New Brighton, Merseyside

New Brighton sea front, with lighthouse and Fort Perch Rock, c. 1840

Up to the nineteenth century, the area had a reputation for smuggling and wrecking,[3] and secret underground cellars and tunnels are still rumoured to exist. It also had a strategic position at the entrance to the Mersey Estuary.

The Perch Rock battery was completed in 1829.[4] It mounted 18 guns, mostly 32-pounders, with 3 6-inch guns installed in 1899.[5] Originally cut off at high tide, coastal reclamation has since made it fully accessible.

In 1830, a Liverpool merchant, James Atherton, purchased 170 acres (69 ha) of land at Rock Point, which enjoyed views out to sea and across the Mersey and had a good beach.[6] His aim was to develop it as a desirable residential and watering place for the gentry, in a similar way to Brighton, one of the most elegant seaside resorts of that Regency period – hence "New Brighton". Substantial development began soon afterwards, and housing began to spread up the hillside overlooking the estuary – a former gunpowder magazine being closed down in 1851.

New Brighton Pier and landing stage, during the 1890s

During the latter half of the nineteenth century, New Brighton developed as a very popular seaside resort serving Liverpool and the Lancashire industrial towns, and many of the large houses were converted to inexpensive hotels. Designed by the noted architect of seaside structures Eugenius Birch, the New Brighton Pier opened in 1867[7][8] and the promenade from Seacombe to New Brighton was completed by 1901.[9] This served both as a recreational amenity in its own right, and to link up the developments along the estuary, and was later extended westwards towards Leasowe, making it the longest in the UK.

The River Mersey and the resort were described by the diarist Francis Kilvert in 1872 as: "crowded with vessels of all sorts moving up and down the river, ships, barques, brigs, brigantines, schooners, cutters, colliers, tugs, steamboats, lighters, "flats", everything from the huge emigrant liner steamship with four masts to the tiny sailing and rowing boat ... At New Brighton there are beautiful sands stretching for miles along the coast and the woods wave green down to the salt water's edge. The sands were covered with middle class Liverpool folks and children out for a holiday."[10]

From the 1880s until the First World War, New Brighton was one of the regular destinations for the Bass Excursions, when fifteen trains would take 8-9000 employees of Bass's Burton brewery on an annual trip to the seaside.

Twentieth century

New Brighton Tower & Ballroom, viewed from the River Mersey, c. 1910

The New Brighton Tower, the tallest in the country, was opened in 1900 but closed in 1919, largely due to lack of maintenance during World War I.[11] Dismantling of the tower was complete by 1921.[11] In 1908 a new Winter Gardens Theatre was opened initially just for stage plays but later also screening films.

New Brighton's former open-air swimming pool, of Art Deco architecture, was opened on 13 June 1934 by Viscount Leverhulme.[12][13][14] When it was built, it was the largest lido in Britain, at a cost of £90,000.[15] The saltwater pool survived until 1990, when it was damaged during a storm and later demolished.[12][14]

Built in 1935, St Peter and St Paul's Church in Atherton Street is still a landmark. In the Second World War, sailors used to recognise they were close to home when they could see the green dome of the church from the Mersey.

After the Second World War, the popularity of New Brighton as a seaside resort declined dramatically. However, the Tower Ballroom continued as a major venue, hosting numerous concerts in the 1950s and 1960s by local Liverpool groups such as the Beatles as well as other international stars. The Tower Ballroom continued in use until it was destroyed by a fire in 1969.

Ferries across the Mersey to New Brighton ceased in 1971,[16] after which the ferry pier and landing stage were dismantled. By 1977, the promenade pier had suffered the same fate.[7]

In 1986, the area became the subject of Martin Parr's famous and controversial photographic book The Last Resort.[4]

New Brighton is at the northeastern corner, and most northerly point, of the Wirral Peninsula, at the western side of the mouth of the River Mersey. The Irish Sea is to the north. New Brighton lies on quite a steep hillside; the marine lake and lighthouse are at sea level while, less than 600 m (660 yd) away, St Peter and St Paul's Church sits on a promontory at 48 m (157 ft) above sea level.[17]

The 6.4 km (4 mi)-long North Wirral Coastal Park is between New Brighton and Meols.

There are brass band concerts every week during the summer months in Vale Park.

New Brighton is part of the Wallasey parliamentary constituency and represented by Angela Eagle MP, of the Labour Party who retained her seat in the 2019 general election.[28] New Brighton is an electoral ward of the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, which is itself a district of the metropolitan county of Merseyside.[29][30]

New Palace amusement arcade, an Art Deco building.

