In 1870-72, John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales described West Kirby like this:
KIRBY (West), a village, a township, and a parish in Wirral district, Cheshire. The village stands on the estuary of the Dee, 1¾ mile S by W of Hoylake r. station, and 7½ W by S of Birkenhead; is a small bathingplace; and has a post office under Birkenhead. The township comprises 440 acres of land and 2, 870 of water. ...
Real property, £1, 755. Pop., 413. Houses, 84. The parish contains also the townships of Hoose, Great Meolse, Little Meolse, Grange, Newton-cum-Larton, Frankby, Caldy, and nearly all Greasby. Acres, 34, 286; of which 28, 840 are water. Real property, with the rest of Greasby, £10, 146. Pop., 2, 059. Houses, 394. A vast proportion of the area, designated water, is foreshore, lying between the ebb and the flood of tides. The property is much subdivided. The Hoylake railway, opened in 1866, traverses the N, and terminates there. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Chester. Value, £500.* Patrons, the Dean and Chapter of Chester. The church is ancient; had, prior to 1780, nave, aisles, and chancel; was, in that year, badly altered; and, at a recent date, underwent interior renovations. The p. curacies of Hoylake and Frankby are separate benefices. There are a free gammar school, with £56 a year from endowment, and charities £66.
West Kirby through time
West Kirby is now part of Wirral district. Click here for graphs and data of how Wirral has changed over two centuries. For statistics about West Kirby itself, go to Units and Statistics.
GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, History of West Kirby, in Wirral and Cheshire | Map and description, A Vision of Britain through Time.
URL: https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/21169
Date accessed: 01st May 2024
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