Heswall

Heswall () is a coastal town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral in Merseyside, England. It was historically part of Cheshire and became part of Merseyside in 1974. It is located on the Wirral Peninsula. At the 2021 census, the population of the built up area as defined by the Office for National Statistics was 29,075.

History

Early history

Before the Norman Conquest, Heswall has been cited as a possible location for Dingesmere, mentioned with regard to the Battle of Brunanburh, in ''Egil's Saga''. Heswall was recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as ''Eswelle'', owned by Robert de Rodelent, who also owned much of the land on the eastern side of the River Dee. In 1277, it became the property of Patrick de Haselwall, who was Sheriff of Cheshire.

Development

In 1801, the population was recorded as 168. By the census in 1841, it had grown to 398. Before 1897 it was known as ''Hestlewelle'' or ''Hesselwelle''. Its growth was started by wealthy merchants from Liverpool; they had originally chosen it as a retreat, but the arrival of two railway connections allowed them to commute. One line is the Borderlands Line from Wrexham Central to Bidston which opened in 1896. This line is still active and has Heswall railway station on the eastern edge of the town. The station was formerly called Heswall Hills to distinguish it from the older, now demolished, Heswall station. The old station was in Station Road in the Lower Village on another line from West Kirby to Hooton. This opened in 1886 but the line closed to passengers in 1956. The track of the old railway became a footpath, the Wirral Way.

The speedy development of Heswall has seen the once separate villages of Gayton, Heswall, Pensby and Thingwall become joined by continuous housing.

Architecture

The oldest structure is the tower of St Peter's Parish Church, which is about 500 years old. The present church was built in 1879, and is the third to have been built on the site. The previous church was destroyed by a violent thunderstorm on 19 September 1875; the organist and the boy who pumped the bellows for the organ were both killed.

The remains of Gayton's windmill, which stopped operating in 1860 and is now converted into a house, can be seen close to the Devon Doorway pub-restaurant on Gayton Roundabout, a short distance back up Telegraph Road towards Heswall.

The Royal Liverpool Children's Hospital originally opened in Heswall as ''Liverpool Country Hospital for Children'' in 1909. The hospital was situated on a site purchased in 1900. It stood on the opposite side of Telegraph Road from '' The Puddydale'’ and had a clock tower and grounds with views over the Dee estuary. The hospital closed in 1985 and there is now a Tesco supermarket on the site. The supermarket was extended in the early 2000s, then refurbished during 2011.

Governance

There is one main tier of local government covering Heswall, at metropolitan borough level: Wirral Borough Council. The council is a member of the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, which is led by the directly-elected Mayor of the Liverpool City Region.

Administrative history

Heswall was an ancient parish in the Wirral Hundred of Cheshire. The parish was subdivided into two townships: Heswall-cum-Oldfield and Gayton. From the 17th century onwards, parishes were gradually given various civil functions under the poor laws, in addition to their original ecclesiastical functions. In some cases, including Heswall, 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 the townships also became civil parishes.

When elected parish and district councils were established in 1894, Heswall-cum-Oldfield was given a parish council and included in the Wirral Rural District. The parish council was abolished in 1933, when the remaining part of the Wirral district (after it had ceded territory to various urban neighbours) was reconstituted as the Wirral Urban District. Heswall was the largest settlement in the district, and the urban district council chose to base itself there, buying a large house called Hill House in 1936 to serve as its headquarters.

Wirral Urban District was abolished in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972. The area became part of the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral in the new county of Merseyside.

Geography

Located on the eastern side of the Dee Estuary, with views across the river to North Wales, Heswall is 13 miles from Chester and 10 miles from Liverpool (via the Queensway (Birkenhead) Tunnel or 56 miles (avoiding the tunnels). The towers of Liverpool's cathedrals can be seen on the horizon from the town.

Economy

An affluent area, Heswall was listed as the seventh richest neighbourhood in the UK in 2001, with an average household income of £46,600.

In 2022, the median house price in Heswall was £409,500, making it the most expensive in the Wirral area.

Open spaces

There are several areas of open space. The largest is the Dales, an area of dry, sandy heathland overlooking the River Dee. It has the status of both Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and Local Nature Reserve (LNR). Within this SSSI lies 'the Dungeon', a small river valley cut into the hillside. A path connects the Dales to the Wirral Way and the coast. Other open areas also overlooking the Dee are the Beacons, and Poll Hill, which is the highest point on the Wirral Peninsula. Whitfield Common, off Whitfield Lane, contains open land as well as playing fields and tennis courts.

Education

Heswall is well served by St Peter's C of E, Gayton and Heswall Primary Schools.

Pensby High School is the local secondary school situated in nearby Pensby.

