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BIRKENHEAD

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Originally appearing in Volume V03, Page 983 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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BIRKENHEAD , a municipal, See also:

county and See also:parliamentary See also:borough, and seaport of See also:Cheshire, See also:England, on the See also:river See also:Mersey, 195 M. N.W. of See also:London. Pop. (1901) 110,915. It lies opposite See also:Liverpool, on the See also:east See also:shore of the See also:peninsula of Wirral, and is served by the Birkenhead (London & See also:North-Western and See also:Great Western See also:joint) and the Wirral See also:railways. It is wholly of See also:modern growth, although the name of Byrkhed is traced to the See also:forest which is believed to have extended between the mouths of the See also:Dee and the Ribble in See also:Lancashire. A See also:Benedictine monastery was founded (c. 1150) by See also:Hamon de Mascy, third See also:baron of Dunham See also:Massey, and dedicated to St See also:Mary and St See also:James. It See also:drew its See also:main revenues from tolls levied at the Mersey See also:ferry; and its See also:prior sat in the See also:parliament of the earls of See also:Chester, enjoying all the dignities and privileges of a See also:Palatinate baron. A See also:fine See also:crypt, along with remains of the prior's lodging, See also:refectory and See also:chapel, may still be viewed, as the priory was See also:purchased by private subscription and handed over to the See also:municipality in 1896. The rise of Birkenhead, from a See also:hamlet of some 50 inhabitants in 1818 to its See also:present importance, was due in the first See also:place to the foresight and enterprise of See also:William See also:Laird, who purchased in 1824 a few acres of See also:land on the See also:banks of a marshy stream, known as See also:Wallasey See also:Pool, which flowed into the Mersey about 2 M. See also:west of the See also:village. Among other See also:engineers, See also:Telford and See also:Stephenson favoured the project of converting Wallasey Pool into a great See also:basin for See also:shipping; but, largely owing to the fears of Liverpool lest a formidable See also:rival should thus be created, it was not until 1843 that parliamentary See also:powers were obtained, and the See also:work entrusted to James Rendel, who finished it in less than five years.

The docks, which covered an See also:

area of 7 acres, were opened in 1847, and after thrice changing hands were made over in 1858 to the Mersey Docks and See also:Harbour See also:Board, a See also:body created by See also:act of 1857, to See also:control the harbourage on both sides of the river. Meanwhile, the See also:town itself See also:grew rapidly. In 1833 an act was passed for paving, watching, cleansing and improving the streets; as well as for the regulation of See also:police, and the See also:establishment of a See also:market. The Improvement Commissioners constituted by this act included the See also:mayor, bailiffs and four aldermen of Liverpool, under whose care the main streets were laid out on a See also:regular See also:plan, intersecting one another at right angles; and the first See also:iron See also:tramway in England was laid down. See also:Electricity was subsequently applied to the tramway See also:system. Noteworthy public buildings are St See also:Aidan's See also:College, a large See also:brick See also:building in Tudor See also:style, for the use of See also:Anglican students in See also:theology; the market See also:hall (1845); town hall, a See also:free library with branches, borough See also:hospital, built at the cost of See also:Sir See also:John Laird; and many See also:schools both public and private, including the See also:industrial schools built as a memorial to See also:Albert, See also:prince See also:consort, at the cost of Sir W. See also:Jackson, and the school of See also:art, given by Sir John Laird. There are many handsome modern churches, all built since 1821. See also:Roman Catholics are especially numerous, owing to the presence of a large Irish See also:population. The town is well furnished with open spaces. Birkenhead See also:Park was opened in 1847, Mersey Park in 1885; while a See also:tract of moorland 6 m. distant in the township of Thurstaston, was allotted to the borough of Birkenhead in 1887; and Meols See also:Common, comprising over 50 acres of pastureland on the shores of Liverpool See also:Bay, was made over to the See also:corporation in 1900. The increase of railway See also:accommodation has been See also:swift.

