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Local Information for Birkenhead

Birkenhead like many other notable places has often had to live in the shadow of its famous neighbour, Liverpool. We have the “Ferry across the Mersey” of Gerry and the Pacemakers and the “Kop” at Anfield fame that ran between the two points, but Birkenhead is famous in its own right.

Sited on The Wirral Peninsula on the left bank of the River Mersey, the town was famous as a sea port and as a centre for ship building. This industry began in 1829, eventually becoming Cammell Laird. John Laird, a Scot, was influential in the design of the town and so parts were laid out in a grid pattern like New Town in Edinburgh, with similar architecture. Among the ships built at the yard include these famous names: HMS Achilles, HMS Affray, CSS Alabama, HMS Ark Royal, HMS Birkenhead, HMS Caroline, Huáscar, RMS Mauretania, Resurgam, and HMS Thetis , to name but a few.

The first Mersey ferry began operating from Birkenhead in 1150 when Benedictine monks under the leadership of ...More