The Wirral: West Kirby, Hoylake and Caldy

	Hoylake Shore Modern Hoylake is the union of two ancient villages: Little Meols and Hoose. Great Meols is the area further to the east, towards Leasowe. The name Hoylake is derived from the 'High Lake', a channel that once extended several miles along the coast from Hilbre to Dove Point at Meols. At low tide it was protected by a wide sandbank, providing a safe anchorage for ships that were too large to sail up the Dee to Chester. In the 17th Century, Hoylake was one of the main embarkation points for troops sailing to Ireland, including (in 1690) King William III and his army of 10,000. To assist shipping, two lighthouses were built around 1760, both rebuilt in the 1860s. By the 1830s, the cutting of a new channel to Liverpool marked the end of Hoylake's relevance for shipping and the focus shifted to fishing. Gradually, the more affluent took an interest in Hoylake, attracted by its fine beaches and opportunties for the newly fashionable sea-bathing. The arrival of the railway in 1886 caused a rapid expansion of the population and the growth of the town both as a resort and as a commuter base. Today, Hoylake is perhaps most famous for the Royal Liverpool Golf Course, originally a nine-hole course founded by local enthusiasts in 1869.
Great Meols in Lewis's Topographical Dictionary of England (1848) A part of it, which fronts the Irish Sea for upwards of two miles, consists of a narrow slip of sandhills, protected in some instances by embankments from the inundations of the sea: as it approaches Hoose, the slip widens, and becomes connected with that township.
Hoose in Lewis's Topographical Dictionary of England (1848) This township, which comprises only 74 acres, of a sandy soil, is not mentioned in the Domesday survey; which may be attributed to its being so small, and lying between Great and Little Meolse, of which it was probably then a part. [...] The sea front of the three townships occupies a line of upwards of five miles, reaching from the western part of Wallasey to the village of West Kirby. The inhabitants of Hoose are principally boatmen and fishermen, who have frequently evinced the greatest courage and alacrity in rescuing mariners from the horrors of shipwreck; large banks of sand, extending for miles on the northwest, being annually the scene of most fatal disasters to shipping.
Little Meols in Lewis's Topographical Dictionary of England (1848) The greater part was a waste, until Lord Stanley of Alderley granted a building-lease for a term of eighty years, which has led to the erection of several pleasing villas. These, for summer residences and the convenience of excellent sea-bathing, notwithstanding the apparent want of attraction from their being seated amid sandhills on the desolate extremity of a mere promontory, are in great request, and a considerable increase may be anticipated in their number. In this township and Hoose is Hoylake, where his lordship's father erected, on the margin of the sea, one of the most spacious hotels in the county, now much frequented during the bathing season. A little to the north is a smaller hotel. A commodious church, also, has been erected by the lady of Mr. Swainson, which affords great accommodation to the inhabitants and the numerous visiters attracted hither, who before had no place of worship nearer than the parish church; it is dedicated to the Holy Trinity, and is a neat edifice in the Norman style, from designs by Mr. Picton, of Liverpool.
	Hoylake Lighthouse, Hoylake Hoylake Upper Lighthouse was first established here in 1764, when, together with the Lower Lighthouse and the two Leasowe lighthouses (only one extant, q.v.), it was one of the four 'leading lights' for guiding shipping into the Mersey estuary. The lights were used for alignment purposes and the Lower Lighthouse was actually movable in order to adjust to the shifting sand banks. Both lighthouses were demolished in 1865 and rebuilt. The Lower Lighhouse became disused as such in 1908 and was demolished in 1922. The present octagonal brick building on Valentia Road was decommissioned in 1886 and is now part of a private house incorporating the former lighthouse keepers' quarters.
	Hoylake Lifeboat Hoylake Lifeboat Station dates back to 1803, making it one of the oldest on the coasts of Great Britain and Ireland. You can have a look over the current boat 'The Lady of Hilbre', but this is to be replaced in 2007, when a new lifeboat station is also to be constructed.
	Red Rocks, Hoylake These isolated rocks off Hilbre Point (submerged at high tide) form part of the Red Rocks Site of Special Scientific Interest. Red Rocks themselves are an important site for migrant birds, over 200 species having been recorded here.
	Boardwalk, Hilbre Point, Hoylake
	Red Rocks Marsh Red Rocks Marsh is part of the Site of Special Scientific Interest. It is an area of sand dunes, dune slacks (ponds), reedbeds and marsh, important for many species of wintering birds. The open pools are the only area in the Wirral that provide a habitat for the rare natterjack toad.
	Pond in Red Rocks Marsh
	Hilbre Island from Red Rocks Marsh
	Hilbre Point, Hoylake This is the extreme north-west corner of the Wirral, seen across the West Kirby shore at low tide with the Irish Sea beyond.
	West Kirby Shore and Little Eye This is the route out to the tiny island of Little Eye from West Kirby across the shore at low tide, a popular excursion combined with the onward crossing to Hilbre Island.
	Little Eye, West Kirby who are you, little eye? ... (with apologies to e.e. cummings for bastardising his poem). Well, it is a tiny 'grassy knoll' on a bed of sandstone that rises only a few feet above the sea at high tide off the coast at West Kirby.
