just replicas, they represent Las Vegas very well and if they survive will become heritage of the city themselves. Although this seems extreme, Las Vegas is hugely profitable and in this context it is almost expected. As Las Vegas is less than 100 years old and is context-less due to being on a the site of a desert anything can be built. The local population are not tied to the past and obsessed with the built heritage of the city like in the UK. Las Vegas is expected to constantly change with even more ridiculous structures each year. But in the UK, where there is a strong context and culture throughout the country, it is harder to create a convincing and successful heritage strategy and industry.
Million
_Fabricate
2001: Charter for New Urbanism
Official
Recently Liverpool has tried to capitalize on its association with the Beatles, part of the cities cultural heritage. Even though Liverpool has the largest number of Grade 1 listed buildings in the country, the majority of tourists are attracted by the Beatles as this is how Liverpool is marketed. You arrive via ‘John Lennon Airport’, are met by a huge yellow submarine statue, stay at the ‘Hard Days Night Hotel’ and visit the ‘The Beatles Story’, ‘The Cavern Club’, and ‘The Beatles Shop’.
q 922
Heritage can be fabricated, created or recreated in a number of different ways. On a small scale heritage is created regularly in terms of collectables. Special edition stamps, coloured vinyl records, signature clothing etc are all created in limited numbers to add value to the product. The less of something there is, the more value it has. In an urban context it is much more difficult to create, although the definitions of heritage can be blurred. As the economic and cultural value of heritage has increased, so has the number of approaches for creating it.
Jeremy Deller wins the Turner Prize by re-enating the ‘Battle of Orgreave’ during the miners strike of 1984, using living history. His aim was for the, “Battle of Orgreave to become part of the lineage of decisive battles in English History.” This raised new issues of the importance of recent social and political events, the impact they 460,000and whether they represent heritage. The have on communities miners strike had a large impact, dividing the country; “it became an ideological and industrial battle between the two sections of British society.” 500,000
Heritage
Sylvie Zavatta in the preface to ‘Back to the Front: Tourisms of War’ discusses the geography of tourism through cultural [heritage] sites and its “essential set of economic stakes which no region can afford to overlook”. In 2008 922,000,000 people worldwide took vacations abroad, spending more than £640,000,000,000 and these numbers have only continued to increase with an increased interest in heritage. In the UK, travel and tourism is worth approximately £74,000,000,000 [4.5% of the GDP], employing 2.1 million people and there were 250 million visitors to heritage attractions. Membership numbers of English Heritage and National Trust are at an all time high and are continuing to increase. Heritage sites have become a landscape of consumption. This increasing interest in heritage is for a number of reasons. John Cullen believes that one of the characteristics of modernity is the loss of authenticity, which can be recuperated in the past through heritage. Global and virtual networking such as the internet and improved transport at lower prices has increased peoples awareness of sites of heritage and their ability to get to them. Television, literature and films also promote heritage. After the success of the film ‘Saving Private Ryan’, interest increased in the Second World War, D-Day and visiting Normandy, France where the film was set and the original event took place. Costume dramas such as ‘Pride and Prejudice’ attract viewers to the country houses where they are filmed. Also Diller and Scofidio in the introduction to ‘Back to the Front: Tourisms of War’ talk of the tourist desire for the extreme, and the fascination for heroism, which is found in battlefields, as well as their desire for “aura”, that can be found in heritage attractions.
The plague had been brought to Eyam from London in 1665 and the whole village was quarantined for 16 months, leaving only 83 survivors from an original population of 350, a story that satisfies the tourist’s desire for the extreme. There are signs and places of interest throughout the village noting locations of events of the plague, and along with Eyam Hall tell the full story and the history and heritage of the area. Although on a small scale, Eyam’s heritage has become its main industry. Other examples include Stratford-upon-Avon as the birthplace of Shakespeare, Oxford and Cambridge and their universities, and Henley and its strong heritage of rowing.
2001: English Civil War Part II
Heritage can be split into two types and two processes. There are tangible pieces of heritage or ‘objects’ such as buildings and memorabilia, and intangible ‘practices’ of heritage such as languages and music. We use both objects and practices of heritage to help to provide us with an identity and shape who we are as nations, cities, communities and individuals. These can be part of the official processes of heritage which are run by the state, for example the listing system, or the unofficial processes of heritage that focus more on people, such as community events and places that help to connect people with the places they live.
_Creating Heritage
bers
History of Heritage_001
937
_Wirral Urban Sprawl | Parks | Transport
_Battle of Brunanburk takes place in Bromborough [possibly], which confirms England as an Anglo-Saxon kingdom. 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
1120 _Earl Ranulph le Meschin converts Wirral into a hunting forest with game allowed to flourish undisputed.
1150 _Birkenhead Priory is founded.
1318
J1
_The Benedictine monks of Birkenhead Priory provide the first Mersey ferry service.
1376 _King Edward III issues a charter that confirms the disafforestation of the Wirral.
1715 J2
_The first wet dock in Britain is built in Liverpool and leads to the development of the town. The need to develop and protect the Liverpool dock led to a series of lighthouses being built along the north Wirral coast. The number of ferries across the Mersey grows.
