Forums Forums Wirral History : Chasing the Past History Information Request Leasowe Embankment

Looking at an OS map from 1840 Leasowe Embankment existed then and I was wondering if anyone knows when it was built and by who? Its not quite the Great Wall of China but is fairly impressive construction and must of taken many years to build. I know it was built because Leasowe is below sea level but other than that remains a mystery on the internet. Any Ideas??

Marriott, Frank

The Story of Leasowe Embankment
by Marriott, Frank
Cheshire Life Volume 18 Number 4 April 1952 p25 Illus.
013156
19c, sea defences, embankments, River Mersey Estuary, shipwrecks, archaeology, Wirral
Contents:
History and folklore of the area prior to the embankments construction, which began in 1829, though a new one had to be built in 1864
Regards
Rob

One of the first serious attempts to protect the land of Leasowe and Moreton was a sloping wall built in 1794, this needed constant repair due to erosion by the sea.

In 1828 Sir Edward Cust, owner of Leasowe Castle, wrote to the Mayor of Liverpool about the dangers to the corporations land in Wirral, and urging immediate action.

A year later an Act of Parliament was passed and work started on building a new concrete embankment. Stone from Breck quarry in Wallasey was used in the building of the embankment. The new construction was over thirty feet high and sloped gently to the sea, with a steeper slope on the landward side.

Maintenance of the embankment was the responsibility of the Wallasey Embankment Commissioners and a special embankment rate was levied on all houses below the 25 foot tide level.

In the 1960s the embankment became the responsibility of Wallasey Corporation, and costs came out of the general rate.

In 1973 the original embankment was in such a poor state that it was replaced with a new embankment. Reconstruction was phased over a period of ten years and cost about £1m per year.

Fascinating information there thanks and will check with the libraries over that book. It would probably cost a £100 million in todays money to reconstruct.

Good Info there as always Uptoncx.