19 Facts About Birkenhead

Birkenhead is a town and ferry port in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, Merseyside, England; historically, it was part of Cheshire until 1974.

Formerly a township in Bidston Parish of the Wirral Hundred, Birkenhead was incorporated as a municipal borough in 1877, and became a county borough with the passing of the Local Government Act 1888.

Birkenhead Market was first established on what is the site of Birkenhead Town Hall, between Chester Street and Hamilton Street, on 10 July 1835.

Birkenhead Park is acknowledged to be the first publicly funded park in Britain.

Major underground station in Birkenhead is Hamilton Square, the nearest station to the ferry terminal.

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Birkenhead High School Academy, formerly Birkenhead Girls High School, is an all-ability state funded girls' Academy.

Previously situated at Borough Road, Birkenhead's college has campuses at Europa Boulevard and Twelve Quays.

The Jewish Birkenhead Synagogue existed from 1890 and closed prior to 2006.

Birkenhead has one of the highest mortality rates among men over 65 in the UK.

Birkenhead is served by Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and Wirral Primary Care Trust.

Formerly, Birkenhead was served by Birkenhead General Hospital on Park Road North and St James' Hospital in Claughton, now demolished and redeveloped for housing.

In 1856, Birkenhead Library was opened as the country's first public library in an unincorporated borough.

Birkenhead is served by the Liverpool Echo local daily newspaper.

Birkenhead is situated within the television regions of BBC North West and ITV's Granada Television.

Andreas Whittam Smith, founder editor of The Independent, grew up in Birkenhead, where his father was an Anglican clergyman.

Birkenhead was the first woman admitted to the Inner Temple in 1920.

Frank Ernest Field, Baron Field of Birkenhead DL, is a British politician who was the Member of Parliament for Birkenhead from 1979 to 2019, serving as a Labour MP until August 2018 and thereafter as an Independent.

Aerodynamicists Gwen Alston and Melvill Jones were born in Birkenhead, as was Henry Herbert Collier, inventor and founder of the Matchless motorcycle marque.

Birkenhead has produced notable sportsmen such as Matt Dawson, the rugby union player; 'Dixie' Dean, record-breaking footballer, who was born at 313 Laird Street; and several other footballers including Peter Davenport, Jason McAteer, David Thompson, Max Power, Jodie Taylor England Lionesses International.