Woodside, Merseyside

Last updated

Woodside
Woodside panorama.jpg
Panorama of the area
Merseyside UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Woodside
Location within Merseyside
OS grid reference SJ324890
•  London 178 mi (286 km) [1]   SE
Metropolitan borough
Metropolitan county
Region
Country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town BIRKENHEAD
Postcode district CH41
Dialling code 0151
ISO 3166  codeGB-WRL
Police Merseyside
Fire Merseyside
Ambulance North West
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Merseyside
53°23′41″N3°00′44″W / 53.394804°N 3.01230°W / 53.394804; -3.01230
Royal Iris of the Mersey departing Woodside Ferry in 2006. MerseyFerryRoyalIris2006.jpg
Royal Iris of the Mersey
departing Woodside Ferry in 2006.

Woodside is an area of Birkenhead in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral in Merseyside, England. It is situated opposite Liverpool Pier Head across the River Mersey.

Contents

History

The monks of Birkenhead Priory had been granted a charter establishing ferry rights to Liverpool, which was confirmed by Edward III in about 1330. [2] These rights reverted to the Crown in 1536, [3] upon the Dissolution of the Monasteries by Henry VIII.

There followed a period of private ownership by local landowners of the numerous ferry services on the Wirral bank of the River Mersey, including at Woodside. By the 18th century, an increase in stage coach traffic from Chester spurred the growth of the transportation of passengers and goods across the river. [3] With the rapid development of Birkenhead from the 1820s, facilities at Woodside would eventually need expanding. By 1842, the ferry service had been taken over by the Birkenhead Commissioners. [2] A stone pier with two slipways and a small lighthouse at the pier head were constructed. [4] There followed another period of major rebuilding, which included land reclamation up to the end of the pier. Construction of a floating landing stage in 1861 allowed for combined usage by the ferries and the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board. [2] Improvements were made to the ferry's fleet at Woodside in 1890, with the replacement of paddle steamers for twin screw steamers.

A dedicated luggage boat service, which ferried goods and vehicles across the river, had begun by 1879. The opening of the Birkenhead to Liverpool Queensway road tunnel on 18 July 1934 hastened the demise of Woodside's luggage boats, the service ending on 21 July 1941. [2]

On 30 August 1860, Britain's first street tramway was established, running from Woodside to Birkenhead Park. The idea of flamboyant American George Francis Train, the tramway was initially horse drawn. [5] Electrified in 1901, tram services were discontinued in Birkenhead on 17 July 1937. [6] A preserved Edwardian era tram is on display in the Woodside Ferry booking hall.

Originally built by the Great Western Railway in the 1870s, Birkenhead Woodside railway station was a mainline terminus, with services direct to London Paddington. The station closed on 5 November 1967 and was demolished within a couple of years.

Woodside Hotel

Built in about 1834 to replace an earlier establishment of the same name, the hotel was a busy coaching house and originally had stabling for 100 horses. [7] Until the land reclamation works of the mid 19th century, the hotel was situated on the riverbank. [2] The hotel was extended in 1963 with a new lounge 'Gough's Landing', named after a 19th-century licensee. [8]

The historic building was extensively damaged in two fires on 4 June and 13 August 2008, having been unoccupied for some time. [9] Deemed structurally unsafe, the remains of Woodside Hotel were demolished without planning permission in October 2008. [10] [11]

Geography

Woodside is situated on the eastern side of the Wirral Peninsula, adjoining the River Mersey to the east. Woodside is about 5.5 km (3.4 mi) south-south-east of the Irish Sea at New Brighton and about 10.5 km (6.5 mi) east-north-east of the Dee Estuary at Thurstaston. The area is at an elevation of between 0–11 m (0–36 ft) above sea level. [12]

Landmarks

Woodside Ferry Terminal booking hall in 2006. Woodside Ferry Terminal 2006.jpg
Woodside Ferry Terminal booking hall in 2006.

Mersey Ferries Booking Hall

A wooden construction on brick foundations, the 1864 booking hall is a listed building. It remained virtually unaltered until it was extensively refurbished from 1985 in the existing style, with many of the original timbers being replaced. [2]

The formerly adjoining terminal building behind, of a similar construction, was demolished and replaced, due to poor condition. The passenger bridge and landing stage, which featured in the 1981 film Chariots of Fire , [13] were also replaced at the same time.

