Bebington

Bebington
St Andrew's Church, Bebington
Bebington  Bebington shown within Merseyside
Population	13,720 (2001 Census)
OS grid reference	SJ333841
Metropolitan borough	Wirral
Metropolitan county	Merseyside
Region	North West
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	WIRRAL
Postcode district	CH62, CH63
Dialling code	0151
Police	Merseyside
Fire	Merseyside
Ambulance	North West
EU Parliament	North West England
UK Parliament	Wirral South
List of places: UK • England • Merseyside

Bebington is a small town and electoral ward within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, in Merseyside, England. It lies 5 miles (8 km) south of Liverpool and 34.5 miles (56 km) west southwest of Manchester, along the River Mersey on the eastern side of the Wirral Peninsula. Nearby towns include Birkenhead and Wallasey to the north northwest and Heswall to the west southwest.

It had a total resident population of 13,720 at the 2001 Census.

The town includes the areas of Port Sunlight (an early planned factory town), Higher Bebington (which includes the Mount Estate), Lower Bebington, Poulton Lancelyn, Spital, Storeton and Woodhey.

Bebington railway station opened in 1838 and is situated on the Wirral Line of the Merseyrail network.

History

Thought to be the site of the "Birth of England" at The Battle of Brunanburh in 937. an English victory by the army of Æthelstan, King of England, and his brother Edmund in the year 937 over the combined armies of Olaf III Guthfrithson, the Norse-Gael King of Dublin, Constantine II, King of Scots, and Owen I, King of Strathclyde. Though relatively little known today, it was called "the greatest single battle in Anglo-Saxon history before Hastings."[1] Michael Livingston claimed that Brunanburh marks "the moment when Englishness came of age."[2]The Brackenwood golf course was cited in 2004 as the most likely site for the Battle of Brunanburh. Mention of the battle is made in dozens of sources, in Old English, Latin, Irish, Welsh, Anglo-Norman, and Middle English, and there are many later accounts or responses to the battle. [3] A contemporary record of the battle is found in the Old English poem Battle of Brunanburh, preserved in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle.

The Church of St. Andrew, on a site occupied since Saxon times, dates from the 14th and 16th centuries.

In 1838, the footprints of an archosaur later called the Chirotherium storetonese were found in a sandstone bed at Storeton Quarry. Examples can be seen at the Liverpool Museum and at Christ Church within the parish of Higher Bebington. Also a small example can be seen at Higher Bebington Junior School, in their reception area.

Stone quarried at Bebington was used for the construction of Birkenhead Town Hall, some of the villas around Birkenhead and Rock Parks and most famously of all the Empire State Building in New York City. The stone is considered to be a high quality sandstone which is creamy in appearance. The Quarries were eventually filled in with debris removed during the construction of the two Mersey Tunnels.

Mayer Hall, Bebington Village, was formerly an art gallery built by Bebington philanthropist Joseph Mayer a noted antiquarian whose collection of Anglo-Saxon antiquaries, helped in the development of British archaeology. He made Pennant House his home, and although the Labour council have allowed it to fall into poor repair. It is still a community resource and boasts many of its original features.

Education

Bebington contains eight main schools; Wirral Grammar School for Boys, Wirral Grammar School for Girls, St. John Plessington Catholic College, Higher Bebington Junior School, Bebington High Sports College, Brackenwood Junior School, Stanton Road Primary School, St Andrew's Primary School, Town Lane Infants School.

Cultural references

The Oval Sports Centre was used in the film, Chariots of Fire, to portray the 1924 Colombes Olympic Stadium in Paris.

Notable people

• Singer Pete Burns, born 1959 in Port Sunlight, Bebington.
• Film director Alex Cox was born in Bebington in 1954.
• The historian and antiquarian Hilda R. Ellis Davidson (1914-2006) was born in Bebington.
• Professional footballer Dixie Dean (1907-1980), lived in Higher Bebington.
• Lottie Dod (1871-1960), "the most versatile female athlete of all time" and five times Wimbledon tennis champion, was born in Bebington.
• Michael Goodliffe (1914-1976), film and television actor was born in Bebington.
• The authors Roger Lancelyn Green (1918-1987) and Richard Lancelyn Green (1953-2004) lived in Poulton Lancelyn, Bebington.
• Kenneth Halliwell, partner and murderer of playwright Joe Orton, was born in Heath Road and attended Wirral Grammar School.
• Professional footballer Brian Harris (1935-2008), was born in Bebington.
• Frances Jacson, novelist (1754-1842), was born in Bebington.
• Phil Liggett, cycling commentator, was born in Bebington.
• Chris Malkin, former professional footballer, was born 1967 in Bebington.
• Jan Ravens, impressionist and actress, born in Bebington in 1958.
• Carl Rees, head coach of American Fairfield Stags men's soccer team
• The writer Anthony Peake, was born in Bebington in 1954 and now lives in Spital.
• Ted Robbins, entertainer and actor, was a resident of the town.
• Chris Sharrock, ex Icicle Works, Oasis and current Beady Eye drummer, born in Bebington in 1964.
• Harold Wilson (1916-1995), British Prime Minister, lived in the area from the age of 16 and was head boy at Wirral Grammar School.
• Professional rugby player Matt Cairns was brought up in Spital and attended Wirral Grammar School for boys.

See also

• Bebington parliamentary constituency (1950 – Feb 1974)
• Bebington and Ellesmere Port parliamentary constituency (Feb 1974 – 1983)
• Category:People from Bebington

External links

• Bebington at the Open Directory Project
• Bebington District Explorer Scouts
• Bebington Sea Cadets