| Hoylake | |
|---|---|
 Hoylake beach, looking towardsHilbre Island | |
  Hoylake Location withinMerseyside | |
| Population | 5,315 (Built up area, 2021)[1] |
| OS grid reference | SJ215888 |
| • London | 183 mi (295 km)[2] SE |
| Metropolitan borough | |
| Metropolitan county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | WIRRAL |
| Postcode district | CH47, CH48 |
| Dialling code | 0151 |
| ISO 3166 code | GB-WRL |
| Police | Merseyside |
| Fire | Merseyside |
| Ambulance | North West |
| UK Parliament | |
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Hoylake (/hɔɪˈleɪk/) is aseaside town in theMetropolitan Borough of Wirral,Merseyside, England. It is at the north west of theWirral Peninsula, nearWest Kirby and where theRiver Dee meets theIrish Sea.[3] At the2021 census, the built up area had a population of 5,315.
In the nineteenth century, the town grew up around the small fishing village of Hoose (lit. 'hollows'), a settlement that was recorded in theDomesday Book of 1086 within theHundred of'Wilaveston' (historically part ofCheshire). The town takes its name from 'Hoyle Lake', a nearby channel of water out towardsHilbre Island that provided a safe anchorage for shipping.
In 1690,William III set sail from Hoylake, then known asHyle orHigh-lake,[4][a] with a 10,000-strong army toIreland, where his army was to take part in theBattle of the Boyne. The location of departure remains known as King's Gap.[6][verification needed] The previous year a large force underMarshal Schomberg had also departed from Hoylake on 12 August,[7] crossing to Ireland tocapture Carrickfergus.
The present day township grew up in the nineteenth century around the smallfishing village of Hoose,[8] the name of which means "hollows".[9]The 1848Topographical Dictionary of England described the inhabitants of Hoose as:
"...principally boatmen and fishermen, who have frequently evinced the greatest courage and alacrity in rescuing mariners from the horrors of shipwreck; large banks of sand, extending for miles on the northwest, being annually the scene of most fatal disasters to shipping."[10]
The name Hoylake was derived from Hoyle Lake, a channel of water betweenHilbre Island and Dove Point.[11] Protected by a widesandbank known as Hoyle Bank and with a water depth of about 20 feet, it provided a safeanchorage for ships too large to sail up the Dee toChester.[12]
TheHoylake and West Kirby War Memorial is a notable local landmark, as it was designed in 1922 by the British sculptorCharles Sargeant Jagger who was responsible for a number of war memorials around the world, including theRoyal Artillery Memorial atHyde Park Corner inLondon.
The formerHoylake Town Hall, on the corner of Albert Road and Market Street, is due to be converted to a new arts centre, known as The Beacon, with craft workshops, restaurant, and flats above.[13]
Kings Gap roundabout is home to a sculpture by Scottish sculptorDavid Annand. Called 'Knots', it consists of seabirds looping around four poles. It was commissioned by the council as part of the regeneration of Hoylake and was installed in June 2006 in time for the2006 Open Championship.[14]
.jpg) The old upper lighthouse | |
 | |
| Location | Hoylake Merseyside England |
|---|---|
| OS grid | SJ2146289004 |
| Coordinates | 53°23′32″N3°10′57″W / 53.392089°N 3.182614°W /53.392089; -3.182614 |
| Tower | |
| Constructed | 1764 (first) |
| Construction | brick tower |
| Height | 17 metres (56 ft) |
| Shape | octagonal prism tower with balcony and lantern attached to 2-storey keeper's house |
| Markings | unpainted tower, black balcony, white lantern |
| Operator | private[15] |
| Heritage | Grade II listed building  |
| Light | |
| First lit | 1865 (current) |
| Deactivated | 1886 |
| Lens | 4th order fixed optic (azimuthal condensing) |
To facilitate safe access into the Hoylake anchorage, two lighthouses were constructed in 1763,[16] at the initiative ofWilliam Hutchinson.[17] The lower light was a wooden structure that could be moved according to differing tides and shifting sands to remain aligned to the upper light, which was a permanent brick building. By the start of the 19th century each lighthouse was equipped with a single 3 ft-diameterreflector,[18] built to Hutchinson's design.[17]
Both of these structures were rebuilt a century later,[19] and in 1865 new lenses (a pair offourth-order fixedoptics) were designed and manufactured for the two towers byJames Chance.[20] The upper lighthouse, consisting of an octagonal brick tower, last shone on 14 May 1886 and is now part of a private residence in Valentia Road.[19] The building was given Grade IIlisted status in 1988.[21]The lower lighthouse, closer to the shore in Alderley Road, was deactivated in 1908[22] and demolished in 1922.