From 2019 until 2023 the building contained a food court and bar, [14] but the ferry terminal as a whole is currently closed for refurbishment and due to reopen in the summer of 2025. [15]

Shore Road Pumping Station

Located opposite the site of the former Woodside Hotel, the Shore Road Pumping Station was a visitor attraction until 2008 when it closed to the public. [16] Built in the 1870s, the 'Giant Grasshopper' engine is a working example of a large steam pump, which was used to clear water from the Mersey Railway Tunnel. [17]

Memorial garden

A small garden area stands on the north side of the site, between the Bus terminal and the buildings off Shore Road. In the gardens is a stone plinth and a plaque commemorating Norman Tunna, Birkenhead resident and George Cross recipient. [18]

Resurgam

A replica of the Birkenhead built, pioneering submarine Resurgam , was put on display in 1997 at Woodside. It is positioned near to the ferry terminal, on part of the site of the former floating roadway that once connected to the ferry landing stage. [19]

U-534

Waterfront at Woodside, Birkenhead showing Glenda Jackson mural Waterfront at Woodside, Birkenhead showing Glenda Jackson mural and ventilation shaft.jpg
Waterfront at Woodside, Birkenhead showing Glenda Jackson mural

On 27 June 2007, the Merseytravel transit authority announced that it had acquired the German submarine U-534 to display at the Woodside Ferry Terminal. [20] The submarine was sunk by British bombers in May 1945; it was salvaged in 1993 off the Danish island of Anholt.

The submarine was part of the collection of the Warship Preservation Trust at Birkenhead Docks, which closed on 5 February 2006. For technical reasons and to facilitate economical transportation to its new site, the vessel was cut into four sections. It will be displayed in this form to allow visitors better access and visibility. [21] Beginning on 10 March 2008, the sections were transported by floating crane over a number of days. The exhibition opened on 10 February 2009 and closed in 2020. There are plans to build a new visitor attraction on the site. [22] [23]

Public art and memorials

The area is home to a number of murals by graffiti artist Brezaux, including tributes to Glenda Jackson and Paul O'Grady who were both born locally. [24] [25] There are also a sculpture depicting the Birkenhead drill and a plaque commemorating the HMS Thetis tragedy. At Monks Ferry, there is a plaque dedicated to Miguel Grau Seminario whose ship Huáscar was built at Cammell Laird. [26]

Transport

Woodside is one of two Wirral terminals for the Mersey Ferry to the Pier Head in Liverpool. This terminal underwent a programme of extensive refurbishment in 1985. When reopened on 13 March 1986, [4] the restoration of the historic booking hall had been completed and the large, dilapidated Victorian landing stage replaced with the current facility.

Woodside bus station Woodside bus station - geograph.org.uk - 532735.jpg
Woodside bus station

Woodside Bus Station is opposite the Woodside Ferry Terminal and was constructed as an interchange for passengers travelling to/from Liverpool via the Mersey Ferry. It opened in 1991. [27]

The importance of Woodside as a major transport hub has declined. Woodside railway station closed in 1967, improvements to the Merseyrail network following the construction of the Liverpool Loop a decade later, the opening of the more centrally located Birkenhead bus station in the late 1990s and the diversion of several bus services to terminate in Liverpool instead, were all contributing factors. However, some local bus services still use the terminus and seasonal tram services are occasionally run between the site and nearby Wirral Transport Museum.

The nearest railway station to Woodside is Hamilton Square station on Merseyrail's Wirral Line. Services run to Liverpool, Chester, Ellesmere Port, New Brighton and West Kirby.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Merseyside</span> County of England

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mersey Ferry</span> Passenger boat service in Liverpool, UK

The Mersey Ferry is a ferry service operating on the River Mersey in northwest England, between Liverpool to the east and Birkenhead and Wallasey on the Wirral Peninsula to the west. Ferries have been used on this route since at least the 12th century and continue to be popular for both local people and visitors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Birkenhead</span> Town in Wirral, Merseyside, England

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pier Head</span> Riverside area of Liverpool, England

The Pier Head is a riverside location in the city centre of Liverpool, England. It was part of the former Liverpool Maritime Mercantile City UNESCO World Heritage Site, which was inscribed in 2004, but revoked in 2021. As well as a collection of landmark buildings, recreational open space, and a number of memorials, the Pier Head was the landing site for passenger ships travelling to and from the city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mersey Railway</span> Former railway operator in England

