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_Baedeker Blitz
_The Rape of Britain
_Heritage Theme Parks
_Heritage Eyesores 922,
000,
000
702,
600,
000
687,
300,
000
550,
400,
000
455,
900,
000
684,
100,
000
Total International Tourist Arrivals
£25,
500,
000
£27,
100,
000
£29,
100,
000
£30,
100,
000
£33,
200,
000
£35,
400,
000
£37,
200,
000
English Heritage Annual Income
460,
000
500,
000
555,
000
595,
000
630,
000
665,
000
687,
000
English Heritage Membership Numbers
rkssks
6,80
0
9,35
0
10,8
70
12,5
03
44,4
54 157,
581
170,
986
160,
100
226,
069
1,04
6,86
4
2,1
aa
62
ksks
2,72
8,98
3
2,84
3,93
0
3,27
0,02
07 3,
391,
934
,3
3,48
0,18
83 3,
500,
000
3
National Trust Membership Numbers
1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000
z
h i
T
a
455
900
000
687
300
000
_
19
42
: Bae
deke
r Blit
zTh
e G
erm
an a
ir fo
rce
carr
ied
out a
ser
ies
of a
ir ra
ids
in 1
942
know
n as
the
‘Bae
deke
r Bl
itz’, w
hich
did
n’t
targ
et p
lace
s an
d bu
ildin
gs o
f m
ilita
ry i
mpo
rtan
ce, b
ut c
ities
of
sign
ifica
nt b
eaut
y an
d no
tabl
e ar
chite
ctur
e to
red
uce
the
mor
ale
of t
he c
ount
ry. T
hey
used
the
Ba
edek
er G
uide
[the
Ger
man
tour
ist g
uide
to B
ritai
n] a
s a re
fere
nce
and
aim
ed t
o de
stro
y al
l 300
bui
ldin
gs in
it. T
hey
bom
bed
Exet
er,
Bath
, Nor
wic
h, Y
ork
and
Cant
erbu
ry. A
s wel
l as k
illin
g 1,
600
civi
lians
an
d de
stro
ying
50,
000
hom
es,
ther
e w
as a
pub
lic o
utcr
y as
si
gnifi
cant
bui
ldin
gs su
ch a
s the
Gui
ldha
ll in
Yor
k an
d th
e A
ssem
bly
Room
s in
Bat
h w
ere
dest
roye
d or
bad
ly d
amag
ed.
19
47
: Tow
n an
d Co
untr
y Pl
anni
ng A
ctA
fter
the
Baed
eker
Blit
z pe
ople
beg
an to
real
ise
the
impo
rtan
ce o
f th
e bu
ilt e
nviro
nmen
t in
sha
ping
our
her
itage
. In
1947
und
er t
he
Tow
n an
d Co
untr
y Pl
anni
ng A
ct th
e fir
st li
stin
g sy
stem
for h
erita
ge
build
ings
in th
e U
K w
as d
evel
oped
.
19
54
: Hag
ue C
onve
ntio
nTh
e ou
tcry
tha
t to
ok p
lace
ove
r he
ritag
e af
ter
the
Seco
nd W
orld
W
ar d
idn’
t jus
t tak
e pl
ace
in th
e U
K; h
uge
area
s of E
urop
e ha
d be
en
dest
roye
d du
ring
the
war
. The
‘Hag
ue C
onve
ntio
n fo
r Pro
tect
ion
of
Cultu
ral P
rope
rty
in th
e Ev
ent o
f Arm
ed C
onfli
ct’ w
as se
t up
in 1
954,
w
hich
sta
ted
that
sig
nato
ries
mus
t ref
rain
from
dam
agin
g cu
ltura
l pr
oper
ties
in t
heir
own
or o
ther
cou
ntrie
s’ te
rrito
ries
durin
g tim
es
of a
rmed
con
flict
.
19
68
: Lon
don
Brid
ge S
old
for $
2.5
mill
ion
Lond
on B
ridge
was
sol
d in
196
8 fo
r $2,
500,
000
afte
r a n
ew m
oder
n br
idge
was
nec
essa
ry o
ver
the
Rive
r Th
ames
. The
str
uctu
re w
as
mov
ed b
rick
by b
rick,
but
this
tim
e to
a th
eme
park
at L
ake
Hav
asu
City
, Ariz
ona,
USA
, spa
nnin
g th
e Br
idge
wat
er C
anal
. The
brid
ge h
as
beco
me
Ariz
ona’s
seco
nd b
igge
st to
uris
t att
ract
ion,
aft
er th
e G
rand
Ca
nyon
. The
new
loca
tion
hasn
’t aff
ecte
d its
pop
ular
ity.
19
72
: Wor
ld H
erita
ge L
ist I
ntro
duce
dFo
llow
ing
on fr
om th
e H
ague
Con
vent
ion,
the
Wor
ld H
erita
ge L
ist
was
int
rodu
ced
in 1
972,
aim
ed a
t pr
otec
ting
wor
ld c
ultu
ral
and
natu
ral h
erita
ge.
19
74
: Des
truc
tion
of th
e Co
untr
y H
ouse
Exh
ibiti
onTh
e ex
hibi
tion
at th
e Vi
ctor
ia a
nd A
lber
t Mus
eum
told
the
stor
y of
th
e de
stru
ctio
n of
man
y of
the
cou
ntrie
s gr
ande
st b
uild
ings
, pa
rtic
ular
ly t
he c
ount
ry h
ouse
. The
exh
ibiti
on a
ppea
led
to t
he
publ
ic t
o sa
ve t
his
area
of ‘
thei
r’ he
ritag
e. W
ith t
he a
ccom
pany
ing
BBC
docu
men
tary
the
cam
paig
n ga
ined
hug
e su
ppor
t.
19
75
: The
Rap
e of
Brit
ain
The
book
‘The
Rap
e of
Brit
ain’
by
Colin
Am
ery
and
Dan
Cru
icks
hank
m
ade
appa
rent
the
des
truc
tion
of a
rchi
tect
ural
and
his
toric
al
herit
age
in 3
0 U
K to
wns
and
citi
es, u
sing
fact
ual i
nfor
mat
ion
and
phot
ogra
phic
evi
denc
e. T
hey
argu
ed t
hat
the
built
env
ironm
ent
was
, “be
ing
assa
ulte
d an
d de
spoi
led
as n
ever
bef
ore
in o
ur h
isto
ry.”
19
80
: The
Fire
ston
e Fa
ctor
y is
Des
troy
edIn
the
198
0’s
ther
e w
ere
new
deb
ates
ove
r he
ritag
e of
the
bui
lt en
viro
nmen
t and
wha
t bui
ldin
gs c
ould
be
liste
d, p
artic
ular
ly m
ore
rece
nt b
uild
ings
of
the
C20.
Lis
ted
build
ings
at
the
star
t of
the
19
80’s
wer
e ge
nera
lly a
t lea
st 1
00 y
ears
old
, but
the
dem
oliti
on o
f th
e ar
t de
co F
irest
one
Fact
ory
in W
est
Lond
on,
built
in
1928
, br
ough
t th
e pr
eser
vatio
n of
C20
bui
ldin
gs t
o po
pula
r at
tent
ion.
Th
ese
build
ings
wer
e se
en a
s pa
rt o
f th
e pu
blic
’s cu
lture
and
ne
ighb
ourh
oods
. Thi
s spa
rked
the
listin
g of
150
inte
r-w
ar b
uild
ings
su
ch
as
cine
mas
, un
derg
roun
d st
atio
ns
and
fact
orie
s th
at
prev
ious
ly h
ad n
ot b
een
view
ed a
s he
ritag
e.
19
83
: Nat
iona
l Her
itage
Act
Engl
ish
Her
itage
was
set
up
unde
r th
e te
rms
of t
he N
atio
nal
Her
itage
Ac
t 19
83.
