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Birkenhead had some remarkable ‘firsts’. It had the first public park (designed by the same architect as central Park in New York), the first English flats, the first public library and, in 1860, the first tramcars. In fact, Birkenhead is the historic home of the first street tramway in Europe. At the BIRKENHEAD TRAMWAY and WIRRAL TRANSPORT MUSEUM you will be able to ride on vintage or modern trams and take a guided tour of the Heritage Centre housing a collection of restored and part-restored local buses and trams.
HAMILTON SQUARE is one of the finest Georgian Squares in the country and was the dream of William Laird, the great shipbuilder. He wanted a fine square to be the centre of his Birkenhead, city of the future. Between 1825 and 1844 the elegant houses around the square were constructed, with the area between Brandon Street and Mortimer Street earmarked as the site for the Town Hall. Birkenhead Town Hall continued to be used as council offices until 1990/1991 when the Town Hall became home to The WIRRAL MUSEUM. Among the artifacts on display is a remarkable model of the Woodside area as it was on the day in July 1934 that King George V opened the Queensway Road Tunnel. The model was commissioned by the museum from the Merseyside Model Railway Society in 1990.
Birkenhead has two tunnels under the River Mersey to Liverpool. The rail tunnel opened in 1886 and was, at that time, the longest underwater railway tunnel in the world. Queensway was the first road tunnel under the river and was completed in1934. For some years in was the longest underwater road tunnel in the world.
SHORE ROAD PUMPING STATION is the home of the ‘Giant Grasshopper’ engine, a working example of the giant steam pumps built in the 1870’s and used to clear water from the Mersey Railway Tunnel. A video presentation tells the story of the construction of the Mersey Railway Tunnel, the Pump and the building itself, and ends with a view of the ‘Giant’ in action. A period 1901 Birkenhead Street scene completes the visit. |