1787 _Turnpike roads linking Chester with Eastham, Woodside, and Neston are built.
1793 _Work begins on the Ellesmere Port Canal, connecting the River Mersey with Chester and Shropshire.
1817 _The first steam ferry across the Mersey starts.
1824 _William Laird establishes an iron works in Birkenhead.
1829 _Shipbuilding starts at Birkenhead by William Laird & Son. _The Perch Rock Battery is completed. It was built to protect the Port of Liverpool and act as a fortified lighthouse.
1830 _James Atherton and William Rowson begin to develop the resort of New Brighton as a desirable residential and watering place for the gentry, in a similar way to Brighton, one of the most elegant seaside resorts of the regency period. _New Brighton lighthouse is completed. _The New Brighton ferry is founded.
Notes for a History of the Wirral
J3 3
M53
J4
1833 _Hamilton Square opens. The square, built by William Laird, now contains the most Grade I listed buildings in one place in England, apart from Trafalgar Square in London. _The New Chester Road Opens.
1840 _The Wirral’s first railway, planned by George Stephenson, connecting Birkenhead with Chester opens.
1842 _Construction begins on Birkenhead and Wallasey Pool docks.
1847 _Birkenhead Park opens. It is a forerunner of the Park’s Movement and the first publicly funded civic park in Britain. It becomes the inspiration for New York’s Central Park.
1874 _John Laird dies. 1,500 men walk behind his coffin at the funeral, and a statue is erected in his honour.
1884
1931 _The UK’s first guide dog training school, The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association is found in Wallasey.
1932
1978 _The New Brighton promenade pier is dismantled.
1985 _Martin Parr’s book The Last Resort is published.
_Tranmere Rovers Football Club is founded.
1886 _The Mersey Railway tunnel opens, linking the Wirral and Liverpool. This leads to the rapid growth of suburbs, particularly in Wallasey, Hoylake and West Kirby, and later Bebington and Heswall.
1888
_There is mass rioting in Birkenhead due to unemployment and unrest, focused near the town hall and Birkenhead Park, there are many arrests.
Parks or Golf Course
1933
J5 5
_Bidston Dock, Wallasey opens.
Train Route
1934 Train Station
_The Mersey Tunnel “Queensway” is opened. _Work begins on the development of Port Sunlight in the Wirral, a model village designed to house employees of Lever Brothers Soap Factory, dreamed up by William Hesketh Lever. It becomes a significant example of the garden suburb and the arts and crafts architectural movements.
Urban Area
_New Brighton bathing pool opens; it is one of the largest aquatic stadiums in the world.
Motorway
1894 A-Road _The Manchester Ship Canal opens, with its outfall at Eastham, which leads to further port-side and industrial development on the Mersey waterfront, particularly at Ellesmere Port.
1900
1990
_The New Brighton Tower, the tallest in the country, is completed and opened to the public with grounds including a stadium, ballroom, theatre, gardens with a lake and a fairground.
_Hurricane force winds severely damage New Brighton bathing pool. It is demolished.
_Wirral Statistics
_Wirral Population Distribution
q
2001 _Cammel Laird enters receivership, and sold, becoming ‘Northwestern Ship repair and Shipbuilders’.
1852
1941
_Price’s Patent Candle Company builds a factory and model village at Bromborough.
_Merseyside is badly damaged by the May Blitz, but continue to operate as part of the Battle of the Atlantic against Nazi Germany. 80% of houses in Birkenhead are either destroyed or badly damaged.
1856 _Birkenhead Library, the country’s first public library in an unincorporated borough opens.
1961 _St. George’s Secondary School, the first building to be heated entirely by solar energy in the world opens.
1858 _Birkenhead Docks merge with Liverpool Docks.
1860
1903 _Laird, Son & Co. shipbuilders merge with Johnson Cammel & Co. of Sheffield who produce many metal products such as iron wheels for the national railways. The company becomes Cammel Laird.
_The first street tramway in Europe opens in Birkenhead connecting Birkenhead Park and Woodside.
_Birkenhead becomes a parliamentary borough with John Laird as its first Member of Parliament.
1869 _The New Brighton promenade pier is completed and opened.
1871 _The Laird School of Art, the first public school of art outside of London is given to Birkenhead by John Laird.
_The Beatles play at the New Brighton Tower ballroom.
1969 1919
1861
1963
_The New Brighton Tower begins to be dismantled to sell the steel work to the ship industry. Dismantling is completed in 1921. The tower ballroom remains, one of the largest in the world at the time.
1922 _A new oil dock is built at Stanlow near Ellesmere Port. This leads on to the beginning of oil refining in 1934.
1928 _The Williamson Art Gallery opens, housing a fine collection of paintings, porcelain and pottery.
_The New Brighton Tower ballroom is destroyed by fire.
1971 _The Kingsway Tunnel opens, connecting with the M53 motorway. Along with the established Queensway Tunnel they contribute to the massive growth of commuting by car between Liverpool and the Wirral, and the development of new suburban estates around such villages as Moreton, Upton, Greasby, Pensby, and Bromborough.
