Bebington guidebook

Walk along the series of streets that run through Bebington like a spine – Church Road, Village Road, Bebington Road – and you'll come away with a strong sense of a town that's evolved over centuries.

Cheek-by-jowl with the modern shops and businesses there are a few fine old period survivors – a thatched cottage, some Tudor timber frame, a smattering of Georgian and Victorian, and public buildings that range from the ancient St Andrew's Church (parts date back to the 12th century) to the sixties-built Civic Centre and Town Hall.

Now turn off The Village Road onto Bromborough Road, take a left and walk under the railway arch, turn right and you'll find yourself in a strange parallel universe: the delightful oddity that is the village of Port Sunlight .

The Spirit of Soap

The Dell, Port Sunlight  

This too has timber-framed houses, some gothic-revival flourishes, an art gallery that looks eighteenth century and a collection of houses in various architectural styles that suggest piecemeal development over the years.

Not so, however: long before Prince Charles thought of Poundbury, the soap tycoon and philanthropist William Hesketh Lever (his most popular soap was called Sunlight) set about creating a model village for his workers on scrap land close to the banks of the river Mersey.

The first sod of Lever's village was turned in the 1880s, the last brick laid in the 1900s and the whole place was designed to be "neat and cheerful", healthy and morally uplifting.

A monument to late Victorian paternalism – for the high-minded Lever the cleansing power of soap was as much a spiritual as a physical quality - it remained workers' housing until the 1980s but most of it is now owner-occupied.
      

Listed Garden Suburb

The Lyceum, Port Sunlight  
It's also carefully protected: the whole development is Grade II listed, immaculately maintained and, with its wide avenues, attractively landscaped green areas, and impressive public buildings, it has much to recommend it.

 It is, however, a fairly self-contained development and one that attracts its fair share of day-tripping tourists and people interested in architectural history.

 Port Sunlight  is unlikely to expand, is a world unto itself, and feels, well, a bit like a film set.

 A very nice film set, for sure – if you like your property to come with period features and rich historical associations, this is the place for you.

But it's the kind of place that divides buyers: agents say some love it, but others can be put off by the slightly rarefied atmosphere.

Bebington, on the other hand, certainly isn't rarefied.

The place has a busy town centre and has managed to hold on to an attractive collection of local shops (there are no shops in Port Sunlight) – if not quite the butcher, baker and candlestick maker, not far off it.

It's a neat, tidy and relatively prosperous place with a good stock of thirties semis fanning out from the town centre in a familiar suburban pattern that's proved perennially popular with buyers.

For the most part it's a family area – the well-regarded schools see to that – though the good transport links (three train stations and easy access to the M53) also make it popular with couples and young professionals.

 Church Road, Bebington  

Although it's a fairly sedate place, it does have a few claims to fame: the fine Oval Sports Centre was used to represent the Paris Olympic Stadium in Chariots of Fire and former PM Harold Wilson was head boy at Wirral Grammar (he lived in Spital).

Port Sunlight's most famous export is the flamboyant Pete Burns whose caustic four-letter wit recently brightened the tedium that is celebrity Big Brother. 

Sunlight soap clearly had little impact here – the clean-living Lever would surely be spinning (right round) in his grave.

1. Bebington

Church Road, Bebington  

Where is it? The maps will tell you there's a Lower and a Higher Bebington, but estate agents reckon the area is best treated as a whole.

Mount Road forms a long straight western border; the train lines run along the eastern side; and Chester Road, Cavendish Road and Harley Avenue form a fairly rough northern border. Brimstage and Spital Road run along the southern end – Spital extends south of here, on either side of Poulton Road.

What's there?  A good mix. The classic property here is the 30s semi, and there are plenty of them.

There's some older period property close to the town centre – including a thatched cottage on Village Road – and more affordable council and ex-council properties on Parkside Road and in the Brackenwood Estate.

