Storeton
Encyclopedia
Storeton is a small village on the Wirral Peninsula
, England
. It is situated to the west of the town of Bebington
and is made up of Great Storeton and Little Storeton, which is classified as a hamlet
. At the 2001 Census
the population of Storeton was recorded as 150.
connections with Storeton, with the name deriving from the Old Norse
Stor-tún, meaning "great farmstead".
It has been thought that the poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
refers to Storeton Hall.
The village is mentioned in the Domesday Book
of 1085 as Stortone.
Storeton was a township in Bebington Parish of the Wirral Hundred. The population was 180 in 1801, 233 in 1851, 265 in 1901 and 325 in 1951.
In October 1944 an USAAF Liberator Bomber
number 42-50347 from the 445th Bomb Group exploded without explanation over the fields between Little Storeton and Landican
with the loss of all 24 servicemen on board. The loss included 15 commissioned officers who were being taxied back to Tibenham
after seeing more than 30 successful combat missions. In recent years a memorial stone has been erected by a local man who witnessed the aftermath of the crash as a teenager. The stone is coloured in the USAAF colours blue and yellow, with 24 yellow bricks each representing a life lost.
as there were concerns about the deteriorating condition of the woods and the possibility that the land might be bought by developers. The trust later also attempted to purchase the adjacent Hancock's Wood to extend the nature reserve by a further 25 acres (101,171.5 m²) but the deal with the Leverhulme estate fell through at the last minute. Although the offer remains open there is the concern that this could lead to the eventual development of the area of woodland for housing.
that was present since the times of the Roman
occupation. The quarries were up to 200 feet (61 m) deep at the beginning of the 20th century and, from the 19th century, a tramway (a single track, standard gauge railway) was used to transport stone to the quayside at Bromborough
. A portion of the tramway embankment still exists as footpath
and a section of the rails have been re-installed by the Bromborough Society. Some rails were embedded at a former level crossing on Rest Hill Road until 1979 when they were buried under a new layer of tarmac. The tramway ran along the southern border of the current woods, into Hancock's Wood and through a tunnel under Mount Road. It then ran in a sweeping curve to Bromborough.
Much of the route of the tramway can no longer be seen as it has been lost under housing development or levelled for the playing fields of Wirral Grammar School
but the present Quarry Road and Quarry Road East in Bebington follow the track of Storeton Tramway and the original tunnel under the Chester to Birkenhead railway line
is still in use as footpath opposite the end of Quarry Road East.
Most of the village is built from locally quarried stone from Storeton Ridge. The stone is a creamy sandstone
and was also used for cladding the Empire State Building
in New York
. Stone from the quarry has been used in many other buildings and constructions, including Birkenhead Town Hall
(located in Hamilton Square
) and Sankey Viaduct
in Cheshire
. The quarry was filled in with spoil from the excavation of the Queensway Tunnel
in the 1920s and the site is currently a tranquil nature reserve enjoyed by walkers.
The quarry was also the site of the discovery of dinosaur footprints, the species was named Chirotherium Storetonese
after the site of discovery. Examples of these footprints can be seen in World Museum Liverpool
in Liverpool
and the Williamson Art Gallery
in Birkenhead, and also in Christ church, Kings Road, Bebington.
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...
, 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 to the west of the town of Bebington
Bebington
Bebington is a small town and electoral ward within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, in Merseyside, England. It lies south of Liverpool and west southwest of Manchester, along the River Mersey on the eastern side of the Wirral Peninsula...
and is made up of Great Storeton and Little Storeton, which is classified as a hamlet
Hamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
. 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....
the population of Storeton was recorded as 150.
History
There are VikingViking
The term Viking is customarily used to refer to the Norse explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, explored and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia and the North Atlantic islands from the late 8th to the mid-11th century.These Norsemen used their famed longships to...
connections with Storeton, with the name deriving from the Old Norse
Old Norse
Old Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....
Stor-tún, meaning "great farmstead".
It has been thought that the poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a late 14th-century Middle English alliterative romance outlining an adventure of Sir Gawain, a knight of King Arthur's Round Table. In the poem, Sir Gawain accepts a challenge from a mysterious warrior who is completely green, from his clothes and hair to his...
refers to Storeton Hall.
The village is mentioned in the Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
of 1085 as Stortone.
Storeton was a township in Bebington Parish of the Wirral Hundred. The population was 180 in 1801, 233 in 1851, 265 in 1901 and 325 in 1951.
In October 1944 an USAAF Liberator Bomber
B-24 Liberator
The Consolidated B-24 Liberator was an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and a small number of early models were sold under the name LB-30, for Land Bomber...
number 42-50347 from the 445th Bomb Group exploded without explanation over the fields between Little Storeton and Landican
Landican
Landican is a hamlet on the Wirral Peninsula, England. It is situated on the outskirts of Birkenhead, near to Woodchurch and the M53 motorway. Landican consists of a small group of cottages and farm buildings. At the 2001 Census the community had a population of only 20.In 1085, Landican was...
with the loss of all 24 servicemen on board. The loss included 15 commissioned officers who were being taxied back to Tibenham
RAF Tibenham
RAF Tibenham is a former World War II Royal Air Force Station and airfield in England. It is located about south-southwest of Norwich, N of Diss in Norfolk...
after seeing more than 30 successful combat missions. In recent years a memorial stone has been erected by a local man who witnessed the aftermath of the crash as a teenager. The stone is coloured in the USAAF colours blue and yellow, with 24 yellow bricks each representing a life lost.
