Burton is a village on the

Wirral Peninsula Wirral (; ), known locally as The Wirral, is a peninsula in North West England. The roughly rectangular peninsula is about long and wide and is bounded by the River Dee to the west (forming the boundary with Wales), the River Mersey to ...

, in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It is situated approximately to the south of the town of

Neston Neston is a town and civil parish on the Wirral Peninsula, in Cheshire, England. It is part of the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester. The village of Parkgate is located to the north west and the villages of Little Neston and Nes ...

. At the 2001 Census, the settlement constituted part of the Burton and Ness Ward of the Borough of Ellesmere Port and Neston. The population of the village was 715 with the

ward Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...

having a total population of 1,620. As of Burton is part of Willaston and Thornton Ward.

History

The village population was recorded at 288 in 1801, 291 in 1851, 222 in 1901 and 667 in 1951. The Cheshire and Chester Record Office has records of baptisms, marriages and burials at the parish church, St Nicholas', dating from 1538.

Ancient

Burton was first documented in the ''

Domesday Book Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manus ...

'' and historically was on the route which travellers would take from

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

Birkenhead Birkenhead (; cy, Penbedw) is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, Merseyside, England; historically, it was part of Cheshire until 1974. The town is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the south bank of the River Mersey, opposite Liver ...

. Owing to its location on trade routes, it is thought to have developed at a faster rate than neighbouring communities. Indeed, during the fourteenth century trade and travel allowed Burton to flourish, standing as it did near the site of embarcation for the ferry to

North Wales North Wales ( cy, Gogledd Cymru) is a region of Wales, encompassing its northernmost areas. It borders Mid Wales to the south, England to the east, and the Irish Sea to the north and west. The area is highly mountainous and rural, with Snowdonia N ...

and on the main route to the city of Chester. However, the build up of silt in the River Dee led to a decrease in shipping trade, and Burton's prosperity took a downturn when the river course was diverted in the eighteenth century.

Modern

In recent years Burton has become a quiet 'picture postcard' village much sought after on the property market. In 2001 the village of Burton was ranked eighth overall in a UK market research survey of so-called 'super rich' communities by Philip Beresford of the '' Sunday Times Rich List'', with millionaires making up 16% of the population in its postal district.

Landmarks

The village is the location of Burton Manor, formerly a residential adult education college operated by Liverpool City Council. Just to the south of Burton is the RSPB's

Burton Mere Wetlands Burton Mere Wetlands () is a nature reserve on the Dee Estuary straddling the border between Cheshire, England and Flintshire, Wales. It is run by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) and incorporates the older Inner Marsh Farm ...

reserve.

Burton Point ralway station 1953826 d38bb5aa

Burton had an operational railway station, Burton Point, on the Borderlands Line, from 1889 until 1955. Services were to

Wrexham Wrexham ( ; cy, Wrecsam; ) is a city and the administrative centre of Wrexham County Borough in Wales. It is located between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley, near the border with Cheshire in England. Historically in the count ...

and

Seacombe Seacombe () is a district of the town of Wallasey, on the Wirral Peninsula, England. Administratively, Seacombe is a ward of the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral in Merseyside. Before local government reorganisation on 1 April 1974, it was pa ...

. The station's position, some distance from village, led to a decline in usage as cars became common in the 1950s. The site is still almost entirely intact, the station buildings currently forming part of a garden centre. The line is proposed to be incorporated into

Merseyrail Merseyrail is a Urban rail in the United Kingdom, commuter rail network serving the Liverpool City Region and adjacent areas of Cheshire and Lancashire. Merseyrail operates 66 railway stations across two lines – the Northern Line (Merseyrail ...

, running right into the underground section of Liverpool's city centre, but there are no plans to reopen Burton station.

Transport

Public buses serving Burton from 2017:

Notable people

Burton is the birthplace of Bishop Thomas Wilson (1663–1755),

Bishop of Sodor and Man The Bishop of Sodor and Man is the Ordinary of the Diocese of Sodor and Man (Manx Gaelic: ''Sodor as Mannin'') in the Province of York in the Church of England. The diocese only covers the Isle of Man. The Cathedral Church of St German where t ...

. The popular BBC radio broadcaster John Peel grew up in the village, having been born in

Heswall Heswall is a town on the Wirral, Merseyside, England. At the 2001 Census, the population was 16,012, including the nearby villages of Barnston and Gayton. Before local government reorganisation on 1 April 1974 it was part of the administr ...

References

External links

Photographs of Burton
{{authority control Villages in Cheshire Former civil parishes in Cheshire Unparished areas in Cheshire Cheshire West and Chester