Hooton To West Kirby Railway Line - Thurstaston, UK - UK Historical Markers on Waymarking.com

The information board stands next to a road bridge that crossed the railway line at the end of railway platforms of the former Thurstaston Railway Station. It is supported by 6 old railway line sleepers.

The board was erected in 2015 to celebrate the installation of a short new footpath and the renaming of the bridge.

The last train ran along the Hooton to West Kirby Branch Line in May 1962. The Parkgate to West Kirby section of the line had only been in service since 1886 when the Hooton to Parkgate Line constructed 20 years earlier, was extended. Run jointly by the London and North Western Railway Company and the Great Western Railway Company, and known as the Birkenhead Joint Railway. It connected with the Wirral Line which travelled along the north coast to Birkenhead. The extension in 1886 meant that Birkenhead was connected to Hooton which in turn provided a connection to London. The line serviced many farms along the west coast of Wirral but operators may have expected greater passenger numbers, especially after a local landowner insisted that a substantial station be built at Thurstaston perhaps in the belief that the area would develop into a bustling seaside resort with cafes and shops and access to a bathing beach. However, the railway wasn't able to compete with improvements to roads and use of motor cars and the passenger service on the line stopped on the 15th of September 1956 — although on July 11th 1957 the Royal Train carried the Queen along the branch line when she visited Wallasey.

The Wirral Way forms the 'backbone' of Wirral Country Park. Officially opened in 1973 the park was the first designated Country Park in Britain created under the terms of the Countryside Act 1968 which allowed local authorities to purchase land for "the conservation and enhancement of natural beauty and for the benefit of those resorting to The countryside".

This old photograph of Thurstaston Station, taken from the bridge, shows the pine trees opposite the main station buildings. The pine trees are still there, as well as the railway platforms and the first few brick courses of the waiting room that can just be seen under the pines. In this photograph the train tracks can be seen bending around to the left at the end of the platform. This is where the 'island' in the car park is today and where the remains of the train sidings and track buffer can been seen.

Max Kirby Bridge

This path at Wirral Country Park that links the overflow car park to the Wirral Way and continues to the Visitor Centre was paid for by the Wirral Footpaths and Open Spaces Preservation Society in memory of Max Kirby, a past President of Wirral Footpaths Society who died in 2014 at the age of 92. Always a lover of the countryside, Max joined the Society in 1984 as Footpath Inspector for South Wirral. His seemingly endless energy and enthusiasm saw him walking all the footpaths in his area at least once a year, attending stakeholder meetings and producing walks leaflets which were sold to raise funds for the Society. Max went_ on to produce two booklets — Walking on Wirral Footpaths and Walking on South Wirral Footpaths. With each book giving detailed descriptions of 20 walks, Max helped countless visitors experience some of the delights of Wirral. Max also served the Society as Publicity Officer and Map Librarian. In 2000 he was made President, a position he held until his death. In 2007 the Wirral Society presented him with the Keith Davidson Award as Wirral's Environmentalist of the Year. Ever generous, Max donated his prize money, dividing it between the Footpaths Society sculpture trail project in Eastham Country Park and the Willaston Wildflower Meadow. Multi-talented Max was a keen photographer and painter and some of Max's watercolours have been turned into greetings cards and so even now he continues to be a fundraiser for the Society! The path is fully accessible for prams, pushchairs, wheelchairs and bikes. Previously, visitors had to cross Station Road to access the Wirral Way and access to the Visitor Centre was only possible from access at one end of the old railway platform. 'We think Max would be delighted to have a bridge on the Wirral Way named after him especially the one that is part of the new access. Wirral Footpaths and Open Spaces Preservation Society was founded in 1888 to 'preserve, maintain and defend Wirral's footpaths and open spaces. 127 years later we are still going strong — and the creation of this new access route shows that we have modern concerns which are very much at the heart of what we do'. For more information on the Society visit: www.wirralfootpaths.org.uk

This new access to the Wirral Way was
officially opened by the
Wirral Footpaths and Open
Spaces Preservation Society
on
17th October 2015

Type of Historic Marker: Stand alone information board. Historical Marker Issuing Authority: Wirral Footpaths and Open Spaces Preservation Society Give your Rating: Age/Event Date: Not listed Related Website: Not listed

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