|
|
Post by doktorb🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️ on Jan 29, 2024 12:40:55 GMT
This is based on content from Merseymike , Pete Whitehead , matureleft , hengo , Robert Waller and myselfThis is a safe Labour seat. However, its electoral history is more interesting than most of the parliamentary results indicate. The seat consists of the town of Birkenhead, renowned for its shipbuilding history, and some surrounding suburbs – there is nothing in this seat which could really be called a ‘village’, and in many ways it is much more like the inner areas of Liverpool which it faces across the Mersey. Even in 2019, when its longstanding former Labour MP Frank Field stood as an Independent, under the banner of the Birkenhead Social Justice candidate, Labour’s majority was 17,705, and Mick Whitley, the veteran trade unionist elected in his place, was supported by 59% of the voters. However, its local profile is less monolithically Labour than the national figures might suggest. This is partially because of the tendency for Wirral seats to be more loyal to Labour in national than local elections, and this is no different here. However, the Conservatives are not the beneficiaries. The Prenton ward has elected Conservatives until the 1990’s, and from 1996-2010 elected a full Liberal Democrat slate – it is more of a lower-middle class ward of semi-detached suburbia, rather more like neighbouring Bebington in Wirral South, but the Greens won convincingly in 2019 on a planning-related issue, with Labour remaining the nearest challengers. Prenton, on the Woodchurch Road towards Heswall, now has three Green Party councillors. Birkenhead - Penbedw in Welsh, from "birch tree" - is perhaps a case study for a prominent industrial town living in the shadow of a supercity as it does with Liverpool. Wirral Council - its etymology also Welsh - is currently trying to reinvigorate the area, in some ways through the Wirral Waters project, in other ways by allowing the demolition of the House of Fraser without any significant plans in place. Surrounding the tumbledown town centre are signs of where the money used to be - grand buildings, the huge Birkenhead Park, ornate architecture, the spaghetti of railway lines both busy (Merseyrail connects the town with Liverpool and Chester) and not so (the docks lines are either rusting into the ground or lie under the car parks of retail parks). One name is inextricably linked to Birkenhead, veteran Labour MP Frank Field. He was tasked with "thinking the unthinkable" about welfare under Prime Minister Tony Blair. The conclusion is that he did, and was sacked for doing so. His later career was not without saying the generally unsaid, such as this on immigration: While Birkenhead is proud of its separate identity – Tranmere fans chant ‘we are not Scousers, we’re from Birkenhead’ – the accent here is certainly Liverpool, the industrial history is connected strongly to the maritime industries, and the recent economic decline of Birkenhead also reflects the city it faces. Frank Field was elected to replace Edmund Dell, who left the party to join the SDP and later the Liberal Democrats, and Field himself pursued an ever more maverick path within the party, notably on the EU and immigration policy, finally resigning the whip in 2018. However there was always both a determined independence in him and a desire to limit the role of the state in benefit and pension provision which made him an uncomfortable contributor on the subjects that he knew best. Nearby Wallasey sometimes surprises people by being so green, leafy, and moneyed. There are hints in the suburbs of Birkenhead of this too, what you might call the "shadows of Cheshire". But the Mersey can sometimes be considered more of a barrier to this side of the Wirral than the Thames is to London, and it's no surprise to hear that Birkenhead is insular and inward looking. Other parts of this seat may not be that unfamiliar to casual readers. Tranmere is home to the only significant football team on Wirral, and Rock Ferry gave the name to Duffy's debut album. Arrowe Park, home to the nearest major hospital, is on the very western fringe (though, note on compass points, I'm often unsure quite what constitutes "West" on a peninsula jutting out at such an angle between England and Wales). 