Wallasey 58,710
2007 _The £70 million Neptune Project plan to regenerate New Brighton is approved, including a budget hotel, cinema and Morrisons supermarket.
q
q
Hoylake 5,710
Moreton 17,670
q
West Kirby 7,680
q
Upton 15,731
q
_Wirral Council searches for a new owner of Birkenhead Town Hall after Wirral Museum closes. _Peel Group submits the largest planning application in the UK, the £4.5 billion Wirral Waters scheme.
q Birkenhead 83,729
Greasby 9,830
2009 _Awaydays, a film based in post-punk Birkenhead is released.
Wirral
UK Average
_Population
2008 _Northwestern Ship repair and Shipbuilders is renamed as ‘Cammel Laird Ship repair and Shipbuilders’.
All data is based on the 2001 UK census.
q
Thingwall 3,140
q Bebington 13,720 q Bromborough 12,630
q
Heswall 7,750 q
Gayton 3,110
_Health
_Housing
_Work
Total:
312,293
Limiting long term illness:
70,336
Employed:
Males:
147,182
General health ‘not good’:
35,604
Unemployed:
9,451
Average household size:
Females:
165,111
People providing unpaid care:
37,454
Long term unemployed:
3,360
Vacant household spaces:
5,660
19.9
Providing unpaid care 50 or more hours per week:
8,896
Qualifications at degree level or higher:
39,118
Owner-occupied:
97,227
No Qualifications:
64,955
Without central heating:
17,653
Population density: [people per hectare]
122,420
Number of households with residents:
133,345
2.31
q
Eastham 12,250
Population change: [since 1991]
-22,000
_The New Brighton ferry is closed.
1972 _Birkenhead loses its county borough status, and as now, becomes part of the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, in the Metropolitan County of Merseyside.
Wirral History, Geography & Economy_002
_Wirral Grade I Listed Buildings
8 3 5 0
_
Grade I listed buildings.
_
of the buildings are public.
_
of the buildings are private.
_Wirral Grade II* Listed Buildings
_Wirral Heritage Density
_ of the buildings are at risk according to the English Heritage ‘Heritage at Risk’ register. _This is less than the national average of 3.1%. _Birkenhead Priory dates back to 1150, is a Scheduled Historic Monument, and the oldest standing building in Merseyside. _Hamilton Square, Birkenhead has the most Grade I listed buildings in one location in England, apart from Trafalgar Square. Although a large proportion of the buildings in the square are currently disused.
27 18 9 2
_
_
_
Public Building Private Building
_Wirral Grade II Listed Buildings
Grade II* listed buildings.
of the buildings are public.
of the buildings are private.
_ [7%] of the buildings are at risk according to the English Heritage ‘Heritage at Risk’ register.
Public Building
_This is more than the national average of 3.1%.
Building at Risk
675
_ buildings.
71
_ public.
Grade II listed
Private Building
_Wirral Scheduled Historic Monuments
of the buildings are
604
_ private.
of the buildings are
0
of the buildings are at risk _ according to the ‘Heritage at Risk’ register.
9 7 2 4
_
Scheduled Monuments.
_
of the Monuments are public.
_
of the Monuments are private.
_ [44.4%] of the Monuments are at risk according to the English Heritage ‘Heritage at Risk’ register. _This is more than the national average of 18%.
44.4% Public Monument Public Building
Private Monument
Private Building
Monument at Risk
_Wirral Historic Parks & Gardens
4 202
_
Historic Parks & Gardens.
_Wirral Conservation Areas
High Heritage Value
Low Heritage Value
_Wirral Heritage Overlayed
Through the mapping of heritage within the Wirral key heritage areas can be located. These areas will then be studied, visited and mapped to produce a strategy for creating heritage within these areas, so that the Wirral can gain economically and socially. The maps highlight areas with a large amount of existing heritage and show the potential for future heritage to be created. They also show the public and private nature of the heritage, as there is more potential economic and social value in heritage accessible to the public. ‘Heritage at risk’ locations are highlighted to show poor locations or poor management of current heritage. These sites will need to be visited to investigate the reasons for their ‘at risk’ status. As well as using existing heritage data [shown on the maps] to decide appropriate heritage locations, other factors will be analyzed. For example access and transport are key issues to the success of public heritage attractions, particularly those with good links to nodal towns and cities within the region such as Liverpool and Chester. Key heritage locations will also need to have multiple heritage attractions, to increase opportunities and potential for success through hybrid consumption.
_ Hectares [1.29%] of total borough area.
0
_
_Key Heritage Locations
Parks & Gardens are at risk.
From the data, mapping the Wirral, historic and other research, four key ‘heritage zones’ can be identified within the Wirral:
1.29%
_Woodside Woodside is full of heritage of the built environment, particularly heritage accessible to the public. There is a ‘Birkenhead Heritage Trail’ produced by Wirral Council with four out of the five attractions on the trail located within Woodside. Woodside is another of the five locations on the ‘Wirral Maritime Heritage Trail’. There is also the nostalgia of the old tramway [only in use at weekends for tourists and enthusiasts] and the past industry of the docks and the ferries. In total there are eight attractions to visit: _Woodside Ferry _U-Boat Story _Birkenhead Priory and St. Mary’s Tower _ Hamilton Square _Cammel Laird Shipyard _Wirral Museum [Birkenhead Town Hall] _Shore Road Pumping Station _Wirral Transport Museum and The Birkenhead Tramway
_New Brighton _Birkenhead Park _Woodside [Birkenhead] _Birkenhead Park _Port Sunlight Each location will be visited and rated for potential heritage creation. Preliminary historic and heritage research, additional to earlier work will need to take place before site visits can take place.
