Local History
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During the early 1800's the various merchants and others of the area thought the Port of Liverpool should be guarded and when the old perch Rock Light was washed away the authorities thought of the idea of having a fortified lighthouse, or having a fort, which would contain a lighthouse. It was finally agreed to have two separate constructions at a meeting held on 25th March 1825. The Perch Rock battery was completed in 1829. It mounted 18 guns, mostly 32 pounders, with 3 6" guns installed in 1899.
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New Brighton 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.
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Perch Rock, New Brighton Lighthouse, sits next to the fort, it was originally, a wooden "Perch", hence its name. A large post held a light on top and was supported by a sort of tripod. It was erected on the Black Rock in 1683 by the Liverpool Corporation.
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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.
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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 last shone its light on 1st October 1973 as it was no longer needed on account of the radar system operating in the River.
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New Brighton Bathing Pool was opened on 13th June 1934 by Lord Leverhulme at a cost of £103,240 it was the largest aquatic stadium the world. 12,000 people attended the opening.
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The storms in February, 1990 with hurricane force winds of almost 100 mph caused very severe damage to the Pool when seas forced a hole into the foundations of the Northwest corner of the complex causing the upper structure to cave in. With the cost of about £4 million to repair the damage it was decided by the authorities to demolish the building. In 2010 work commenced to redevelop the site.
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The New Brighton Ferry is part of New Brighton itself. It was founded by James Atherton and his son-in-law, William Rowson in 1830. In 1965 there were problems on account of the sand so boats were unable to berth at low water. There was also a big drop in the number of passengers from Liverpool and the ferry closed. The last boat sailed from New Brighton on 26th September 1971. The Ministry of Transport gave permission to close the ferry and the landing-stage was removed in 1973 and towed away to be broken up.