2011 CensusAge 65+ 15.7% 402/650 Owner-occupied 52.9% 562/650 Private rented 20.5% 117/650 Social rented 24.7% 115/650 White 95.8% 294/650 Black 0.2% 501/650 Asian 2.6% 329/650 Managerial & professional 23.7% Routine & Semi-routine 32.8% Degree level 19.9% 516/650 No qualifications 27.8% 149/650 Students 6.9% 306/650 2021 Census Owner occupied 51.1% 490/573 Private rented 24.8% 113/573 Social rented 24.1% 77/573 White 93.2% Black 0.7% Asian 3.5% Managerial & professional 25.9% 473/573 Routine & Semi-routine 29.5% 103/573 Degree level 26.6% 441/573 No qualifications 21.6% 136/573 General Election 2019: Birkenhead [/b][/div] Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Mick Whitley 24,990 59.0 -17.9 [/i][/div] Birkenhead Social Justice Frank Field 7,285 17.2 N/A Conservative Claire Rowles 5,540 13.1 -5.3 Liberal Democrats Stuart Kelly 1,620 3.8 +1.2 Brexit Party Darren Lythgoe 1,489 3.5 N/A Green Pat Cleary 1,405 3.3 +1.1
Lab Majority 17,705 41.8 -16.7 [/i][/div] Turnout 42,329 66.4 -1.3 Labour hold [/quote] 2019 Notional result on new boundaries (gains Bebington) [/div] | Lab | 30841 | 59.8% | | Con | 8015 | 15.5% | | BSJ | 7285 | 14.1% | | LD | 2098 | 4.1% | | BxP | 1741 | 3.4% | | Grn | 1585 | 3.1% | |
[/td][td] [/td][td] [/td][/tr][tr][td] Majority [/td][td] 22826 [/td][td] 44.3% [/td][/tr][/tbody][/table][/div] [/quote] [/div]
|
|
|
|
Post by doktorb🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️ on Jan 29, 2024 12:42:33 GMT
See, I did copy and paste from the original thread and it's added /div functions which weren't there and broken up the quotes itself. I wonder if it's because I'm using mobile (I don't own a laptop).
|
|
|
|
Post by Pete Whitehead on Jan 29, 2024 12:58:28 GMT
You should be using the official notionals at this point anyway
|
|
|
|
Post by Robert Waller on Jan 29, 2024 13:07:12 GMT
You should be using the official notionals at this point anyway Also, the census quotes from me are old boundaries. I shall add the new boundary census figures and Rallings & Thrasher notional figures later today. |
|
|
|
Post by doktorb🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️ on Jan 29, 2024 13:16:26 GMT
Annoyingly, the Guardian's notional results article includes Frank Field's outfit which won't stand this year
New boundary
Birkenhead
Party Votes %
Lab 60
Con 15.6
BSJP 14.1
Lib Dem 4
|
|
|
|
Post by Pete Whitehead on Jan 29, 2024 13:21:24 GMT
Annoyingly, the Guardian's notional results article includes Frank Field's outfit which won't stand this year New boundary Birkenhead Party Votes % Lab 60 Con 15.6 BSJP 14.1 Lib Dem 4 What's annoying about that?? It is the notional result of the last election when Frank Field did stand. Do you want them to rewrite history and pretend he didn't? There'll be loads of seats like this, with votes for parties who stood in 2019 but won't at the next election. What actually is annoying is that it doesn't include the figures for the Brexit party and the Greens and that it doesn't include the actual number of votes |
|
|
|
Post by gwynthegriff on Jan 29, 2024 13:32:30 GMT
This is based on content from Merseymike, Pete Whitehead, matureleft, hengo, Robert Waller and myselfThis is a safe Labour seat. However, its electoral history is more interesting than most of the parliamentary results indicate. The seat consists of the town of Birkenhead, renowned for its shipbuilding history, and some surrounding suburbs – there is nothing in this seat which could really be called a ‘village’, and in many ways it is much more like the inner areas of Liverpool which it faces across the Mersey. Even in 2019, when its longstanding former Labour MP Frank Field stood as an Independent, under the banner of the Birkenhead Social Justice candidate, Labour’s majority was 17,705, and Mick Whitley, the veteran trade unionist elected in his place, was supported by 59% of the voters. However, its local profile is less monolithically Labour than the national figures might suggest. This is partially because of the tendency for Wirral seats to be more loyal to Labour in national than local elections, and this is no different here. However, the