In 1817 a steam ferry service started from Liverpool to Tranmere and in 1822 the paddle steamer, Royal Mail, began operation between Liverpool and Woodside. 19th century ĭistanced from the Industrial Revolution in Liverpool by the physical barrier of the River Mersey, Birkenhead retained its agricultural status until the advent of steam ferry services. In a royal charter of 13 April 1330, Edward III granted the priory further rights. The priory was visited in 12 by Edward I. The earliest records state that the Mersey ferry began operating from Birkenhead in 1150, when Benedictine monks under the leadership of Hamon de Mascy built a priory there. History Medieval period The Woodside terminal for the Mersey Ferry in Birkenhead British troops of Western Command clearing up bomb damage in Birkenhead, 15 March 1941 The Birket is a later name which was introduced by Ordnance Survey. The name is not derived from the Birket, a stream which enters the Mersey between Birkenhead and Seacombe. The name Birkenhead probably means 'headland overgrown with birch', from the Old English bircen meaning birch tree, of which many once grew on the headland which jutted into the river at Woodside.

The Wirral Waters development is planned to regenerate much of the dockland. In the second half of the 20th century, the town suffered a significant period of decline, with containerisation causing a reduction in port activity. The Mersey Railway connected Birkenhead and Liverpool with the world's first tunnel beneath a tidal estuary the shipbuilding firm Cammell Laird and a seaport were established. Birkenhead Park and Hamilton Square were laid out as well as the first street tramway in Britain. In the 19th century, Birkenhead expanded greatly as a consequence of the Industrial Revolution. īirkenhead Priory and the Mersey Ferry were established in the 12th century. At the 2011 census, it had a population of 88,818. The town is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the south bank of the River Mersey, opposite Liverpool. List of places UK England Merseyside 53☂3′35″N 3☀0′50″W / 53.393°N 3.014°W / 53.393 -3.014īirkenhead ( / ˌ b ɜːr k ən ˈ h ɛ d/) is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, Merseyside, England historically, it was part of Cheshire until 1974.

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