Brimstage

History

Although the exact date of construction is unknown, Brimstage Hall is believed to have been built between the 12th century and 14th century, making it one of the oldest buildings on Merseyside. Originally the site was enclosed by a moat and high embankment. The building's first known occupants were Sir Hugh Hulse and his wife, who were granted the right to construct a chapel in 1398.

Brimstage was the home of the Domville family, who arrived with William the Conqueror. The seventh Lord of Oxton, third Lord of Brimstage, Sir Roger de Domville, 'listened for the word Brunstath' (the old name for Brimstage) during proceedings at Chester. He was to go to meet his wife Isobel, at his home, Brimstage Hall. The year was 1288. There is a male descendency from the time of William the Conqueror for the Domvilles which is continued today (2013). The family were to leave the hall when the Hulse family took residence circa 1378.

Brimstage was formerly a township in Bromborough Parish of the Wirral Hundred. The population was 127 in 1801, 126 in 1851, 181 in 1901 and 135 in 1951. On 1 April 1974, local government reorganisation in England and Wales resulted in most of Wirral, including Brimstage, transfer from the county of Cheshire to Merseyside as part of the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral.

There were two pubs in Brimstage, the Red Cat and the Pig and Whistle. The Red Cat was knocked down and never rebuilt while the Pig and Whistle is thought to have been the now named Rose Cottage adjacent to the Pig and Whistle field.

Geography

Brimstage is in the central part of the Wirral Peninsula, approximately 10 km (6.2 mi) south-south-east of the Irish Sea at Leasowe Lighthouse, about 4.5 km (2.8 mi) east-north-east of the Dee Estuary at Gayton and about 4.5 km (2.8 mi) west-north-west of the River Mersey at Port Sunlight. The village is situated at an elevation of around 40 m (130 ft) above sea level.

Community

Brimstage is a rural community centred on a small village green, consisting of Brimstage Hall, numerous farms and a small number of dwellings. Brimstage Hall and the surrounding Courtyard hosts a vibrant retail community which includes these retailers.

In 2006 the former dairy at Home farm was refurbished to become the home of Brimstage Brewery - Wirral's first commercial brewery since the closure of Birkenhead Brewery in the 1960s.

Brimstage, along with the neighbouring villages of Raby and Thornton Hough, are within an Area of Special Landscape Value, a protective designation to preserve the character and appearance of the area. This is part of the Wirral Unitary Development Plan of the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral.

Bus

Services operating along Brimstage Road and Talbot Avenue to the west of the village as of 2015: