Egremont, Merseyside

infobox UK place
country= England
official_name= Egremont
latitude= 53.4236
longitude= -3.0375
population=
metropolitan_borough= Wirral
metropolitan_county= Merseyside
region= North West England
constituency_westminster= Wallasey
post_town= WALLASEY
postcode_district= CH44
postcode_area= CH
dial_code= 0151
os_grid_reference= SJ317923
map_type= Merseyside

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

History

Egremont was considered part of the Liscard township until the 1820s, 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 1790s, 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, causing irreparable damage.

Description

Today three and four-bedroomed, largely working class terraced houses and semi-detached homes 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 building there known locally as 'The Beehive'. This building began life as a police station before the interiors and exterior panels were ripped out leaving only a brick frame and tiled roof. There was also a number of other structures which were probably part of the ferry buildings. Before their demolition in 1983, these buildings served as homes to a boat yard, the base for a motorboat club and also the infamous 'Davy Jones Locker' club. 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 is Wallasey Town Hall - now one of the administrative buildings for Wirral Borough Council. This large building is reached by road from Brighton Street, or via a lengthy flight of steps from the promenade.

Tobin Street with Church Street marks the boundary between the municipal wards of Liscard and Seacombe, the Church referred to being St John's Church at the top of Church Street, and just across Liscard Road, just within Central Park.