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Brimstage Hall, Brimstage
Brimstage village is over 1000 years old and is still relatively unspoilt. The tower of Brimstage Hall dates back to at least 1350, possibly 1175. The main part of the hall is 16th century. The outlying buildings have now been converted into craft shops and restaurants. |
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Thornton Hough
Thornton Hough's current appearance has its origins in the 1860s with the building developments of Huddersfield textile manufacturer Joseph Hirst, including All Saints church and vicarage. However, most is due to William Lever, who moved into Thornton Manor in 1888. The half-timbered houses, like those at Port Sunlight, are his inspiration, replacing pretty, though insanitary, thatched cottages. He was also responsible for St. George's church and many other buildings. So the present village, though set prettily around its green, is somewhat contrived. |
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Thornton Hough |
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Thornton Manor, Thornton Hough
William Hesketh Lever, founder of the soap factory at Port Sunlight (there's money in muck) moved to the original gothic-style 1840's house here in 1888 and purchased it in 1893. It was completely rebuilt in 1896-7 in the present curious blend of Elizabethan and Dutch. This is the start of the Lever Causeways, long tree-lined avenues constructed by William Lever to fast-track him from his country seat to Port Sunlight. |
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Thornton Manor Gatehouse, Thornton Hough |
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The Wheatsheaf, Raby
Tucked away in the tiny hamlet of Raby, the Wheatsheaf, known locally as The Thatch, is probably the oldest surviving pub in the Wirral. It dates back to 1611 as a pub, but it seems that there was a smallholding here with a license to brew and sell beer as early as the 13th century. The pub has been extended tastefully, but the bar area is complete with beams, old wooden partitions and settles and bags of atmosphere. |
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Old Cottage, Raby
This cottage, one of several very old buildings in Raby, dates from the early 17th century. |
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