were granted first rights to establish a strategically important ‘Ferry across the Mersey’ by royal charter. Birkenhead also boasts the world’s oldest publiclyfunded civic park, designed by Joseph Paxton, which forms the basis for the design of Central Park in New York. From coast to coast, Wirral holds diverse points of interest. On its north coast is historic Leasowe, home to Britain’s oldest brick-built lighthouse, where Britain’s first female lighthouse keeper lived and worked. On its west coast are the Hilbre Tidal Islands, overlooking one of Europe’s most critical wildfowl estuaries. The area is a site of scientific interest, where it is common for coastal walkers to see grey seals at rest and play. Knowsley The borough of Knowsley is probably best known for its famous Safari Park, situated in the old acreage of the stately home of Knowsley Hall – the ancestral home of the Earls of Derby since the reign of Henry VII. Knowsley Hall is a Grade II listed building and popular events venue. However, the region is also made up of many unique towns and villages.
St Helens Golf Club has a proud history dating back to 1973, and the region hosts both national and international powerboating competitions at Carr Mill Dam. The Powerboat Racing Club, established in 1923, is based there.
For those looking for a more gentle introduction to boating, Pennington Flashes Local Nature Reserve boasts calm lakes surrounded by quintessential northern vistas. 5 species of RSPB red list birds can be spotted there alongside a host of other wildlife, including the endangered and enigmatic water vole. Wirral
In Prescot, the Shakespeare North Playhouse has been built to house a 470 seat timber Elizabethanstyle theatre to host a mixture of classical and contemporary performances. Audiences and artists can come together in its open spaces to create vivid and visceral ways of seeing the world. Every summer Knowsley hosts the largest free horticultural show in the North West in a bloom of colour and creativity. Its enchanting annual Flower Show has over 120 different categories that are competed for, as well hosting a circus show and farmers market to delight all ages. The Region of Merseyside
‘The Wirral’ as it is known by locals is a borough of many proud and enduring firsts. Birkenhead, in the region’s east, is home to Merseyside’s oldest standing building – a priory dating from the twelfth century. The resident monks
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