Bromborough ( ) is a town in the

Metropolitan Borough of Wirral The Metropolitan Borough of Wirral is a metropolitan borough of Merseyside, in North West England. It has a population of (), and encompasses of the northern part of the Wirral Peninsula. Major settlements include Birkenhead, Wallasey, Bebingt ...

Merseyside Merseyside ( ) is a ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial and metropolitan county in North West England. It borders Lancashire to the north, Greater Manchester to the east, Cheshire to the south, the Wales, Welsh county of Flintshire across ...

, England, on the

Wirral Peninsula The Wirral Peninsula (), known locally as the Wirral, is a peninsula in North West England. The roughly rectangular peninsula is about long and wide, and is bounded by the Dee Estuary to the west, the Mersey Estuary to the east, and Liverpo ...

south-east of

Bebington Bebington () is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, in Merseyside, England. Historic counties of England, Historically part of Cheshire, it is south of Liverpool, close to the River Mersey on the eastern side of the Wirral Peninsula ...

and north of Eastham. It lies within the historic county boundaries of

Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Merseyside to the north-west, Greater Manchester to the north-east, Derbyshire to the east, Staffordshire to the south-east, and Shrop ...

, and became part of Merseyside in 1974. At the 2011 census, the population of the Bromborough ward was 14,850.

History

The name ''Brunanburh'' is suggested to mean "Bruna's fortification", with ''burh'' being

Old English Old English ( or , or ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages. It developed from the languages brought to Great Britain by Anglo-S ...

for a fortified place. Bromborough is a contender for the site of an epic battle of 937, the

Battle of Brunanburh The Battle of Brunanburh was fought in 937 between Æthelstan, King of Kingdom of England, England, and an alliance of Olaf Guthfrithson, King of Kingdom of Dublin, Dublin; Constantine II of Scotland, Constantine II, King of Scotland; and O ...

, which confirmed England as a united

Anglo-Saxon The Anglo-Saxons, in some contexts simply called Saxons or the English, were a Cultural identity, cultural group who spoke Old English and inhabited much of what is now England and south-eastern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages. They traced t ...

kingdom. The

philological Philology () is the study of language in oral and written historical sources. It is the intersection of textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics with strong ties to etymology. Philology is also defined as the study of ...

case for Bromborough as ''Brunanburh'' has been questioned, on the basis that the first element in the name may be 'brown' and not 'Bruna'. Bromborough would therefore be 'the brown tone-builtmanor or fort'. An

cross, reconstructed from fragments, is in the churchyard of local

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...

church St Barnabas. Bromborough is not specifically named in the Domesday Survey, and the name does not appear in records until the 12th century. A

market charter A market town is a settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages, a market right, which allowed it to host a regular market; this distinguished it from a village or city. In Britain, small rura ...

allowing a market to be held each Monday was granted by

Edward I Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots (Latin: Malleus Scotorum), was King of England from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he was Lord of Ireland, and from 125 ...

in 1278 to the monks of St. Werburgh's Abbey. It was hoped that establishing the market in the vicinity of Bromborough Cross would promote honest dealing. The market cross was the traditional centre of the village and also an assembly point for local farm labourers available for hire. The steps of the cross are from the original 13th-century monument. The cross itself is a more recent reproduction, presented to the town by the Bromborough Society. With a

watermill A watermill or water mill is a mill that uses hydropower. It is a structure that uses a water wheel or water turbine to drive a mechanical process such as mill (grinding), milling (grinding), rolling, or hammering. Such processes are needed in ...

having been recorded near Bromborough at the time of the Domesday Survey, Bromborough watermill was likely to have been the oldest mill site on the Wirral. Located on the River Dibbin at what is known as Spital Dam, it was worked until 1940 and demolished in 1949. The site is now a children's nursery. A

windmill A windmill is a machine operated by the force of wind acting on vanes or sails to mill grain (gristmills), pump water, generate electricity, or drive other machinery. Windmills were used throughout the high medieval and early modern period ...

, built in 1777, existed on higher ground also at the same location. Having fallen into disuse and much deteriorated, it was destroyed by

gunpowder Gunpowder, also commonly known as black powder to distinguish it from modern smokeless powder, is the earliest known chemical explosive. It consists of a mixture of sulfur, charcoal (which is mostly carbon), and potassium nitrate, potassium ni ...

in about 1878. An increase in traffic passing through the area resulted in Bromborough undergoing extensive redevelopment in the 1930s. Bromborough Hall, built in 1617, was demolished in 1932 to make way for a by-pass and a number of farmhouses and cottages in the area of Bromborough Cross were replaced with shops.