	The Hilbre Islands from Little Eye, West Kirby This view illustrates the beautifully shifting colours to be seen under low angle winter sunshine. Formed by the last Ice Age, these islands show signs of having been visited by Neolithic and Bronze Age people by the artefacts that have been discovered. There was permanent habitation at least from Roman times, which continued through Norman times, when the first written records were made by a cell of Benedictine Monks. The monks lived here until the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1538. Since then the islands have used by fishermen and as a stop-off on the voyage from Chester to Ireland, as a result of which a public house had been established by the 18th century at the latest. The islands have a more dubious reputation for wrecking and smuggling and the innkeeper in the early 19th century was said to be unaccountably wealthy. The present buildings date from the mid-19th century when a telegraph signalling station was built on the main island. The only permanent resident now is the Dee Estuary Ranger. I heard that a lady lived here until comparitively recently, but left after a wave passed right over her house one night during a freak storm. I don't blame her.
	West Kirby and Little Eye Looking back to Little Eye from the route to Hilbre Island with West Kirby over to the left.
	Hilbre and Little Hilbre Islands, West Kirby Approaching Hilbre Island (left) and the nearer Little Hilbre Island (right). The islands are now a local nature reserve, part of the Dee Estuary Site of Special Scientific Interest which is one of the ten most important estuaries in Europe for the overwintering of wildfowl and wading birds. Grey seals are attracted to lazing about on the sand bank to the west and can be seen swimming around the islands at most times of the year. Occasional whales and dolphins have also been sighted.
	The Marine Lake, West Kirby At high tide on the sea wall of the marine lake you can seem to be walking on water.
	The Dee Estuary at Cubbins Green, West Kirby
	The War Memorial, Grange Hill, West Kirby
	The WhiteLion, West Kirby This old pub on Grange Road has bags of character. Inside is a maze of cosy small rooms, only partially knocked through, with walls constructed of massive bare sandstone blocks. Situated on the edge of Grange Hill, it almost seems to grow out of the bedrock.
	West Kirby and Hilbre Point from Grange Hill
	The Ring O'Bells, West Kirby The Ring O'Bells was rebuilt in 1810 on the site of an older pub of the same name. The name presumably comes from the nearby St. Bridget's Church that has its origins in Norman times. The cellars are cut into sandstone and extend underneath the road, where the rock has been shaped to hold barrels of ale with a drainage channel below. The pub, now a fish restaurant, is in Village Road, an area of West Kirby that seems untouched by the centuries.
	West Kirby Old Village West Kirby, in common with much of the Wirral, was occupied by Christianised Vikings from Ireland. The other Kirby was then Kirby in Walea to the east, now known as Wallasey. The original settlement was around here in the old village. For many centuries, West Kirby was a small agricultural community, but the arrival of the railway in 1886 changed all that and by 1900 the population was 11000, many commuting into Liverpool to work. From about this time, West Kirby also developed as a resort for holidaymakers and day-trippers, the latter still very much in evidence.
West Kirby in Lewis's Topographical Dictionary of England (1848) It is bounded on the north by the Irish Sea, and on the west by the estuary of the Dee; and from some rising ground about a quarter of a mile from the shore, extensive views are obtained of the Irish Sea, the river Dee, and the Flintshire and Carnarvonshire hills. The quality of the soil varies materially in different parts. In the townships on the sea-shore it is very light and sandy, and, being in a great measure sheltered by hills from the easterly winds, is particularly suited for the growth of early potatoes, for which the district has long been celebrated. Some extensive commons are yet unenclosed, and much even of the best land in the parish affords scope for improvement.
	St. Bridget's Church, West Kirby Although much altered over the centuries, the oldest identifiable parts of St. Bridget's church are parts of the chancel, vestry, east bay and north aisle, dating from around 1320. The present tower was built in 1493. A major restoration (almost a rebuilding) was undertaken in 1869-70. It is likely that there had been church on the site in Saxon times, as attested by the Viking name 'Kirkby'.
	Grange Road, West Kirby This is the first view of West Kirby when driving in from the south - a sudden enticing glimpse of the sea and Hilbre Island. The fine tree on the right is an Umbrella Pine, a native of southern Europe famous for its edible pine nuts but rare at these latitudes. It was once located in a private garden before the new road took priority.
	The Beacon, Caldy Hill, West Kirby The Beacon stands on the site of an old mill that was used as a landmark by mariners navigating into the River Mersey. It was destroyed in a storm in 1839 and the present 60ft (18m) column was erected in 1841 by the trustees of the Liverpool Docks by permission of the landowner John Shaw Leigh, who also gave the stone for its construction.
	The Dee Estuary from the Beacon, West Kirby
	West Kirby and Hilbre Island from Caldy Hill
	Caldy Hill Heathland Caldy Hill is a Site of Biological Importance as a lowland heath habitat for, among others, common lizards, grass snakes and adders. It is a lovely area for walks, criss-crossed with trails where you can find peace and quiet with fine views.
	Fleck Lane, Caldy Fleck Lane is a picturesque path that runs dowm Caldy Hill between old boundary walls.
	Caldy Village I'm not sure if the posh residents of this exclusive village are going to like it, but the name Caldy comes from the Anglo-Saxon for 'cold arse', referring, I hasten to add, to the hill-top around which it is located rather than any ragged-trousers among the residents. The village was bought and renovated by R.W. Barton, a Manchester businessman, in 1832. There is real old world charm here. The lovely old cottages, some in sandstone and some in mock Tudor style, date from around 1700 and were originally farm buildings.
	The Church of the Resurrection and All Saints, Caldy The church, originally a school, along with the manor house behind it, was built in 1868 as part of R.W. Barton's redevelopment of the village. It was in use as a chapel from 1882 and, following extensive alteration, was consecrated under its present name in 1907.
	The Village Cross, Caldy