Birkdale
| Birkdale | |
| Lancashire | |
|---|---|
 Birkdale village centre | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | SD333155 |
| Location: | 53°37’57"N, 3°1’9"E |
| Data | |
| Population: | 12,265 (2011[1]) |
| Post town: | Southport |
| Postcode: | PR8 |
| Dialling code: | 01704 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Sefton |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
Southport |
Birkdale is a township in Lancashire that forms a suburb of Southport. The area is located on the Irish Sea coast, approximately a mile away from the centre of Southport. At the 2001 census, the local government ward called Birkdale had a population of 12,265.[1]
Etymology
Birkdale probably takes its name from two Old Norse words, birki meaning "birch-copse" and dalr meaning "dale" or "valley".[2][3]
Demography
On the whole it is a wealthy area featuring many large Victorian and Edwardian houses; many of the houses have not yet been broken up into individual flats, and still house families. The area is almost entirely residential, with mainly semi-detached houses as the norm. In the summer of 2003, the average property price was £149,550 (just under £10,000 less than the national average). This has risen to £200,844 in July 2005, more than £20,000 over the national mix-adjusted national average house price. The area has been a popular area with footballers from local Lancashire clubs.
Birkdale Village is on Liverpool Road and features a variety of shops, bars and restaurants. Birkdale railway station is situated on the Northern Line of the Merseyrail network, that links Southport to Liverpool.
Sport
Despite its small size, Birkdale receives a great deal of sporting attention once every few years as it plays host to The Open Championship. It was last played at the Royal Birkdale golf course in July 2017. To lesser fame, the home ground of the Southport and Birkdale Cricket Club on Trafalgar Road is used for county-level cricket matches approximately once a year. Southport and Birkdale squash club also play here and are in the North West Counties Squash League. Red Rum, the world-famous racehorse who was trained by Ginger McCain, had his stables in Upper Aughton Road in Birkdale, while a horse named after the village took part and finished tenth in the 2002 Grand National. Birkdale United AFC played a crucial part in the footballing education of Premiership footballers such as Jack Rodwell, Dominic Matteo, Shaun Teale and Paul Dalglish, and still has its home in the village, boasting teams for boys from the age of 6 and girls from the age of 7 through to open age teams. The club was also presented the FA's highest accolade in January 2008, becoming the first FA Charter Community Club in Southport.
Education
Birkdale has three secondary schools, Christ the King Catholic High School, which has around 1,200 pupils including sixth form students, Birkdale High School which is for boys, and Greenbank High School (in the part of Birkdale known as Hillside) for girls.
Transport
Birkdale is served by frequent buses to Southport, Formby, Preston and Liverpool. Birkdale has two stations, Birkdale and Hillside which are on the Northern Line of the Merseyrail network.
Famous people
- A. J. P. Taylor was born in Birkdale in 1906.
- Private Richard George Masters VC, soldier awarded the Victoria Cross for actions on 9 April 1918, born in Birkdale[4]
- Marcus Morris was vicar of St James' Church, Lulworth Road, in the 1940s and '50s.
- Richard Corbett MEP lived in Birkdale until the age of 8 and attended Farnborough Road School.
- Sunderland A.F.C. midfielder Jack Rodwell is from Birkdale
- Comedian Lee Mack was a pupil at Birkdale County Junior School
- Novelist J. G. Farrell, twice a Booker Prize winner, was evacuated to Birkdale during WW2
- Albert Pierrepoint, the most famous British hangman of modern times, lived in Birkdale in later life and had a tobacconist's shop in Birkdale village.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 2001 Census: Birkdale, Office for National Statistics, http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadKeyFigures.do?a=7&b=5941413&c=birkdale&d=14&e=16&g=360367&i=1001x1003x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1193234810656&enc=1, retrieved 24 October 2007
- ↑ Ainsdale On-line, http://members.tripod.com/~ian_h/ainsdale.htm, retrieved 24 October 2007
- ↑ Vikings In Lancashire, Formby Civic Society, 4 March 2004, archived from the original on 30 September 2011, https://web.archive.org/web/20110930204413/http://www.formbycivicsociety.org.uk/learning/full_article.asp?storyid=14, retrieved 24 October 2007
- ↑ "Local VC Winners - Liverpool & Merseyside". http://liverpoolremembrance.weebly.com/local-vc-winners.html. Retrieved 17 March 2013.
Outside links
 |
("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Birkdale) |