Typical of a seaside resort, New Brighton has a wide range of visitor attractions and facilities adjoining the beach. These focus on the £60m Marine Point Leisure and Retail development, which opened in 2011.[31][32] This includes a 66-bedroom Travelodge hotel,[33] a range of cafe bars and restaurants, a Morrisons supermarket[34] and The Light, which is an 8-screen digital multiplex cinema.[35] Other attractions include the Riverside Bowl bowling alley,[33] the LaserQuest centre, the Art Deco New Palace amusement arcade (which includes a small fairground)[36] and the Floral Pavilion Theatre; which was rebuilt in 2008 as a first phase of the town's regeneration, and accommodates a conference centre.[37]

Significant investment has also been made in the public realm, with particular highlights being the model boating lake and promenade.[38] Well known coffee chains Starbucks and Costa coffee were built in New Brighton, becoming an attraction to a lot more people. Mexican restaurant chain Chimichanga was also built and added to the cultural attraction, to this day, more high-profile chains are added to the growing culture of New Brighton.

The Wirral Show, a free-to-enter annual event, was held on open ground off the King's Parade at New Brighton.[39] In 2009 it was announced that after 33 years, The Wirral Show was to be axed.[40] A sailing school, which used the refurbished marine lake, closed in 2015.[41]

Granville Bantock, conductor at the New Brighton Tower Ballroom

Musically, New Brighton first came to national prominence when Granville Bantock, later to be knighted as one of Britain's most prolific composers, took over leadership of the New Brighton Tower concert band.[42] Instead of continuing with the usual populist programme of dances and marches, Bantock set about transforming it into a professional orchestra.[43] Unusually for the time, the orchestra performed modern classical music and would champion contemporary composers, even daringly devoting entire programmes to an individual composer's music.[44] In return, many leading lights of contemporary British music, including Stanford, Parry, Corder, Mackenzie and Elgar, came to New Brighton to conduct and perform, and the New Brighton orchestra became nationally respected for the remaining period of Bantock's tenure.[42][44]

The Beatles performed at the Tower Ballroom, at the site of the old New Brighton Tower, 27 times.[45] Aside from the famous Cavern Club in their native Liverpool, The Beatles played there more frequently than any other location in the United Kingdom.

The pop concert New Brighton Rock was held over two days: 21 and 22 May 1984 at the town's open-air swimming pool and transmitted by Granada Television on 23 June 1984 on ITV.[46] It featured many musical artists of the day including Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Gloria Gaynor, Madness, Nik Kershaw and Spandau Ballet.[47] A strain was placed on local police resources due to an ongoing commitment to the 1984–85 miners' strike. Nevertheless, the event was covered by Merseyside Police's Wirral Division.

A song about New Brighton called "New Brighton" was included on the 1992 album Song by Liverpool-based group It's Immaterial.[48] The music video for the 1993 K-Klass single "Let Me Show You" was partly filmed in New Brighton. In 1996, Wallasey Brit-pop band the Boo Radleys released the C'mon Kids album. Track 9 on the album was an atmospheric and nostalgic song called "New Brighton Promenade".[49] New Brighton is briefly mentioned in the song "Radio America" by the Libertines and there is also the song "A Day Out in New Brighton" on the "Delivery" CD single by Babyshambles.[50] Also the band Jegsy Dodd and the sons of Harry Cross had a track on their 1986 Winebars & Werewolves album called "Who Killed New Brighton".[51]

The bandstand situated in Vale Park is a popular outdoor music venue, hosting a variety of acts, typically an orchestra or choir every Sunday. In more recent times, the bandstand has hosted music to a much younger generation and popular throughout the summer. It has been an ideal platform for local bands wanting to gain recognition.

• List of places in Merseyside
• Listed buildings in New Brighton, Merseyside
• New Brighton Lifeboat William and Kate Johnstone

• Boumphrey, Ian (1986). Yesterday's Wirral: Wallasey and New Brighton Including Leasowe No. 4. Ian & Marilyn Boumphrey. ISBN 9780950725536.
• Boumphrey, Ian (1988). Yesterday's Wirral: Wallasey, New Brighton and Moreton No. 5. Ian & Marilyn Boumphrey. ISBN 9780950725543. OCLC 655904123.
• Franks-Buckley, Tony (2012). New Brighton - A Victorian Seaside Resort. Createspace. ISBN 9781481054003.
• Dutton, Roy (2017). The History of New Brighton Tower & Grounds. Infodial Ltd. ISBN 9780992826543.
• Lloyd-Jones, Trevor (1972). 101 Views of Edwardian Liverpool and New Brighton. The Gallery Press. ISBN 9780900389122. OCLC 578365.
• Miller, Anthony (1996). The Inviting Shore: 1830-1939 Pt. 1: Social History of New Brighton. Birkenhead: Countyvise. ISBN 978-0907768937. OCLC 60149646.
• Rimmer, Ralph (1996). Around Wallasey and New Brighton. The History Press. ISBN 9780752401560. OCLC 36760307.
• Wilkinson, Colin (1993). Looking Back: Liverpool and New Brighton. The Bluecoat Press. ISBN 9781872568041. OCLC 30916462.
• Trinity Mirror Media (2011). New Brighton: Our Days Out Remembered. Trinity Mirror North West and North Wales. ISBN 9781906802882.