When was birkenhead founded

Shipbuilding and ship repair has featured prominently in the local economy since the 19th century. Cammell Laird, the most successful company in the town, entered receivership in The Twelve Quays ferry terminal allows a direct freight and passenger vehicle service to Dublin, Ireland and Belfast, Northern Ireland.

The Famous Mersey Ferry at Woodside operates a passenger service to Liverpool and chartered cruising. Birkenhead used to be a major center for leather work, and had major tanneries that could be smelled from the main road to Chester.

The leatherworks were shut down in , following a critical fire that affected the whole area in Birkenhead has always been the market center for the Wirral section of Cheshire. Commercial expansion continued in the early s when the Pyramids Shopping Center was opened.

The original market site has been redeveloped with the construction of two office buildings, primarily to house Land Registry and Department for Work and Pensions offices. Memories Overview Gallery People Find. Founded in , the monks of this Benedictine monastery looked after travellers for nearly years and supervised the first regulated 'Ferry 'cross the Mersey'. Finally, located just outside the centre of Birkenhead is the Williamson Art Gallery.

It stands at the core of the Wirral Museums Service, offering more space than any other in its purpose-built galleries. Plan your perfect stay in Wirral with reviews about Wirral Hotels. Latest News Download Brochures. Twitter Facebook. Book Accommodation. Add Room. Tick here for accommodation providing access information.

Search What's On. Although there was no connection between the two establishments, the first group of Priory monks may have come from Chester. The Priory was neither large nor wealthy. There were never more than 16 monks there at any one time. It held lands in a number of Wirral townships and also lands in Lancashire and Cheshire. In the beginning….

Timeline of events The monastic community Monastic life: the working day Monastic life: the religious day Royal connections. Site A headland of birch trees The first monks came to Birkenhead in the middle years of the 12th century, when a Priory dedicated to St James the Great was built here.