Its
func
tions
fo
r m
aint
aini
ng
anci
ent
mon
umen
ts h
ad p
revi
ousl
y be
en u
nder
take
n by
par
t of
the
D
epar
tmen
t of
the
Env
ironm
ent
whi
ch w
as t
he s
ucce
ssor
to
the
Min
istr
y of
Wor
ks. T
he 1
983
Act a
lso
diss
olve
d th
e bo
dies
that
had
hi
ther
to p
rovi
ded
inde
pend
ent
advi
ce -
the
Anc
ient
Mon
umen
ts
Boar
d fo
r En
glan
d an
d th
e H
isto
ric B
uild
ings
Cou
ncil
for
Engl
and
and
inco
rpor
ated
thes
e fu
nctio
ns in
the
new
bod
y.
19
86
: Iro
nbrid
ge G
orge
bec
omes
a W
orld
Her
itage
Site
Dur
ing
the
1980
’s, a
fter
the
dei
ndus
tria
lisat
ion
of m
any
of t
he U
K to
wns
and
citi
es, t
he p
ast i
ndus
tria
l ele
men
ts o
f the
se c
omm
uniti
es
bega
n to
be
seen
as
herit
age.
Thi
s is
repr
esen
ted
mos
t not
ably
by
Ironb
ridge
Gor
ge,
asso
ciat
ed w
ith t
he b
irth
of t
he I
ndus
tria
l Re
volu
tion;
it b
ecam
e a
Wor
ld H
erita
ge S
ite in
197
2, s
how
ing
wha
t su
ch a
n im
port
ant
piec
e of
her
itage
it is
, not
just
in t
he U
K, b
ut
wor
ld w
ide.
19
87
: Bra
cken
Hou
se is
Lis
ted
By 1
987
post
-war
bui
ldin
gs w
ere
bein
g lis
ted,
the
firs
t be
ing
Brac
ken
Hou
se in
the
City
of L
ondo
n
19
93
: Flo
ggin
g a
Dea
d H
orse
The
book
‘Flo
ggin
g a
Dea
d H
orse
’ mad
e a
stro
ng c
ritic
ism
of
the
herit
age
indu
stry
w
ithin
Br
itain
an
d its
la
ck
of
auth
entic
ity.
Phot
ogra
phs
by P
aul R
eas
and
text
by
Stua
rt C
osgr
ove
argu
ed it
si
gnal
led
the
“dea
th o
f his
tory
”. Th
ey d
escr
ibe
the
‘her
itage
the
me
park
s’ th
at
emer
ged
in
the
1980
’s as
an
“im
agin
ed
past
……
cons
truc
ted
to
mee
t th
e ec
onom
ic,
cultu
ral
and
ideo
logi
cal n
eeds
of t
he p
rese
nt…
…re
nder
ing
hist
ory
and
cultu
re
into
ligh
t ent
erta
inm
ent…
…A
mod
ern
day
leis
ure
indu
stry
whi
ch
blas
phem
es t
he p
ast
by e
xhib
iting
, se
lling
and
triv
ialis
ing
the
sacr
ed o
bjec
ts o
f soc
ial r
ealis
m.”
19
93
: Con
gres
s fo
r New
Urb
anis
m is
For
med
This
is
th
e or
gani
zing
bo
dy
of
New
U
rban
ism
w
ith
thei
r fo
unda
tiona
l tex
t the
‘Cha
rter
of t
he N
ew U
rban
ism
’.
19
94
: Firs
t Virt
ual H
erita
ge E
xhib
ition
Ope
nsTh
e fir
st ti
me
virt
ual h
erita
ge w
as u
sed
as a
n ex
hibi
t was
at D
udle
y Ca
stle
, pro
vidi
ng a
'w
alk-
thro
ugh'
of
a 3D
rec
onst
ruct
ion
of t
he
cast
le, o
pene
d by
the
Que
en.
19
97
: Glo
be T
heat
re R
ebui
ltTh
e G
lobe
The
atre
is [R
e]Cr
eate
d be
com
ing
one
of th
e ke
y h
erita
ge
attr
actio
ns in
Lon
don.
It is
stro
ngly
link
ed to
the
inta
ngib
le h
erita
ge
of th
e w
ork
of W
illia
m S
hake
spea
re, w
hich
ens
ures
its p
opul
arity
. As
no fu
ll se
t of p
lans
exi
sted
for t
he o
rigin
al th
eatr
e, a
ssum
ptio
ns h
ad
to b
e m
ade
in th
e de
sign
and
con
stru
ctio
n of
the
new
thea
tre,
but
th
is h
as n
ot a
ffect
ed th
e th
eatr
es s
ucce
ss.
19
75
: Bun
ker A
rcha
eolo
gyA
key
text
on
the
stud
y of
the
bunk
ers
of th
e ‘A
tlant
ic W
all’ b
y Pa
ul
Viril
io a
nd th
e ch
angi
ng im
age
of th
em w
ithin
Fra
nce.
19
96
: Pos
t War
Lis
ting
Poll
An
opin
ion
poll
show
ed th
at tw
o th
irds
of p
eopl
e ca
nvas
sed
supp
orte
d th
e lis
ting
of p
ost-
war
bui
ldin
gs b
y En
glis
h H
erita
ge
19
96
: Bac
k to
Fro
nt: T
ouris
ms
of W
arA
crit
ical
ana
lyse
s of
the
com
plex
rel
atio
nshi
p be
twee
n to
uris
m
and
war
as
rela
ted
form
s of
con
ques
t, an
d in
par
ticul
ar t
he
prod
uctio
n of
a n
atio
nal p
ast.
20
01
: Cha
rter
for N
ew U
rban
ism
Foun
datio
nal t
ext f
or th
e Co
ngre
ss fo
r New
Urb
anis
m2
00
1: E
nglis
h Ci
vil W
ar P
art I
IJe
rem
y D
elle
r w
ins
the
Turn
er P
rize
by r
e-en
atin
g th
e ‘B
attle
of
Org
reav
e’ du
ring
the
min
ers
strik
e of
198
4, u
sing
livi
ng h
isto
ry. H
is
aim
was
for t
he, “
Batt
le o
f Org
reav
e to
bec
ome
part
of t
he li
neag
e of
de
cisi
ve b
attle
s in
Eng
lish
His
tory
.” T
his
rais
ed n
ew is
sues
of
the
impo
rtan
ce o
f re
cent
soc
ial a
nd p
oliti
cal e
vent
s, th
e im
pact
the
y ha
ve o
n co
mm
uniti
es a
nd w
heth
er t
hey
repr
esen
t he
ritag
e. T
he
min
ers
strik
e ha
d a
larg
e im
pact
, div
idin
g th
e co
untr
y; “i
t be
cam
e an
ideo
logi
cal a
nd in
dust
rial b
attle
bet
wee
n th
e tw
o se
ctio
ns o
f Br
itish
soc
iety
.” 2
00
3:
Conv
entio
n fo
r th
e Sa
fegu
ardi
ng o
f In
tang
ible
Cu
ltura
l Her
iage
For
the
first
tim
e pi
eces
of i
ntan
gibl
e he
ritag
e su
ch a
s la
ngua
ges
and
carn
ival
s ar
e offi
cial
ly r
ecog
nise
d as
pie
ces
of i
mpo
rtan
t he
ritag
e.
_What is Heritage?
Heritage is what the present chooses to make of the past. It is never set in stone and is constantly evolving. This is meant in terms of how objects can become heritage over time or how people’s concepts and attitudes towards heritage change. It is also defined in opposition to what is going on in the present. For example, if a certain type of building is becoming rare and under threat, the historical value of the remaining few increases, and they become heritage.
Heritage can be split into two types and two processes. There are tangible pieces of heritage or ‘objects’ such as buildings and memorabilia, and intangible ‘practices’ of heritage such as languages and music. We use both objects and practices of heritage to help to provide us with an identity and shape who we are as nations, cities, communities and individuals. These can be part of the official processes of heritage which are run by the state, for example the listing system, or the unofficial processes of heritage that focus more on people, such as community events and places that help to connect people with the places they live.
Heritage occurs at different scales, whether it is a mug commemorating the 1966 World Cup or Windsor Castle. This study will focus on heritage on an urban scale and the negative and positive effects it can have on towns and cities. It will also focus on heritage within the UK and the obsession within Britain with the heritage of the built environment, how this has developed and how this can be used to shape towns and cities in the future, with a focus on the Wirral.