Conservatives are not the beneficiaries. The Prenton ward has elected Conservatives until the 1990’s, and from 1996-2010 elected a full Liberal Democrat slate – it is more of a lower-middle class ward of semi-detached suburbia, rather more like neighbouring Bebington in Wirral South, but the Greens won convincingly in 2019 on a planning-related issue, with Labour remaining the nearest challengers. Prenton, on the Woodchurch Road towards Heswall, now has three Green Party councillors. Birkenhead - Pencadw in Welsh, from "birch tree" - is perhaps a case study for a prominent industrial town living in the shadow of a supercity as it does with Liverpool. Wirral Council - its etymology also Welsh - is currently trying to reinvigorate the area, in some ways through the Wirral Waters project, in other ways by allowing the demolition of the House of Fraser without any significant plans in place. Surrounding the tumbledown town centre are signs of where the money used to be - grand buildings, the huge Birkenhead Park, ornate architecture, the spaghetti of railway lines both busy (Merseyrail connects the town with Liverpool and Chester) and not so (the docks lines are either rusting into the ground or lie under the car parks of retail parks). One name is inextricably linked to Birkenhead, veteran Labour MP Frank Field. He was tasked with "thinking the unthinkable" about welfare under Prime Minister Tony Blair. The conclusion is that he did, and was sacked for doing so. His later career was not without saying the generally unsaid, such as this on immigration: While Birkenhead is proud of its separate identity – Tranmere fans chant ‘we are not Scousers, we’re from Birkenhead’ – the accent here is certainly Liverpool, the industrial history is connected strongly to the maritime industries, and the recent economic decline of Birkenhead also reflects the city it faces. Frank Field was elected to replace Edmund Dell, who left the party to join the SDP and later the Liberal Democrats, and Field himself pursued an ever more maverick path within the party, notably on the EU and immigration policy, finally resigning the whip in 2018. However there was always both a determined independence in him and a desire to limit the role of the state in benefit and pension provision which made him an uncomfortable contributor on the subjects that he knew best. Nearby Wallasey sometimes surprises people by being so green, leafy, and moneyed. There are hints in the suburbs of Birkenhead of this too, what you might call the "shadows of Cheshire". But the Mersey can sometimes be considered more of a barrier to this side of the Wirral than the Thames is to London, and it's no surprise to hear that Birkenhead is insular and inward looking. Other parts of this seat may not be that unfamiliar to casual readers. Tranmere is home to the only significant football team on Wirral, and Rock Ferry gave the name to Duffy's debut album. Arrowe Park, home to the nearest major hospital, is on the very western fringe (though, note on compass points, I'm often unsure quite what constitutes "West" on a peninsula jutting out at such an angle between England and Wales). 2011 CensusAge 65+ 15.7% 402/650 Owner-occupied 52.9% 562/650 Private rented 20.5% 117/650 Social rented 24.7% 115/650 White 95.8% 294/650 Black 0.2% 501/650 Asian 2.6% 329/650 Managerial & professional 23.7% Routine & Semi-routine 32.8% Degree level 19.9% 516/650 No qualifications 27.8% 149/650 Students 6.9% 306/650 2021 Census Owner occupied 51.1% 490/573 Private rented 24.8% 113/573 Social rented 24.1% 77/573 White 93.2% Black 0.7% Asian 3.5% Managerial & professional 25.9% 473/573 Routine & Semi-routine 29.5% 103/573 Degree level 26.6% 441/573 No qualifications 21.6% 136/573 General Election 2019: Birkenhead [/b][/div] Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Mick Whitley 24,990 59.0 -17.9 [/i][/div] Birkenhead Social Justice Frank Field 7,285 17.2 N/A Conservative Claire Rowles 5,540 13.1 -5.3 Liberal Democrats Stuart Kelly 1,620 3.8 +1.2 Brexit Party Darren Lythgoe 1,489 3.5 N/A Green Pat Cleary 1,405 3.3 +1.1