The Royal Hotel was built by Sir John Stanley in 1792, with the intention of developing the area as a holiday resort. The numeroussteam packet vesselssailing between Liverpool andNorth Wales which called at the hotel provided valuable patronage. By the mid-19th century aracecourse was laid out in the grounds of the hotel. The hotel building was demolished in the 1950s.[23]
Hoylake'slido, located on thepromenade, was opened in June 1913 and rebuilt in the late 1920s. In 1976, the Hoylake Pool and Community Trust took over the running of the facility from Wirral Borough Council.[12]The baths finally closed in 1981.[24]
Hoylake is at the north-western corner of the Wirral Peninsula, and is situated on the eastern side of the mouth of theDee Estuary and adjacent to theIrish Sea. Hoylake is approximately 11 km (6.8 mi) west-south-west of theRiver Mersey atNew Brighton. The centre of Hoylake is situated at an elevation of about 9 m (30 ft) above sea level.[25]
To the west of the town at Hilbre Point isRed Rocks, a designatedSite of Special Scientific Interest. The area is an exposedsandstone outcrop consisting ofsand dunes,brackish marsh andreed beds.[26][27][28]
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There is one main tier of local government covering Hoylake, 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. The town forms part of theHoylake and Meols ward for elections to Wirral Council.[29]
For national elections, Hoylake is within the parliamentary constituency ofWirral West. The current Member of Parliament isMatthew Patrick, of theLabour Party.
Hoylake grew up straddling thetownships of Hoose and Little Meols, which both formed part of theancient parish ofWest Kirby in theWirral Hundred of Cheshire.[30][31][32] 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 West Kirby, 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 Hoose and Little Meols also becamecivil parishes.[33]
The population of the Hoose township or civil parish was recorded as 60 in 1801, 589 in 1851, and 1,658 in 1891.[34][35]
Alocal government district was created in 1891, covering the townships or civil parishes ofGreat Meols, Hoose, Little Meols, West Kirby and part ofGrange. There was a dispute about whether the district's name should be 'Hoylake and West Kirby' or 'West Kirby and Hoylake'; the county council chose the latter.[36][37]
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Such districts were reconstituted asurban districts under theLocal Government Act 1894. At the same time, the civil parishes within the district were united into a single civil parish called Hoylake-cum-West Kirby.[38][34] Although the order creating the district in 1891 had put the name West Kirby first, the council took to calling the district Hoylake and West Kirby. To resolve the ambiguity, the government formally confirmed the district's name as being Hoylake and West Kirby in 1897.[39] The council chose to base itself in Hoylake, buildingHoylake Town Hall on Market Street in 1898.[40]
The urban district was enlarged in 1933 to take in the civil parishes ofCaldy,Frankby, Grange,[b] andGreasby. The urban district was renamed Hoylake at the same time.[42][43] The urban district council was granted acoat of arms in 1960, which featured two golf clubs, representing the Royal Liverpool Golf Club.[44]
Hoylake 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.[45]
Hoylake is a largely residential area and there is an active nightlife in the town centre, which is located at the original village of Hoose.[8]
The town supports a permanentlifeboat station, manned by theRNLI. Initially founded in 1803 by theMersey Docks and Harbour Board, it is one of the oldest in the country.[46] In 2008, the RNLI began to raise £2 million for a new lifeboat station and new generation all-weather lifeboat, to facilitate a faster response time to emergencies and rescues in the Irish Sea and the rivers Dee and Mersey. The building was opened in November 2009.[47]
The Kings Gapconservation area has been designated by Wirral Borough Council. Bounded by the coastline and the Royal Liverpool Golf Club, it consists of large nineteenth and early twentieth century houses, Hoylake Lighthouse andSt Hildeburgh's Church.[48]
Hoylake includes the independentKingsmead School, which educates girls and boys from 2 to 16 years old. Hoylake Holy Trinity C of E Primary School is the town's main primary school, educating children from the ages of 3 to 11.
