Birkenhead Reflections

Situated on the Wirral Peninsula, across the River Mersey from Liverpool, is the town of Birkenhead. It can trace its origins back to the twelfth century when a Benedictine priory and Mersey ferry were established here. Later, as a result of the Industrial Revolution, it expanded and prospered with the shipbuilders Cammell Laird, the docks and the Mersey Railway connecting Birkenhead and Liverpool. The town was the location for Britain’s first street tramway and the world’s first publicly funded civic park, which was designed by Joseph Paxton and is now a Grade I listed landscape. Birkenhead’s other architectural highlights are to be found in Hamilton Square with its many Georgian residences.

In Birkenhead Reflections, local author Ian Collard has brought together a fascinating collection of historic and modern pictures that are individually merged to reveal how the town has changed over the decades. Each of the 180 pictures combines a recent colour view with the matching archive scene. Through the merged-image effect, readers can see how streets, buildings, industries, the port and aspects of everyday life have transformed with the passing of time. This evocative visual chronicle, which ingeniously reflects Birkenhead past and present, will appeal to residents and everyone with links to the town.