History

Up to the 19th century this area had a reputation of smuggling, wrecking and secret underground tunnels used by ruthless people like Old Mother Redcap and her gang.

New Brighton held a strategic position at the entrance to the Mersey Estuary and so in 1829 work was completed on The Perch Rock Battery, complete with 18 mounted guns, the Battery was a coastal defense and completely cut off at high tide. The Battery now called Fort Perch Rock has been used for many years as a live music venue, it also houses a archelogical and avaiation museum.

New Brighton has been a seaside resort for over 200 years.

It was created and named by Liverpool merchant, James Atherton in 1830 as a seaside retreat for the gentry. In the latter half of the 19th century it developed into a popular seaside resort for the surrounding industrial towns.

The New Brighton Tower was opened in 1900, standing 544 tall and manufactured in the style of the world famous Eiffel Tower. The Tower attracted over 500,000 visitors a year in it's heyday and featured one of the largest ballrooms in the world. Sadly due to the war, the Tower became neglected and was finally dismantled in 1921.

The Ballroom remained and continued as a major venue hosting many concerts in the 1950's and 1960's, many stars performed there including a band called 'The Beatles'. Disaster struck the Ballroom in 1969 when it was destroyed by fire.

New Brighton also had one of Europe's largest outdoor swimming pools, opened in 1934, covering 4.5 acres, it held 4000 bathers and 20,000 spectators and was the venue for the 'Miss New Brighton' bathing contest. In 1990 hurricane force winds severely damaged the walls of the pool, costing too much to repair, the pool was demolished.

For many years people have continued to visit New Brighton even though it became a pale reflection of it's earlier years.

Now New Brighton has a chance to shine again, thanks to a £65m investment by NWDA and a further £24m from the HSBC Bank. Wirral Borough Council and Neptune Developments are working together to make New Brighton a stunning waterfront location.

Phase One has been completed, the Floral Pavillion has had an £11m upgrade and is now a state of the art Theatre and Conference Centre.

Phase Two has began and will create a new open-air bathing pool, a gym complex, one of the country's first digital cinemas boasting six screens and 1,000 seats, a new mini boating lakefor model boats, a new marine lake including boat and club house facilities, a 66 bed hotel for a major hotel chain and additional Restaurants.

See the Regeneration Page for a sneak preview.