Heswall Primary School

Heswall Primary School serves the local community of Heswall and surrounding areas on the Wirral Peninsula. It opened in 1909. It was originally on the eastern edge of The Puddydale, opposite the Royal Liverpool Children's hospital on Telegraph Road (now converted into a local Tesco). The original building was demolished in 1982 after falling into disrepair. Prior to demolition, the juniors were moved to the current Whitfield Lane site in 1976 and the school became known as Whitfield Primary School. The infants joined the juniors in 1982, unifying the school on one site again – eventually becoming Heswall County Primary school.

The current Whitfield Lane site was formerly the location of the Beehive Dairy. The school has retained the Beehive logo in its school badge. The single form entry school has around 220 children on roll. Now known as Heswall Primary School, the school is surrounded by the Barnston fields and has its own field and wooded areas.

The school is the home of Wirral Science Under the Stars, an event run by the school that brings together science links in real life settings with education.

Transport

Heswall bus station is owned and managed by Merseytravel; it consists of four stands. The main bus operators are Arriva North West, Stagecoach Merseyside & South Lancashire, Al's Coaches, A2B Travel and Aintree Coachlines. Routes link the town with Liverpool, Birkenhead, Chester and West Kirby.

Heswall railway station is a stop on the Borderlands Line, which connects with . Services are operated by Transport for Wales.

The town was also served by a second railway station between 1886 and 1956; the Wirral Way, a shared-use path linking and , now passes through the town.

Media

Local news and television programmes are provided by BBC North West and ITV Granada. Television signals are received from the Winter Hill TV transmitter. Heswall's close proximity to North Wales means that BBC Wales and ITV Cymru Wales can also be received from the Moel-y-Parc TV transmitter.

Local radio stations are BBC Radio Merseyside, Capital North West & Wales, Heart North West, Smooth Radio North West, Greatest Hits Radio Liverpool & The North West, Hits Radio Liverpool and Wirral Wave Radio, a community-based station.

The town's local newspapers are the ''Liverpool Echo'' and the Wirral Globe.

Sport

Heswall F.C., founded in 1891, play at Gayton Park on Brimstage Road and competes in the West Cheshire Association Football League.

Heswall Lawn Tennis Club, based at Quarry Road East for over 100 years, competes in the Cheshire Lawn Tennis Association's Inter-Club League.

Heswall Golf Club, on Cottage Lane, was founded in 1902 and has an 18-hole championship golf course.

Cultural references

Heswall Flower Club is mentioned in the song "This One's For Now" by the band Half Man Half Biscuit on their 2014 album '' Urge For Offal''. Heswall Village Fete is the scene for Coldplay's " Life in Technicolor II" music video. Heswall is the destination on the front of a bus in the 2014 John Lewis Christmas advert, 'Monty The Penguin'.

Notable people

* The singer Ian Astbury, most famous for fronting the rock band The Cult, was born in Heswall.
* Cricketer Ian Botham (Lord Botham) was born in Heswall.
* TV presenter Jim Bowen was born in Heswall.
* England, Everton and Sunderland footballer Paul Bracewell was born in Heswall.
* TV presenter Fiona Bruce was educated at Gayton Primary School in Heswall.
* Christian Furr, the youngest artist to have officially painted Queen Elizabeth II, was born in Heswall.
* Pianist Stephen Hough CBE is from Heswall.
* Philip May, husband of former Prime Minister Theresa May, was brought up in Heswall and was a pupil at Heswall Primary School and Calday Grange Grammar School, in Caldy. The May family lived on Downham Road North for 16 years.
* In 1964, Paul McCartney bought ''Rembrandt'', a detached mock-Tudor house in Baskervyle Road, for his father, Jim McCartney, at a cost of £8,750. The senior McCartney later moved to a bungalow nearby and lived in Heswall until his death on 18 March 1976.
* Singer and bass guitarist Andy McCluskey, co-founder of the electronic band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD), was born in Heswall.
* Phil Morris MBE, former soldier, double cancer survivor and winner of a David Cameron award for services to cancer awareness and support. Awarded an MBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours 2021
* Hugh O'Leary, accountant, husband of former UK Prime Minister Liz Truss
* Disc jockey and broadcaster John Peel was born in Heswall.
* Bill Steer, British guitar player, and co-founder of the extreme metal band Carcass, spent his teenage years living in Heswall, and went to Heswall Primary School on Whitfield Lane.
* John Williams (27 May 1946 – 12 August 1978), English motorcycle short-circuit road racer who also entered selected Grands Prix, lived on Whitfield Lane, Heswall.

See also

* Listed buildings in Heswall

References

Further reading

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External links

Town website

LowerVillage.co.uk




Merseytravel

Wirral community magazine

Heswall Magazine

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Towns and villages in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral
Towns in Merseyside