_Economies of Heritage
Heritage is big business. Although the enthusiasts who conserve it are defensive of the idea of heritage as a product or service, this is what it has become. Culture is frequently regarded as beyond price, even though huge amounts of money are spent on pieces of art and designer furniture. Towns and cities now rely on their heritage to attract visitors and provide a key industry in the area. After the exploitation of heritage sites by the leisure and tourism industries in the 1980’s, creating ‘heritage theme parks’ and ‘attractions’ for commercial gain, new systems of funding emerged in the 1990’s, providing money from the state, tourist boards, charities, as well as entry fees and gift shops etc. Heritage sites also add value to surrounding areas and businesses.
Sylvie Zavatta in the preface to ‘Back to the Front: Tourisms of War’ discusses the geography of tourism through cultural [heritage] sites and its “essential set of economic stakes which no region can afford to overlook”. In 2008 922,000,000 people worldwide took vacations abroad, spending more than £640,000,000,000 and these numbers have only continued to increase with an increased interest in heritage. In the UK, travel and tourism is worth approximately £74,000,000,000 [4.5% of the GDP], employing 2.1 million people and there were 250 million visitors to heritage attractions. Membership numbers of English Heritage and National Trust are at an all time high and are continuing to increase. Heritage sites have become a landscape of consumption. This increasing interest in heritage is for a number of reasons. John Cullen believes that one of the characteristics of modernity is the loss of authenticity, which can be recuperated in the past through heritage. Global and virtual networking such as the internet and improved transport at lower prices has increased peoples awareness of sites of heritage and their ability to get to them. Television, literature and films also promote heritage. After the success of the film ‘Saving Private Ryan’, interest increased in the Second World War, D-Day and visiting Normandy, France where the film was set and the original event took place. Costume dramas such as ‘Pride and Prejudice’ attract viewers to the country houses where they are filmed. Also Diller and Scofidio in the introduction to ‘Back to the Front: Tourisms of War’ talk of the tourist desire for the extreme, and the fascination for heroism, which is found in battlefields, as well as their desire for “aura”, that can be found in heritage attractions.
Due to the increasing interest in heritage and its economic value, towns and cities are using it to promote themselves, attract visitors and create or improve their tourist industry. Eyam, a village in Derbyshire known as ‘plague village’, takes advantage of its role in the plague of 1665 to create its own tourist industry.
Heritage Consumerntity & Jobs
£
Local Council
English Heritage
National Trust
StatePromotion
£
£
Promotion
Promotion
£
£
£
£
£
£
The plague had been brought to Eyam from London in 1665 and the whole village was quarantined for 16 months, leaving only 83 survivors from an original population of 350, a story that satisfies the tourist’s desire for the extreme. There are signs and places of interest throughout the village noting locations of events of the plague, and along with Eyam Hall tell the full story and the history and heritage of the area. Although on a small scale, Eyam’s heritage has become its main industry. Other examples include Stratford-upon-Avon as the birthplace of Shakespeare, Oxford and Cambridge and their universities, and Henley and its strong heritage of rowing.
Recently Liverpool has tried to capitalize on its association with the Beatles, part of the cities cultural heritage. Even though Liverpool has the largest number of Grade 1 listed buildings in the country, the majority of tourists are attracted by the Beatles as this is how Liverpool is marketed. You arrive via ‘John Lennon Airport’, are met by a huge yellow submarine statue, stay at the ‘Hard Days Night Hotel’ and visit the ‘The Beatles Story’, ‘The Cavern Club’, and ‘The Beatles Shop’.
Due to the strong economic value of heritage, it is being created or recreated so that cities can benefit financially. Las Vegas holds very little heritage itself, but has built its own versions of famous buildings from all over the world that represent successful pieces of other cities heritage, including the Eiffel Tower, the Statue of Liberty and the Manhattan skyline. Even though the buildings are just replicas, they represent Las Vegas very well and if they survive will become heritage of the city themselves. Although this seems extreme, Las Vegas is hugely profitable and in this context it is almost expected. As Las Vegas is less than 100 years old and is context-less due to being on a the site of a desert anything can be built. The local population are not tied to the past and obsessed with the built heritage of the city like in the UK. Las Vegas is expected to constantly change with even more ridiculous structures each year. But in the UK, where there is a strong context and culture throughout the country, it is harder to create a convincing and successful heritage strategy and industry.
Dated Replacement Threat Heritage
Demolition
New
_Creating Heritage
Heritage can be fabricated, created or recreated in a number of different ways. On a small scale heritage is created regularly in terms of collectables. Special edition stamps, coloured vinyl records, signature clothing etc are all created in limited numbers to add value to the product. The less of something there is, the more value it has. In an urban context it is much more difficult to create, although the definitions of heritage can be blurred. As the economic and cultural value of heritage has increased, so has the number of approaches for creating it.
_Time Must Pass
To create ‘real’ built heritage it takes time. As Peter Howard explains;” Not everything is heritage, but anything could become heritage.” Similarly Paul Virilio in ‘Bunker Archaeology’ describes how the bunkers of the Atlantic Wall, although of archaeological importance in his eyes, to the majority of the French public they represented occupation and the fear of death when he visited them between 1958 and 1965. He saw it as a question of time, and people would eventually learn to appreciate the structures, which has taken place. They are now important pieces of military history, architecture and part of the geography of heritage tourism in northern France. There appears to be a cycle in heritage, particularly in the built environment in 5 stages, seen in the diagram below. This is a loose framework of how buildings can become heritage over time; it may differ depending on specific circumstances of other buildings, but most will go through a similar process. Using this cycle of heritage, it may be possible to predict heritage of the future or create buildings with the purpose of becoming heritage.
_Monument
Monuments can create heritage when there is no physical evidence of it at all. They may commemorate an event or past structure that took place in the past. Their presence is extremely important in a heritage landscape. Memorials in battlefields are the main attractions as they provide a physical structure to visit opposed to a field. Monuments can provide a heritage landscape with little work. The ‘Blue Plaques’ by English Heritage in London mark where historically important figures lived or worked. The building becomes an important piece of heritage with the blue plaque, but without it, it is just another building in the urban landscape.
Objects
Practices
Heritage
Official
Unofficial
Identity
_Fabricate
Heritage is fabricated all the time for the benefit of tourism within cities, such as Robin Hood and Nottingham. There is no history of Robin Hood, but the story is world famous and attracts visitors from all over the world to the city and Sherwood Forest to see where the fictional character lived. There are statues of him , an annual Robin Hood Festival and the city council has even used the character as a symbol of the city. The story isn’t based on the truth, but history is altered all the time to create a better story so that tourists will be attracted to a place, as well as for political and nationalistic aims.
Many people would rather not confront the truth. The ‘Enola Gay’ exhibition at the Smithsonian in Washington DC in 1994 sparked huge controversy for its depiction of the dropping of the first atomic bomb. Sam Johnson, a Smithsonian Regent stated, “We’ve got to get patriotism back into the Smithsonian. We want the Smithsonian to reflect real America and not something that a historian dreamed up.” The exhibition was based on factual information, but many of the public wanted the exhibition to focus on the end of the war, not the destruction of an entire city. Changes were attempted and as the main aim of the exhibition began to be compromised it was cancelled. Maybe history needs to be fabricated to create a successful piece of heritage?
_[Re]place
Heritage can be transported for convenience and economic gain. Greenfield Village is a tourist attraction in Michigan, USA that as Diller and Scofidio describe is where; ”not only is time re-played but geography is re-placed.” The village is made up of period buildings and structures that have been taken from different areas of America and transported to Greenfield to form a C19 village. Many of the buildings have historical significance, and a strange neighbourhood is created where Henry Ford’s birth house, the Wright brothers’ house, Thomas Edison’s laboratory and the courthouse where Abraham Lincoln practiced law are within walking distance. As Diller and Scofidio explain; ”correspondences between time and space – between histories and geographies become negotiable.” In the UK there are similar examples. The Oyster Bar, a popular historic public house dating back to the C16 in the centre of Manchester has been moved twice in its history. The location of the built heritage is negotiable. The old London Bridge was sold in 1968 for $2,500,000. The bridge has become Arizona’s second biggest tourist attraction, after the Grand Canyon.