Geography

Bromborough is situated on the eastern side of the Wirral Peninsula, on the western side of the

River Mersey The River Mersey () is a major river in North West England. Its name derives from Old English and means "boundary river", possibly referring to its having been a border between the ancient kingdoms of Mercia and Northumbria. For centuries it h ...

. The area is approximately south-southeast of the

Irish Sea The Irish Sea is a body of water that separates the islands of Ireland and Great Britain. It is linked to the Celtic Sea in the south by St George's Channel and to the Inner Seas off the West Coast of Scotland in the north by the North Ch ...

at New Brighton and about east-northeast of the Dee Estuary at Parkgate. Bromborough Cross is at an elevation of about above sea level.

Landmarks

The partially

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

Bromborough Cross, in the old village centre, is a designated Grade II*

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

. St Barnabas' Church, designed by

George Gilbert Scott Sir George Gilbert Scott (13 July 1811 – 27 March 1878), largely known as Sir Gilbert Scott, was a prolific English Gothic Revival architect, chiefly associated with the design, building and renovation of churches and cathedrals, although he ...

, is also Grade II* listed and was constructed in the 1860s to replace a smaller church. Both Stanhope House and Pear Tree Cottage are Grade II listed and are amongst several buildings from the late seventeenth century that survive in the modern town.

Community

To the west of the A41 New Chester Road, Bromborough is mainly residential development started in the 1930s, centred on the original village centre with its market cross. There are a number of pubs in Bromborough: 'The Bromborough,' the 'Royal Oak' and the local British Legion, now known as the Bromborough Social Club are situated in Bromborough Village. 'The Archers' pub had closed down by 2013 and planning permission was submitted for it to be demolished. On the outskirts, bordering Eastham, are the 'Merebrook' and the 'Dibbinsdale', where there is a branch of the Pesto restaurant chain. Bromborough's green spaces include Brotherton Park and Dibbinsdale Local Nature Reserve, along the banks of the River Dibbin, and Marfords Park to the south west of the town. The local newspapers are the ''Bromborough and Bebington News'' and the ''Wirral Globe''.

Governance

There is one main tier of local government covering Bromborough, at

metropolitan borough A metropolitan borough (or metropolitan district) is a type of districts of England, local government district in England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972, metropolitan boroughs are defined in English law as metropolitan distr ...

level:

Wirral Council Wirral Council, or Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council, is the Local government in England, local authority of the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral in Merseyside, England. It is a metropolitan borough council, metropolitan district council with Bo ...

. The council is a member of the

Liverpool City Region Combined Authority The Liverpool City Region Combined Authority (LCRCA) is the combined authority of the Liverpool City Region in England. Its jurisdiction includes the City of Liverpool local authority area, the Metropolitan Boroughs of Knowsley, St Helens, S ...

, which is led by the directly-elected Mayor of the Liverpool City Region. The Bromborough ward is generally defined by Stanley Road in New Ferry to the north, the Mersey to the east, the railway line to the west and Acre Lane to the south. Bromborough is represented on

by three

Green Green is the color between cyan and yellow on the visible spectrum. It is evoked by light which has a dominant wavelength of roughly 495570 nm. In subtractive color systems, used in painting and color printing, it is created by a com ...

councillors. The most recent local elections took place on 4 May 2023. Bromborough is within the parliamentary constituency of Ellesmere Port and Bromborough, represented by Labour MP

Justin Madders Justin Piers Richard Madders (born 22 November 1972) is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Ellesmere Port and Bromborough, previously Ellesmere Port and Neston, since 2015. He has served as Pa ...

Administrative history

Bromborough was an

ancient parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

in the Wirral Hundred of Cheshire. The parish was subdivided into two townships, called Bromborough (which included the village itself) and Brimstage, which was detached from the main part of the parish, lying a couple of miles to the west. From the 17th century onwards, parishes were gradually given various civil functions under the

poor laws The English Poor Laws were a system of poor relief in England and Wales that developed out of the codification of late-medieval and Tudor-era laws in 1587–1598. The system continued until the modern welfare state emerged in the late 1940s. E ...