Birkenhead Park symbolizes the ambitious beginnings of Birkenhead in the early half of the C19, and through its influence on other world famous parks it puts Birkenhead on the map. It is significant as the first publicly funded civic park in Britain and was part of the grand vision for Birkenhead, which was to be the ‘City of the Future’. It is full of impressive C19 listed buildings and the design of the park by Joseph Paxton had a large influence on American landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted when designing Central Park in New York. There has recently been a £11.5 million renovation of the park. Nearby is Williamson Art Gallery and Museum, the fifth attraction on the ‘Birkenhead Heritage Trail’. The museum is an early C20 Neo Georgian building which houses Victorian paintings, Birkenhead Della Robbia Pottery as well as an extensive set of paintings and models of Cammel Laird ships and oil rigs.
25 704
_
Conservation Areas.
_ Hectares [4.25%] of total borough area.
2
_
Conservation Areas are at risk. _New Brighton _Port Sunlight New Brighton is located on the northeast coast of the Wirral. It is a seaside town that has seen better days. In its heyday New Brighton attracted hundreds of thousands of tourists for holidays. It was the main holiday resort of Merseyside and is full of nostalgia and memory. Many of the symbols of the past popularity of New Brighton are gone, such as the New Brighton tower, pier and ballroom. The power of this memory of New Brighton within Merseyside is why the town is such an important heritage location, especially as it isn’t used at the moment.
4.52%
As well as the power of memory within New Brighton, there is the conservation area of Vale Park, Fort Perch Rock [at risk] and Perch Rock Lighthouse [both grade II* listed] as well as the 1930’s Palace Arcade and C19 housing and hotels from the areas peak success. For this reason it is one of five locations on the ‘Wirral Maritime Heritage Trail’ produced by Wirral Council. But it is the memory that is most valuable and has the potential for successfully creating heritage in the town.
Port Sunlight is one of the most successful and influential industrial model towns in the UK, as well as the world. It was the vision of William Lever to house the workers of his new Lever Brothers factory in the Wirral, creating the famous ‘Sunlight Soap’ in the late C19. The village contains 900 Grade II listed buildings, it is a Conservation Area and a Historic Park and Garden. The historical significance of Port Sunlight lies in its unprecedented combination of model industrial housing, providing materially decent conditions for working people, with the architectural and landscape values of the garden suburb, influenced by the ideas of William Morris and the Arts and Crafts Movement. Each block of housing was designed by a different architect. There is a Port Sunlight Museum to learn about the history and how it was to live in the village, with a village trail to see the full range of architecture, and there is the Lady Lever Art Gallery, which house a large proportion of the art collection of Lord Lever, including paintings by J.M.W. Turner and John Constable.
Conservation Area Historic Parks & Gardens
Conservation Area at Risk
Heritage Area/Building
Wirral Heritage_003
Heritage Score: Invalid
New Brighton_6|10|09 New Brighton has changed dramatically over the last 150 years. From a dream of James Atherton, to a booming tourist destination, attracting millions of visitors a year, to yet another declining seaside town in the British coastal landscape. The change and decline can be seen when visiting the resort, although it feels unfair to visit a seaside resort in the autumn, especially during a rainy day. I approached the town by foot along the Seacombe to New Brighton promenade passing the conservation area of Vale Park, that looks in good condition with elements photographed in Martin Parr’s ‘The Last Resort’. It doesn’t appear to have changed since its construction in the C19. The first structure that I was met with when I had reached New Brighton was a monument to monuments that listed the attractions in the area, such as Kingsway Tunnel ventilation shaft, Seacombe Ferry, and New Brighton [seen as a monument in it self ]. There was also a welcome sign for New Brighton, stating ‘New Brighton is about to bloom’. The landscape of the waterfront is littered with new and old structures from different periods. Some buildings haven’t changed from the C19 postcards viewed in Wallasey Library, some haven’t changed since Martin Parr had photographed the area, and some such as the Floral Pavilion were brand new, part of the regeneration of the town. Although it was opened in December 2008, the Floral Pavilion appears extremely dated already, like an inner city leisure centre in the early 1990’s. Internally it is as expected with typical décor and theatre communal areas and café.
