Upton, Merseyside

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Upton is a village on the Wirral, Merseyside close to Birkenhead.

1 History
2 Community
3 Transport
4 Upton in Literature
5 See also
6 External links
7 References

[edit] History

Upton was, originally, settled, as a farming community, during the Anglo-Saxon period. Later on, during the Norman period, Upton was listed in the Domesday Book of 1086 & was written as being in the possession of William Mallbank. Upton was the primary economic centre of northern Wirral until the industrial development of Birkenhead during the mid-19th century. The main thoroughfare, of the village, was also the place of a weekly market. Fairs were also held in the village at Michaelmas & Easter.

A Runestone was discovered in the ruins of Upton's Norman Parish church in Overchurch. The stone is now kept at the Grosvenor Museum in Chester.

In 1847, William Williams Mortimer said of Upton in his 'History of the Hundred of Wirral':

"..though now only a small village, Upton was formerly considered the metropolis of the lower mediety of Wirral, and had two annual fairs of considerable importance, and also a weekly market that was discontinued in 1620, the village having been recently almost entirely rebuilt, contains several good houses, among which may be particularly mentioned Upton Hall..."

A major contributor to the village was William Inman, owner of the Inman Line, who donated money for the construction of St. Mary's Church.

[edit] Community

Overchurch Primary School

St. Joseph's Primary School

Upton Hall Girls Grammar School

St. Mary's (CofE) Church - the local C of E Church. A large church with sections both in Upton and Saughall Massie

St. Joseph's Catholic Church - the local Roman Catholic Church.

The Village Youth Project - Upton is home to 'The Bank' - a youth club set up in 1999 which provides a range of activities for the youth of Upton as an alternative to anti-social behaviour. It runs various events for the community including a popular annual fair, situated at Overchurch Primary School each summer.

[edit] Transport

Upton today is most notable for its central location between Birkenhead and West Kirby. The consequence of this is that road transport through Upton is uncharacteristically efficient for the rural suburban area of Wirral. Upton is situated at the junction of roads from Birkenhead, Moreton, Greasby, Saughall Massie & Arrowe Park. The road network was further enhanced with the building of a bypass in the early 1980's.

The exception to this is rail transport, as Upton is not a part of the major rail link from Birkenhead to West Kirby, which instead passes around the more densely populated coast. However, Upton railway station does exist & acts as a part of the Borderlands Line between Bidston & Wrexham. Due to its location, though, the station is more of service to the Noctorum community, rather than Upton. Rail transport is not considered a problem in Upton, however, as the main bus route does pass through.