Woodchurch | |
---|---|
Village | |
Houses on New Hey Road | |
Location within Merseyside | |
Population | 8,400 (2001 Census) [1] |
OS grid reference | SJ279870 |
• London | 179 mi (288 km) [2] SE |
Metropolitan borough | |
Metropolitan county | |
Region | |
Country | England |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | WIRRAL |
Postcode district | CH49 |
Dialling code | 0151 |
ISO 3166 code | GB-WRL |
Police | Merseyside |
Fire | Merseyside |
Ambulance | North West |
UK Parliament | |
Woodchurch is on the Wirral Peninsula, in Merseyside, England. Administratively, Woodchurch is within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, its parliamentary constituency is Wirral West, and its local council ward is Upton. At the 2001 Census, it had a population of 8,400 (3,840 males, 4,560 females). [1] Woodchurch is dominated by a large housing development, known as the Woodchurch Estate. The district is served by several schools and has the major Arrowe Park Hospital just outside its boundary, which was built on 15 acres (61,000 m2) of the park itself and opened in 1982.
Woodchurch was originally a farming area and ancient village of the Wirral Hundred, known mainly for its parish church and the neighbouring Arrowe Park country estate. The first recorded owner of the land was an Anglo-Saxon chief called Aescwulf who claimed ownership of Woodchurch, Arrowe and Landican. [3] Although not recorded in the Domesday Book, Woodchurch was recorded as Wude Church in 1093. [4]
The population was 52 in 1801, 96 in 1851, 140 in 1901 [5] and 113 in 1931. [6]
The area was purchased by Birkenhead Corporation in 1926, on 1 April 1933 the civil parish was abolished and merged with Birkenhead St Mary. [7] Construction of a new housing estate complete with shops, schools, industry and leisure facilities began immediately after World War II. Of the old village, only the church and its adjoining school remain.
From 1968, the Champion Spark Plug Company operated an automotive components factory on Arrowe Brook Road, employing at one time over 1,000 people. It was closed in 2006 with production transferred to Italy.
From the 1950s to the 1980s, the CO-OP operated a clothing factory and industrial laundry on Woodchurch Road and its water-tower and chimney were local landmarks. This business had become a Leo's superstore by 1986, [8] and is currently a branch of Asda.
Woodchurch is in the northern part of the Wirral Peninsula, 5 km (3.1 mi) from the Irish Sea at Leasowe Lighthouse, a similar distance east-north-east of the Dee Estuary at Thurstaston and approximately 6 km (3.7 mi) west of the River Mersey at Woodside. The village of Woodchurch is situated on a lower prominence between Bidston Hill and Thurstaston Hill, with the centre of the village at an elevation of approximately 41 m (135 ft) above sea level. [9]
The River Fender bounds Woodchurch to the east. The Fender joins the Birket, before discharging into West Float and then into the River Mersey.
The housing estate was planned in 1944 by Sir Charles Reilly, although this scheme was replaced by that of his student, H. J. Rowse. [10] Building commenced in 1946, [10] with the first house being officially opened on 6 May 1949. [11]
The housing estate itself is populated by mainly low income residents, with well above average levels of unemployment. During the late 1960s and 1970s, youths from Woodchurch were periodically involved in gang violence with youths from neighbouring estates. In the early 1980s, during a period of exceptionally high national unemployment, the area gained a reputation for drug and social problems (as did some neighbouring estates like those of Noctorum and Ford). In the late 1980s the estate was given a facelift, along with some of its neighbours. Today its social problems are largely a thing of the past, although unemployment levels are still above the UK national average.
Holy Cross Church is the Church of England church, dating from the 12th century. [12] The distinctive Roman Catholic St. Michael and All Angels church was designed by the F. X. Velarde Partnership. [13] This church was commissioned in 1962 and opened in 1965, to serve the parish which had been founded in 1952. [5] [14] [15] Woodchurch Methodist Chapel was built in 1963. [5]
Despite the low income catchment area, the local comprehensive, Woodchurch High School, has consistently attained a strong ranking in the Government's national league tables for secondary education. Noctorum Girls School (later known as St. Benedict's) [16] was situated on the edge of the estate, on the Woodchurch side of the M53 motorway. The school later closing in the early 2000s and, after being demolished in 2009, the site is now being redeveloped for new housing.
Woodchurch has two public houses, these being The Woodchurch and the Arrowe Park Hotel. The Pelican was closed and demolished in the early 2000s. [17] The Stirrup closed in November 2018.[ citation needed ]
Woodchurch is situated adjacent to Arrowe Park. The housing estate is separated from the M53 motorway by a large piece of common land.
Woodchurch Leisure Centre has an indoor 25 m (82 ft) heated swimming pool, an aerobics studio, an adjacent social hub and a caged floodlit sports area with football pitches. [18] The leisure centre hosts the Wirral Judo Club, as well as karate and archery clubs. [19] The leisure centre is now permanently closed.
The A551 runs along the western side of Woodchurch, and the A552 along the southern side. The A552 and the M53 motorway cross with a three-level stacked roundabout at Junction 3 of the motorway, [20] which is at the south-eastern corner of the housing estate. The M53 runs on an approximate north-south axis along the eastern side of the housing estate. The A5027 Upton bypass runs along the northern side of Woodchurch.
Services are run primarily by Stagecoach, and are coordinated by Merseytravel.
