Tucked away off a busy main road lies a Merseyside village from a different age. Bromborough is a fairly well known area of Wirral, but Bromborough Pool is far easier to miss and has been described as one of Merseyside’s ‘secret streets’.
This is despite the village holding an important place in our history. It was constructed as a model village, housing workers from the nearby Price’s candle factory. 142 houses were built, alongside a church, school, hospital, shop and two large fields.
The first houses to be built were on York Street, which welcomed its first resident in 1854. Manor Place with 16 houses was built in 1856.
A second phase of building started in 1872 including a new road, South View, with six houses. Six more were added in 1877. The design inspired William Lever to build his own model village at Port Sunlight down the road.
The candle factory is long gone, but people still live in the Victorian terraces along with a variety of new build properties. It was the latter I lived in for a time.
At weekends, it can feel like you’re living in the past. Take a stroll down York Street on a summer’s day and you’ll find members from the Maritime Cricket Club playing a match in the shadow of period housing.
The village has reinvented itself in the last 20 years as industry has moved elsewhere. Autism Together, one of the country’s leading providers of services and support to people with autism and their families, has a large presence in the area. The charity houses the old school and church for their work. Staff and volunteers from the organisation run the garden centre too.
However, it can feel at times like the area is struggling for an identity. The appearance of the newer build houses can feel a bit jarring compared to their Victorian predecessors. It's not as well known nor as well visited as Port Sunlight, but that can be seen as part of its appeal.
There is still a lot of land that could be utilised. Plans have been submitted for 116 new homes on Dock Road South, which would lead to the Mersey View estate completed a few years ago.
Council officers said the Bromborough development would have a “transformative effect on the character of the area” close to “the large, high quality open space of Port Sunlight River Park and the open views across the Mersey estuary beyond.”
Concerns have been raised about the scheme by 54 people about traffic through the Mersey View estate, construction noise, flood risk, the environment, and crime.
Responding to traffic concerns through nearby estates, a council report said it “will have some impact to existing residents in terms of increased traffic” but the current plans were the best solution available.
Meanwhile, Autism Together have announced plans to refurbish the buildings it now runs. This includes a multi-functional space in the old church for use by up to 50 people, which would be available to book by community groups.
There are a lot of questions that Bromborough Pool’s residents, along with other interested parties, will have to decide on regarding the future for this idyllic village. But in the meantime, this small corner of Wirral deserves a little more recognition.