Storeton Woods
On the ridge above the village of Storeton are Storeton Woods that are owned by the Friends of Storeton Woods and cover 31 acres (125,452.7 m²).The woods were purchased in 1989 after a campaign by the local Green PartyGreen Party of England and Wales
The Green Party of England and Wales is a political party in England and Wales which follows the traditions of Green politics and maintains a strong commitment to social progressivism. It is the largest Green party in the United Kingdom, containing within it various regional divisions including...
as there were concerns about the deteriorating condition of the woods and the possibility that the land might be bought by developers. The trust later also attempted to purchase the adjacent Hancock's Wood to extend the nature reserve by a further 25 acres (101,171.5 m²) but the deal with the Leverhulme estate fell through at the last minute. Although the offer remains open there is the concern that this could lead to the eventual development of the area of woodland for housing.
Storeton Quarries and Tramway
The woods have grown up on the site of a quarryQuarry
A quarry is a type of open-pit mine from which rock or minerals are extracted. Quarries are generally used for extracting building materials, such as dimension stone, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, and gravel. They are often collocated with concrete and asphalt plants due to the requirement...
that was present since the times of the Roman
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
occupation. The quarries were up to 200 feet (61 m) deep at the beginning of the 20th century and, from the 19th century, a tramway (a single track, standard gauge railway) was used to transport stone to the quayside at Bromborough
Bromborough
Bromborough is a large village within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the Wirral Peninsula, to the south of Bebington and to the north of Eastham...
. A portion of the tramway embankment still exists as footpath
Trail
A trail is a path with a rough beaten or dirt/stone surface used for travel. Trails may be for use only by walkers and in some places are the main access route to remote settlements...
and a section of the rails have been re-installed by the Bromborough Society. Some rails were embedded at a former level crossing on Rest Hill Road until 1979 when they were buried under a new layer of tarmac. The tramway ran along the southern border of the current woods, into Hancock's Wood and through a tunnel under Mount Road. It then ran in a sweeping curve to Bromborough.
Much of the route of the tramway can no longer be seen as it has been lost under housing development or levelled for the playing fields of Wirral Grammar School
Wirral Grammar School for Boys
Wirral Grammar School for Boys, founded in 1931, is situated on Cross Lane, Bebington, on the Wirral Peninsula in England.-Admissions:It is a foundation school, located within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral and requires all potential pupils to take, and pass, the eleven plus exam exam prior to...
but the present Quarry Road and Quarry Road East in Bebington follow the track of Storeton Tramway and the original tunnel under the Chester to Birkenhead railway line
Chester and Birkenhead Railway
The Chester and Birkenhead Railway ran from Birkenhead to Chester. It opened on 23 September 1838. On the 22 July 1847 it merged with the Birkenhead, Lancaster and Cheshire Junction Railway to become the Birkenhead Railway.-Currently Working:...
is still in use as footpath opposite the end of Quarry Road East.
Most of the village is built from locally quarried stone from Storeton Ridge. The stone is a creamy 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,...
and was also used for cladding the Empire State Building
Empire State Building
The Empire State Building is a 102-story landmark skyscraper and American cultural icon in New York City at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and West 34th Street. It has a roof height of 1,250 feet , and with its antenna spire included, it stands a total of 1,454 ft high. Its name is derived...
in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. Stone from the quarry has been used in many other buildings and constructions, including Birkenhead Town Hall
Birkenhead Town Hall
Birkenhead Town Hall is a town hall and former civic building in Birkenhead, on the Wirral Peninsula, England. The building was the former administrative headquarters of the County Borough of Birkenhead, and more recently, council offices for the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral. Birkenhead Town Hall...
(located in Hamilton Square
Hamilton Square
Hamilton Square in Birkenhead, Wirral, England is a town square surrounded by Georgian terraces. No two sides of the square are identical. It was built beginning in 1826 and to the design of Edinburgh architect James Gillespie Graham...
) and Sankey Viaduct
Sankey Viaduct
right|thumb|225px|Sankey Viaduct crossing Sankey BrookThe Sankey Viaduct is a railway viaduct at Bradley Lane, Collins Green, Burtonwood parish, Warrington Borough, crossing the Sankey Brook into Earlestown, Newton le Willows, Metropolitan Borough of St Helens, Merseyside.-History:The viaduct was...
in 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...
. The quarry was filled in with spoil from the excavation of the Queensway Tunnel
Queensway Tunnel
The Queensway Tunnel is a road tunnel under the River Mersey, in the north west of England, between Liverpool and Birkenhead. It is often called the Birkenhead Tunnel, to distinguish it from the Kingsway Tunnel, which serves Wallasey.-History:...
in the 1920s and the site is currently a tranquil nature reserve enjoyed by walkers.
The quarry was also the site of the discovery of dinosaur footprints, the species was named Chirotherium Storetonese
Chirotherium
Chirotherium, also known as Cheirotherium , is the name of a Triassic archosaur known only from fossil imprints of its tracks...
after the site of discovery. Examples of these footprints can be seen in World Museum Liverpool
World Museum Liverpool
World Museum is a large museum in Liverpool, England which has extensive collections covering archaeology, ethnology and the natural and physical sciences. Special attractions include the Natural History Centre and a free Planetarium. Entry to the museum itself is also free...
in 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...
and the Williamson Art Gallery
Williamson Art Gallery
The Williamson Art Gallery and Museum is situated in Birkenhead, Merseyside, England and houses the town's collection of art.Opened on 1 December 1928, the single storey building is Neo Georgian in style. Financial support for its establishment was provided by John Williamson, a Director of the...
in Birkenhead, and also in Christ church, Kings Road, Bebington.