Crosby Beach
Encyclopedia
Merseyside
Merseyside is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 1,365,900. It encompasses the metropolitan area centred on both banks of the lower reaches of the Mersey Estuary, and comprises five metropolitan boroughs: Knowsley, St Helens, Sefton, Wirral, and the city of Liverpool...
coastline north 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...
in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton, 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...
.
Overview
The beach stretches about 3 miles North-West from the Seaforth DockSeaforth Dock
Seaforth Dock is a purpose-built dock and container terminal, on the River Mersey, England, at Seaforth, to the north of Liverpool. As part of the Port of Liverpool and Liverpool Freeport, it is operated by the Mersey Docks and Harbour Company...
in the Port of Liverpool
Port of Liverpool
The Port of Liverpool is the name for the enclosed 7.5 mile dock system that runs from Brunswick Dock in Liverpool to Seaforth Dock, Seaforth, on the east side of the River Mersey and the Birkenhead Docks between Birkenhead and Wallasey on the west side of the river...
, through Waterloo, where it separates the sea from the Marina, past Crosby Swimming Baths, up beyond the coastguard
Her Majesty's Coastguard
Her Majesty's Coastguard is the service of the government of the United Kingdom concerned with co-ordinating air-sea rescue.HM Coastguard is a section of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency responsible for the initiation and co-ordination of all civilian maritime Search and Rescue within the UK...
station in Blundellsands
Blundellsands
Blundellsands or Blundell Sands is an area of Merseyside, England in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton, and a Sefton council electoral ward...
to the estuary of the River Alt
River Alt
The River Alt is in Merseyside, England.The Alt runs from Hag Plantation in Huyton at , through Croxteth Park, roughly follows the M57 motorway south of Kirkby, then flows north of Aintree and south of Maghull...
.
The navigable shipping channel in Liverpool Bay
Liverpool Bay
Liverpool Bay is a bay of the Irish Sea between northeast Wales, Cheshire, Lancashire and Merseyside to the east of the Irish Sea. The bay is a classic example of a region of freshwater influence...
, connecting the 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....
to the Irish Sea
Irish Sea
The Irish Sea separates the islands of Ireland and Great Britain. It is connected to the Celtic Sea in the south by St George's Channel, and to the Atlantic Ocean in the north by the North Channel. Anglesey is the largest island within the Irish Sea, followed by the Isle of Man...
, runs parallel to the beach to around the coastguard station where it swings out to sea.
The beach has only really been stabilised in the last half a century or so. Previous to this at high tides the sea could come in as far as the first row of houses , enabling whales or even pirates to peer in at residents enjoying a Sunday roast or perhaps something a little more spicy. Dune management, which is still ongoing to the present day (including the planting of old Christmas tree
Christmas tree
The Christmas tree is a decorated evergreen coniferous tree, real or artificial, and a tradition associated with the celebration of Christmas. The tradition of decorating an evergreen tree at Christmas started in Livonia and Germany in the 16th century...
s) and the building of a sea wall have now reduced the problems .
In the older dunes north of the coastguard station, between the sea and the West Lancashire Golf Club, there are still some remains of the old wartime defences.
The Another Place
Another Place
Another Place is a piece of modern sculpture by Antony Gormley.Now permanently erected on Crosby Beach, England, it was due to be moved to New York in November 2006, but there was a controversial proposal to retain the work at Crosby...
sculptures by Antony Gormley
Antony Gormley
Antony Mark David Gormley OBE RA is a British sculptor. His best known works include the Angel of the North, a public sculpture in the North of England, commissioned in 1995 and erected in February 1998, Another Place on Crosby Beach near Liverpool, and Event Horizon, a multi-part site...
are found here and, after a Sefton Council
Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council
Sefton Council is the governing body for the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, north-western England. The council has been under no overall control since the 1980s and is run as an all party coalition of the Liberal Democrats, the Labour Party and the Conservative Party, It consists of...
meeting on 7 March 2007, it has been allowed to stay permanently.
There will be other redevelopment. The Seaforth radar tower, which stands at the south end of the beach, will be given to the public and a new building, The Mersey Observatory, will be built on the site. As demolition of the old structure is not planned until after 2008, a light display will be installed on the site as part of the Capital of Culture
European Capital of Culture
The European Capital of Culture is a city designated by theEuropean Union for a period of one calendar year during which it organises a series of cultural events with a strong European dimension....
and Mersey Waterfront’s River of Light event. A million pound scheme was proposed to redevelop the nearby Marina as part of a visitor's centre for the beach and Another Place . The new centre was opening in late 2009 under the name of the Crosby Lakeside Adventure Centre, and is also home to the Crosby Scout and Guide Marina Club
Crosby Scout and Guide Marina Club
The Crosby Scout and Guide Marina Club, established in 1973, is a sailing and canoeing club located at Crosby Marina, in Cambridge Road, Waterloo, Merseyside, at the northern end of the Seaforth Freeport container terminal.-Crosby Marina:...
. These developments are all very well, but don't stop Crosby from being really very windy indeed.
Transport
Crosby beach can be reached by foot from Hall RoadHall Road railway station
Hall Road railway station serves Blundellsands in Merseyside, England. The station is located on the Southport branch of the Merseyrail network's Northern Line. Hall Road TMD was adjacent to the station.-History:...
railway station, Waterloo Train Station or Blundellsands and Crosby Train Station. The number 53 bus runs through South Road, Waterloo, which stops near Waterloo Station. Many people take the 10 minute walk from here to the end of South Road where the Marina begins and Crosby Beach is located over the sand dunes. There is also car parking at Crosby Swimming Baths.