Thurstaston Common
Encyclopedia
Royden Park and Thurstaston Common comprise an area of almost 250 acre
s of parklands, wood and heath at Thurstaston
, within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral
, England
.
The Common is a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest
(SSSI) and a designated Local Nature Reserve
. From the top of the 298 ft (90.8 m) Thurstaston Hill, on the Wirral Peninsula
, are views of the Dee Estuary
(itself an SSSI) and over the River Dee
to the Clwydian Hills
of Wales
. The area is popular with walkers and families.
outcrop and a place of romantic legend. In the 19th century it was supposed that early Viking
settlers may have held religious ceremonies here. A visit to the site by members of the British Archaeological Association
in 1888 heard an account by Rev. A. E. P. Gray, rector of Wallasey
, that the 'Thor Stone' was also known in the locality as 'Fair Maiden's Hall' and that children were "in the habit of coming once a year to dance around the stone". This part of Wirral was certainly part of a Norse colony centred on Thingwall
in the 10th and 11th centuries. However, geologists and historians now think that the rock is a natural formation similar to a tor, arising from periglacial
weathering of the sandstone, which was later exploited by quarrymen in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Acre
The acre is a unit of area in a number of different systems, including the imperial and U.S. customary systems. The most commonly used acres today are the international acre and, in the United States, the survey acre. The most common use of the acre is to measure tracts of land.The acre is related...
s of parklands, wood and heath at Thurstaston
Thurstaston
Thurstaston is a village on the Wirral Peninsula, England. It is part of the West Kirby & Thurstaston Ward of the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral...
, within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral
Metropolitan Borough of Wirral
The Metropolitan Borough of Wirral is a metropolitan borough of Merseyside, in North West England. It has a population of 311,200, and encompasses of the northern part of the Wirral Peninsula. Major settlements include Birkenhead, Wallasey, Bebington, Heswall, Hoylake and West Kirby. The city of...
, 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...
.
The Common is a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest
Site of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom. SSSIs are the basic building block of site-based nature conservation legislation and most other legal nature/geological conservation designations in Great Britain are based upon...
(SSSI) and a designated Local Nature Reserve
Local Nature Reserve
Local nature reserve or LNR is a designation for nature reserves in the United Kingdom. The designation has its origin in the recommendations of the Wild Life Conservation Special Committee which established the framework for nature conservation in the United Kingdom and suggested a national suite...
. From the top of the 298 ft (90.8 m) Thurstaston Hill, on the Wirral Peninsula
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...
, are views of the Dee Estuary
Dee Estuary
The Dee Estuary is a large estuary by means of which the River Dee flows into Liverpool Bay. The estuary starts near Shotton after a five miles 'canalised' section and the river soon swells to be several miles wide forming the boundary between the Wirral Peninsula in north-west England and...
(itself an SSSI) and over the River Dee
River Dee, Wales
The River Dee is a long river in the United Kingdom. It travels through Wales and England and also forms part of the border between the two countries....
to the Clwydian Hills
Clwydian Range
The Clwydian Range is a series of hills and mountains in north east Wales that runs from Llandegla in the south to Prestatyn in the north, with the highest point being the popular Moel Famau...
of Wales
North Wales
North Wales is the northernmost unofficial region of Wales. It is bordered to the south by the counties of Ceredigion and Powys in Mid Wales and to the east by the counties of Shropshire in the West Midlands and Cheshire in North West England...
. The area is popular with walkers and families.
"Thor's Stone"
Thurstaston Hill is the location of Thor's Stone, a large sandstoneSandstone
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,...
outcrop and a place of romantic legend. In the 19th century it was supposed that early Viking
Viking
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...
settlers may have held religious ceremonies here. A visit to the site by members of the British Archaeological Association
British Archaeological Association
The British Archaeological Association was founded in 1843; it was established by Charles Roach Smith. It is aimed at the promotion of the studies of archaeology, art and architecture and the preservation of antiquities. After disagreements arose, it was split into two organizations, the newer one...
in 1888 heard an account by Rev. A. E. P. Gray, rector of Wallasey
Wallasey
Wallasey is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, in Merseyside, England, on the mouth of the River Mersey, at the northeastern corner of the Wirral Peninsula...
, that the 'Thor Stone' was also known in the locality as 'Fair Maiden's Hall' and that children were "in the habit of coming once a year to dance around the stone". This part of Wirral was certainly part of a Norse colony centred on Thingwall
Thingwall
Thingwall is a village on the Wirral Peninsula, England. The village is situated to the south west of Birkenhead and north east of Heswall. It is part of the Pensby & Thingwall Ward of the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral and is situated within the parliamentary constituency of Wirral West...
in the 10th and 11th centuries. However, geologists and historians now think that the rock is a natural formation similar to a tor, arising from periglacial
Periglacial
Periglacial is an adjective originally referring to places in the edges of glacial areas, but it has later been widely used in geomorphology to describe any place where geomorphic processes related to freezing of water occur...
weathering of the sandstone, which was later exploited by quarrymen in the 18th and 19th centuries.