Parkgate, Cheshire

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Parkgate is a village on the Wirral Peninsula, in the part that remains in Cheshire, England. Parkgate was an important port in the North West of England from the start of the eighteenth century. The river Dee, which served as a shipping lane to the city of Chester, had silted up, creating a need for a port further downstream. A quay was built near the small town of Neston but further silting required yet another re-siting slightly further downstream near the gate of Neston's hunting park, hence the settlement of Parkgate was born. However the inevitable happened, the Dee silted up even further, and Parkgate became unusable as a port, to be superseded by the Port of Liverpool, on the nearby river Mersey.

Towards the end of the eighteenth century Parkgate was popular as a seaside resort with baths, but this diminished as the sands of the estuary were consumed with grass. With no beach and no direct access to the sea, Parkgate could manage only small subsistence from fishing and might well have been doomed. During the Second World War two of Parkgate's houses which both contained cellars were converted into shelters and used for public protection from the bombs. Small lights were placed on the marsh to trick the German bombers into thinking settlements were below. After the war it flourished as a highly desirable residential area. Still popular with tourists, it boasts world-class bird watching, regionally famous homemade ice cream, world-class sunsets and fresh local seafood, including shrimps and cockles.

Several times a year there is a seasonal high tide. This brings back the sea to the sea wall, and visitors arrive at the village to witness the unusual sight. Bird watchers also come at this time to watch the birds usually hidden in the grasses of the marshland.

During the years when a port existed in the area two distinguished guests stayed in the local hostelries. One was Lord Nelson's mistress, (Lady) Emma Hamilton, who was born in nearby Ness. The other was Handel who stayed in Parkgate before sailing to Dublin in April 1742 for the first performance of Messiah. He had finished Messiah in the summer of 1741 and at most he could only have added minor touches to the work in Parkgate.

[edit] External links

• Discover Parkgate
• Historical information about the River Dee from The Proudman Oceanographic Laboratory
• Chesire Magazine - Lady Hamilton and Parkgate