Egremont, Merseyside

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Egremont is an area of the town of Wallasey, on the Wirral Peninsula in England. It is bordered by New Brighton to the north, Liscard to the west and Seacombe to the south.

[edit] History

Egremont was considered part of the Liscard township until the 1820's, when expansion of Liscard was deemed significant enough that it should be split into two townships.

One of the earliest buildings in Egremont was the Liscard Manor House, also known as the 'Seabank'. Dating back to the 1790's, it was home to the influential Penkett and Maddock families. The area which grew up around Seabank was eventually to become the Mariners' home founded in 1892 by William Cliff.

The name of the area was decided by one Captain Askew who built a house in the area as early as 1835 and named the village 'Egremont' after his Cumberland birthplace.

Egremont Ferry was built in 1827 and was the longest pier on Merseyside until its dismantlement in 1946 due to a coaster having crashed into it and caused irreparable damage.

[edit] Now

Today two and three-bedroomed, largely working class terraced houses dominate Egremont. A small shopping area is located along King Street, the main road of the district. Egremont's river frontage is part of the Promenade which , under various names, runs as an unbroken traffic-free pedestrian route from Seacombe Ferry to New Brighton, and is the best place from which to view the panoramic skyline of Liverpool. The central point of Egremont Promenade is the site of the Egremont Ferry, reached from Tobin Street. For a number of years there was a bandstand there and building which were probably part of the Ferry buildings, and which served as the base for a motorboat club until they were demolished. To either side of this minor promontory there is access to the sea-shore, which was very popular with locals and trippers for some decades after World War Two. One of the most prominent buildings visible from the Promenade as Wallasey Town Hall - now one of the administrative buildings for Wirral Borough Council. This splendid building is reached by road from Brighton Street, or via a daunting flight of steps from the promenade. Tobin Street with Church Street marks the boundary between the municipal wards of North and South Egremont, the Church referred to being St John's Church at the top of Church Street, and just across Liscard Road, just within Central Park.

Areas of Wallasey