_[Re]create
“The substitution of originals with facsimiles presents no anxiety for the tourist so long as the expected narrative is sustained.”
A faster, more immediate method of creating heritage is to [re]create it, taking advantage of history or intangible heritage. An example of this recreation in the built environment is the Globe Theatre, which became one of the key historical and heritage attractions in London as soon as it was rebuilt in 1997. It is strongly linked to the intangible heritage of the work of William Shakespeare, which ensures its popularity. As no full set of plans existed for the original theatre, assumptions had to be made in the design and construction of the new theatre, but this has not affected the theatres success.
_Living History
Similar to the recreation of heritage, ‘living history’ aims to give the observer a sense of stepping back in time through historical activities, dress, tools and re-enactments in interactive presentations. Living history will often take place at historical locations, and many heritage attractions use it. It became popular in the UK in the 1980’s as part of the new industrial ‘heritage theme parks’ to improve and increase the range of attractions available. The ‘Plimouth Plantation’ at Plymouth Rock, USA, where the Pilgrims first settled is an extreme version of living history. The original village is recreated with staff impersonating the pilgrims performing daily routines and speaking in Elizabethan English. Authenticity is paramount, and even animals of the period were recreated through back-breeding.
Living history has generally concerned itself with ‘traditional’ forms of history, re-enacting famous battles and dressing up as Victorian gentry, but in 2001 Jeremy Deller re-enacted the ‘Battle of Orgreave’, a key event of the miners strike in 1984 . His aim was for the, “Battle of Orgreave to become part of the lineage of decisive battles in English History.” This raised new issues of the importance of recent social and political events, the impact they have on communities and whether they represent heritage.
_Imitate
One way that heritage has been exploited and undermined in the built environment, is in using it to criticise the current built environment and propose new developments imitating the style of past heritage buildings. This has stemmed from the obsession with heritage of the built environment and is championed by the New Urbanism movement in the USA and figures such as Prince Charles in the UK. Tom Jeffries describes it as the new ‘urban quick fix’ that capitalizes on heritage. It is believed that using traditional forms of design will restore delight to the view of the world. Poundbury, a new town in Dorset, uses these principles and is seen as the new urban solution to failing areas of cities. _Virtual
An emerging area of heritage through the development of technology is virtual heritage. This relates to heritage that is represented within a technological domain. It focuses on the tangible aspects of heritage, using 3D modelling, graphics and animation to recreate historical buildings and areas. The first time it was used was as an exhibit in 1994 at Dudley Castle, providing a 'walk-through' of a 3D reconstruction of the castle. Although a useful tool in recreating heritage, it lacks the intangible aspects of heritage that are arguably just as important as the tangible aspects.
All these examples of creating heritage have shown the ways in which economic success is achieved through heritage, whether the original intentions were for economic gain or in the interest of heritage. The authenticity of many modern pieces of heritage is debatable and there are large criticisms of the heritage industry for the way in which it re-manages and re-creates history for financial gain and for as Diller and Scofidio describe the “ever evolving construction of our national narrative”. The visitor is now the ‘heritage consumer’ and attractions are aimed at supplying their needs through the product of heritage.
History of Heritage_001
922Million
International Tourists in 2008
£640Billion
International Tourist Reciepts in 2008
£74Billion
UK Tourism Reciepts in 2007
4.5%Value of Tourism in the UKs GDP
2.1Million
Employed by Tourism in the UK in 2007
250Million
Visitors to UK Heritage Attractions in 2007
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Wirral History, Geography & Economy_002
Notes for a History of the Wirral
937_Battle of Brunanburk takes place in Bromborough [possibly], which confirms England as an Anglo-Saxon kingdom. This is the first battle where England came together as one country, to fight the combined forces of the Norsemen and the Scots, and thus historians
1120_Earl Ranulph le Meschin converts Wirral into a hunting forest with game allowed to flourish undisputed.
1150_Birkenhead Priory is founded.
1318_The Benedictine monks of Birkenhead Priory provide the first Mersey ferry service.
1376_King Edward III issues a charter that confirms the disafforestation of the Wirral.
1715_The first wet dock in Britain is built in Liverpool and leads to the development of the town. The need to develop and protect the Liverpool dock led to a series of lighthouses being built along the north Wirral coast. The number of ferries across the Mersey grows.
1787_Turnpike roads linking Chester with Eastham, Woodside, and Neston are built.
1793_Work begins on the Ellesmere Port Canal, connecting the River Mersey with Chester and Shropshire.
1817_The first steam ferry across the Mersey starts.
1824_William Laird establishes an iron works in Birkenhead.
1829_Shipbuilding starts at Birkenhead by William Laird & Son.
_The Perch Rock Battery is completed. It was built to protect the Port of Liverpool and act as a fortified lighthouse.
1830_James Atherton and William Rowson begin to develop the resort of New Brighton as a desirable residential and watering place for the gentry, in a similar way to Brighton, one of the most elegant seaside resorts of the regency period.
_New Brighton lighthouse is completed.
_The New Brighton ferry is founded.
1833_Hamilton Square opens. The square, built by William Laird, now contains the most Grade I listed buildings in one place in England, apart from Trafalgar Square in London.
_The New Chester Road Opens.
1840_The Wirral’s first railway, planned by George Stephenson, connecting Birkenhead with Chester opens.
1842_Construction begins on Birkenhead and Wallasey Pool docks.
1847_Birkenhead Park opens. It is a forerunner of the Park’s Movement and the first publicly funded civic park in Britain. It becomes the inspiration for New York’s Central Park.
1852_Price’s Patent Candle Company builds a factory and model village at Bromborough.
1856_Birkenhead Library, the country’s first public library in an unincorporated borough opens.
1858_Birkenhead Docks merge with Liverpool Docks.
1860_The first street tramway in Europe opens in Birkenhead connecting Birkenhead Park and Woodside.
1861_Birkenhead becomes a parliamentary borough with John Laird as its first Member of Parliament.
1869_The New Brighton promenade pier is completed and opened.
1871_The Laird School of Art, the first public school of art outside of London is given to Birkenhead by John Laird.
1874_John Laird dies. 1,500 men walk behind his coffin at the funeral, and a statue is erected in his honour.
1884_Tranmere Rovers Football Club is founded.
1886_The Mersey Railway tunnel opens, linking the Wirral and Liverpool. This leads to the rapid growth of suburbs, particularly in Wallasey, Hoylake and West Kirby, and later Bebington and Heswall.
1888_Work begins on the development of Port Sunlight in the Wirral, a model village designed to house employees of Lever Brothers Soap Factory, dreamed up by William Hesketh Lever. It becomes a significant example of the garden suburb and the arts and crafts architectural movements.
1894_The Manchester Ship Canal opens, with its outfall at Eastham, which leads to further port-side and industrial development on the Mersey waterfront, particularly at Ellesmere Port.
1900_The New Brighton Tower, the tallest in the country, is completed and opened to the public with grounds including a stadium, ballroom, theatre, gardens with a lake and a fairground.
1903_Laird, Son & Co. shipbuilders merge with Johnson Cammel & Co. of Sheffield who produce many metal products such as iron wheels for the national railways. The company becomes Cammel Laird.
1919_The New Brighton Tower begins to be dismantled to sell the steel work to the ship industry. Dismantling is completed in 1921. The tower ballroom remains, one of the largest in the world at the time.
1922_A new oil dock is built at Stanlow near Ellesmere Port. This leads on to the beginning of oil refining in 1934.
1928_The Williamson Art Gallery opens, housing a fine collection of paintings, porcelain and pottery.
1931_The UK’s first guide dog training school, The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association is found in Wallasey.
1932_There is mass rioting in Birkenhead due to unemployment and unrest, focused near the town hall and Birkenhead Park, there are many arrests.
