Parkgate, Cheshire
Encyclopedia
Parkgate is a village on the Wirral Peninsula
, in the part that lies in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester
and the ceremonial county of Cheshire
, in the North West of England
. It is situated on the coastline of the River Dee
, adjoining 100 square kilometres of salt marsh
, separated by a sandstone
former sea wall.
At the 2001 Census
Parkgate had a population of 3,702.
(Chester
), had silted up
, in part by 383 AD, creating a need for a port further downstream. Quays were built, first at Burton and later near the small town of Neston
but further silting required yet another re-siting slightly further downstream near the gate of Neston's hunting park. Hence the settlement of Parkgate was born.
During the years when the port existed, two distinguished guests stayed in the local hostelries. One was Lord Nelson's mistress
, (Lady) Emma Hamilton, who was born in nearby Ness
and who used to bathe at Parkgate, apparently as a cure for a skin complaint. The other was Handel
who stayed in Parkgate before sailing to Dublin in April 1742 for the first performance of Messiah
. He had finished Messiah in the summer of 1741 and at most he could only have added minor touches to the work in Parkgate.
As the Dee silted up even further, Parkgate became unusable as a port and was superseded by the Port of Liverpool
, on the nearby River Mersey
. Towards the end of the eighteenth century Parkgate was popular as a seaside resort with baths. But this diminished as the sands of the estuary
were consumed with grass. With no beach and no direct access to the sea, Parkgate could manage only small subsistence from fishing and shrimp
s. The silting of the Dee has been accelerated by the deliberate introduction of the invasive colonizing grass Spartina anglica
in Connah's Quay
in 1928, resulting in the growth of extensive marshlands.
Mostyn House School, a striking black and white building, was opened in Parkgate in 1855. From 1862 until it closed in 2010, it was run by the Grenfell family, most recently as a co-educational day school. Sir Wilfred Grenfell
(1865–1940), famous medical missionary to Newfoundland and Labrador, was born in Parkgate and was a pupil at the school.
During the Second World War two of Parkgate's houses which both contained cellars were converted into shelters and used for public protection from the bombs. Small lights were placed on the marsh to trick the German bombers into thinking settlements were below.
After the war, Parkgate flourished as a highly desirable residential area. It became a conservation area
in 1973.
The Church of England
church of St. Thomas, Mostyn Square, reopened for worship in May 2010. Built in 1843, it had been closed since it was declared unsafe in 1994.
, sunsets and fresh local seafood, including shrimps and cockles.
During seasonal high tides the water reaches the sea wall, and visitors arrive at the village to witness the unusual sight. Bird watchers also come at this time to watch the birds usually hidden in the grasses of the marshland. In addition, bird watchers will regularly visit such locations as the Old Baths site, to the North of the village, from which many interesting species may be seen; watching from a vehicle can be carried out here. Current sightings are recorded daily on a local website which covers the whole Dee Estuary.
The marshlands of Parkgate are currently managed by The RSPB as part of the Dee Estuary Nature Reserve
Wirral Peninsula
Wirral or the Wirral is a peninsula in North West England. It is bounded by three bodies of water: to the west by the River Dee, forming a boundary with Wales, to the east by the River Mersey and to the north by the Irish Sea. Both terms "Wirral" and "the Wirral" are used locally , although the...
, in the part that lies in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester
Cheshire West and Chester
Cheshire West and Chester is a unitary authority area with borough status, in the ceremonial county of Cheshire. It was established in April 2009 as part of the 2009 structural changes to local government in England, by virtue of an order under the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health...
and the ceremonial county of Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
, in the North West of England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It is situated on the coastline of the River Dee
River Dee, Wales
The River Dee is a long river in the United Kingdom. It travels through Wales and England and also forms part of the border between the two countries....
, adjoining 100 square kilometres of salt marsh
Salt marsh
A salt marsh is an environment in the upper coastal intertidal zone between land and salt water or brackish water, it is dominated by dense stands of halophytic plants such as herbs, grasses, or low shrubs. These plants are terrestrial in origin and are essential to the stability of the salt marsh...
, separated by a sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
former sea wall.
At the 2001 Census
United Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....
Parkgate had a population of 3,702.
History
Parkgate was an important port from the start of the eighteenth century, in particular as an embarkation point for Ireland. The River Dee, which served as a shipping lane to the Roman city of DevaDeva Victrix
Deva Victrix, or simply Deva, was a legionary fortress and town in the Roman province of Britannia. The settlement evolved into Chester, the county town of Cheshire, England...
(Chester
Chester
Chester is a city in Cheshire, England. Lying on the River Dee, close to the border with Wales, it is home to 77,040 inhabitants, and is the largest and most populous settlement of the wider unitary authority area of Cheshire West and Chester, which had a population of 328,100 according to the...
), had silted up
Silt
Silt is granular material of a size somewhere between sand and clay whose mineral origin is quartz and feldspar. Silt may occur as a soil or as suspended sediment in a surface water body...
