Bebington
| Bebington | |
| Cheshire | |
|---|---|
 St Andrew's Church, Bebington | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | SJ333841 |
| Location: | 53°21’0"N, 3°0’11"W |
| Data | |
| Population: | 13,720 (2001) |
| Post town: | Wirral |
| Postcode: | CH62, CH63 |
| Dialling code: | 0151 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Wirral |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
Wirral South |
Bebington is a small town in Cheshire, on the eastern side of the the Wirral peninsula. It lies 5 miles south of Liverpool (across the river in Lancashire).
The town includes is divided into Higher Bebington to the north and Lower Bebington to the south. Port Sunlight, an early planned factory town, stands in the east part of the town. Poulton Lancelyn, Spital and Storeton stand close by.
Bebington has its own railway station, opened in 1838.
Churches
The original parish church is Church of St Andrew in Lower Bebington, which dates from the 14th and 16th centuries.[1] Within the parish also is Townfield Church.
Higher Bebington forms a separate parish, of which the parish church is Christ Church.
History
Some scholars have placed here the site of the cataclysmic Battle of Brunanburh (937), based only on the nearby place-name Bromborough, which is etymologically identical. The Brackenwood golf course was cited in 2004 as the most likely site for the battle had it been fought hereabouts,[2] though there is no evidence beyond the place-name and most scholars place the battle in Lancashire or further north.
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,[3] a noted antiquarian, whose collection of Anglo-Saxon antiquaries helped in the development of British archaeology. He made Pennant House his home, and although it has fallen into poor repair it is still a community resource and boasts many of its original features.
Bebintgton on film
The Oval Sports Centre in Higher Bebington was used in the film, Chariots of Fire, to portray the 1924 Colombes Olympic Stadium in Paris.[4]
Outside links
Big Society
References
- ↑ Our History, Bebington Parish Church, http://www.standrewsbebington.org.uk/about-us/history/, retrieved 29 November 2009
- ↑ Brunanburgh: Birthplace of Englishness 'found', BBC News, 20 December 2004, http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/merseyside/4112301.stm, retrieved 7 December 2007
- ↑ Joseph Mayer
- ↑ Chariots of Fire (1981), Where Did They Film That?, http://www.wheredidtheyfilmthat.co.uk/film.php?film_id=60, retrieved 7 December 2007