New Brighton, Merseyside

New Brighton is a seaside resort forming part of the town of Wallasey within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral in Merseyside, England. At the north-eastern tip of the Wirral peninsula, it has sandy beaches which line the Irish Sea, and the UK's longest promenade at slightly over 2mi.At the 2011 Census, the population was 14,859.HistoryUp to the 19th century, the area had a reputation for smuggling and wrecking, and secret underground cellars and tunnels are still rumoured to exist. It also had a strategic position at the entrance to the Mersey Estuary.The Perch Rock battery was completed in 1829. It mounted 18 guns, mostly 32 pounders, with 3 6-inch guns installed in 1899. Originally cut off at high tide, coastal reclamation has since made it fully accessible.In 1830, a Liverpool merchant, James Atherton, purchased 170acre of land at Rock Point, which enjoyed views out to sea and across the Mersey and had a good beach. His aim was to develop it as a desirable residential and watering place for the gentry, in a similar way to Brighton, one of the most elegant seaside resorts of that Regency periodhence "New Brighton". Substantial development began soon afterwards, and housing began to spread up the hillside overlooking the estuary a former gunpowder magazine being closed down in 1851.