Teehy Gardens, Bebington  

Some of the finest and most expensive houses are in the area around Lever Causeway. On Mount Road you'll find large four bed semis and some grand detached houses in their own grounds.

Similar can be found on Thornton Avenue, Thornton Road and Stanley Avenue – all of which are close to open countryside.  Storeton Woods is also in this area and is a desirable address.

The semis in Higher Bebington (the avenues and boulevards north of Kings Lane) tend to be larger and more expensive than those further south, though the streets off Church Road near St Andrews Church are also well regarded (eg: Highcroft Avenue).

If your budget doesn't stretch to a semi or larger, Bebington also has some period terraces on streets like Trafalgar Drive, Oakleigh Grove and Acres Road. Flats are a bit of a rarity – there are some period conversions and apartment blocks, but most of the area is houses.

St Andrews, Bebington  

Buyers: The market here is largely driven by schools - Wirral Grammar School for Boys, Wirral Grammar School for Girls, St. John Plessington Catholic College, Higher Bebington Junior School, and Bebington High School.

They're good, they're popular and people move here for them, and that means a preponderance of families. High house prices mean rental properties are in demand and there's a fairly well-established investment market catering to their needs.

The Pros: Good selection of property; very good transport links (three stations and easy access to the M53); a genuine village with good local shops; some nice green areas; good local schools; golf course close by.

The Cons:  Not the best place in the world to find an apartment; look elsewhere if you dislike 30s houses. This is suburbia, so don't expect a pulsating nightlife.

2.  Port Sunlight

King George Drive, Port Sunlight

Where is it? East of Bebington, between the railway line and Chester Road. Wood Street forms the southern border, Bebington Road/Boundary Road the northern.

What's there? Port Sunlight  is a 19th century garden village constructed between the late 1880s and early 1900s by the philanthropic W.H. Lever for his soap factory workers.

The village is made up of 900 Grade II Listed buildings in a variety of styles – Flemish, Dutch, Tudor, and Edwardian Arts & Crafts, and includes the classically inspired Lady Lever Art Gallery.

In keeping with his philanthropic vision, Lever also set about providing educational and cultural facilities for the residents. By 1909 Port Sunlight  had a church, a theatre and concert hall, a library, a gymnasium, an open-air men's swimming club and various societies dedicated to self-improvement.

Lady Lever Gallery, Port Sunlight

These buildings still exist but some are now used for other functions – the school, for example, is a village social club and Lever House, which was the original entrance to the factory, is now offices.

In the 1980s many of the properties – the majority are terraces and flats – were sold to private buyers, though the Port Sunlight Village Trust still manages 250 houses.

Almost all the buildings in the village are listed and planning restrictions protect the exterior of the properties - everything from the style of the chimney pots to the colour of the front door. So don't move here with a can of pink paint under one arm and a satellite dish under the other.

All the front gardens remain the responsibility of The Port Sunlight Village Trust and residents are actively encouraged to maintain their rear gardens and house frontages to a high standard.

Window detail, Port Sunlight

Buyers:  Tends to attract first-time buyers and young professionals and couples – surprisingly, prices in Port Sunlight are not at a premium so it won't cost you more to live here.

The Pros: Quaintly attractive with a lovely collection of period properties set in finely landscaped grounds. Close to Port Sunlight station and within walking distance of Bebington's shops.  Like the rest of Bebington, handy for the M53.

The Cons:  Mainly terraces and apartments; slightly rarefied atmosphere; need to live within the village's restrictions; no shops; properties need careful maintenance.

 3.  Spital

High Trees, Spital

Where is it? South of Lower Bebington.

What's there? Mainly estates built around 27 years ago. Poulton Road runs South and bisects the area. To the left you'll find 30s detached houses on Dibbins Hey, Woodkind Hey, and Thornfield Hey. Poulton Lancelyn Primary School is close by.

