THE MAGAZINES
The Magazines is an area of New Brighton close to the sea with impressive views of the Mersey Estuary. There is a richness and diversity of historic and architectural interest within a small area. The core of the village is a small collection of buildings that dates back to the 17th century which formed a small fishing village close to the edge of the estuary. It also features some eye-catchingly individual developments from the Victorian period. Vale Park dates back to early 19th century as Liscard Common before opening as a park in 1899.
The core of the village of the Magazines is a small collection of buildings dating back to Jacobean times and forming a small fishing village close to the edge of the estuary. To the north is Vale Park: a piece of common land, which was later, enclosed to form a public park. Surrounding these two elements is a profusion of buildings that represents a fairly sustained phase of urban development and re-development in the period 1850 to almost the present day. In addition, the area contains a series of interesting landmarks and spaces that add further interest. The strong character of the area thus derives not from any particular set of buildings, but from the rich mixture of different building styles and the valuable amenity of the area’s various open spaces.
As the port of Liverpool began to expand rapidly in the seventeenth century objections were raised in relation to the storage of ships’ gunpowder (which was required to be unloaded before the ships went into their berth) in the Brownlow Hill area of the city, due to the pressure for development and parochial safety concerns. The Port of Liverpool purchased the site close to Liscard Vale and constructed the underground chambers of the powder magazines which were reportedly well used during the century of their operation from 1751 to 1851. In the latter year, because of increasing disquiet about the large volumes of powder being stored on the site and its proximity to new housing, the magazines were moved to floating hulks further down the estuary between New Ferry and Eastham. The magazine site later came to be occupied by properties in Lichfield Street and Aylesbury Road.
In 1858, because of the strategic position of the village which looked over the estuary towards the docks of north Liverpool, it was decided to construct the Liscard Battery, complete with a small garrison colony, on a site overlooking the seafront. However, it soon became clear that the fortification at Fort Perch Rock at the New Brighton headland would provide sufficient security for the entrance to the Mersey estuary ports. The battery was finally abandoned in 1912 after long years of disuse. The central piece of above-ground archaeology is undoubtedly the imposing gates of the Liscard Battery. There are no scheduled ancient monuments within the appraisal area, and the Battery entrance is the sole listed building grade II. The interior of the battery is now largely covered by 1930s development, whilst the stone walled boundary of the battery is largely complete.
From the middle of the nineteenth century several waves of new mass construction in and around this (and the other seaside towns) of the Wirral engulfed the village and changed it from a unitary settlement into a part of the extensive Wallasey conurbation. Importantly, the village core of the Magazines was not swept away by these new developments – the older buildings and road patterns were absorbed into the expanding networks of streets and terraces which catered for everyone from the lower- to the upper middle classes. By the middle of the twentieth century virtually the whole area was covered by domestic housing.
Vale Park. This land is the area’s premier open space for outdoor recreation. Its network of sinuous paths lead down to the promenade, bordered by a series of planted mature trees and shrubs.It appears on maps of the area dating back to the early nineteenth century as Liscard Common – an area of common land later parcelled off into private hands and renamed Liscard Vale. In 1898 the land was bought by the Council in order to create a park for the enjoyment of the area’s burgeoning population. Vale Park opened in 1899, and its original borders remain today. The park contains Vale House, constructed circa 1830, and later extended. Charles Holland, a Liverpool merchant, who travelled widely, gathering botanical specimens that were planted in the park, owned it for fifty years. This planting has helped to create a high degree of arboreal diversity
Following the departure of the Holland family, Vale House accommodated park staff and was restored in 1993 as part of its conversion into a community centre and cafe. The cafe is well used today and acts as a meeting place within the park. Vale Park is listed as a Site of Biological Interest.
The bandstand was constructed in 1926 to the design of Zwinger, and the ground sloping down to it creates a semi-natural auditorium where a variety of concerts are held in the summer months.
Magazine Promenade. The promenade was constructed in the 1890s as it was extended from Seacombe to New Brighton. The amenity of the promenade is very much enhanced through the designation of the Wirral Coastal Route Cycleway which prohibits vehicular traffic. Prior to demolition in 1920 the northern section of the promenade would have been dominated by the 621 ft. high steel lattice of New Brighton Tower. Between Holland and Dalmorton Roads, in between the terraces of housing and the promenade, lies a buffer of grass sward which gives the promenade a greener aspect and adds to the impression of space. The height of the sea wall has also been raised in recent years to include a wave wall whose purpose is to force water back into the sea and prevent it from inundating the sea frontage through the rapid drainage of sea spray.
As noted there are virtually no buildings of sufficient quality to justify statutory listing within the area, but many important buildings that add real richness and interest to it. Nos. 17-21 Magazine Brow are highly significant. They are made of traditional materials – thick stone walls and slate roofs, with stone quoins and sills. They are bounded by a notable low stone wall which has moulded stone copings. The buildings are likely to date from the C18th or early C19th, and some retain historic windows. Their picturesque appeal is enhanced by their front gardens, and a set of mounting steps is integrated into the wall of one cottage.
Because of their early origins within the settlement, nos. 21-27 Magazine Brow are identified in the historic Environment Record as structures of Archaeological Importance, as is no. 110 Vale Drive (The Roundhouse).
The Magazine Hotel is a highly significant building in terms of both its historic and social value within the area. It is a three-storey rendered building, painted white, and a date-stone reading 1759 (re-sited on the later bays) is likely to be a fair representation of the present building’s date of construction. The building faces the sea and is very much linked to it through the custom that it brought, and the fact that many businessmen met here socially or conducted their port-related business informally.
Marine Terrace, nos. 13 & 14, are typical late Georgian villas and are significant because of their early date of construction (circa 1820-1830). The Round House is one of the most striking buildings in the area, and is reputed to have acted as a watch for the Magazines themselves, which once lay directly adjacent. The round structure is built of sandstone, whitewashed & rendered, whilst the impressive conical roof is covered by fish-tiled slates. The whole structure is a local landmark.
On the promenade, at the foot of Magazine Lane, is the Grade II listed War Memorial, unveiled in 1921 by Lord Derby. Originally erected to commemorate the First World War, the names of those killed in WWII were added later. It bears the figures of three service men and was designed and sculpted by the notable Scottish sculptor, William Bernie Rhind, eldest son of the sculptor, John Rhind. Born in Edinburgh, William Rhind’s best known works are his war memorials to the Royal Scots Greys, Black Watch and Kings Own Scottish Borderers – all to be found in his native city. The setting of the monument is important, being sited on the promenade close to Vale Park, the east wall of the battery provides a fitting backdrop to the structure.
Also on the promenade is Dr Poggi’s Shelter, a cast iron shelter, with Minton style tiles and a blue plaque. It marks the spot where the Italian born Dr Domenico Giuseppe Poggi (1811-1880) kept a school, New Brighton College. The school was attended by at least one of Garibaldi’s sons and burned down in 1862. There were no casualties and Dr Poggi went on to become headmaster of Audlem Grammar School.
Vale Park Bandstand was built in 1926 to the design of Zwinger. Though striking its circular form blends into the verdant surroundings of the park. Its distinctive domed roof is supported on Doric columns, and although the regular appearance of brass bands is now a far more sporadic phenomenon, the structure still provides the setting for a diverse programme of music at fetes in the summer months. The names of classical composers are inscribed around the base of the dome in elongated gold lettering, also including Arthur Sullivan – famous for his light operatic compositions that together with W.S. Gilbert’s lyrics provided popular entertainment in the Victorian period. For a map of the Conservation Area click here.
