Bebington
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Bebington | |
  Bebington shown within Merseyside |
|
| Population | 13,720 (2001 Census)[1] |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference | |
| Metropolitan borough | Wirral |
| Metropolitan county | Merseyside |
| Region | North West |
| Constituent country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | WIRRAL |
| Postcode district | CH62, CH63 |
| Dialling code | 0151 |
| Police | Merseyside |
| Fire | Merseyside |
| Ambulance | North West |
| European Parliament | North West England |
| UK Parliament | Wirral South |
| List of places: UK • England • Merseyside | |
Bebington is a small town and electoral ward within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, in Merseyside, England. It is located along the River Mersey, on the eastern side of the Wirral Peninsula, and had a total resident population of 13,720 at the 2001 census.[1]
The town includes the areas of Port Sunlight (an early planned factory town), Higher Bebington (which includes the Mount Estate), Lower Bebington, Poulton Lancelyn, Spital, Storeton and Woodhey.
Bebington railway station opened in 1838 and is situated on the Wirral Line of the Merseyrail network.
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[edit] History
The Church of St. Andrew, on a site occupied since Saxon times, dates from the 14th and 16th centuries.
In 1838, the footprints of an archosaur later called the Chirotherium storetonese were found in a sandstone bed at Storeton Quarry. Examples can be seen at the Liverpool Museum and at Christ Church within the parish of Higher Bebington. Stone quarried at Bebington was used for the construction of Birkenhead Town Hall, some of the villas around Birkenhead and Rock Parks and most famously of all the Empire State Building. The stone is considered to be a high quality sandstone which is creamy in appearance. The Quarries were eventually filled in with debris removed during the construction of the two Mersey Tunnels.
Mayer Hall, Bebington Village, was formerly an art gallery built by Joseph Mayer, a Liverpool Businessman. It is now a community resource and still boasts many of its original features.
The Brackenwood golf course was cited in 2004 as a likely site for the Battle of Brunanburh in AD 937.[2]
[edit] Education
Bebington contains five main schools; Wirral Grammar School for Boys, Wirral Grammar School for Girls, St. John Plessington Catholic College, Higher Bebington Junior School, Bebington High Sports College.
![St. Andrews lamp-post, inspiration for Narnia lamp-post[citation needed]](../../../../images/shared/thumb/2/25/Narnia_Lamp.jpg/180px-Narnia_Lamp.jpg)
[edit] Cultural references
Bebington also has a claim to fame in that St. Andrews church yard features the lamp-post that was supposedly the real-life inspiration for the lamp-post in C. S. Lewis's The Chronicles Of Narnia.[citation needed]
The Oval Sports Centre was used in the film, Chariots of Fire, to portray the 1924 Colombes Olympic Stadium in Paris.[3]
[edit] Notable people
- Singer Pete Burns, born 1959 in Port Sunlight, Bebington.
- Film director Alex Cox was born in Bebington in 1954.
- The historian and antiquarian Hilda R. Ellis Davidson (1914-2006) was born in Bebington.
- Professional footballer Dixie Dean (1907-1980), lived in Higher Bebington.
- Lottie Dod (1871-1960), "the most versatile female athlete of all time" and five times Wimbledon tennis champion, was born in Bebington.
- Michael Goodliffe (1914-1976), film and television actor was born in Bebington.
- Kenneth Halliwell, partner and murderer of playwright Joe Orton, was born in Heath Road and attended Wirral Grammar School.
- Professional footballer Brian Harris (1935-2008), was born in Bebington.
- The authors Roger Lancelyn Green (1918-1987) and Richard Lancelyn Green (1953-2004) lived in Poulton Lancelyn, Bebington.
- Chris Malkin, former professional footballer, was born 1967 in Bebington.
- Jan Ravens, impressionist and actress, born in Bebington in 1958.
- Ted Robbins, entertainer and actor, was a resident of the town.
- Chris Sharrock, ex Icicle Works drummer, born in Bebington in 1964.
- Harold Wilson (1916-1995), British Prime Minister, lived in the area from the age of 16 and was head boy at Wirral Grammar School.
[edit] See also
- Bebington parliamentary constituency (1950 – Feb 1974)
- Bebington and Ellesmere Port parliamentary constituency (Feb 1974 – 1983)
- Category:People from Bebington
[edit] References
- ^ a b 2001 Census: Bebington (Ward). Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 7 December 2007
- ^ Brunanburgh: Birthplace of Englishness 'found'. BBC News (20 December, 2004). Retrieved 7 December 2007
- ^ Chariots of Fire (1981). Where Did They Film That?. Retrieved 7 December 2007
[edit] External links
- Bebington District Explorer Scouts
- Open Directory Project - Bebington category
- Bebington Marine Cadet Detachment
- Bebington Sea Cadets
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