WALLAS WALLASEY SEY
The promenade shelters reflect the heyday of New Brighton and stand alone in this respect. Empty and in need of a coat of paint, they represent what the town has experienced over the past century; the rise and fall of a seaside resort. They will remain in place as they are grade II listed and form a key part of the landscape of heritage on the waterfront. When entering the Palace Arcade it feels like going back in time 20 years with ‘Sega Rally’ arcades and the typical 2 pence and 10 pence machines. There were quite a number of soaked day trippers taking refuge in the arcades playing on the slot machines. Unfortunately the rides outside were closed for the autumn and winter. I was warned after taking photos inside and soon had to move on, but the nostalgic feel that the arcades had was a welcome experience even though a brief one. I got some fish and chips at a waterfront café called ‘The Seaside Café’, full of OAPs enjoying a relaxed Sunday afternoon. The special included a pot of tea, bread and butter with the meal. My final destination is Fort Perch Rock. Unfortunately, it is closed until further noticed, which cuts my trip short and becomes pat of a recurring theme when visiting heritage attractions in the Wirral. There is nostalgia throughout New Brighton, but it does appear to be clinging on to a passed industry that isn’t viable anymore for the town. The heritage landscape is confused and not unified as a single destination. As I mentioned earlier the weather didn’t help during the trip, but throughout the visit there was the constant feeling that the town needed to ‘move on’ from its past. The planned regeneration will help with this although from images seen it won’t provide New Brighton with a new identity, it will turn it into another generic earlier C21 regenerated town. As Fort Perch Rock was closed and as the other attractions were not specifically heritage attractions, New Brighton is ineligible for a heritage score.
LV LIV VE ER RP R PO OO O OLL O
4 key heritage locations have been identified through the mapping and analysis of the current heritage within the Wirral. These locations will be visited, experienced, recorded and rated and given a heritage score. New Brighton and Port Sunlight will be visited separately. Woodside and Birkenhead Park will be visited together as ‘Birkenhead’.
New Brighton_6|10|09
Birkenhead_5|12|09
Port Sunlight_8|12|09
The aim of the New Brighton visit is to see the current state of the tourist industry on the waterfront, whether it still exists, the current heritage attractions to the area and what remains of the New Brighton heyday. The attractions that will be visited are:
The Birkenhead visit will include two key areas: Birkenhead Park and Woodside. Birkenhead Park is located in the most affluent area of Birkenhead with large suburban housing. The attractions that will be visited are:
The historical and architectural significance of Port Sunlight cannot be underplayed. Due to the village’s location and lack of association to English Heritage and National Trust [the main heritage bodies in the UK] it is not as well known as other similar industrial model villages such as Bourneville in Birmingham. The attractions that will be visited are:
_Birkenhead Park _Williamson Art Gallery
_Palace Arcade _Fort Perch Rock _Shelters on the promenade _Floral Pavilion
The historical significance of Birkenhead Park means it is an essential heritage destination and as one of the key Wirral museums that celebrates the heritage of Birkenhead as well as the Wirral the Williamson Art Gallery plays a large role in the heritage of the town. The Woodside visit will focus on the industrial and shipbuilding heritage of Birkenhead:
The Palace Arcade is one of the last remaining tourist attractions in New Brighton that dates back 80 years and was a key part of the waterfront when the area was an extremely popular destination. Fort Perch Rock is the only ‘official’ tourist attraction with exhibitions that you can visit. It is also the oldest building in New Brighton. The shelters along the promenade are all grade II listed and provoke memory in the area, and the Floral Pavilion and theatre is the newest development on the waterfront and represents the future of New Brighton.
_Wirral Museum _Hamilton Square _Wirral Transport Museum & Birkenhead Tramway _Shore Road Pumping Station _Birkenhead Docks & Bascule Bridges _Birkenhead Priory & St. Mary’s Tower
_Port Sunlight Museum _Lady Lever Art Gallery _Village Trail The Port Sunlight museum will provide some valuable information on the history of the development of the town and the background to it, as well as an insight into life in the village and what Lord Levers vision of the aesthetic and social life of the village was. The village tour gives an overview of the key pieces of architecture in the village and the main public buildings and spaces. Lady Lever Art Gallery displays the wealth of Lord Lever, showing a portion of his art collection, revealing his aesthetic preferences.
_Wirral Tourist Information
Wirral Transport Museum & Birkenhead Tramway
Williamson Art Gallery & Museum
Birkenhead Priory & St Mary’s Tower
1 Taylor Street Birkenhead CH41 1BG T 0151 647 2128
Slatey Road Birkenhead CH43 4UE T 0151 652 4177
Priory Street Birkenhead CH41 5JH T 0151 666 1249
Despite its location outside the centre of Birkenhead, the Williamson still stands at the core of the Wirral Museums Service, ering more space than any other in its purpose-built galleries. Always on show is the largest single display of ship models in the area, focusing on Cammell Laird shipbuilders and their contribution to marine history, the Mersey Ferries and the variety of vessels that used the River Mersey when it was at its busiest. a selection from the major In addition you will picture collections, especially British artists, local potteries (Birkenhead Della Robbia pottery and Liverpool Porcelain in particular), and the lively exhibition programme keeps regular visitors returning to see the bes t of local artists and nationally important exhibitions visiting Merseyside.