In 1878 the old Monks Ferry station on the Great Western system was superseded by the opening of the Woodside passenger station, and a few years later the Birkenhead town station wasopened. In 1886 the Mersey See also:

tunnel, connecting Birkenhead with Liverpool, was opened by the prince of See also:Wales. The system extends from See also:Rock Ferry and Park stations on the Cheshire See also:side to the See also:low-level at Central Station in Liverpool, and has connexions on the Cheshire side with the Great Western, North-Western, Wirral and various See also:local lines. The See also:Wrexham, See also:Mold & Connah's See also:Quay railway, which was taken over by the Great Central See also:company in 1905, helped to bring the See also:mineral See also:wealth of See also:Flint and North Wales generally into the Birkenhead docks. Woodside Ferry may still be regarded as the See also:principal entrance to Birkenhead and the Wirral from Liverpool. The exclusive right of ferryage was granted to the priory in 1332. In 1842 the Birkenhead Commissioners purchased it, under an act of parliament, from the See also:lord of the See also:manor, Mr F. R. See also:Price. In 1897 the corporation further acquired the rights over the Rock Ferry and the New Ferry at the See also:southern end of the town. Despite competition from the Mersey tunnel, these ferries continue to transport millions of passengers annually, and have a considerable See also:share in the heavy goods See also:traffic. Though at the outset a See also:mere commercial offshoot of Liverpool, Birkenhead has acquired a large export See also:trade in See also:coal and manufactured articles, importing See also:guano, See also:grain and See also:cattle in return.

Iron foundries, breweries, oil-cake and See also:

seed See also:mills also exist side by side with such immense See also:engineering and See also:shipbuilding See also:works as the Britannia Works, See also:Canada Works, and, above all, Laird's shipbuilding works, where several See also:early iron vessels were built, and many cruisers and battleships have been launched. Huge warehouses and sheds have been erected along the quays for the storage of See also:freight. In 1847 the Birkenhead See also:Dock See also:Ware-See also:housing Company opened its first warehouse, capable of holding 8o,000 tons of goods. A See also:line called the Dock See also:Extension railway was carried See also:round the whole, and the company erected, for their workmen, the Dock Cottages. This entire See also:property is now under the authority of the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board. The See also:pile of buildings known as the See also:corn warehouses are traversed by a See also:canal which gives See also:access to its several departments, and are provided with See also:mechanical grain-See also:elevators. There are also extensive lairages for live-stock, and See also:cold storage for dead See also:meat. On the north and north-east, and partly on the east, Birkenhead is bounded by its docks, which extend, for a distance exceeding 2 m., from the landing-See also:stage at Woodside Ferry to the Wallasey See also:Bridge. Of these the principal are the See also:Egerton, See also:Morpeth, Morpeth See also:Branch and Wallasey Docks; while the See also:Alfred Dock, with its three entrances, nineteen pairs of See also:lock-See also:gates, 8 acres of See also:water, and 46o fin. yds. of quay-space, fulfils the See also:part of an entrance-lock to the whole system. The great See also:Float, now occupying the site of Wallasey Pool, separates Birkenhead from Poulton-cum-Seacombe in the See also:parish of Wallasey. It forms an immense dock of 120 acres, with a quay-space of about 5 m.; and communicates on the E. with a low-water basin of about 14 acres and with the Alfred Dock; on the S.E. with the Morpeth, Morpeth Branch and Egerton Docks. The Morpeth Dock (about 11 acres, quay-space 1299 fin. yds.) is in communication with the Morpeth Branch Dock (about 31 acres, quay-space 600 fin. yds.); both being set apart for the use of steamers.

The See also:

total water-space of these docks amounts to 165 acres, and the lineal quay-space is about 91 M. The entrances to the Birkenhead Docks are capable of docking the largest class of steamers afloat. The massive iron See also:bridges across the dock entrances are opened and closed by See also:hydraulic See also:power, which is likewise applied to the See also:cranes, coal-hoists, warehouse-lifts and other machinery about the docks. At the extreme western end of the West Float are three large graving docks, two about 750 ft. in length, and 13o and 8o ft. respectively in width; while the largest See also:measures about 900 ft. in length and 130 ft. in width. In 1861 Birkenhead was created a parliamentary borough, returning one member. In 1877 it received a municipal See also:charter, the boundaries of the borough including the suburban townships of Tranmere, Claughton, Oxton and part of Higher Bebington. The borough is under a mayor, 14 aldermen and 42 councillors. Area, 3848 acres.

End of Article: BIRKENHEAD

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