1933_Bidston Dock, Wallasey opens.
1934_The Mersey Tunnel “Queensway” is opened.
_New Brighton bathing pool opens; it is one of the largest aquatic stadiums in the world.
1941_Merseyside is badly damaged by the May Blitz, but continue to operate as part of the Battle of the Atlantic against Nazi Germany. 80% of houses in Birkenhead are either destroyed or badly damaged.
1961_St. George’s Secondary School, the first building to be heated entirely by solar energy in the world opens.
1963_The Beatles play at the New Brighton Tower ballroom.
1969_The New Brighton Tower ballroom is destroyed by fire.
1971_The Kingsway Tunnel opens, connecting with the M53 motorway. Along with the established Queensway Tunnel they contribute to the massive growth of commuting by car between Liverpool and the Wirral, and the development of new suburban estates around such villages as Moreton, Upton, Greasby, Pensby, and Bromborough.
_The New Brighton ferry is closed.
1972_Birkenhead loses its county borough status, and as now, becomes part of the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, in the Metropolitan County of Merseyside.
1978_The New Brighton promenade pier is dismantled.
1985
_Martin Parr’s book The Last Resort is published.
1990_Hurricane force winds severely damage New Brighton bathing pool. It is demolished.
2001
_Cammel Laird enters receivership, and sold, becoming ‘Northwestern Ship repair and Shipbuilders’.
2007_The £70 million Neptune Project plan to regenerate New Brighton is approved, including a budget hotel, cinema and Morrisons supermarket.
2008_Northwestern Ship repair and Shipbuilders is renamed as ‘Cammel Laird Ship repair and Shipbuilders’.
2009_Awaydays, a film based in post-punk Birkenhead is released.
_Wirral Council searches for a new owner of Birkenhead Town Hall after Wirral Museum closes.
_Peel Group submits the largest planning application in the UK, the £4.5 billion Wirral Waters scheme.
_Wirral Urban Sprawl | Parks | Transport
A-Road
Motorway
Train Station
Train Route
Parks or Golf Course
Urban Area
M53
J4J4
J5J55J5J5J5J5
J3J3J3J3J33
J2J2
J1
qBirkenhead
83,729
qWallasey
58,710
q
West Kirby
7,680
q
Hoylake
5,710q
Upton
15,731
q
Gayton
3,110
qBebington
13,720
qEastham
12,250
q
Heswall
7,750
qMoreton
17,670
q
Greasby
9,830
q
Thingwall
3,140
qBromborough
12,630
_Wirral Population Distribution_Wirral Statistics
All data is based on the 2001 UK census.
_Population
Total:
Males:
Females:
Population density:[people per hectare]
Population change: [since 1991]
_Health
Limiting long term illness:
General health ‘not good’:
People providing unpaid care:
Providing unpaid care 50 or more hours per week:
_Work
Employed:
Unemployed:
Long term unemployed:
Qualifications at degree level or higher:
No Qualifications:
_Housing
Number of households with residents:
Average household size:
Vacant household spaces:
Owner-occupied:
Without central heating:
312,293
147,182
165,111
19.9
-22,000
8,896
37,454
35,604
70,336 122,420
9,451
3,360
39,118
64,955
133,345
2.31
5,660
97,227
17,653
Wirral UK Average
_Wirral Grade I Listed Buildings
Public Building
Private Building
_Wirral Grade II* Listed Buildings
Public Building
Private Building
Building at Risk
_Wirral Scheduled Historic Monuments
Public Monument
Private Monument
Monument at Risk
_Wirral Conservation Areas
Conservation Area
Conservation Area at Risk
_Wirral Historic Parks & Gardens
Historic Parks & Gardens
_Wirral Grade II Listed Buildings
Public Building
Private Building
_Wirral Heritage Density
Wirral Heritage_003
_4 Historic Parks & Gardens.
_202 Hectares [1.29%] of total borough area.
_0 Parks & Gardens are at risk.
4.52%
_25 Conservation Areas.
_704 Hectares [4.25%] of total borough area.
_2 Conservation Areas are at risk.
1.29%
_8 Grade I listed buildings.
_3 of the buildings are public.
_5 of the buildings are private.
_0 of the buildings are at risk according to the English Heritage ‘Heritage at Risk’ register.
_This is less than the national average of 3.1%.
_Birkenhead Priory dates back to 1150, is a Scheduled Historic Monument, and the oldest standing building in Merseyside.
_Hamilton Square, Birkenhead has the most Grade I listed buildings in one location in England, apart from Trafalgar Square. Although a large proportion of the buildings in the square are currently disused.
_675 Grade II listed buildings.
_71 of the buildings are public.
_604 of the buildings are private.
_0 of the buildings are at risk according to the ‘Heritage at Risk’ register.
44.4%
_9 Scheduled Monuments.
_7 of the Monuments are public.
_2 of the Monuments are private.
_4 [44.4%] of the Monuments are at risk according to the English Heritage ‘Heritage at Risk’ register.
_This is more than the national average of 18%.
_27 Grade II* listed buildings.
_18 of the buildings are public.
_9 of the buildings are private.
_2 [7%] of the buildings are at risk according to the English Heritage ‘Heritage at Risk’ register.
_This is more than the national average of 3.1%.
High Heritage Value
Low Heritage Value
_Key Heritage Locations
Through the mapping of heritage within the Wirral key heritage areas can be located. These areas will then be studied, visited and mapped to produce a strategy for creating heritage within these areas, so that the Wirral can gain economically and socially. The maps highlight areas with a large amount of existing heritage and show the potential for future heritage to be created. They also show the public and private nature of the heritage, as there is more potential economic and social value in heritage accessible to the public. ‘Heritage at risk’ locations are highlighted to show poor locations or poor management of current heritage. These sites will need to be visited to investigate the reasons for their ‘at risk’ status. As well as using existing heritage data [shown on the maps] to decide appropriate heritage locations, other factors will be analyzed. For example access and transport are key issues to the success of public heritage attractions, particularly those with good links to nodal towns and cities within the region such as Liverpool and Chester. Key heritage locations will also need to have multiple heritage attractions, to increase opportunities and potential for success through hybrid consumption.
From the data, mapping the Wirral, historic and other research, four key ‘heritage zones’ can be identified within the Wirral:
_New Brighton
_Woodside [Birkenhead]
_Birkenhead Park
_Port Sunlight
Each location will be visited and rated for potential heritage creation. Preliminary historic and heritage research, additional to earlier work will need to take place before site visits can take place.
_Woodside
Woodside is full of heritage of the built environment, particularly heritage accessible to the public. There is a ‘Birkenhead Heritage Trail’ produced by Wirral Council with four out of the five attractions on the trail located within Woodside. Woodside is another of the five locations on the ‘Wirral Maritime Heritage Trail’. There is also the nostalgia of the old tramway [only in use at weekends for tourists and enthusiasts] and the past industry of the docks and the ferries. In total there are eight attractions to visit:
_Woodside Ferry_U-Boat Story_Birkenhead Priory and St. Mary’s Tower_ Hamilton Square_Cammel Laird Shipyard_Wirral Museum [Birkenhead Town Hall] _Shore Road Pumping Station_Wirral Transport Museum and The Birkenhead Tramway
_Birkenhead Park
Birkenhead Park symbolizes the ambitious beginnings of Birkenhead in the early half of the C19, and through its influence on other world famous parks it puts Birkenhead on the map. It is significant as the first publicly funded civic park in Britain and was part of the grand vision for Birkenhead, which was to be the ‘City of the Future’. It is full of impressive C19 listed buildings and the design of the park by Joseph Paxton had a large influence on American landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted when designing Central Park in New York. There has recently been a £11.5 million renovation of the park.
Nearby is Williamson Art Gallery and Museum, the fifth attraction on the ‘Birkenhead Heritage Trail’. The museum is an early C20 Neo Georgian building which houses Victorian paintings, Birkenhead Della Robbia Pottery as well as an extensive set of paintings and models of Cammel Laird ships and oil rigs.
