Bebington

Coordinates: 53°21′00″N 3°00′11″W / 53.350°N 3.003°W / 53.350; -3.003

Bebington
St Andrew's Church, Bebington
Bebington  Bebington shown within Merseyside
Population	13,720 (2001 Census)[1]
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.^[1]

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

The Church of St. Andrew, on a site occupied since Saxon times, dates from the 14th and 16th centuries.^[2]

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.

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 Joseph Mayer, a Liverpool Businessman. It is now a community resource and still boasts many of its original features.

The Brackenwood golf course was cited in 2004 as a likely site for the Battle of Brunanburh in 937.^[3]

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.^[4]

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.
• 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.
• The authors Roger Lancelyn Green (1918-1987) and Richard Lancelyn Green (1953-2004) lived in Poulton Lancelyn, 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
• Ted Robbins, entertainer and actor, was a resident of the town.
• Chris Sharrock, ex Icicle Works drummer and current Oasis 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.

See also

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

References

External links

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