Bebington

infobox UK place
country= England
official_name= Bebington
latitude= 53.350
longitude= -3.003
population= 13,720 (2001 Census)
metropolitan_borough= Wirral
metropolitan_county= Merseyside
region= North West England
constituency_westminster= Wirral South
post_town= WIRRAL
postcode_district= CH62, CH63
postcode_area= CH
dial_code= 0151
os_grid_reference= SJ333841
map_type= Merseyside Bebington is a small town and electoral ward within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, in Merseyside, England. It is located along the River Mersey, on the eastern side of the Wirral Peninsula, and had a total resident population of 13,720 at the 2001 Census.citeweb|url=http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadKeyFigures.do?a=3&b=5941392&c=Bebington&d=14&e=15&g=361261&i=1001x1003x1004&m=0&enc=1|title=2001 Census: Bebington (Ward)|work=Office for National Statistics|accessdate=7 December|accessyear=2007]

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.

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. 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 AD 937. [citeweb|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/merseyside/4112301.stm|title=Brunanburgh: Birthplace of Englishness 'found'|work=BBC News|date=20 December 2004|accessdate=7 December|accessyear=2007]

Education

Bebington contains five 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.

Cultural references

Bebington also has a claim to fame in that St. Andrews church yard features the lamp-post that was supposedly the real-life inspiration for the lamp-post in C. S. Lewis's "The Chronicles Of Narnia".Fact|date=December 2007

The Oval Sports Centre was used in the film, "Chariots of Fire", to portray the 1924 Colombes Olympic Stadium in Paris. [citeweb|url=http://www.wheredidtheyfilmthat.co.uk/film.php?film_id=60|title=Chariots of Fire (1981)|work=Where Did They Film That?|accessdate=7 December|accessyear=2007]

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.
* 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.

ee also

*Bebington parliamentary constituency (1950 – Feb 1974)
*Bebington and Ellesmere Port parliamentary constituency (Feb 1974 – 1983)
*

References

External links

* [http://dmoz.org/Regional/Europe/United_Kingdom/England/Merseyside/Bebington/ Open Directory Project - Bebington category]
* [http://www.bebingtonexplorers.org.uk/ Bebington District Explorer Scouts]
* [http://www.stealth-designs.com/marines/ Bebington Marine Cadet Detachment]
* [http://www.ts-seahawk.co.uk Bebington Sea Cadets]