Wallasey Pool

Wallasey Pool was a natural tidal inlet of water that separated the towns of Wallasey and Birkenhead on the Wirral Peninsula, England. Originally flowing directly into the River Mersey, it was converted into the sophisticated Birkenhead Dock system from the 1820s onwards by land reclamation, with the main portion of the pool becoming known as the Great Float. In 1933, with the exception of a small lake, the head of Wallasey Pool at Poulton, was converted into Bidston Dock. This dock was filled in during 2003. citeweb|url=http://www.merseysideviews.com/Merseyside%20Docks/Birkenhead/pages/Bir%20Dks%20018.html|title=Birkenhead Docks (photo18)|work=Merseyside Views Retrieved 12 October 2007 ]

Bridges

Four road bridges cross the former Wallasey Pool, over what is now Birkenhead Docks:

Egerton Bridge is situated between Egerton Dock and Morpeth Dock and is a bascule bridge. It was built between 1928 and 1931, replacing an earlier hydraulic swing bridge. The bridge and the machine house were completely restored in 1993 and opened to the public in 1995. [citeweb|url=http://www.wirral-mbc.gov.uk/art/insideoutside/project3.doc|title=The Birkenhead Dock System (art project)|work=Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council Retrieved 12 October 2007 ]

A red girdered bascule (see-saw) bridge at Tower Road connects the Seacombe district of Wallasey with Birkenhead. Known as the Four Bridges, as originally four movable bridges existed along Tower Road: two between the Great Float and Alfred Dock, one between the Great Float and Wallasey Dock and one between the Great Float and Egerton Dock. When originally built, all four were hydraulic swing bridge types. [citeweb|url=http://www.merseysideviews.com/Merseyside%20Docks/Birkenhead/Four-Bridges-1870's.htm|title=Tower Road: Four Bridges (1870s)|work=Merseyside Views Retrieved 10 October 2007 ]

Joining the southern end of the Poulton district of Wallasey with the north end of Birkenhead, Duke Street Bridge is also a bascule bridge but with painted green girders. Originally, it was also a swing bridge.

Furthest upstream is the Penny Bridge, which crosses the head of the pool to connect Poulton with Bidston in Birkenhead. The bridge took its name from the original fare of one penny to cross in one direction. The bridge sported distinctive steel girders for many years, but these were removed during refurbishment in 2000. Although its lifting mechanism survives, it is no longer used, owing to the filling in of Bidston Dock to the north west of the bridge.

Future

Groundwork Wirral is a Trust with an aim of improving the local environment. In 2003, it embarked on a restoration project to environmentally improve the site of a former waste disposal centre at Bidston Moss and also what remained of Wallasey Pool.

References

External links

* [http://www.merseysideviews.com/Merseyside%20Docks/Birkenhead/1850-map.htm Merseyside Views: 1850 map of Wallasey Pool, now Birkenhead Docks]
* [http://www.merseysideviews.com/Merseyside%20Docks/Birkenhead/Wallasey-Pool-1927.htm Merseyside Views: 1927 map of Wallasey Pool]
* [http://wirral.groundworknw.org.uk/project.asp?action=view&id=264 Groundwork Wirral: Bidston Moss Vision Plan]
* [http://www.wirral.gov.uk/LGCL/100009/200070/1017/content_0000530.html Wirral Metropolitan Brough Council: Egerton Bridge]