| Seacombe | |
|---|---|
 The front of the Grade II listed ferry terminal | |
  Seacombe Location withinMerseyside | |
| Population | 15,387 (2011 CensusWard) |
| OS grid reference | SJ316908 |
| • London | 179 mi (288 km)[1] SE |
| Metropolitan borough | |
| Metropolitan county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | WALLASEY |
| Postcode district | CH44 |
| Dialling code | 0151 |
| ISO 3166 code | GB-WRL |
| Police | Merseyside |
| Fire | Merseyside |
| Ambulance | North West |
| UK Parliament | |
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Seacombe (/ˈsiːkəm/) is a district of the town ofWallasey, on theWirral Peninsula,England. Administratively, Seacombe is award of theMetropolitan Borough of Wirral inMerseyside. Beforelocal government reorganisation on 1 April 1974, it was part of theCounty Borough of Wallasey, within the geographical county ofCheshire. At the2001 Census, the population of Seacombe was 15,158, (7,081 males and 8,077 females),[2] increasing to 15,387 (7,554 males, 7,833 females) at the Census 2011.[3]
Seacombe is mentioned in theDomesday Book of 1086 as Seccum.[4]
In 1845George Turnbull was the civil engineer who designed and built the Seacombe Wall sea defence that helped drain the marshes behind the town.
Seacombe was originally a terminus for theWirral Railway; however, passenger services ended on 4 January 1960 and all services on the line terminated on 16 June 1963. Much of the line toSeacombe station was used as the approach road to the Kingsway Tunnel.
Seacombe is situated to the north-east of the Wirral Peninsula, adjoining theRiver Mersey to the east. Seacombe is less than 4 km (2.5 mi) south-south-east of theIrish Sea atNew Brighton and about 11 km (6.8 mi) east-north-east of theDee Estuary atCaldy. The area is at an elevation of between 0–18 m (0–59 ft) above sea level.[5]
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Seacombe is dominated by three landmarks. The first of these is one of the terminals for theMersey Ferry, the legendary "Ferry 'cross the Mersey" described byGerry & The Pacemakers. The ferry travels in a triangular route between the Seacombe,Woodside andLiverpoolPier Head terminals. The second landmark is the parish church of St Paul. The third is a building housing some of the ventilation systems for theKingsway Tunnel, a colossal structure which faces the river. It consists of two huge grilles which resemble stereo speakers, and a central concrete flue-like structure. This building has an almost identical counterpart on the Liverpool side of the river.
Seacombe was also home toSpaceport, a space-themed visitor attraction situated near the ferry terminal. Spaceport was opened on 26 July 2005 byMerseytravel Chairman Cllr Mark Dowd. It closed at the end of 2019 due to large financial losses.[6] In November 2022 a new children's attraction,Eureka! Science + Discovery opened at the same site and welcomed 100,000 visitors in its first year.[7]
Wallasey Town Hall is situated in Seacombe. It is aGrade II listed building. DuringWorld War I it was used as a military hospital.
Seacombe is also the location of Guinea Gap Baths. It is the oldest swimming pool in the Wirral, with the first swimming club being founded in the 1890s. It was originally filled with sea water, being so close to the River Mersey.[8]
The nearest school to Seacombe Ferry is Riverside Primary School. The school has over 200 pupils and over 25 staff. The school'sLatin motto isDa Totem Habes!, translated asGive it all you've got!
The area was immortalised in the title of "Party Seacombe", an instrumental byGeorge Harrison on hisWonderwall Music album.
Michael Portillo lived briefly in Seacombe in 2003 for the BBC TV programmeWhen Michael Portillo became a Single Mum, which saw the former Conservative MP experience life as a single parent (he also worked in the Asda superstore in Wallasey).[9]
Falkland Road in Seacombe, which runs from Brighton Street to Liscard Road, is the birthplace of the writer, peace campaigner and philosopherOlaf Stapledon, (1886 - 1950), author ofLast and First Men andStar Maker. Stapledon's birth certificate gives his place of birth as "Poolton (sic) - cum - Seacombe". The prominent Welsh dramatist, literary critic and politician,Saunders Lewis, was born in 61 Falkland Road on 15 October 1893.Marjorie Cottle, pioneer female motorcyclist was born in the town in 1900.
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