Local news and television programmes are provided byBBC North West andITV Granada, the local television stationTalkLiverpool also broadcasts to the area. Television signals are received from theWinter Hill TV transmitter.[49] With its close proximity withNorth Wales,BBC Wales andITV Cymru Wales can also be received from theMoel-y-Parc TV transmitter.[50]
Local radio stations areBBC Radio Merseyside,Heart North West,Capital North West & Wales,Smooth North West,Greatest Hits Radio Liverpool & The North West and Wirral Wave Radio, a community based station.[51]
The town is served by the local newspapers,Wirral Globe[52] andLiverpool Echo.
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Hoylake is the home of theRoyal Liverpool Golf Club, built in 1869 on the site of the Royal Hotel racecourse.[8] It is the second oldest golf links in England, predated only by theRoyal North Devon Golf Club, inWestward Ho!,Devon.[53] It has hosted many major tournaments such asthe Open Championship and theWalker Cup. The club is often referred to as "Hoylake". It hosted the Open again in July 2006, after a gap of almost 40 years, withTiger Woods earning theClaret Jug for the second year in a row. The2014 Open Championship is the 12th time the event was held at Hoylake. This was won byRory McIlroy.[54] The2023 Open Championship is the most recent event to be held in Hoylake marking the 13th time it has returned to the town.[55] This was won byBrian Harman.[56]
Hoylake-born amateur golferJohn Ball Jnr. won the Open in 1890, becoming the first Englishman to do so. Another local amateur,Harold Hilton became Open champion two years later. He won again in 1897 at his home club of Royal Liverpool.
On the other side of Meols Drive and the railway is Hoylake Municipal Golf course which is used by Hoylake Golf Club (since 1933), West Hoyle GC and Irby GC. It was used as the2006 Open Championship practice course.
Hoylake RFCrugby club was founded in 1922. They currently play in South Lancs/Cheshire Division One, the seventh tier of English rugby. Its predecessor, connected with the Royal Liverpool Golf Club, had been founded in the 1890s. British Open golf champion Harold Hilton was also captain of the rugby team for the 1890–91 season.[23]
Hoylake ASC was founded in 1931. The club now trains at theWest Kirby Concourse and the Calday Grange Swimming Pool.
Hoylake Sailing Club was founded in 1887 and has a clubhouse and boatyard on North Parade. The club hosts an annual regatta and sends a team to theSouthport 24 Hour Race.
Hoylake is one of the premier sites forsand yachting in Britain,[53] with banks around a quarter of a mile offshore. The town's beach was the venue for the European Sand Yacht Championships in 2007 and 2011 and hosted the 2017 event with Laytown & Bettystown, County Meath.[57][58]
Cricket was played at the now disusedEllerman Lines Cricket Ground from as early as the 1920s, when the then newly formed West Wirral Cricket Club played at the ground. It was later sold toEllerman Lines, who transformed the site into their social club.Cheshire playedminor counties cricket there from 1957 to 1968. The ground also held Cheshire's first ever appearance inList A cricket againstSurrey in the first round of the1964 Gillette Cup.[59]
The ground was later sold, with the site becoming a nightclub, before being demolished following a fire. In 2011 the site of the ground was selected for construction of 62 affordable homes.[60] Planning permission for this, and a revised plan for 26 properties, were refused. In 2020 a further planning proposal was submitted for 30 semi-detached bungalows and up to 61 assisted living retirement apartments.[61]
Hoylake andManor Road railway stations serve the town. Both are on theWest Kirby branch ofMerseyrail'sWirral line.
high lake ireland william iii.
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| Hoylake Lighthouse | |
