A Day at New Brighton

Fusion_UK

A day spent in New Brighton near Liverpool, Merseyside UK. All images taken with a Kodak DCS 620c plus a Tamron 24 - 85mm f3.3 Zoom lens. I wandered around whilst my wife and her friends collected cockles from the beach which they do at least once a week.

New Brighton unfortunately is a shadow of its former self, situated on the very tip of the Wirral Peninsula, only the River Mersey separates this small once bustling seaside resort from the great city of Liverpool. Although money has been made available to the town from European grants progress on the revitalization of the town remains slow. The aim of these pages is to look back and remember New Brighton as it was in the 19th century and early part of the 20th century, when thousands flocked to this resort for holidays and day trips.

The foundation stone of the new lighthouse was laid on 8th June 1827 by Thomas Littledale, Mayor of Liverpool. It was designed on the lines of Eddystone by Mr. Foster and built of marble rock from Anglesey by Tomkinson & Company. It rises 90 feet above the rocks and is considered to be a masterpiece of craftsmanship. The granite cost 1/6d a cubic foot.

Each piece of stone is interlocked into the next. The whole stonework, when finished , was coated with what is known as "Puzzellani" a volcanic substance from Mount Etna which, with age, becomes rock hard. The first 45 feet is solid. A spiral staircase leads to where the keeper lived and then on to the lantern house. The revolving light was said to be the first in the country. It cost £27,500 to construct.

The Lighthouse In Use

Work was only possible at low tide and it was not completed until 1830. Its first light shone on the 1st March of that year and consisted of two white flashes, followed by one red, with a range of 14 miles. The light was 77 feet above the half-tide level. It was eventually electrically connected to the mainland.

The Lighthouse last shone its light on 1st October 1973 as it was no longer needed on account of the radar system operating in the River.



My friend Tony surveys the River Mersey from the beach below the lighthouse. We often go out shooting together...







Looking across the River Mersey toward Liverpool in the distance.



The Sea Defenses.



The lighthouse and Fort Perch Rock.



The fort covers about 4,000 square yards and is constructed of mainly red sandstone which came largely from the Runcorn Quarries, it was floated down the Mersey and unloaded when the tide was out. Because the stone was soft it had to be left to be weathered.
The walls were originally 24 feet and 29 feet high, but these,in some cases, were heightened to almost 32 feet, facing the river side and the towers 40 feet high.
The fort had a slipway with three arches with drawbridge and a Tuscan portal bearing the Coat of Arms and the words "Fort Perch Rock". It was cut off at high tides from the mainland. The fort built on what was known as Black Rock, stood guard at the mouth of the river, shipping passing 950 yards from the battery.
The fort was armed with eighteen guns, of which sixteen were 32 pounders, mounted on platforms. Six were placed on the west front, two on the east and four on the north. Single guns were placed in the towers and along the angles. There were two small guns facing the causeway. There was accommodation for 100 men, with officers' quarters and kitchen. There were also storerooms and Magazine in the centre of the courtyard at a sunken level, with a hand-hiost for lifting the ammunition.











Hope you enjoy the pictures as much as I enjoyed the day. Ian :thumb

ian408

Sweet shots!

Love the lighthouse piccies. Looks like the keeper had a rough life. Especially
those weeks when the tide was higher than usual.

Ian

Fusion_UK

ian408 wrote:

Sweet shots!

Love the lighthouse piccies. Looks like the keeper had a rough life. Especially
those weeks when the tide was higher than usual.

Ian

Ian
Thanks for looking and your positive comment. New Brighton is a great place but has unfortunately suffered a decline in popularity since its heyday. Thanks again. Ian

Spagbag

I love #4 (footprints) and #10 (birds).

New Brighton - this is the place that Martin Parr famously photographed in his project, The Last Resort, isn't it?

It looks a lot more tranquil now.

Fusion_UK

Spagbag wrote:

I love #4 (footprints) and #10 (birds).

New Brighton - this is the place that Martin Parr famously photographed in his project, The Last Resort, isn't it?

It looks a lot more tranquil now.

Yep your right, martin did do a project for a book down there as I remember. Still can get a little busy at certain times of the year. Thanks for looking and your comments. Ian

petesopete

Plenty of great pictures, but this one is by far my favorite.