The glory days of New Brighton: 9 things you might not know about the Mersey seaside town

From smuggling and shipwrecks to a seaside resort for the well-to-do, New Brighton has a fascinating history.

It’s basking in new life thanks to developments like Marine Point, the Victorian Quarter, the Floral Pavilion and more, but before you head back to one of Merseyside’s favourite places for a day out on the beach or a walk on the prom, here’s 9 things you might not know to help you enjoy it even more …

Neolithic settlement

Earliest residents of the area were thought to have been in the Neolithic Period (Stone Age), and proof was found in 1898 when arrow heads and other artefacts from the era were found. “There’d been a settled community living a very hard life along the promenade for many years,” says local storyteller Cathy Roberts.

Smugglers’ cove

Up until the 19^th century, New Brighton – once known as Devil’s Nest and Rock Point – had a less than impressive reputation for smuggling and pirates who’d hide their goods and finds from shipwrecks in a maze of secret underground tunnels.

Fort Perch Rock

Government concern about smuggling and tax evasion on board ships – they were also possibly concerned about an invasion from Napolean,’ says Cathy – led to the building of Fort Perch Rock, a coastal defence battery, between 1825 and 1829 on the area originally known as Black Rock. Its aim was to protect the Port of Liverpool.

New Brighton Lighthouse

The building of New Brighton Lighthouse – at first known as Perch Rock Lighthouse – began in 1827 after Liverpool merchants became sick and tired of losing valuable cargo which came into the Mersey via ‘New Brighton’ and had to contend with the hazardous riptide current. An earlier wooden structure known as The Perch which had a light on top to warn boats had blown away. “Once the lighthouse was built there were a lot more ships coming in,” says Cathy, “and ferries coming in from the Isle of Man and further.”

The birth of New Brighton

The town as we know it now really began around 1830 when a wealthy Liverpool merchant, James Atherton, bought 170 acres of land at Rock Point with his nephew. “He lived in a big mansion in Everton and used to look across the Mersey and see the peninsular where New Brighton is now and he saw a business opportunity,” Cathy says. His aim was to develop a residential area and to attract visitors, envisaging an elegant resort somewhere like Brighton in the south – hence the name. He built the New Brighton Hotel and it boomed and continued to grow, with many of the large houses that were built later converted into hotels.

New Brighton Pier was built and opened in 1867, and a narrow walkway known as the Ham and Egg Parade because of an abundance of cafes selling the dish was eventually transformed into the promenade from Seacombe to New Brighton. It was completed by 1901 and is one of the longest in the UK.

New Brighton Tower and Ballroom

New Brighton Tower. Credit: Wikipedia (Public Domain)

New Brighton Tower and Ballroom was built between 1898 and 1900 at a height of 567 ft – at the time the tallest building in Great Britain and 50ft taller than nearby Blackpool Tower – and set among grounds which also boasted a boating lake, funfair, gardens and a sports ground.

Sadly, the tower fell into disrepair during WWI and was dismantled in 1919 leaving only the ballroom standing.

“The ballroom is well known because The Beatles played there 27 times,” says Cathy, “but they weren’t the only big name. Little Richard, The Rolling Stones, and others played there too. Sadly, the ballroom was destroyed by fire in 1969.”

Open air swimming pool

New Brighton was once home to a huge art deco swimming pool, built in 1934 by Viscount Leverhulme. It cost £90,000 and opened in June 1934 and was once the largest lido in Britain, surviving until 1990.

Tunnels

Most of the secret tunnels well used by smugglers were under what became The New Palace Amusement Centre, opened by Whilma Howe ‘Will’ Wilkie in August 1939, just weeks before the start of WWII. Then, answering a government call for help, they were cleared of sand and debris to become an underground munitions factory. Women who’d worked on the dodgem cars and shooting went to work below ground making the ammunition – more than 250,000 bullets and shell cases every week. The arcade’s manager became the factory foreman!

In 1943, the ground floor of the arcade was turned into a base for American engineers and technicians and, so impressive was the war effort, that after a 1944 concert at the Empire in Liverpool, Dame Vera Lynn went to sing to the factory’s women.

The tunnels have been turned into a museum – and today you can tour them!

Back from the brink

New Brighton fell into decline during the 70s and 80s before undergoing massive redevelopment in 2011, creating the Marine Point development and more.

Check out the shows coming to the Floral Pavilion in New Brighton this Spring.

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