| Heswall | |
|---|---|
 Telegraph Road | |
  Heswall Location withinMerseyside | |
| Population | 29,075 (Built up area, 2021)[1] |
| OS grid reference | SJ269818 |
| • London | 178 mi (286 km)[2] SE |
| Metropolitan borough | |
| Metropolitan county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | WIRRAL |
| Postcode district | CH60 & CH61 |
| Dialling code | 0151 |
| ISO 3166 code | GB-WRL |
| Police | Merseyside |
| Fire | Merseyside |
| Ambulance | North West |
| UK Parliament | |
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Heswall (/ˈhɛzwɔːl,-wʊl/) is a coastal town in theMetropolitan Borough of Wirral inMerseyside, England. It was historically part ofCheshire and became part of Merseyside in 1974. It is located on theWirral Peninsula. At the2021 census, the population of the built up area as defined by theOffice for National Statistics was 29,075.
Before theNorman Conquest, Heswall has been cited as a possible location forDingesmere, mentioned with regard to theBattle of Brunanburh, inEgil's Saga. Heswall was recorded in theDomesday Book of 1086 asEswelle, 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.
In 1801, the population was recorded as 168. By the census in 1841, it had grown to 398. Before 1897 it was known asHestlewelle orHesselwelle. 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 theBorderlands Line fromWrexham Central toBidston which opened in 1896. This line is still active and hasHeswall 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 fromWest Kirby toHooton. This opened in 1886 but the line closed to passengers in 1956. The track of the old railway became a footpath, theWirral Way.
The speedy development of Heswall has seen the once separate villages of Gayton, Heswall, Pensby and Thingwall become joined by continuous housing.
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[citation needed] by a violent thunderstorm on 19 September 1875; the organist and the boy who pumped the bellows for the organ were both killed.[3]
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 asLiverpool Country Hospital for Children in 1909.[4] The hospital was situated on a 3.6 ha (9-acre) site purchased in 1900.[5] It stood on the opposite side of Telegraph Road fromThe Puddydale'’ and had a clock tower and grounds with views over the Dee estuary. The hospital closed in 1985[4][5] and there is now aTesco supermarket on the site.[6] The supermarket was extended in the early 2000s, then refurbished during 2011.
There is one main tier of local government covering Heswall, atmetropolitan borough level:Wirral Council. The council is a member of theLiverpool City Region Combined Authority, which is led by the directly-electedMayor of the Liverpool City Region.
Heswall was anancient parish in theWirral Hundred of Cheshire. The parish was subdivided into twotownships: Heswall-cum-Oldfield andGayton.[7] From the 17th century onwards, parishes were gradually given various civil functions under thepoor 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 becamecivil parishes.[8]
When elected parish and district councils were established in 1894, Heswall-cum-Oldfield was given a parish council and included in theWirral 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 theWirral Urban District.[9] 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.[10]
Wirral Urban District was abolished in 1974 under theLocal Government Act 1972. The area became part of theMetropolitan Borough of Wirral in the new county ofMerseyside.[11]
Located on the eastern side of theDee Estuary, with views across the river toNorth Wales, Heswall is 13 miles fromChester and 10 miles fromLiverpool (via theQueensway (Birkenhead) Tunnel or 56 miles (avoiding the tunnels). The towers of Liverpool's cathedrals can be seen on the horizon from the town.
An affluent area, Heswall was listed as the seventh richest neighbourhood in the UK in 2001, with an average household income of £46,600.[12][needs update]
In 2022, the median house price in Heswall was £409,500, making it the most expensive in the Wirral area.[13]
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There are several areas of open space. The largest is theDales, an area of dry, sandy heathland overlooking the River Dee. It has the status of bothSite of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) andLocal 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.
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 nearbyPensby.
Heswall Primary School serves the local community of Heswall and surrounding areas on the Wirral Peninsula.[14] It opened in 1909.[15] It was originally on the eastern edge of The Puddydale, opposite the Royal Liverpool Children's hospital on Telegraph Road (now converted into a localTesco). 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.[15][16]
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.[17]
Heswall bus station is owned and managed byMerseytravel; it consists of four stands. The main bus operators areArriva 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.[18]
Heswall railway station is a stop on theBorderlands Line, which connectsBidston withWrexham Central. Services are operated byTransport for Wales.[19]
The town was also served by asecond railway station between 1886 and 1956; theWirral Way, ashared-use path linkingWest Kirby andHooton, now passes through the town.[20]
Local news and television programmes are provided byBBC North West andITV Granada. Television signals are received from theWinter Hill TV transmitter.[21] Heswall's close proximity toNorth Wales means thatBBC Wales andITV Cymru Wales can also be received from theMoel-y-Parc TV transmitter.[22]
Local radio stations areBBC 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.[23]
The town's local newspapers are theLiverpool Echo and the Wirral Globe.
Heswall F.C., founded in 1891, play at Gayton Park on Brimstage Road and competes in theWest 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.
Heswall Flower Club is mentioned in the song "This One's For Now" by the bandHalf Man Half Biscuit on their 2014 albumUrge For Offal. Heswall Village Fete is the scene forColdplay's "Life in Technicolor II" music video.[24] Heswall is the destination on the front of a bus in the 2014John Lewis Christmas advert, 'Monty The Penguin'.[25]
On Sunday night during a thunderstorm lightning struck the tower of Heswall church, eight miles from Birkenhead, killing the organist, named Heveraux, a young man assisting him, and injuring some other persons.
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