Thurstaston

infobox UK place
country= England
latitude= 53.3473
longitude= -3.1338
map_type= Merseyside
official_name= Thurstaston
shire_county = Merseyside
population = 160 (2001 Census)citeweb|url=http://www.wirral.gov.uk/factsandfigures/census2001/oneward2recset.asp?ref=TS43|title=Wirral 2001 Census: Thurstaston|work=Metropolitan Borough of Wirral|accessdate=16 July|accessyear=2007]
shire_district= Wirral
region= North West England
constituency_westminster= Wirral West
post_town= WIRRAL
postcode_district = CH61
postcode_area= CH
dial_code= 0151
os_grid_reference= SJ246839

Thurstaston is a village on the Wirral Peninsula, Merseyside, England. It is part of the West Kirby & Thurstaston Ward of the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral. The village lies on the A540 road between Heswall and Caldy, although it stretches some distance down Station Road to the bank of the Dee estuary where there is a large caravan park.

At the time of the 2001 Census, the village itself had only 160 inhabitants, ] although the national census included Caldy and parts of Irby, bringing the total population to 15,548. [citeweb|url=http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadKeyFigures.do?a=7&b=561387&c=thurstaston&d=14&e=16&g=362177&i=1001x1003x1004&m=0&enc=1|title=2001 Census: Thurstaston|work=Office for National Statistics|accessdate=16 July|accessyear=2007]

History

Etymology

Thurstaston means "village of a man called Thorsteinn / Þorsteinn", from the Old Norse personal name "Thorsteinn" / "Þorsteinn" and Old English "tún" "farm, village". A record of the name as "Torstestiune" in 1048 proves this origin. The village was mentioned in the Domesday Book as "Turstanetone".citeweb|url=http://www.btinternet.com/~martin.amlot/history_of_the_parish.htm|title=History of the Parish|work=Martin Amlot|accessdate=16 July|accessyear=2007]

Recent history

Thurstaston, including the hamlet of Dawpool, was a parish within the Wirral Hundred, in the county of Cheshire. The population was 112 in 1801, 98 in 1851, 141 in 1901 and 151 in 1951. [citeweb|url=http://www.ukbmd.org.uk/genuki/chs/thurstaston.html|title=Cheshire Towns & Parishes: Thurstaston|work=GENUKI UK & Ireland Genealogy|accessdate=16 July|accessyear=2007]

The village is centred on the church of St Bartholomew, and Thurstaston Hall, of which parts date from 1350, although most of the current building dates from between 1680 and 1835. A ghostly "white lady" is said to haunt the Hall.

In 1882 the Liverpool shipowner Thomas Ismay, founder of White Star Line built his mansion 'Dawpool' at Thurstaston; Ismay is said to have used his influence to ensure that the West Kirby - Hooton railway be routed a mile away along the Dee Estuary, rather than closer to the village. He was also successful in moving the main Heswall to West Kirby road, which came too close to the doorstep of his mansion, via a cutting through Thurstaston Hill. Ismay is buried in the nearby St Bartholomew's churchyard. The solidly-built 'Dawpool', designed by Richard Norman Shaw, was demolished by explosives in 1927. [citeweb|url=http://lh.matthewbeckett.com/houses/lh_cheshire_dawpool.html|title=Dawpool|work=Lost Heritage|accessdate=14 January|accessyear=2007] Still standing in the village is the original building of Dawpool Primary School, now a private house.

Between 1894 and 1933, Thurstaston was part of Wirral Rural District, then subsequently Wirral Urban District. On 1 April 1974, local government reorganisation in England and Wales resulted in most of Wirral, including Thurstaston, transfer from the county of Cheshire to Merseyside.

Geography

Thurstaston is notable for the large areas of parkland and heathland. Thurstaston Common is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and a local nature reserve. Nearby is Thurstaston Hill, a 298 ft Triassic sandstone ridge and one of the highest points on the Wirral. The offices and a visitor centre of Wirral Country Park are situated near the site of what was Thurstaston railway station. The former trackbed of part of the Birkenhead Railway has been converted into a public path - the 'Wirral Way'. The visitor centre contains displays relevant to the local ecology.

References

ee also

*St Bartholomew's Church, Thurstaston

External links

* [http://www.btinternet.com/~martin.amlot/ St Bartholomew's Church]
* [http://www.wirral8.f9.co.uk/wirral/thurs.htm The Church Bells]
* [http://www.subbrit.org.uk/sb-sites/stations/t/thurstaston/index.shtml Thurstaston railway station]
* [http://www.itpas.org.uk Irby Thurstaston & Pensby Amenity Society]