During the Victorian era, the British Seaside became a popular destination
for the working class citizens of Britain. At over 200 pages of information and
pictures, this book captures just how popular, the area of New Brighton became
during Victorian times. Not only was New Brighton popular during the 19th
century, but it was formerly a haunt for Pirates & Smugglers, most famously
with Mother Redcaps Inn. Lost treasure still remains underneath New Brighton, in
smugglers tunnels that run to all corners of Wallasey. New Brighton was a front
runner in many departments, it once housed the biggest tower in Britain, it
still has the longest promenade in Britain and even had a football team playing
in the top flight of football. Following the mass population growth that
occurred during the British Industrial Revolution, Seaside resorts became a
popular destination for the working class citizens in Britain. Separated by the
River Mersey, Liverpool was the neighbouring city that looked across at the
borough of Wallasey, and became a weekend retreat for many of the fun seekers
that resided in the industrial region of Liverpool. In order to reach the
destination, the famous “Ferry across the Mersey” was the viable form of
transport. Until 1891 the river front was open to the shore. The only built up
areas being the Ferry terminals. If a traveller on the river prior to this
period looked toward Wallasey he would have seen mainly eroded clay cliffs
supported by a large masonry wall (1858-1863). It was impossible to pass
directly from Seacombe to Egremont via this route. At the Guinea Gap there was
an actual hole in the cliff in which the tide had carved out a large hollow.
From Egremont to what is now New Brighton, existed only private properties
occupying the foreshore. In 1896, New Brighton was given a brand new feature
when work started on the Tower & Ballroom. The New Brighton Tower was
patterned on the world-famous Eiffel Tower in Paris. It all started when a newly
formed company called The New Brighton Tower and Recreation Company Limited,
with a share capital of £300,000 decided to purchase the Rock Point Estate of
over 20 acres. The Tower was to be 544 feet high, with Assembly Hall, Winter
Gardens, Refreshment Rooms and layout with a cycle track. The Tower was to be
more elegant than Blackpool's. Shares were £1 each and the Tower would be made
of mild steel. During the construction of the Tower six workmen were killed and
another seriously injured either though falls or accidents. On completion the
Tower was the highest building in the country. Soon after the Tower was opened a
young man threw himself off the balcony to be the first suicide from the
building. Four lifts took the sightseers to the top of the structure at a cost
of 6d. From there you could see for miles around including the Isle of Man,
Great Orme's Head, part of the Lake District and the Welsh Mountains. The Tower
is said to have attracted around half a million people in the year. The book
introduces the reader to the creation of a Seaside resort , from start to
finish. Following the devastating fire in 1969, New Brighton which was the most
popular Seaside resort in the North West, slowly dissapeared into a ghost town
during the latter half of the 20th Century. However new investment in the 21st
Century has encouraged vistors to return again to a once popular Victorian
Seaside Resort.
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