Upton railway station is the nearest station to Woodchurch, where Transport for Wales operate battery powered electric BR Class 230 trains (also known as the D Train) created from converted former London Underground D Stock, between Bidston and Wrexham on the Borderlands Line. Woodchurch railway station is a proposed new station for this line and would most likely be sited at the point the A552 crosses under the Borderlands Line. [21] These plans were revived when stated as an election promise by Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram in 2024. [22]
National Cycle Route 56 passes along the eastern side of the housing estate, along Ackers Road, Home Farm Road, New Hey Road and Carr Bridge Road, then on a paved path towards Upton railway station. This route goes from Chester to Liverpool, via Leasowe and Seacombe, and includes part of the Wirral Way along its course.
Merseyside is a ceremonial and metropolitan county in North West England. It borders Lancashire to the north, Greater Manchester to the east, Cheshire to the south, the Welsh county of Flintshire across the Dee Estuary to the southwest, and the Irish Sea to the west. The largest settlement is the city of Liverpool.
Birkenhead is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, Merseyside, England; It was part of Cheshire until 1974. The town is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the west bank of the River Mersey, opposite Liverpool. At the 2011 census, it had a population of 88,818.
Bidston is a village and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral in Merseyside, England.
Pensby is a large village on the Wirral Peninsula, in Merseyside, England. It is located 1.5 miles (2.4 km) to the north of the town of Heswall and approximately 0.5 miles (0.80 km) to the south west of Thingwall. Historically within Cheshire, the area is part of the Pensby and Thingwall Ward of the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral and is in the parliamentary constituency of Wirral West.
Oxton is a suburb of Birkenhead, Merseyside, England. Administratively it is a ward of the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral. Originally a village in its own right, it became part of the Municipal Borough of Birkenhead upon its creation in 1877. Before local government reorganisation on 1 April 1974, it was part of the County Borough of Birkenhead, within the county of Cheshire.
Moreton is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral in Merseyside, England. Located on the north coast of the Wirral Peninsula, it is approximately 3 mi (4.8 km) to the west of Wallasey. Historically part of Cheshire and now within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, the town was divided in 2004 between the local government wards of Leasowe & Moreton East and Moreton West & Saughall Massie. Moreton is also part of the parliamentary constituency of Wallasey.
Upton is a village in the northern part of the Wirral Peninsula, England, and is situated within 4 miles (6.4 km) of Birkenhead, 4 miles (6.4 km) of the Dee Estuary, a similar distance from the River Mersey, and 2 miles (3.2 km) from Liverpool Bay. The village is a ward of the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral in the metropolitan county of Merseyside. Upton was in the traditional county of Cheshire. At the 2011 census, the population was 16,130.
Irby is a village on the Wirral Peninsula, in Merseyside, England. The village covers an area of 20 square kilometres. To the north of Irby lies the associated hamlet of Irby Hill. It is part of the Greasby, Frankby and Irby Ward of the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral and is within the parliamentary constituency of Wirral West.
Wallasey is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, Merseyside, England. Within the boundaries of the historic county of Cheshire, it is at the mouth of the River Mersey, on the north-eastern corner of the Wirral Peninsula. At the 2011 Census, the population was 60,284.
The Wirral Peninsula, known locally as the Wirral, is a peninsula in North West England. The roughly rectangular peninsula is about 15 miles (24 km) long and 7 miles (11 km) wide, and is bounded by the Dee Estuary to the west, the Mersey Estuary to the east, and Liverpool Bay to the north.
The Borderlands line, also known as the Bidston–Wrexham or Wrexham–Bidston line, is a railway line between Bidston on the Wirral Peninsula in England and Wrexham Central in the north-east of Wales. Passenger train services are part of the Wales & Borders franchise and are operated by Transport for Wales Rail. The line connects to the Merseyrail network at Bidston, the North Wales Coast Line at Shotton and the Shrewsbury–Chester line at Wrexham General. Parts of the line in Wales are used by freight trains, serving Deeside Industrial Park and the Hanson Cement works to the south of Buckley.
Greasby is a large village on the Wirral Peninsula, Merseyside, England. A predominantly residential area, it is contiguous with Upton to the east and Saughall Massie to the north. The small village of Frankby is to the immediate west. Historically within the county of Cheshire, it is part of the Greasby, Frankby and Irby Ward of the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral and is in the parliamentary constituency of Wirral West.
Leasowe railway station is a station serving the village of Leasowe, in Merseyside, England. It lies on the West Kirby branch of the Wirral Line, part of the Merseyrail network.
Arrowe Park is an area 6.5 km (4.0 mi) to the west of Birkenhead, within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, Merseyside, England. It is situated on the Wirral Peninsula, adjacent to the Woodchurch housing estate and to the south of the large village of Upton. The location has two landmarks: Arrowe Park Hospital and Arrowe Country Park, along with a number of residences.
Noctorum is a suburb of Birkenhead, Merseyside, England. Administratively it is within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral as part of Claughton Ward. Noctorum is in the north east of the Wirral Peninsula, bounded by the Beechwood estate to the north, Claughton and Oxton to the east and south east, and the River Fender and M53 motorway to the west.
Landican is a hamlet and former civil parish on the outskirts of Birkenhead, in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, Merseyside, England. The hamlet is on the Wirral Peninsula, near to Woodchurch and the M53 motorway. Historically part of the county of Cheshire, it is within the local government ward of Pensby and Thingwall and the parliamentary constituency of Wirral West.
Beechwood is a housing estate in the west of Birkenhead, on the Wirral Peninsula, in Merseyside, England. Administratively it is within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral as part of Bidston and St James Ward. The area is bounded by Bidston to the north, Upton to the west and Noctorum to the south. The elevation of Bidston Hill is immediately to the east.