, in addition to their original ecclesiastical functions. In some cases, including Bromborough, the civil functions were exercised by each township separately rather than the parish as a whole. In 1866, the legal definition of 'parish' was changed to be the areas used for administering the poor laws, and so each township became a separate

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

. In 1873, Bromborough was made a local government district, administered by an elected local board. Such districts were reconstituted as urban districts under the

Local Government Act 1894 The Local Government Act 1894 ( 56 & 57 Vict. c. 73) was an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales outside the County of London. The act followed the reforms carried out at county leve ...

. Bromborough Urban District was abolished in 1922, merging with the neighbouring urban districts of Higher Bebington and Lower Bebington to form the Bebington and Bromborough Urban District. In 1921, the last census before its abolition, the parish and urban district of Bromborough had a population of 2,652. Bebington and Bromborough Urban District was renamed Bebington in 1933, when its territory was also significantly enlarged to take in Storeton, Poulton cum Spital, Brimstage, Thornton Hough, Raby, and Eastham. The urban district was raised to the status of a

municipal borough A municipal borough was a type of local government Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of governance or public administration within a particular sovereign state. Local governments typically constitute a subdivision of ...

in 1937. Bromborough remained part of the borough of Bebington until its abolition in 1974 under the

Local Government Act 1972 The Local Government Act 1972 (c. 70) is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974. It was one of the most significant acts of Parliament to be passed by the Heath Gov ...

. The area then became part of the

in the new county of

Economy

East of the A41 road, towards the

, is industrial development and includes Bromborough Pool, an early industrial "

model village A model village is a mostly self-contained community, built from the late 18th century onwards by landowners and business magnates to house their workers. "Model" implies an ideal to which other developments could aspire. Although the villages ...

" developed from 1853–58 by

Price's Candles Price's Candles, founded in 1830, is an importer and retailer of candles headquartered in Bedford, England. The company holds the royal warrant of appointment for the supply of candles and is one of the largest candle suppliers in the United K ...

. Part of the industry is connected to the former Bromborough Dock and includes a

ammonium nitrate Ammonium nitrate is a chemical compound with the formula . It is a white crystalline salt consisting of ions of ammonium and nitrate. It is highly soluble in water and hygroscopic as a solid, but does not form hydrates. It is predominantly us ...

warehouse and the main

landfill A landfill is a site for the disposal of waste materials. It is the oldest and most common form of waste disposal, although the systematic burial of waste with daily, intermediate and final covers only began in the 1940s. In the past, waste was ...

site for the Wirral, now a walkway with views of the river. Cereal Partners employs 340 people and produces Cheerios and

Corn Flakes Corn flakes, or cornflakes, are a breakfast cereal made from toasting flakes of corn (maize). Originally invented as a Breakfast, breakfast food to counter indigestion, it has become a popular food item in the American cuisine, American diet and ...

, among other breakfast cereals, in a factory formerly owned by Viota. Rank Hovis McDougall briefly owned the business in the 1990s. Another major business is Sun Valley Snacks Ltd, which processes peanuts. The Croft Retail & Leisure Park, which opened in March 1990, is located off the A41.

Transport

Road

The main road through the area is the A41 New Chester Road. The B5137 Spital Road joins the A41 at Bromborough. Junctions 4 and 5 of the

M53 motorway The M53 is an motorway in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, Merseyside and the Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough of Cheshire West and Chester, Cheshire on the Wirral Peninsula in England. It is also referred to as the Mid Wirral ...

are equidistant from Bromborough, each about away; Junction 4 is to the west and Junction 5 is to the south.

Bus

There are many local bus services which serve the village, mostly operated by

Stagecoach Merseyside Stagecoach Merseyside is a major operator of bus services in the city of Liverpool and the surrounding Merseyside region. It is a sub-division of Stagecoach Merseyside and South Lancashire. Stagecoach Merseyside was formed in July 2005 with ...

. Stagecoach Gold service 1 offers direct, premium connections to Liverpool and Birkenhead to the north; Chester, Chester Zoo and Ellesmere Port to the south.

Rail

Bromborough and Bromborough Rake railway stations are both situated on the Wirral line of the

Merseyrail Merseyrail is a commuter rail network which serves Merseyside and adjacent areas of Cheshire and Lancashire in the North West England, North West of England. Merseyrail serves 69 Railway station, stations, 67 of which it manages, across two lin ...

network. Trains run every 15 minutes to , every 30 minutes to , and there are six trains per hour to .

References

Notes

Citations

Bibliography

External links

Birkenhead & Surrounds
{{Authority control Towns in Merseyside Towns and villages in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral Former civil parishes in Merseyside