_New Brighton
New Brighton is located on the northeast coast of the Wirral. It is a seaside town that has seen better days. In its heyday New Brighton attracted hundreds of thousands of tourists for holidays. It was the main holiday resort of Merseyside and is full of nostalgia and memory. Many of the symbols of the past popularity of New Brighton are gone, such as the New Brighton tower, pier and ballroom. The power of this memory of New Brighton within Merseyside is why the town is such an important heritage location, especially as it isn’t used at the moment.
As well as the power of memory within New Brighton, there is the conservation area of Vale Park, Fort Perch Rock [at risk] and Perch Rock Lighthouse [both grade II* listed] as well as the 1930’s Palace Arcade and C19 housing and hotels from the areas peak success. For this reason it is one of five locations on the ‘Wirral Maritime Heritage Trail’ produced by Wirral Council. But it is the memory that is most valuable and has the potential for successfully creating heritage in the town.
_Wirral Heritage Overlayed
Heritage Area/Building
_Port Sunlight
Port Sunlight is one of the most successful and influential industrial model towns in the UK, as well as the world. It was the vision of William Lever to house the workers of his new Lever Brothers factory in the Wirral, creating the famous ‘Sunlight Soap’ in the late C19. The village contains 900 Grade II listed buildings, it is a Conservation Area and a Historic Park and Garden. The historical significance of Port Sunlight lies in its unprecedented combination of model industrial housing, providing materially decent conditions for working people, with the architectural and landscape values of the garden suburb, influenced by the ideas of William Morris and the Arts and Crafts Movement. Each block of housing was designed by a different architect. There is a Port Sunlight Museum to learn about the history and how it was to live in the village, with a village trail to see the full range of architecture, and there is the Lady Lever Art Gallery, which house a large proportion of the art collection of Lord Lever, including paintings by J.M.W. Turner and John Constable.
Wirral Heritage Excursion_004
4 key heritage locations have been identified through the mapping and analysis of the current heritage within the Wirral. These locations will be visited, experienced, recorded and rated and given a heritage score. New Brighton and Port Sunlight will be visited separately. Woodside and Birkenhead Park will be visited together as ‘Birkenhead’.
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Wirral Heritage Evaluation Form
Heritage Attraction:
Criteria 1 2 3 4 5
Location
Aesthetic
Identity
Price
Quality
Interest
Size
Authenticity
Potential
Overall
_Rating Heritage
Each of the heritage attractions will be rated using an evaluation form to give each attraction a heritage score. They will be rated using a range of criteria, rated out of ten for each. The rating for each criterion will be used to give the attractions an overall heritage score, as a percentage. The percentage for each attraction will then be averaged to give a heritage score for each heritage location, as well as one for the Wirral as a whole.
The criteria used to rate the attractions are:
_Location - How good the road, pedestrian and public transport links to the attractions are, as well as proximity to other heritage attractions. _Aesthetic - The general appearance of the attraction and the surrounding areas. _Identity - How much the attraction relates to the identity of the Wirral, in terms of aesthetics and content [galleries and exhibitions etc]. _Price - The cost of visiting the attractions._Quality - The standard of the attraction and its content._Interest - How engaging the attraction is and its content._Size - The length of time it takes to visit the attraction, and whether it is too long or too short._Authenticity - How authentic is the attraction in terms of history and heritage in the area. _Potential - What is the potential of the attraction and how much it can be improved to become more successful.
y
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New Brighton_6|10|09
The aim of the New Brighton visit is to see the current state of the tourist industry on the waterfront, whether it still exists, the current heritage attractions to the area and what remains of the New Brighton heyday. The attractions that will be visited are:
_Palace Arcade_Fort Perch Rock_Shelters on the promenade_Floral Pavilion
The Palace Arcade is one of the last remaining tourist attractions in New Brighton that dates back 80 years and was a key part of the waterfront when the area was an extremely popular destination. Fort Perch Rock is the only ‘official’ tourist attraction with exhibitions that you can visit. It is also the oldest building in New Brighton. The shelters along the promenade are all grade II listed and provoke memory in the area, and the Floral Pavilion and theatre is the newest development on the waterfront and represents the future of New Brighton.
Birkenhead_5|12|09
The Birkenhead visit will include two key areas: Birkenhead Park and Woodside. Birkenhead Park is located in the most affluent area of Birkenhead with large suburban housing. The attractions that will be visited are:
_Birkenhead Park_Williamson Art Gallery
The historical significance of Birkenhead Park means it is an essential heritage destination and as one of the key Wirral museums that celebrates the heritage of Birkenhead as well as the Wirral the Williamson Art Gallery plays a large role in the heritage of the town. The Woodside visit will focus on the industrial and shipbuilding heritage of Birkenhead:
_Wirral Museum_Hamilton Square_Wirral Transport Museum & Birkenhead Tramway_Shore Road Pumping Station_Birkenhead Docks & Bascule Bridges_Birkenhead Priory & St. Mary’s Tower
Port Sunlight_8|12|09
The historical and architectural significance of Port Sunlight cannot be underplayed. Due to the village’s location and lack of association to English Heritage and National Trust [the main heritage bodies in the UK] it is not as well known as other similar industrial model villages such as Bourneville in Birmingham. The attractions that will be visited are:
_Port Sunlight Museum _Lady Lever Art Gallery_Village Trail
The Port Sunlight museum will provide some valuable information on the history of the development of the town and the background to it, as well as an insight into life in the village and what Lord Levers vision of the aesthetic and social life of the village was. The village tour gives an overview of the key pieces of architecture in the village and the main public buildings and spaces. Lady Lever Art Gallery displays the wealth of Lord Lever, showing a portion of his art collection, revealing his aesthetic preferences.
_Wirral Tourist Information
Official Wirral heritage and tourist information has been used to help decide which heritage attractions to visit in each location as well as the order in which to visit them. Information such as heritage trails give you a specific journey to take as you visit the attractions and show what Wirral Council and other heritage organisations want you to view during your visit. There are three key heritage trails in the Wirral; the Wirral Maritime Heritage Trail, the Birkenhead Heritage Trail and the Port Sunlight Village Trail. New Brighton, Seacombe, and Woodside will be visited as part of the Wirral Maritime Heritage Trail, and all of the Birkenhead and Port Sunlight trails will be visited. The information also provides extra background information on the attractions, and anything specific that needs to be noted when visiting attractions, such as that Wirral Transport Museum is only open at weekends so Birkenhead will need to be visited at a weekend.
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New Brighton_6|10|09
New Brighton has changed dramatically over the last 150 years. From a dream of James Atherton, to a booming tourist destination, attracting millions of visitors a year, to yet another declining seaside town in the British coastal landscape. The change and decline can be seen when visiting the resort, although it feels unfair to visit a seaside resort in the autumn, especially during a rainy day.
I approached the town by foot along the Seacombe to New Brighton promenade passing the conservation area of Vale Park, that looks in good condition with elements photographed in Martin Parr’s ‘The Last Resort’. It doesn’t appear to have changed since its construction in the C19. The first structure that I was met with when I had reached New Brighton was a monument to monuments that listed the attractions in the area, such as Kingsway Tunnel ventilation shaft, Seacombe Ferry, and New Brighton [seen as a monument in it self ]. There was also a welcome sign for New Brighton, stating ‘New Brighton is about to bloom’.
The landscape of the waterfront is littered with new and old structures from different periods. Some buildings haven’t changed from the C19 postcards viewed in Wallasey Library, some haven’t changed since Martin Parr had photographed the area, and some such as the Floral Pavilion were brand new, part of the regeneration of the town. Although it was opened in December 2008, the Floral Pavilion appears extremely dated already, like an inner city leisure centre in the early 1990’s. Internally it is as expected with typical décor and theatre communal areas and café.
The promenade shelters reflect the heyday of New Brighton and stand alone in this respect. Empty and in need of a coat of paint, they represent what the town has experienced over the past century; the rise and fall of a seaside resort. They will remain in place as they are grade II listed and form a key part of the landscape of heritage on the waterfront.