To the right, on the Poulton Royd side, it's detached and semis – again built about 27 years ago. North of here, off Spital Road, there are more upmarket estates – on Arkwood Close, Heron Park Way, and The Spinney – with detached houses and some bungalows.

There are also some new build houses and apartments in Spital – notably in Antler Homes' High Trees development on Vanderbyl Avenue, off Spital Road. Spital Road itself runs down to Bromborough Dam – Mill Road takes you into Bromborugh.

LIVING HERE

Transport

Trains: Trains to Bebington, Port Sunlight and Spital, all on the Wirral line, link to Liverpool, West Kirby, Ellesmere Port, New Brighton and Chester. The Mersey Railway tunnel connects Wirral to Liverpool.

Buses: Good local bus service connecting all areas of Wirral.

Road: The M53 motorway runs through the middle of Wirral and connects to the M56, which in turn meets the M6. The M53 will also take you to Chester.

Wirral is joined to Liverpool by three tunnels under the River Mersey - two road tunnels from Wallasey (Kingsway) and from Birkenhead (Queensway) and the Mersey Railway tunnel.

Ferry: The Mersey Ferry from Liverpool's Pier Head sails to the Wirral's Woodside and Seacombe.

Air: Liverpool John Lennon airport is about eight miles south of Liverpool city centre. You can catch a shuttle bus to and from the airport from Lime Street Station, or the Pier Head.

Manchester Airport is about 45 minutes away, and is the local hub for international flights.

Shopping

Church Road, Bebington

Bebington: Church Road/Village Road/Bebington Road is the main drag and has a good range of local shops - butcher, barber, hairdressers, florist, chemist, optician, craft shop, dentist, nail bar, cafes and a Somerfield. 

There's also a parade of local shops in Higher Bebington, off the Broadway.

Annoyingly, there are no shops at all in Port Sunlight, but Bebington is close by. 

For more, go to Birkenhead or to Liverpool city centre.

Eating: Couple of cafes and restaurants in Bebington  and Lower Bebington - Chinese, Balti, brasserie. Also food in local pubs.

Cafes: Several offering the usual fare.

Pubs: Several local pubs: The Wellington, The Rose & Crown, Three Stags. Also the Bridge Inn in Port Sunlight.

Sport, Leisure & Entertainment

Gladstone Theatre, Port Sunlight  

Cinema: Cinemas in Birkenhead and Bromborough.

Theatre: Gladstone Theatre, Port Sunlight, has regular productions. The Pacific Road Arts Centre in Birkenhead hosts concerts, dance and theatre productions. The Little Theatre in Birkenhead hosts six amateur productions per year.  

Mayer Hall:  A lovely old building that used to be an art gallery – now a community hall. Various groups meet here – music lessons, yoga classes, arts & crafts, dance.

Lady Lever Art Gallery: Houses an extensive selection of 18th and 19th century paintings, period furniture and one of the country's largest collections of Wedgewood chinaware.

Mayer Hall, Bebington

The Oval Sports Centre:  Athletics stadium originally laid out by the Lever Brothers, Port Sunlight, in the 1920s. Includes two swimming pools, a multi-activity sports hall, two new squash courts and a Progressive Fitness suite.

The complex also contains outdoor facilities such as the athletics stadium, an artificial grass pitch, grass pitches, porous play areas, an artificial ski slope and newly developed tennis courts.

The stadium was used for filming the 1924 Paris Olympics scenes in Chariots of Fire -  the stand was the nearest structure to the Paris stadium available.

Parks and Open Spaces

The Dell, Port Sunlight

Mayer Park: Attractive green area in the centre of Bebington, off Village Road.

Brotherton Park and Dibbinsdale Nature Reserve: 32 hectares (81.1 acres) of semi-natural countryside along the river valley of the Dibbin. The rest of the reserve consists of meadows, reed swamps, parkland and amenity grassland. Starts near Spital station and winds south to Bromborough.

Storeton Woods: 31 acres of woodland purchased by locals with the help of the Woodland Trust.