In 1860, when Birkenhead was a pioneering indus trial t own it was the r st plac e in Europe to adopt a street tramway. Those trams ceased operating in 1937 but in 1995 they were revived and you can now travel on one of a series of historic vehicles and experience tram travel for yourself. Trams dating from as early as 1901 operate to make the short journey from Woodside to the Wirr al Transport Museum, where you can view the r es t of the eet; tr am cars from Birkenhead, Liv erpool, W allase y and a r ecently restored car from Lisbon, Portugal. The Transport Museum also houses local buses which are run for a variety of occasions, and a collection of cars, motorbikes and a model railway layout. Wirr al T r ansport Museum & Birk
enhead T r amway
Williamson Art Gall ery & Museum/Wirr al Museum
_Birkenhead Park
2
Wirral Museum T 0151 666 4010
3
Birkenhead Priory & St Mary’s Tower T 0151 666 1249
4
Shore Road Pumping St ation
5
Wirral Transport Museum & The Birkenhead Tramway T 0151 647 2128
• Wirral Transport Museum & Birk enhead Birkenhead Tramway
Bookings for Educational and other visits T 0151 666 4000
I travelled to Birkenhead Park via the Merseyrail link from Liverpool Lime Street station. The park is easily accessible from Birkenhead Park station. I knew of the rich history of the park, but had expected it to be quite run down. But when I entered the park I found a totally opposite situation, with a brand new pavilion and gardens. The park has recently received a £11.5 million renovation, and has a group of volunteers dedicated to keeping the park in a good state. Everything is well kept and the key features such as the Grand Entrance, the Boathouse, and Swiss Bridge look as if they are new. The park appears to be used well with many community events such as mini marathons. The history of the park is displayed through signage and overall it received a high heritage score with little room for improvement. A 20 minute walk from Birkenhead Park is the Williamson Art Gallery and Museum, which is in an unfortunate location, but was worth the visit.
WEST W EST TK KIRBY RBY Y
The gallery was constructed in 1928 and is a typical art gallery of a town of this size with a mix of art and artefacts. It has a good exhibition of original Cammell Laird ship models, archive photos and paintings, as well as some other temporary exhibitions. Generally the gallery appears to lack funding with a leaking roof and galleries in need of updating, but it holds local history workshops and appears to attract a reasonable number of visitors. The location doesn’t help, but in terms of heritage it scores high due to the nature of the building and exhibitions on show, associated directly to the history and culture of Birkenhead.
• Wirral Wirr alMuseum Museum • Shore Road Pumping Station
OPEN: Summer: Sat & Sun only 1pm-5pm. Wint er: Sat & Sun onl y 12noon-4pm. During school holidays: Easter, Spring Half Term and Summer: Wed-Sun 1pm-5pm. Also open Bank Holidays 1pm-5pm (except Christmas/New Year - check for opening times) . Other times by appointment 0151 666 4000.
Heritage Score: 150
The Woodside area of Birkenhead has a lot of built heritage within it as well as many specific visitor attractions. After visiting the Liverpool museums website and finding a Birkenhead heritage trail it appeared there would be plenty to do that may take a couple of days. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the case and the Wirral and Visit Liverpool websites were not up to date. I arrived at Hamilton Square after walking down from Williamson Art Gallery. The square appeared to be in great condition with much of the buildings and monuments providing the expected heritage aesthetic, although the cars detracted from this. However, as I walked around the square it was clear that many of the buildings were not in use. The majority of the grand terraces are used as offices, but every other office had a TO LET sign outside. The biggest surprise was Wirral Museum, which was closed, left disused and in search of a new owner. It seems ridiculous that Grade I and Grade II listed buildings that provide a large part of the identity of the town are near derelict and at the same time there are huge plans to develop new housing and offices in the docks where it doesn’t appear to be needed [Wirral Waters].
A short walk from the transport museum was the Shore Road Pumping Station, which was closed until further notice and no sign of any activity. It appears to have gone the same way as Wirral Museum. I then waked down to Cammell laird and Birkenhead Priory. Birkenhead Priory is the oldest structure in Merseyside, but is quite a dull place. One part of the visitor centre was closed and I was watched by security for most of my visit. It appears to be another heritage attraction that hasn’t realised its potential and I was distracted by the neighbouring Cammell laird shipyard, which unfortunately is not open to the public, but I am sure would provide a very interesting and successful tourist destination.
• Williamson Art Gallery Gall ery&&Museum Museum
• Birk enheadPriory Priory Birkenhead & St Mary’s Tower
Built in the 1870s t o pump wat er out of the tunnel beneath the River Mersey, the longest underwater tunnel in the world at the time, the Giant Gr as shopper beam engine is open t o marv el at the wonder of Victorian engineering. A short audio-visual display tells the story of the Mersey Railway and the tunnel that runs beneath your feet and which is s till in use t oday, then y ou have the chanc e to explore the pump in all its glory. Be pr epared for a noisy reception as it is still an industrial building!
The mag cent Town Hall, opened in 1887, is the focus of Hamilton Square, the elegant centre of Birkenhead. It was built at a time when the t own was rising in import ance c e as an indus trial c entre. Restored from a and c functional c ouncil building t o its Vict orian splendour, it opened its door s to the public in 2001. Housed within ar e splendid interiors that give a vour of Victorian style, and displays include the history of Cammell Laird, for many years Birkenhead’s major employer. A fantastic large-scale model shows the Woodside F erry in 1934, the day the Queensway T unnel opened, and both Wirral’s ancient history and its recent civic history, including silver and Mayoral regalia, are shown. Regular e xhibitions t ake detailed looks at aspects of Wirral’s past and present (ring for details).