When entering the Palace Arcade it feels like going back in time 20 years with ‘Sega Rally’ arcades and the typical 2 pence and 10 pence machines. There were quite a number of soaked day trippers taking refuge in the arcades playing on the slot machines. Unfortunately the rides outside were closed for the autumn and winter. I was warned after taking photos inside and soon had to move on, but the nostalgic feel that the arcades had was a welcome experience even though a brief one.
I got some fish and chips at a waterfront café called ‘The Seaside Café’, full of OAPs enjoying a relaxed Sunday afternoon. The special included a pot of tea, bread and butter with the meal. My final destination is Fort Perch Rock. Unfortunately, it is closed until further noticed, which cuts my trip short and becomes pat of a recurring theme when visiting heritage attractions in the Wirral.
There is nostalgia throughout New Brighton, but it does appear to be clinging on to a passed industry that isn’t viable anymore for the town. The heritage landscape is confused and not unified as a single destination. As I mentioned earlier the weather didn’t help during the trip, but throughout the visit there was the constant feeling that the town needed to ‘move on’ from its past. The planned regeneration will help with this although from images seen it won’t provide New Brighton with a new identity, it will turn it into another generic earlier C21 regenerated town. As Fort Perch Rock was closed and as the other attractions were not specifically heritage attractions, New Brighton is ineligible for a heritage score.
Heritage Score: Invalid
_Birkenhead
Due to the large amount of heritage attractions in Birkenhead, and the specific location of them, the trip was split into two destinations; Birkenhead Park and Woodside. I planned to visit each on a separate day, but I was able to visit all the attractions within a day due to closures etc.
_Birkenhead Park
I travelled to Birkenhead Park via the Merseyrail link from Liverpool Lime Street station. The park is easily accessible from Birkenhead Park station. I knew of the rich history of the park, but had expected it to be quite run down. But when I entered the park I found a totally opposite situation, with a brand new pavilion and gardens. The park has recently received a £11.5 million renovation, and has a group of volunteers dedicated to keeping the park in a good state. Everything is well kept and the key features such as the Grand Entrance, the Boathouse, and Swiss Bridge look as if they are new. The park appears to be used well with many community events such as mini marathons. The history of the park is displayed through signage and overall it received a high heritage score with little room for improvement. A 20 minute walk from Birkenhead Park is the Williamson Art Gallery and Museum, which is in an unfortunate location, but was worth the visit.
_Woodside
The Woodside area of Birkenhead has a lot of built heritage within it as well as many specific visitor attractions. After visiting the Liverpool museums website and finding a Birkenhead heritage trail it appeared there would be plenty to do that may take a couple of days. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the case and the Wirral and Visit Liverpool websites were not up to date. I arrived at Hamilton Square after walking down from Williamson Art Gallery. The square appeared to be in great condition with much of the buildings and monuments providing the expected heritage aesthetic, although the cars detracted from this. However, as I walked around the square it was clear that many of the buildings were not in use. The majority of the grand terraces are used as offices, but every other office had a TO LET sign outside. The biggest surprise was Wirral Museum, which was closed, left disused and in search of a new owner. It seems ridiculous that Grade I and Grade II listed buildings that provide a large part of the identity of the town are near derelict and at the same time there are huge plans to develop new housing and offices in the docks where it doesn’t appear to be needed [Wirral Waters].
The gallery was constructed in 1928 and is a typical art gallery of a town of this size with a mix of art and artefacts. It has a good exhibition of original Cammell Laird ship models, archive photos and paintings, as well as some other temporary exhibitions. Generally the gallery appears to lack funding with a leaking roof and galleries in need of updating, but it holds local history workshops and appears to attract a reasonable number of visitors. The location doesn’t help, but in terms of heritage it scores high due to the nature of the building and exhibitions on show, associated directly to the history and culture of Birkenhead.
I moved on from Hamilton Square to the Wirral Transport Museum and Tramway, which was thriving, busy with enthusiasts searching through photos and models of buses and groups taking rides on the old trams. The museum is run by volunteers and gives it a real sense of character that is not seen in council run museums. The museum showed a strong sense of pride in the transport heritage of the Wirral and the number of visitors reflected this, giving the museum a high heritage score. A short walk from the transport museum was the Shore Road Pumping Station, which was closed until further notice and no sign of any activity. It appears to have gone the same way as Wirral Museum. I then waked down to Cammell laird and Birkenhead Priory. Birkenhead Priory is the oldest structure in Merseyside, but is quite a dull place. One part of the visitor centre was closed and I was watched by security for most of my visit. It appears to be another heritage attraction that hasn’t realised its potential and I was distracted by the neighbouring Cammell laird shipyard, which unfortunately is not open to the public, but I am sure would provide a very interesting and successful tourist destination.
I finished my visit at the Wallasey Pool docks, which were an extraordinary visit. The condition of the post-industrial landscape revealed so much of the history of the area with derelict monumental buildings and even a tied up sunk ship. The working bascule bridges are a welcome feature and in terms of heritage authenticity, the docks cannot be criticised. The importance of this landscape to the identity of the town cannot be underrated and deserves to be a conservation area.
Heritage Score: 217
_Port Sunlight
The Port Sunlight visit was as expected due to the status of the village as a Conservation Area, Historic Park and Garden, and being full of listed buildings. Apart from the cars, it appeared as it did in photos taken over 100 years ago. The museum was well curated and informative. The trail showed the key architectural and landscape elements of the village. The Lady Lever Art Gallery was overwhelming due to the sheer amount of art on display and the fact that it was all bought by Lord Lever, displaying his huge amount of wealth. The village received a high overall heritage score as there is little room for improvement.
The village would certainly benefit from more English heritage or National trust association in terms of visitor numbers. In terms of potential, gaining World Heritage Site status is the only way to increase the heritage value of the village, but there are already plans from a number of organisations including Wirral Council to apply to achieve this status.
Heritage Score: 67
Heritage Score: 150
Heritage Score: 110
WIRRAL MARITIME HERITAGE TRAIL
EasthamWoodside
Seacombe
Egremont
New Brighton
Produced in conjunction with Wirral Council and Wirrals History and Heritage Forum.
WIRRAL PENINSULA WIRRAL MARITIME HERITAGE TRAILGetting to Wirral and getting around
Wirral is easily accessible by road, rail, seaand air. Both Liverpool John LennonAirport and Manchester InternationalAirport are a realistic 45 minutes by road.The M53 motorway which runs throughWirral connects to the M56 and M6.
Two Mersey Tunnels link Wirral toLiverpool and the rest of Merseyside, andEurope’s oldest ferry continues the “Ferryacross the Mersey” service from Woodsideand Seacombe.
A local rail network connects the peninsulato the national rail network via Liv erpoolLime Street Station. W ir ral also boasts acomprehensive local bus network for you toexplore the region.
For more information click on:www.merseyferries.co.uk 0151 330 1444www.merseytravel.gov.uk 0870 608 2608
For more information on Wirral click on:www.visitwir ral.com 0151 666 3188
321APR07GB
© Crown copyright. All rights r eserved. Licence number 100019803. Published 2007.
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Despite its location outside the centre of Birkenhead,the Williamson still stands at the core of the WirralMuseums Service, ering more space than any other inits purpose-built galleries.
Always on show is the largest single display of shipmodels in the area, focusing on Cammell Lairdshipbuilders and their contribution to marine history, theMersey Ferries and the variety of vessels that used theRiver Mersey when it was at its busiest.
In addition you will a selection from the majorpicture collections, especially British artists, localpotteries (Birkenhead Della Robbia pottery and LiverpoolPorcelain in particular), and the lively exhibitionprogramme keeps regular visitors returning to see thebes t of local artists and nationally important exhibitionsvisiting Merseyside.
The mag cent Town Hall, opened in 1887, is the focusof Hamilton Square, the elegant centre of Birkenhead. Itwas built at a time when the t own was rising in import anceand c c e as an indus trial c entre. Restored from afunctional c ouncil building t o its Vict orian splendour, itopened its door s to the public in 2001.
