Birkenhead

Birkenhead is a town on the Wirral, across the Mersey from Liverpool. Wiki tells us:

Distanced from the Industrial Revolution in Liverpool by the physical barrier of the River Mersey, Birkenhead retained its agricultural status until the advent of steam ferry services. In 1817 a steam ferry service started from Liverpool to Tranmere and in 1822 the paddle steamer Royal Mail began operation between Liverpool and Woodside.

Today it has a rather run down feel to it, I suspect because it is too easy for people to visit Liverpool instead.

It was a major port at one time, and though it has declined, it does seem to still be active. Active ports have high security, so not much photos of that, so here is Egerton Dock, which is not in use. Note the Bascule bridge; these seem common in the Liverpool docks. The tower to the left is a ventilation shaft for the Mersey Tunnel - more on that later.

The Bascule bridge again.

The lowest bridge across the Mersey is at Runcorn, nearly 12 miles away, but there are tunnels between Liverpool and Birkenhead. The first to be built was a railway tunnel, built by the Mersey Railway company in 1886, the first underground railway outside of London. The company went bankrupt by 1900 because passengers could not stand the smoke from the steam engines in the tunnels, but in 1903 the route was electrified, and it became a success.

Hamilton Square Station has a tower that proudly proclaims its electric trains!

From inside the station!

Hamilton Square itself is an impressive Georgian affair, part of a plan to develop the area as a new town, though this was the only part that went forward as planned. According to Wiki, it "has the most Grade I listed buildings outside London (after Trafalgar Square)".

The second tunnel under the Mersey is the Queensway Tunnel, built in 1934. Both ends had two approaches. The south approach on the Birkenhead side runs under the fourth house from the right in the above image. It then goes under the square, pretty much where I was stood when I took the photo below. The ornate building at the back is the town hall.

In this view from the square, you can see Liverpool cathedral in the far distance.

The Queensway Tunnel has six ventilation shafts, each built in the same Art Deco style. This is the Woodside shaft, adjacent to the river.

This one is on the north approach. The north approach is no longer used - the traffic lights at the underground junction causes too much delays. Who would have guessed? Not sure if the shaft is still used.

The one on the south approach.

There are several buildings that clearly were part of the old docks. This was presumably the entrance way. Note the tramline to the right.

The railway good shed, apparently shared between different companies, if the lettering is to be believed (I am doubtful).

This is the site of Wirral Transport Museum. It opened in 1995, together with a short heritage tramway, at first operated by Blackpool trams, but closed in 2023. I do not know what this building was originally, but not a tram depot - I can see no sign of trams in this area in the early twentieth century.

Opposite is Molly Chambers - the tram went round the back of it.

The North Western pub, possibly named after the London North Western Railway.

The Pier Hotel is an unusual shape.

Heading towards the river, this is looking upriver, towards Runcorn.

This was taken next to a mural in memory of Paul O'Grady, who was born in Birkenhead.

Looking across the river to Liverpool, you can see the Liver Building. I think the strange shaped building to the right is the ventilation for the third tunnel, the Kingsway.

Looking down river, towards the sea, the Stena Embla is being loaded, proving this is a working port! Everton's new stadium can be seen to the right of the ship.

I was dodging showers and they got a bit heavy, so I got the train to Birkenhead Central station. This seems to have been an important station for the Mersey Railway. the sheds on the right were likely built to shelter the original electric trains, and extended when the trains went from four to six cars long. A flight of steps above the platform on the left leads to what was company offices.

A lot of central Birkenhead seems to have been subsumed in the Pyramids Shopping Centre, which was built around 1990. it was purchased by Wirral Council in 2023 to stop a decline that started in 2017.

While it looked busy and clean, it felt like a lot of shops were empty. It does have a Wimpy though!

There are one or two buildings nearby that were worth a photo. The indoor market.

The Crown.

Probably the most impressive building was the former High Elementary School, built in 1903. Later it became the Conway Centre, but closed in 2020. Seems there may be a plan to convert it to apartments.

The Old Post Office Hotel, closed as a pub in 1978.

And this was the Post Office. The other impressive building in the area.

The Firemans Arms, notable for the unusual name if nothing else.

The Waterloo; another less than attractive pub!

The George and Dragon, which apparently got that name in 1850, so presumably is older than that.

I will finish with the Edward VII memorial clock tower, built in 1911. It kind of sums up the area; a listed, historic building, with a flyover just 40' away. The Central Hotel to the right opened in 1939, but closed in 2013, and fire damaged it three years later. 

It all feels run down, and somewhere you pass through as quickly as possible.