Heritage Score: 67
I finished my visit at the Wallasey Pool docks, which were an extraordinary visit. The condition of the post-industrial landscape revealed so much of the history of the area with derelict monumental buildings and even a tied up sunk ship. The working bascule bridges are a welcome feature and in terms of heritage authenticity, the docks cannot be criticised. The importance of this landscape to the identity of the town cannot be underrated and deserves to be a conservation area.
HE ESWALL SW WALL For further det ails, c ontact the Touris t Information Centre on
0151 647 6780 www.visitwirral.com
776OCT05SK
BEB BEBING B NG GT G TO ON O N
www.visitwirral.com
WIRRAL MARITIME HERITAGE TRAIL Getting to Wirral and getting around
L IVE RPOOL BAY
N ew B righ ton
H oylake
Williamson Art Gallery & Museum T 0151 652 4177
Hamilton Street Birk enhead T 0151 650 1182
WIRRAL PENINSULA
W all asey
E gremont Seacombe
B irk enhead Park
Due to the large amount of heritage attractions in Birkenhead, and the specific location of them, the trip was split into two destinations; Birkenhead Park and Woodside. I planned to visit each on a separate day, but I was able to visit all the attractions within a day due to closures etc.
I moved on from Hamilton Square to the Wirral Transport Museum and Tramway, which was thriving, busy with enthusiasts searching through photos and models of buses and groups taking rides on the old trams. The museum is run by volunteers and gives it a real sense of character that is not seen in council run museums. The museum showed a strong sense of pride in the transport heritage of the Wirral and the number of visitors reflected this, giving the museum a high heritage score.
1
Shore Road Pumping Station
Hamilton Square Birkenhead CH41 5BR T 0151 666 4010
OPEN: Tuesday to Sunday 10am-5pm CLOSED: Monday (except Bank Holidays) . Check for Christmas/New Year opening.
N ort h W irr al Coastal Park
OPEN: Summer: Wed-Fri 1pm-5pm, Sat & Sun 10am-5pm. Winter: Wed-Fri 12noon-4pm, Sat & Sun 10am-4pm. Also open Bank Holidays, other times by appointment. Check for Christmas/New Year opening.
Wirral Museum
OPEN: Sat & Sun onl y 1pm-5pm. Except during School Holidays: Easter, Spring Half Term and Summer: Wed-Sun 1pm-5pm. Also open Bank Holidays 1pm-5pm (except Christmas/Ne w Year - check for opening times). Other times by appointment 0151 666 4000.
L easowe
The history of Birkenhead does go back beyond Victorian years, the site of the medieval priory dates back to 1150, the oldest standing building in Merseyside. Touch the ancient sandstone walls then look up at the towering cranes of the old Cammell Laird shipyard right next door. The tower of St Mary’s, the first parish church of Birkenhead, affords magnificent views over the Laird’s site, the River Mersey to Liverpool and the town of Birkenhead itself.
Heritage Score: 217
_Birkenhead
_Woodside
Official Wirral heritage and tourist information has been used to help decide which heritage attractions to visit in each location as well as the order in which to visit them. Information such as heritage trails give you a specific journey to take as you visit the attractions and show what Wirral Council and other heritage organisations want you to view during your visit. There are three key heritage trails in the Wirral; the Wirral Maritime Heritage Trail, the Birkenhead Heritage Trail and the Port Sunlight Village Trail. New Brighton, Seacombe, and Woodside will be visited as part of the Wirral Maritime Heritage Trail, and all of the Birkenhead and Port Sunlight trails will be visited. The information also provides extra background information on the attractions, and anything specific that needs to be noted when visiting attractions, such as that Wirral Transport Museum is only open at weekends so Birkenhead will need to be visited at a weekend.
Take the tramway from Woodside to The Old Colonial pub at the Taylor Street terminus.
BIRK BIRKENHEAD KENHE EAD D
L IVE RPOOL
Wirral is easily accessible by road, rail, sea and air. Both Liverpool John Lennon Airport and Manchester International Airport are a realistic 45 minutes by road. The M53 motorwa y which runs through Wirral connects to the M56 and M6.
WIRRAL MARITIME HERITAGE TRAIL
Two Mersey Tunnels link Wirral to Liverpool and the rest of Merseyside, and Europe’s oldest ferry continues the “Ferry across the Mersey” service from Woodside and Seacombe.
W oodside
B irk enhead T ranmere
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Eastham
A41 W est Kirby R oyden Park
Arrowe Park
R ock Ferry
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R IVE R M ERS EY
Port Sunlig ht
T hurstaston B ebington
W irr al Country Pa rk H eswall R IVE R D E E
E astham Ferry E astham Country Pa rk
A local rail network connects the peninsula to the national rail network via Liv erpool Lime Street Station. W ir ral also boasts a comprehensive local bus network for you to explore the region. For more information click on: www.merseyferries.co.uk 0151 330 1444 www.merseytravel.gov.uk 0870 608 2608
E astham
New Brighton
For more information on Wirral click on: www.visitwir ral.com 0151 666 3188
Seacombe Produced in conjunction with Wirral Council and Wirrals History and Heritage Forum.
