In this new La Vida Liverpool feature, guest writer and historian David Hearns educates us on some fascinating local history. With a wealth of knowledge, David gives talks and walking tours on subjects such as the history of Liverpool, wars, slavery, maritime, Liverpool’s links with America and more. In this feature he talks us through the growth, decline and re-birth of New Brighton….
In the 70 years from 1830 to 1900, New Brighton grew from being virtually uninhabited into one of the most popular seaside resorts in Britain.
In 1830 James Atherton, a Liverpool merchant and property developer, agreed to buy 170 acres of land that was basically nothing more than sand dunes with a fort, a lighthouse and a few cottages, with a view to turning it into a desirable residential area for wealthy Liverpool business people.
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Within three years of Atherton buying the land, a steam paddle-wheel ferry service was introduced from Liverpool to what was starting to be called New Brighton after Brighton, the famous South coast watering hole. This ferry service made it possible for people to live in New Brighton but commute daily to their work in Liverpool and was the catalyst that led to the growth of the area.
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Initially it was just the wealthy who bought plots from James Atherton and later his son-in-law William Rowson had fine villas built looking out over Liverpool Bay. A number of these houses remain in Wellington Rd, North Drive and Montpellier Crescent.
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From these humble beginnings the area started to grow into not only a residential area but somewhere that people from the crowdy, noisy, smelly streets of Liverpool could come and enjoy the fresh sea air. A pleasure pier was opened in 1867 and other catering and entertainment venues followed.
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In the late 1880s the Wirral Railway reached the growing resort which enabled visitors from further afield to both visit and stay but it also enabled bricks to be brought into the area which enabled both faster and cheaper construction of houses and New Brighton started to become an accessible area for many Liverpool workers.
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In 1880 The Palace, which offered fairground type attractions, a grotto, a small zoo, an open air skating area and exhibitions, opened. By the 1882 summer season an average of 10,000 visitors per day visited The Palace. The venue was redesigned in the early 1930s and reopened as The New Palace which is still open daily during the summer.
Theatres opened followed by cinemas and a section of the promenade became known as “The Ham and Egg Parade” where the “fast food” of the period was offered by a number of cafes. The promenade from Seacombe to New Brighton was opened in 1901, extended in 1907 and again in the 1930s until New Brighton boasted having the longest promenade in Britain.
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In 1891 a Tower had been built in Blackpool and by 1896 a company had been formed to build a similar Tower although even taller in New Brighton. Work started in 1896 and by the time it was completed in 1899 it was the tallest structure in Britain. The Tower and Tower Grounds, became a major part of the resort’s appeal to visitors.
At the start of WWI New Brighton Tower was closed to the public for the duration of the war and by 1919 the construction had suffered considerably from lack of maintenance so the decision was taken to demolish it although this was not completed until 1921. However the Tower Building was still fully operation with a ballroom that could accommodate 3,000 dancers. In addition there was also a theatre and a zoo.
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The grounds around the building remained and were ultimately extended to provide a funfair including a roller coaster, a cable car to the roof of the building, a big wheel and a “wall of death” where motorcyclists hurtled around a vertical wall at speeds of up to 50mph.
The interior of the ballroom was destroyed by fire in 1956 but it was completely restored and in June 1961 the Beatles played there to 4,000 people for the first of what would ultimately be 27 visits making it second only to The Cavern in Liverpool for the number of Beatles concerts in Britain. Gerry and the Pacemakers, Rory Storm and the Hurricanes, Little Richard and The Rolling Stones were among other groups who performed at The Tower.
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In the 1930s when the promenade was extended an outdoor bathing pool was also constructed that was the largest outdoor swimming pool in Europe and, some say, the world. During the first four months after the opening the pool attracted almost one million bathers and spectators. The pool went on to host “Bathing Beauty” competitions and pop music concerts.
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After WWII as more people could drive and had cars New Brighton started to suffer a slow decline. The pace of the decline accelerated in the 1960s with cheap flights to Spain and other places where sunshine was more guaranteed than North West England. The Tower Buildings were destroyed by fire in 1969, the Pier, which had been reduced to an amusement arcade, closed in 1972 and was demolished in 1977.
The one time resort failed to attract holiday-makers and even the number of day-trippers reduced following the closure and subsequent demolition of the swimming pool in 1990. A couple of developers failed bring their plans to fruition and the Local Authority replaced half of Victoria Road, which had once boasted a theatre, with residential property.
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More businesses left the area and by 2018 much of Victoria Rd was boarded up or derelict until the locally born successful businessman, Dan Davies, formed Rockpoint Leisure and injected £8 million of his own money into breathing new life into the town by re-opening closed businesses and funding many community led improvements as well as creating Britain’s largest outdoor gallery of street art.
TO BOOK A HISTORY TALK OR WALKING TOUR WITH DAVID CONTACT HIM ON 07739386367
New Brighton, the town that grew and prospered only to decline and very nearly become a purely residential area, has been reborn and is now once again an area for visitors as well as an incubator for young local people to thrive in music and the arts.
TO BOOK A HISTORY TALK OR WALKING TOUR WITH DAVID CONTACT HIM ON 07739386367
Follow David on Twitter @thedustyteapot
