At the 2021 census, the population of Birkdale ward (which includes Hillside) was 12,689.[1] This does not include the area west of the railway line, which is part of Duke's ward.[2]
History
Birkdale probably takes its name from two Old Norse words, birki meaning "birch-copse" and dalr meaning "dale" or "valley".[3] The area was developed in the Victorian era; an Ordnance Survey map of 1848 shows the newly built Liverpool, Crosby and Southport Railway passing through farmland all the way to Southport station,[4] while an 1894 map has Birkdale station surrounded by many streets lined with houses, as well as churches, schools and the Palace Hotel.[5]
Geography
Birkdale lies immediately south of Southport's central area. It is bounded to the east by the farmland of Halsall parish, to the south by Hillside and the Birkdale Hills, with Ainsdale beyond, and to the west by the coastal road overlooking Birkdale Sands.[2]
Birkdale was formerly a township and chapelry in the parish of North Meols.[8] In 1866 Birkdale became a separate civil parish, and in 1894 it became an urban district which from 1905 also contained the parish of Ainsdale. On 1 April 1912 the district and parish were abolished and merged with Southport.[9][10] In 1911 the parish had a population of 15,900.[11]
Until 1 April 1974, Birkdale lay in the county of Lancashire.
Birkdale also has Evangelical, Methodist and United Reformed churches.[19]
Sport
Birkdale receives sporting attention every few years when the Royal Birkdale golf course hosts The Open Championship, most recently in July 2017. Trafalgar Road, the home ground of the Southport and Birkdale Cricket Club, is used for county-level cricket matches approximately once a year. Southport and Birkdale squash club also play here and are in the North West Counties Squash League.[citation needed]
Red Rum, a racehorse trained by Ginger McCain, had his stables in Upper Aughton Road in Birkdale, while a horse named after the village took part and finished tenth in the 2002 Grand National. Birkdale United AFC played a crucial part in the footballing education of Premiership footballers such as Jack Rodwell, Dominic Matteo, Shaun Teale and Paul Dalglish, and still has its home in the village, fielding teams for boys from the age of 6 and girls from the age of 7 through to open age teams. The club was presented the FA's highest accolade in January 2008, becoming the first FA Charter Community Club in Southport.[citation needed]
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