© Cr own copyright. All rights r eserved. Licence number 100019803. Published 2007. 321APR07GB
_Port Sunlight _Rating Heritage Each of the heritage attractions will be rated using an evaluation form to give each attraction a heritage score. They will be rated using a range of criteria, rated out of ten for each. The rating for each criterion will be used to give the attractions an overall heritage score, as a percentage. The percentage for each attraction will then be averaged to give a heritage score for each heritage location, as well as one for the Wirral as a whole. The criteria used to rate the attractions are:
Wirral Heritage Evaluation Form Heritage Attraction:
Criteria Location Aesthetic Identity Price Qualityy Interest Size Authenticityy Potential
Overall
1
2
3
4
5
_Location - How good the road, pedestrian and public transport links to the attractions are, as well as proximity to other heritage attractions. _Aesthetic - The general appearance of the attraction and the surrounding areas. _Identity - How much the attraction relates to the identity of the Wirral, in terms of aesthetics and content [galleries and exhibitions etc]. _Price - The cost of visiting the attractions. _Quality - The standard of the attraction and its content. _Interest - How engaging the attraction is and its content. _Size - The length of time it takes to visit the attraction, and whether it is too long or too short. _Authenticity - How authentic is the attraction in terms of history and heritage in the area. _Potential - What is the potential of the attraction and how much it can be improved to become more successful.
Heritage Score: 110
The Port Sunlight visit was as expected due to the status of the village as a Conservation Area, Historic Park and Garden, and being full of listed buildings. Apart from the cars, it appeared as it did in photos taken over 100 years ago. The museum was well curated and informative. The trail showed the key architectural and landscape elements of the village. The Lady Lever Art Gallery was overwhelming due to the sheer amount of art on display and the fact that it was all bought by Lord Lever, displaying his huge amount of wealth. The village received a high overall heritage score as there is little room for improvement. The village would certainly benefit from more English heritage or National trust association in terms of visitor numbers. In terms of potential, gaining World Heritage Site status is the only way to increase the heritage value of the village, but there are already plans from a number of organisations including Wirral Council to apply to achieve this status.
Wirral Heritage Excursion_004
Welcome to Birkenhead Post-Industrial Land Museum Archive | Library
Cycle Parking
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Cafe | Restaurant
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Whether you are here for business or pleasure, to visit the contemporary architecture of the new library and museum exhibition building or discover Birkenhead’s industrial and post-industrial past, this map and guide is designed to help you get around, find your destination and enjoy the culture, attractions and nightlife of Birkenhead Docks. The large scale map is designed to provide an overview of the landscape, highlighting the key attractions of the museum, transport links and service locations. Overleaf is a more detailed description of the landscape and museum, with a map and information on the three routes than run through the site, helping to navigate yourself around. There is also information on the key destinations as well as useful contacts and transport information. We hope you enjoy your visit.
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The Birkenhead Tourist Information Centre opening hours are Monday to Saturday 9:30am to 5pm and Sundays and Bank Holidays 10am to 3:30pm. You can call the Tourist Information Centre on 0151 647 6780 or visit www.visit-birkenhead.co.uk.
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There are a number of extra resources if you wish to find out more. The Tourist Information Centre is located inside the Woodside Mersey Ferry Terminal [a ten minute walk from the museum exhibition building and library]. The centre provides a wide range of visitor information including advice and details on attractions, events, maps, guides and transport services throughout Birkenhead and Merseyside. An accommodation booking service is also available. There is also information available on the museum website at www.birkenheadp-ilm.co.uk and at the Liverpool Tourist Information Centres.
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Abandoned Pier One Abandoned Pier Two Alfred Dock Birkenhead Archive Birkenhead Park Station Birkenhead Ferry Terminal Birkenhead P-ILM & Library Caisson Duke Street Bascule Bridge Duke Street Bridge Cafe East Float
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Check specific events for details. Current Events: Shed 1 | Winter Garden Shed 2 | Empty Shed 3 | Go Karting Shed 4 | Warehouse Project [evening] Shed 5 | Birkenhead Youth Theatre
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D
One O’Clock Gun
Morpeth Dock
AR
ET TRE TUN
SS LYN A ET TRE
EE T
IA S
STR
TOR
OK
VIT
BRO
NEP
ET
ES
ET TRE
ING
TRE
LIV
ST
DS
Egerton Dock
Tower Quays
BRE
AN
STO
NE AN
VEL
HIL
CLE
NE
STR
STR
EET
EET
STR
EET
MA R
ET
WH
MA D
EE T
OA D
STR
DO
EET
STR
EET
STR CK
EY
STR
EET
TRE RS HU
MA SS
RR
ART
F
TOW E
5
Morpeth Commercial Estate
HAR
WC
ET
OLD BIDSTON
F
HAR
HW
RO AD
E
F
G
CAN
NIN
G ST
REE
SH
T
H
OR
ER
OA D
Hourly ferries to and from Liverpool. Trains to and from Liverpool, West Kirby, New Brighton, Ellesmere Port and Chester. Regular Merseyside bus service.
J
6 WC
K