Lab Majority 17,705 41.8 -16.7 [/i][/div] Turnout 42,329 66.4 -1.3 Labour hold [/quote] 2019 Notional result on new boundaries (gains Bebington) [/div] | Lab | 30841 | 59.8% | | Con | 8015 | 15.5% | | BSJ | 7285 | 14.1% | | LD | 2098 | 4.1% | | BxP | 1741 | 3.4% | | Grn | 1585 | 3.1% | |
[/td][td] [/td][td] [/td][/tr][tr][td] Majority [/td][td] 22826 [/td][td] 44.3% [/td][/tr][/tbody][/table][/div] [/quote] [/div][/quote] Penbedw, not Pencadw, surely? |
|
|
|
Post by doktorb🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️ on Jan 29, 2024 13:43:13 GMT
This is based on content from Merseymike , Pete Whitehead , matureleft , hengo , Robert Waller and myselfThis is a safe Labour seat. However, its electoral history is more interesting than most of the parliamentary results indicate. The seat consists of the town of Birkenhead, renowned for its shipbuilding history, and some surrounding suburbs – there is nothing in this seat which could really be called a ‘village’, and in many ways it is much more like the inner areas of Liverpool which it faces across the Mersey. Even in 2019, when its longstanding former Labour MP Frank Field stood as an Independent, under the banner of the Birkenhead Social Justice candidate, Labour’s majority was 17,705, and Mick Whitley, the veteran trade unionist elected in his place, was supported by 59% of the voters. However, its local profile is less monolithically Labour than the national figures might suggest. This is partially because of the tendency for Wirral seats to be more loyal to Labour in national than local elections, and this is no different here. However, the Conservatives are not the beneficiaries. The Prenton ward has elected Conservatives until the 1990’s, and from 1996-2010 elected a full Liberal Democrat slate – it is more of a lower-middle class ward of semi-detached suburbia, rather more like neighbouring Bebington in Wirral South, but the Greens won convincingly in 2019 on a planning-related issue, with Labour remaining the nearest challengers. Prenton, on the Woodchurch Road towards Heswall, now has three Green Party councillors.
Birkenhead - Pencadw in Welsh, from "birch tree" - is perhaps a case study for a prominent industrial town living in the shadow of a supercity as it does with Liverpool. Wirral Council - its etymology also Welsh - is currently trying to reinvigorate the area, in some ways through the Wirral Waters project, in other ways by allowing the demolition of the House of Fraser without any significant plans in place. Surrounding the tumbledown town centre are signs of where the money used to be - grand buildings, the huge Birkenhead Park, ornate architecture, the spaghetti of railway lines both busy (Merseyrail connects the town with Liverpool and Chester) and not so (the docks lines are either rusting into the ground or lie under the car parks of retail parks).
One name is inextricably linked to Birkenhead, veteran Labour MP Frank Field. He was tasked with "thinking the unthinkable" about welfare under Prime Minister Tony Blair. The conclusion is that he did, and was sacked for doing so. His later career was not without saying the generally unsaid, such as this on immigration:
While Birkenhead is proud of its separate identity – Tranmere fans chant ‘we are not Scousers, we’re from Birkenhead’ – the accent here is certainly Liverpool, the industrial history is connected strongly to the maritime industries, and the recent economic decline of Birkenhead also reflects the city it faces. Frank Field was elected to replace Edmund Dell, who left the party to join the SDP and later the Liberal Democrats, and Field himself pursued an ever more maverick path within the party, notably on the EU and immigration policy, finally resigning the whip in 2018. However there was always both a determined independence in him and a desire to limit the role of the state in benefit and pension provision which made him an uncomfortable contributor on the subjects that he knew best.
Nearby Wallasey sometimes surprises people by being so green, leafy, and moneyed. There are hints in the suburbs of Birkenhead of this too, what you might call the "shadows of Cheshire". But the Mersey can sometimes be considered more of a barrier to this side of the Wirral than the Thames is to London, and it's no surprise to hear that Birkenhead is insular and inward looking.