, in part by 383 AD, creating a need for a port further downstream. Quays were built, first at Burton and later near the small town of Neston
Neston, Cheshire
Neston is a small residential town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester. It is situated on the part of the Wirral Peninsula that remains in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. Parkgate is located to the north west and the villages of Little Neston and Ness...
but further silting required yet another re-siting slightly further downstream near the gate of Neston's hunting park. Hence the settlement of Parkgate was born.
Mistress (lover)
A mistress is a long-term female lover and companion who is not married to her partner; the term is used especially when her partner is married. The relationship generally is stable and at least semi-permanent; however, the couple does not live together openly. Also the relationship is usually,...
, (Lady) Emma Hamilton, who was born in nearby Ness
Ness, Cheshire
Ness is a village on the Wirral Peninsula, in the part that remains in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The village is situated near to the town of Neston, in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester...
and who used to bathe at Parkgate, apparently as a cure for a skin complaint. The other was Handel
George Frideric Handel
George Frideric Handel was a German-British Baroque composer, famous for his operas, oratorios, anthems and organ concertos. Handel was born in 1685, in a family indifferent to music...
who stayed in Parkgate before sailing to Dublin in April 1742 for the first performance of Messiah
Messiah (Handel)
Messiah is an English-language oratorio composed in 1741 by George Frideric Handel, with a scriptural text compiled by Charles Jennens from the King James Bible and the Book of Common Prayer. It was first performed in Dublin on 13 April 1742, and received its London premiere nearly a year later...
. He had finished Messiah in the summer of 1741 and at most he could only have added minor touches to the work in Parkgate.
As the Dee silted up even further, Parkgate became unusable as a port and was superseded by the Port of Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, on the nearby River Mersey
River Mersey
The River Mersey is a river in North West England. It is around long, stretching from Stockport, Greater Manchester, and ending at Liverpool Bay, Merseyside. For centuries, it formed part of the ancient county divide between Lancashire and Cheshire....
. Towards the end of the eighteenth century Parkgate was popular as a seaside resort with baths. But this diminished as the sands of the estuary
Estuary
An estuary is a partly enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea....
were consumed with grass. With no beach and no direct access to the sea, Parkgate could manage only small subsistence from fishing and shrimp
Shrimp
Shrimp are swimming, decapod crustaceans classified in the infraorder Caridea, found widely around the world in both fresh and salt water. Adult shrimp are filter feeding benthic animals living close to the bottom. They can live in schools and can swim rapidly backwards. Shrimp are an important...
s. The silting of the Dee has been accelerated by the deliberate introduction of the invasive colonizing grass Spartina anglica
Spartina anglica
Spartina anglica is a species of cordgrass that originated in southern England in about 1870. It is an allotetraploid species derived from the hybrid Spartina × townsendii, which arose when the European native cordgrass Spartina maritima hybridised with the introduced American Spartina...
in Connah's Quay
Connah's Quay
Connah's Quay is the largest town in Flintshire, North Wales, lying on the River Dee, near the border with England. It can be accessed by road from the A550, by rail from the nearby Shotton station and also lies on the National Cycle Network Route 5. It is situated near the region's industrial...
in 1928, resulting in the growth of extensive marshlands.
Mostyn House School, a striking black and white building, was opened in Parkgate in 1855. From 1862 until it closed in 2010, it was run by the Grenfell family, most recently as a co-educational day school. Sir Wilfred Grenfell
Wilfred Grenfell
Sir Wilfred Thomason Grenfell, KCMG was a medical missionary to Newfoundland and Labrador.He was born at Parkgate, Wirral, England, the son of Algernon Grenfell, headmaster of Mostyn House School, and Jane Georgiana Hutchison and married Anne Elizabeth Caldwell MacClanahan of Chicago, Illinois, in...
(1865–1940), famous medical missionary to Newfoundland and Labrador, was born in Parkgate and was a pupil at the school.
During the Second World War two of Parkgate's houses which both contained cellars were converted into shelters and used for public protection from the bombs. Small lights were placed on the marsh to trick the German bombers into thinking settlements were below.
After the war, Parkgate flourished as a highly desirable residential area. It became a conservation area
Conservation area
A conservation areas is a tract of land that has been awarded protected status in order to ensure that natural features, cultural heritage or biota are safeguarded...
in 1973.
The Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
church of St. Thomas, Mostyn Square, reopened for worship in May 2010. Built in 1843, it had been closed since it was declared unsafe in 1994.
Community
Still popular with tourists, it boasts bird watching, regionally famous homemade ice creamIce cream
Ice cream is a frozen dessert usually made from dairy products, such as milk and cream, and often combined with fruits or other ingredients and flavours. Most varieties contain sugar, although some are made with other sweeteners...
, sunsets and fresh local seafood, including shrimps and cockles.
During seasonal high tides the water reaches the sea wall, and visitors arrive at the village to witness the unusual sight. Bird watchers also come at this time to watch the birds usually hidden in the grasses of the marshland. In addition, bird watchers will regularly visit such locations as the Old Baths site, to the North of the village, from which many interesting species may be seen; watching from a vehicle can be carried out here. Current sightings are recorded daily on a local website which covers the whole Dee Estuary.
The marshlands of Parkgate are currently managed by The RSPB as part of the Dee Estuary Nature Reserve