The Mersey Railway was the passenger railway connecting the communities of Liverpool, Birkenhead, England. It is currently a part of the Merseyrail network. It was extended further into the Wirral Peninsula, which lies on the opposite bank of the River Mersey to Liverpool. Both sides of the river were connected via the Mersey Railway Tunnel. The railway opened in 1886 with four stations using steam locomotives hauling unheated wooden carriages; in the next six years the line was extended with the opening of three more stations. Using the first tunnel under the Mersey, the line is the world's oldest underground railway outside London.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seacombe</span> Human settlement in England

Seacombe is a district of the town of Wallasey, on the Wirral Peninsula, England. Administratively, Seacombe is a ward of the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral in Merseyside. Before local government reorganisation on 1 April 1974, it was part of the County Borough of Wallasey, within the geographical county of Cheshire. At the 2001 Census, the population of Seacombe was 15,158,, increasing to 15,387 at the Census 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastham, Merseyside</span> Village in England

Eastham is a village and an electoral ward of the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, in Merseyside, England. Historically, it was part of Cheshire. It is situated on the Wirral Peninsula, to the south of Bromborough and to the east of Willaston.

Merseytravel is the passenger transport executive, responsible for the coordination of public transport in the Liverpool City Region in North West England. Merseytravel was established on 1 December 1969 as the Merseyside Passenger Transport Executive. From 1 April 2014, with the creation of the Liverpool City Region, Merseytravel expanded its area of operation from the metropolitan county of Merseyside to also include the Borough of Halton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wirral Railway</span> Former railway network in Wirral, England

The Wirral Railway was a railway network in the northern part of the Wirral Peninsula, England. Its route was from Birkenhead Park in the east of the Wirral to West Kirby in the west. A branch off this line at Bidston went north to Secombe and New Brighton. It was incorporated in 1863 as the Hoylake Railway, running from Hoylake to Birkenhead Docks. After changes of name and of ownership, it was purchased by the Wirral Railway Company Limited in 1884. The network was extended to West Kirby, New Brighton, and Seacombe, and to Birkenhead Park station where it joined the Mersey Railway, enabling through trains through the Mersey Railway Tunnel to Liverpool. In the 1923 grouping the Wirral company became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway, which electrified the line in 1938, allowing passenger services to be integrated with the Liverpool urban system. Most of the Wirral Railway network is still in use today as part of the Wirral Line of the Merseyrail rail network.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wallasey</span> Town in Merseyside, England

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liverpool Central railway station</span> Railway station in Liverpool, England

Liverpool Central railway station in Liverpool, England, forms a central hub of the Merseyrail network, being on both the Northern Line and the Wirral Line. The station is located underground on two levels, below the site of a former mainline terminus. It is the busiest station in Liverpool, though considerably smaller than Lime Street station, the mainline terminus, and the busiest station to operate solely on the Merseyrail network. The station is the busiest underground station outside London serving 40,000 people daily. The station in passengers per platform is the busiest underground railway station in the United Kingdom outside of London at 3,979,547 per platform per annum and coming tenth out of all stations outside the capital, underground or overground.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wirral Peninsula</span> Peninsula in North West England

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warship Preservation Trust</span>

The Warship Preservation Trust was based in Birkenhead, Wirral, England and hosted Europe's largest collection of preserved warships.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wirral line</span> Commuter rail route in Merseyside, England

The Wirral line is one of two commuter rail routes operated by Merseyrail and centred on Merseyside, England, the other being the Northern line.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chester–Birkenhead line</span> United Kingdom legislation

The Chester–Birkenhead line runs from Chester to Birkenhead via Hooton. Today, it forms part of the Wirral Line network, a commuter rail system operated by Merseyrail. The line was built by the Chester and Birkenhead Railway and opened on 23 September 1840. On 22 July 1847 the railway merged with the Birkenhead, Lancashire and Cheshire Junction Railway which was later renamed to Birkenhead Railway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Birkenhead Woodside railway station</span> Former GWR & LNWR railway station in Birkenhead, Wirral, England

Birkenhead Woodside was a railway station located at Woodside, in Birkenhead, on the Wirral Peninsula, Cheshire. It served both local services within Cheshire and long-distance services to southern England, including London.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Green Lane railway station</span> Railway station on the Chester & Ellesmere Port branches of the Wirral line in England