Housed within ar e splendid interiors that give a vourof Victorian style, and displays include the history ofCammell Laird, for many years Birkenhead’s majoremployer. A fantastic large-scale model shows theWoodside F erry in 1934, the day the Queensway T unnelopened, and both Wirral’s ancient history and its recentcivic history, including silver and Mayoral regalia, areshown.
Regular e xhibitions t ake detailed looks at aspects ofWirral’s past and present (ring for details).
Take the tramway from Woodsideto The Old Colonial pub at theTaylor Street terminus.
Wirr al T r ansport Museum & Birk enhead T r amway
OPEN: Sat & Sun onl y 1pm-5pm. Except during School Holidays:Easter, Spring Half Term and Summer: Wed-Sun 1pm-5pm. Alsoopen Bank Holidays 1pm-5pm (except Christmas/Ne w Year - checkfor opening times). Other times by appointment 0151 666 4000.
Williamson Art Gall ery & Museum/Wirr al Museum
OPEN: Tuesday to Sunday 10am-5pm CLOSED: Monday(except Bank Holidays) . Check for Christmas/New Year opening.
In 1860, when Birkenhead was a pioneeringindus trial t own it was the r st plac e in Europeto adopt a street tramway. Those trams ceasedoperating in 1937 but in 1995 they were revivedand you can now travel on one of a series ofhistoric vehicles and experience tram travel foryourself.
Trams dating from as early as 1901 operate tomake the short journey from Woodside to theWirr al Transport Museum, where you can viewthe r es t of the eet; tr am cars from Birkenhead,Liverpool, W allase y and a r ecently restored carfrom Lisbon, Portugal. The Transport Museumalso houses local buses which are run for avariety of occasions, and a collection of cars,motorbikes and a model railway layout.
Wirral Transport Museum& Birkenhead Tramway1 Taylor StreetBirkenhead CH41 1BGT 0151 647 2128
Williamson ArtGallery & MuseumSlatey RoadBirkenhead CH43 4UET 0151 652 4177
WirralMuseumHamilton SquareBirkenhead CH41 5BRT 0151 666 4010
For further det ails, c ontact the Touris t Information Centre on
0151 647 6780www.visitwirral.com
• Wirral Transport Museum & Birkenhead Tramway
• Williamson Art Gall ery & Museum
• Wirr al Museum
• Shore Road Pumping Station
• Birkenhead Priory & St Mary’s Tower
Williamson Art Gallery & MuseumT 0151 652 4177
Wirral MuseumT 0151 666 4010
Birkenhead Priory & St Mary’s TowerT 0151 666 1249
Shore Road Pumping St ation
Wirral Transport Museum & The Birkenhead TramwayT 0151 647 2128
Bookings for Educational and other visitsT 0151 666 4000
Birkenhead Priory& St Mary’s TowerPriory StreetBirkenhead CH41 5JHT 0151 666 1249
Shore RoadPumping StationHamilton StreetBirk enheadT 0151 650 1182
The history of Birkenhead does go back beyond Victorianyears, the site of the medieval priory dates back to 1150, theoldest standing building in Merseyside. Touch the ancientsandstone walls then look up at the towering cranes of the oldCammell Laird shipyard right next door.
The tower of St Mary’s, the first parish church of Birkenhead,affords magnificent views over the Laird’s site, the River Merseyto Liverpool and the town of Birkenhead itself.
Built in the 1870s t o pump wat er out of the tunnelbeneath the River Mersey, the longest underwater tunnel inthe world at the time, the Giant Gr as shopper beam engineis open t o marv el at the wonder of Victorian engineering.
A short audio-visual display tells the story of the MerseyRailway and the tunnel that runs beneath your feet andwhich is s till in use t oday, then y ou have the chanc e toexplore the pump in all its glory.
Be pr epared for a noisy reception as it is still an industrialbuilding!
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• Wirral Transport Museum & Birk enhead Tramway
• Williamson Art Gallery & Museum
• Wirral Museum
• Shore Road Pumping Station
• Birk enhead Priory & St Mary’s Tower
www.visitwirral.com
OPEN: Summer: Wed-Fri 1pm-5pm, Sat & Sun 10am-5pm.Winter: Wed-Fri 12noon-4pm, Sat & Sun 10am-4pm.
Also open Bank Holidays, other times by appointment. Checkfor Christmas/New Year opening.
OPEN: Summer: Sat & Sun only 1pm-5pm. Wint er: Sat & Sun onl y 12noon-4pm.
During school holidays: Easter, Spring Half Term and Summer:Wed-Sun 1pm-5pm. Also open Bank Holidays 1pm-5pm (exceptChristmas/New Year - check for opening times) .Other times by appointment 0151 666 4000.
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Welcome to Birkenhead Post-Industrial Land MuseumAbandoned Pier OneAbandoned Pier TwoAlfred DockBirkenhead ArchiveBirkenhead Park StationBirkenhead Ferry TerminalBirkenhead P-ILM & LibraryCaissonDuke Street Bascule BridgeDuke Street Bridge CafeEast Float
East Float ApartmentsEgerton BridgeEgerton DockEgerton HouseHMS BroningtonHMS PlymouthMorpeth Commercial EstateMorpeth DockOne O’Clock GunPumping StationSarsia
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Shed 1Shed 2Shed 3Shed 4Shed 5Tower QuaysTower Road Bascule BridgeTower Road BridgeWallasey DockWest FloatVittoria Dock
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East
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Vittoria
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Alfred
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Egerton
DockMorpeth
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Wallasey
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Birkenhead
Ferry Terminal
Egerton
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Apartments
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Pumping
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Accumulator
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CaissonHMS
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PlymouthOpen All Week10am to 5pm. Mon - Sat11am to 4pm. Sun
Birkenhead ArchiveOpen Mon - Sat10am to 5pm. Mon - Fri11am to 4pm. Sat
Birkenhead P-ILM
& LibraryOpen All Week8am to 10pm. Mon - Fri10am to 6pm. Sat - Sun
Woodside Ferry Terminal &
Hamilton Square StationHourly ferries to and from Liverpool.Trains to and from Liverpool, WestKirby, New Brighton, Ellesmere Portand Chester.Regular Merseyside bus service.
Event LandscapeCheck specific events for details.Current Events:Shed 1 | Winter GardenShed 2 | EmptyShed 3 | Go KartingShed 4 | Warehouse Project [evening]Shed 5 | Birkenhead Youth Theatre
Birkenhead
Park Station
Seaside Ferry Terminal
& Bus StationHourly ferries to and from Liverpool.Regular Merseyside bus service.
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Cycle Parking Disabled WC Event Location Information Point Mersey Ferry Terminal
Museum Vehicle Parking Viewing Point Walking Tour Start Point WC
Archive | Library Bar Bus Stop Cafe | Restaurant Car Ferry Terminal
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Whether you are here for business or pleasure, to visit the contemporary architecture of the new library and museum exhibition building or discover Birkenhead’s industrial and post-industrial past, this map and guide is designed to help you get around, find your destination and enjoy the culture, attractions and nightlife of Birkenhead Docks.
The large scale map is designed to provide an overview of the landscape, highlighting the key attractions of the museum, transport links and service locations. Overleaf is a more detailed description of the landscape and museum, with a map and information on the three routes than run through the site, helping to navigate yourself around. There is also information on the key destinations as well as useful contacts and transport information. We hope you enjoy your visit.
There are a number of extra resources if you wish to find out more. The Tourist Information Centre is located inside the Woodside Mersey Ferry Terminal [a ten minute walk from the museum exhibition building and library]. The centre provides a wide range of visitor information including advice and details on attractions, events, maps, guides and transport services throughout Birkenhead and Merseyside. An accommodation booking service is also available. There is also information available on the museum website at www.birkenheadp-ilm.co.uk and at the Liverpool Tourist Information Centres.
The Birkenhead Tourist Information Centre opening hours are Monday to Saturday 9:30am to 5pm and Sundays and Bank Holidays 10am to 3:30pm. You can call the Tourist Information Centre on 0151 647 6780 or visit www.visit-birkenhead.co.uk.
Grain Lands
Grain Lands