Wallasey Village

Wallasey Village is a district of the town of Wallasey, on the Wirral Peninsula in England. Localities within this area are informally said to be in "The Village".

Wallasey Village is the most westerly township in Wallasey, being bordered with the Wallasey suburbs of Poulton, New Brighton and Liscard to the east and south. Further west is Leasowe, and to the north, beyond Harrison Park, is the King's Parade fronting Liverpool Bay. The Wirral Show is held on the extensive grassed areas - known as "the Dips" along this promenade. At the Northeastern end of the parade Wallasey's suburb - New Brighton is located.

History

St Hilary’s Church may date back to the earliest days of Christianity in Britain. There are just eight churches in Britain named after the Bishop of Poitiers, St. Hilary, who contributed to the First Council of Nicaea in 325 AD, and it is thought that they were founded by St Germanus, who was invited from France as a missionary by the 5th century English church. The tower is all that remains of a later church, which was built in 1530 but destroyed by fire in 1857: by the time someone had raced to Birkenhead to alert the fire brigade, and they had harnessed the horses to the fire tenders and galloped back to Wallasey, little remained of the church apart from a charred shell and the tower.

Until about the 15th century, the village was generally known as Kirkby in Walley. This derives from the Norse words meaning "village with a church", and "Walea", the Anglo-Saxon name for Wallasey as recorded in the Domesday Book. [http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=lMAMAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA290&lpg=PA290&dq=%22kirkby+in+walley%22&source=web&ots=ZIhZnDUrGU&sig=6tvwpWXrWyvTb3Xpdg5i2IX4ebg&hl=en] The village of West Kirby (or Kirkby) was so named to differentiate it from this Kirkby.

Today

It is now a pleasant residential area, primarily housing, with various shops and pubs along the central road, Wallasey Village Road. The village shops are located along a strip of the Wallasey Village central road, with some extending along the eastern end of Leasowe Road. Originally local convenience stores, there has been a move to more urban shops selling sports equipment and furniture, as well as a new photography suite.

Housing in the Village is mixed: 1920s semi-detached and detached houses are common, although more modern detached houses are clustered in parts. There are terraced houses found near the village shops, while a good number of bungalows are present.

Wallasey Village forms part of Metropolitan Borough of Wirral's Wallasey ward and is represented by Conservative Party Councillors: Lesley Rennie, Paul Hayes and Kate Wood. The most recent local elections took place on 1st May 2008.

Transport

* There are two railway stations within this area: Wallasey Village and Wallasey Grove Road. Both are well-used despite their close proximity (approx 0.5 miles): this is mainly because Wallasey Grove Road Station has a large free car park for travellers wishing to park and ride and excellent ground level access whereas Wallasey Village Station connects with the major bus routes which run along Leasowe Road where it is situated

References