Other parts of this seat may not be that unfamiliar to casual readers. Tranmere is home to the only significant football team on Wirral, and Rock Ferry gave the name to Duffy's debut album. Arrowe Park, home to the nearest major hospital, is on the very western fringe (though, note on compass points, I'm often unsure quite what constitutes "West" on a peninsula jutting out at such an angle between England and Wales).
[/b][/div] Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Mick Whitley 24,990 59.0 -17.9 [/i][/div] Birkenhead Social Justice Frank Field 7,285 17.2 N/A Conservative Claire Rowles 5,540 13.1 -5.3 Liberal Democrats Stuart Kelly 1,620 3.8 +1.2 Brexit Party Darren Lythgoe 1,489 3.5 N/A Green Pat Cleary 1,405 3.3 +1.1
Lab Majority 17,705 41.8 -16.7 [/i][/div] Turnout 42,329 66.4 -1.3 Labour hold [/quote] 2019 Notional result on new boundaries (gains Bebington) [/div] | Lab | 30841 | 59.8% | | Con | 8015 | 15.5% | | BSJ | 7285 | 14.1% | | LD | 2098 | 4.1% | | BxP | 1741 | 3.4% | | Grn | 1585 | 3.1% | |
[/td][td] [/td][td] [/td][/tr][tr][td] Majority [/td][td] 22826 [/td][td] 44.3% [/td][/tr][/tbody][/table][/div] [/quote] [/div][/quote] Penbedw, not Pencadw, surely? [/quote] That's what I typed, didn't notice it had changed (I've got Welsh as one of my keyboard languages, so that's autocorrect in another language!) |
|
|
|
Post by doktorb🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️ on Jan 29, 2024 13:46:29 GMT
I pressed quote and it's broken, so it's not me, it has to be Proboards.
|
|
|
|
Post by Pete Whitehead on Jan 29, 2024 13:47:24 GMT
Birkenhead - Pencadw in Welsh, from "birch tree" - is perhaps a case study for a prominent industrial town living in the shadow of a supercity as it does with Liverpool. Wirral Council - its etymology also Welsh - is currently trying to reinvigorate the area... Penbedw, not Pencadw, surely? You know its possible to post a reply to a post without quoting the whole thing right? I can't find any evidence that either the names of Birkenhad or Wirral are Welsh in origin. Wikipedia (not an infallible source of course) indicate both are from Old English "The name Birkenhead probably means "headland overgrown with birch", from the Old English bircen meaning birch tree" "The name Wirral literally means "myrtle corner", from the Old English wir, a myrtle tree, and heal, an angle, corner or slope." |
|
|
|
Post by doktorb🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️ on Jan 29, 2024 13:57:30 GMT
Liscard is likely from llys-carreg, the "combe" in Seacombe likely from Celtic "Cwm", Landican (the cemetery) could be from Llan-saints name.
|
|
|
|
Post by Robert Waller on Jan 29, 2024 14:44:31 GMT
2021 Census, new boundariesAge 65+ 18.4% 319/575 Owner occupied 54.4% 464/575 Private rented 23.1% 142/575 Social rented 22.5% 99/575 White 93.6% 226/575 Black 0.6% 315/575 Asian 3.3% 414/575 Managerial & professional 27.6% 434/575 Routine & Semi-routine 28.4% 120/575 Degree level 27.9% 398/575 No qualifications 20.6% 165/575 Students 6.0% 239/575
Boundary ChangesBirkenhead consists of 100% of Birkenhead 20.8% of Wirral South Mapboundarycommissionforengland.independent.gov.uk/review2023/9bc0b2ea-7915-4997-9d4a-3e313c0ceb51/north-west/North%20West_214_Birkenhead_Portrait.pdf2019 Notional result on new boundaries (Rallings & Thrasher)| Lab | 31056 | 60.0% | | Con | 8063 | 15.6% | | BSJ | 7285 | 14.1% | | LD | 2062 | 4.0% | | BxP | 1744 | 3.4% | | Grn | 1552 | 3.0% |
| | | | Majority | 22993 | 44.4% |
|
|
hengog
Conservative
Posts: 1,438
|
Post by hengog on Jan 29, 2024 15:38:18 GMT
I would say Oxton would certainly qualify as a ‘village’ in the sense people use the term within large urban areas. 30 years ago it seemed to be in irreversible decline with its large houses being converted into cheap flats, high levels of crime etc. A friend of mine moved there- tempted by the house prices and the still attractive if crumbling surroundings. His renovation of a large five bedroom house was interrupted three times by break- ins, but eventually it paid off. The area is now once again very attractive with crime levels drastically reduced ,some good pubs and restaurants , including a Michelin star one, and it is a pleasant and interesting place to visit and walk around , especially if you have some kind of guide to the number of houses with fascinating histories and well known former residents. And house prices have reflected this transformation. Lib Dem territory.
