Culture & Tourism
Spaceport
The award winning Spaceport is an international astronomy centre and major tourist attraction, located in part of the Seacombe Ferry Terminal. Visitors are taken on a journey through space - blasting off on a virtual journey through space from earth to the farthest reaches of the known universe.
New Brighton
A £60m regeneration scheme is currently underway to re-invigorate this seaside resort and restore it to its former glory.
The outline planning application for Phase Two of Neptune Developments’ proposals for New Brighton was passed at Planning Committee by Wirral Council in early October. Valued at £42m, plans include a hotel and a year-round outdoor spa.
The proposals follow on from the successful Phase One application which includes the redevelopment of the soon to be completed Floral Pavilion Theatre and Conference Centre and the new Town Square with cafes and 37 apartments.
All the funding for Phase One, £18m in total, is in place including funding from the Mersey Waterfront Regional Park, ERDF Objective One and Wirral Council, with work due for completion in autumn 2008.
The Lady Lever Art Gallery
Among the country’s foremost art galleries, The Lady Lever Art Gallery was opened in 1922 by Princess Beatrice (youngest daughter of Queen Victoria). It is probably the best surviving example of late Victorian and Edwardian taste and remains the only major public urban gallery built by its founder specifically to house a collection.
The graceful gallery is particularly noted for its Pre-Raphaelite art, with paintings on display including The Blessed Damozel by Rossetti, several major works by Millais, and Burne-Jones’ The Annunciation, The Beguiling of Merlin and The Tree of Foregiveness.
Port Sunlight
The impressive Sunlight Vision museum is located in the world famous Port Sunlight model village, built by Victorian philanthropist Viscount Lever.
In the context of the period in which it was conceived, Port Sunlight Village was unparalleled. The combination of a contented, healthy and productive workforce was a vision held by some philosophers of the era, but Lever was one of the first entrepreneurs to realise such an idea.
The museum offers a compelling insight into the social history of this fascinating village during the late 19th century and early 20th century. Sunlight Vision is a very hands-on museum with several exciting interactive attractions and a gallery zone displaying village memorabilia.
Wirral Museum
Formally Birkenhead Town Hall, the Wirral Museum is located in Hamilton Square, one of the finest examples of a Georgian Square in the country and the largest group of Grade one listed buildings outside of London. Hamilton Square was the vision of world-famous shipbuilder William Laird and artefacts on display include a fascinating model of the Woodside area as it was on the day in July 1934 that King George V opened the Queensway Road Tunnel.
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