Green Lane railway station serves the Tranmere area of Birkenhead, Merseyside, England. The station is situated on the Chester, Liverpool Central and Ellesmere Port branches of the Wirral Line, part of the Merseyrail network.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rock Ferry railway station</span> Railway station on the Chester & Ellesmere Port branches of the Wirral line in England

Rock Ferry railway station is situated in the Rock Ferry area of Birkenhead, Merseyside, England. The station lies 4.5 miles (7 km) south west of Liverpool Lime Street on the Chester and Ellesmere Port branches of the Wirral Line of the Merseyrail network. The station has an island platform with four platforms in total and four tracks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rock Ferry</span> Human settlement in England

Rock Ferry is an area of Birkenhead on the Wirral Peninsula, England. Administratively it is a ward of the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral. Before local government reorganisation on 1 April 1974, it was part of the county of Cheshire. At the 2011 Census, the population was 14,298.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wirral Transport Museum</span> Transport museum in Birkenhead, Wirral, England

Wirral Transport Museum is a museum situated approximately 0.5 miles (800 m) from the Mersey Ferry service at Woodside, Birkenhead, England.

References

  1. ↑ "Coordinate Distance Calculator". boulter.com. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Maund, T.B. (1991), Mersey Ferries - Volume 1, Transport Publishing Co. Ltd., ISBN   0-86317-166-4
  3. 1 2 Ferries across the Mersey, merseygateway.org, retrieved 1 November 2007
  4. 1 2 Tuohy, Brian, Woodside Memories: Introduction , retrieved 1 November 2007
  5. ↑ Wallace, Irving (1957). The Square Pegs: Some Americans Who Dared To Be Different. Alfred A. Knopf. p. 77.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  6. ↑ Brocklebank, Ralph T. (2003), Birkenhead - An Illustrated History, Breedon Books, ISBN   1-85983-350-0
  7. ↑ Bidston, Carol E. (1985), Birkenhead... Of Yesteryear, Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, ISBN   0-904582-07-8
  8. ↑ Boumphrey, Ian & Marilyn (1981), Yesterday's Wirral (No.2), ISBN   0-9507255-1-X
  9. ↑ Second fire rips through Birkenhead's Woodside Hotel, Wirral News, 20 August 2008, retrieved 8 September 2008
  10. ↑ Woodside Hotel to be demolished after fire leaves building unsafe, Wirral News, 24 September 2008, retrieved 19 October 2008
  11. ↑ Demolition of The Woodside Hotel #6, Geograph, retrieved 19 October 2008
  12. ↑ "SRTM & Ordnance Survey Elevation Data in PHP" . Retrieved 6 November 2016.
  13. ↑ Chariots of Fire, Where Did They Film That?, retrieved 2 July 2007
  14. ↑ Whalley, Stephanie (16 July 2019). "The old Woodside Ferry Terminal is now a cool new hotspot". Confidentials. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
  15. ↑ "Woodside Ferry Terminal Upgrade". Mersey Ferries. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
  16. ↑ "More chances to see iconic pumping station after huge demand for tours". Network Rail Media Centre. 12 September 2023. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
  17. ↑ Shore Road Pumping Station, Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, archived from the original on 14 June 2008, retrieved 7 July 2010
  18. ↑ George Cross database; retrieved 6 September 2016
  19. ↑ Mersey Shipping News, Irish Sea Shipping, 16 March 1997, retrieved 12 October 2007
  20. ↑ Woodside Ferry to be new home for rescued U-boat, Liverpool Daily Post, July 2007, retrieved 25 September 2007
  21. ↑ About U-534, Mersey Ferries, retrieved 9 June 2008
  22. ↑ U-Boat Story, Mersey Ferries, retrieved 15 February 2009
  23. ↑ Rennie, Sophie (20 October 2023). "Plans unveiled for new Birkenhead U-Boat Story museum". Place North West. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
  24. ↑ Nightingale, Chloe (17 October 2023). "Wirral artist pays tribute to actor Glenda Jackson with new mural". Wirral Globe. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
  25. ↑ "Birkenhead mural tribute to Paul O'Grady important, artist says". BBC News. 30 June 2023. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
  26. ↑ McGrath, Rebecca (1 March 2024). "New memorial unveiled in Birkenhead to the 'Gentleman of the Seas'". Wirral Globe. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
  27. ↑ "The new Woodside bus station". Liverpool Echo. 4 April 1991. p. 13. Retrieved 29 July 2021.

Further reading

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.