|
|
|
|
Post by batman on Jan 29, 2024 17:54:22 GMT
Penbedw, not Pencadw, surely? You know its possible to post a reply to a post without quoting the whole thing right? I can't find any evidence that either the names of Birkenhad or Wirral are Welsh in origin. Wikipedia (not an infallible source of course) indicate both are from Old English "The name Birkenhead probably means "headland overgrown with birch", from the Old English bircen meaning birch tree" "The name Wirral literally means "myrtle corner", from the Old English wir, a myrtle tree, and heal, an angle, corner or slope." Birken- in place names always refers to a birch tree. It does also in the case of Birkenau. The weird singer Bjork's name is cognate with this & also means a birch tree. |
|
|
|
Post by froome on Jan 29, 2024 19:38:54 GMT
I would say Oxton would certainly qualify as a ‘village’ in the sense people use the term within large urban areas. 30 years ago it seemed to be in irreversible decline with its large houses being converted into cheap flats, high levels of crime etc. A friend of mine moved there- tempted by the house prices and the still attractive if crumbling surroundings. His renovation of a large five bedroom house was interrupted three times by break- ins, but eventually it paid off. The area is now once again very attractive with crime levels drastically reduced ,some good pubs and restaurants , including a Michelin star one, and it is a pleasant and interesting place to visit and walk around , especially if you have some kind of guide to the number of houses with fascinating histories and well known former residents. And house prices have reflected this transformation. Lib Dem territory. Yes, I have a friend who also did this, bought one of Oxton's huge 19th century terraced houses and spent much time renovating it amidst various break-ins. I suspect people from outside Birkenhead will be surprised to see the size of some of the houses there, a product of the town's maritime importance, including some of the buildings right in the town centre. I have fond memories of the ferry terminal at Woodside, which when I last visited (over 15 years ago now) was completely deserted, but had a pot of free real coffee sitting there for anybody waiting for the ferry to help themselves to. |
|
|
|
Post by johnloony on Jan 29, 2024 20:58:48 GMT
Annoyingly, the Guardian's notional results article includes Frank Field's outfit which won't stand this year New boundary Birkenhead Party Votes % Lab 60 Con 15.6 BSJP 14.1 Lib Dem 4 What's annoying about that?? It is the notional result of the last election when Frank Field did stand. Do you want them to rewrite history and pretend he didn't? There'll be loads of seats like this, with votes for parties who stood in 2019 but won't at the next election. What’s annoying about it is that Frank Field annoyingly and irresponsibly stood as a candidate in the 2019 election, thereby distorting the result of the election and therefore also distorting the basis from which the notional result is calculated for the purpose of preparing the 2024 election. If he had any proper understanding of what is socially responsible, he would have realised that the main purpose of the 2019 general election was to provide raw data for calculating the notional results for the new boundaries in 2024. |
|
|
|
Post by bjornhattan on Jan 29, 2024 21:47:43 GMT
I would say Oxton would certainly qualify as a ‘village’ in the sense people use the term within large urban areas. 30 years ago it seemed to be in irreversible decline with its large houses being converted into cheap flats, high levels of crime etc. A friend of mine moved there- tempted by the house prices and the still attractive if crumbling surroundings. His renovation of a large five bedroom house was interrupted three times by break- ins, but eventually it paid off. The area is now once again very attractive with crime levels drastically reduced ,some good pubs and restaurants , including a Michelin star one, and it is a pleasant and interesting place to visit and walk around , especially if you have some kind of guide to the number of houses with fascinating histories and well known former residents. And house prices have reflected this transformation. Lib Dem territory. Yes, I have a friend who also did this, bought one of Oxton's huge 19th century terraced houses and spent much time renovating it amidst various break-ins. I suspect people from outside Birkenhead will be surprised to see the size of some of the houses there, a product of the town's maritime importance, including some of the buildings right in the town centre. I have fond memories of the ferry terminal at Woodside, which when I last visited (over 15 years ago now) was completely deserted, but had a pot of free real coffee sitting there for anybody waiting for the ferry to help themselves to. My visit to Birkenhead was very much fleeting: mostly to get a better view of the Three Graces which are far better appreciated from this side of the river! But I liked much of what I saw, and Hamilton Square in particular impressed me; it felt more like what you'd find in the centre of Edinburgh (or in some other grand city) than what you'd expect in Birkenhead. Sadly the same can't be said for some of the streets nearby... it's quite stark just how quickly things do change as you walk around town. |
|
|
|
Post by doktorb🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️ on Jan 29, 2024 21:54:53 GMT
Yes, I have a friend who also did this, bought one of Oxton's huge 19th century terraced houses and spent much time renovating it amidst various break-ins. I suspect people from outside Birkenhead will be surprised to see the size of some of the houses there, a product of the town's maritime importance, including some of the buildings right in the town centre. I have fond memories of the ferry terminal at Woodside, which when I last visited (over 15 years ago now) was completely deserted, but had a pot of free real coffee sitting there for anybody waiting for the ferry to help themselves to. My visit to Birkenhead was very much fleeting: mostly to get a better view of the Three Graces which are far better appreciated from this side of the river! But I liked much of what I saw, and Hamilton Square in particular impressed me; it felt more like what you'd find in the centre of Edinburgh (or in some other grand city) than what you'd expect in Birkenhead. Sadly the same can't be said for some of the streets nearby... it's quite stark just how quickly things do change as you walk around town. I've visited there more times since meeting my partner than at any other time in my life combined and recognise exactly what you mean. There are some beautiful buildings and then.... the Pyramids, the old man's boozers, the scrappy looking terraces, all boxed in my the ill advised concrete bypasses. Drive a little further out and everything starts to look prettier, suburban, smart again. It's a pocket of potential linked to a city of endless ambition but I doubt it'll ever pick itself up for years yet. |
|
|
|
Post by froome on Jan 29, 2024 22:00:22 GMT
Hamilton Square is pretty stunning, but Birkenhead Park is even more so. It is huge, and is of great historic interest, but many of the streets close by are exceedingly poor.
The Wirral as a whole is one of stark contrasts.
|
|
|
|
Post by Pete Whitehead on Jan 30, 2024 13:21:30 GMT
What's annoying about that?? It is the notional result of the last election when Frank Field did stand. Do you want them to rewrite history and pretend he didn't? There'll be loads of seats like this, with votes for parties who stood in 2019 but won't at the next election. What’s annoying about it is that Frank Field annoyingly and irresponsibly stood as a candidate in the 2019 election, thereby distorting the result of the election and therefore also distorting the basis from which the notional result is calculated for the purpose of preparing the 2024 election. If he had any proper understanding of what is socially responsible, he would have realised that the main purpose of the 2019 general election was to provide raw data for calculating the notional results for the new boundaries in 2024. I don't think it's too much of an issue here where the whole of the old seat is contained in the new one and in any case its a boringly safe Labour seat. David Gauke is much more culpable for not only messing up the result for SW Herts in 2019 but skewing the notional results of two new constituencies. |
|
2019 Notional result on new boundaries (gains Bebington)[/div]
2011 Census
