Burton is a village on the

Wirral Peninsula The Wirral Peninsula (), 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 Dee Estuary to the west, the Mersey Estuary to the east, and Liverpo ...

, in the unitary authority of

Cheshire West and Chester Cheshire West and Chester is a Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Cheshire, England. It was established on 1 April 2009 as part of the 2009 structural changes to l ...

and the ceremonial county of

Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Merseyside to the north-west, Greater Manchester to the north-east, Derbyshire to the east, Staffordshire to the south-east, and Shrop ...

, England. It is situated south of the town of

Neston Neston is a market town and civil parish in Cheshire, England. It is within the part of the Wirral Peninsula that belongs to the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester. The built up area (as defined by the Office for National Statistic ...

. 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 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...

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

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

Birkenhead Birkenhead () is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, Merseyside, England. The town is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the west bank of the River Mersey, opposite Liverpool. It lies within the Historic counties of England, historic co ...

. 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 ( ) is a Regions of Wales, 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 Snowdon ...

and on the main route to the city of

Chester Chester is a cathedral city in Cheshire, England, on the River Dee, Wales, River Dee, close to the England–Wales border. With a built-up area population of 92,760 in 2021, it is the most populous settlement in the borough of Cheshire West an ...

. 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 Liverpool City Council is the Local government in England, local authority for the City status in the United Kingdom, city of Liverpool in Merseyside, England. Liverpool has had a local authority since 1207, which has been reformed on numerous ...

. Just to the south of Burton is the

RSPB The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is a Charitable_organization#United_Kingdom, charitable organisation registered in Charity Commission for England and Wales, England and Wales and in Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator, ...

's Burton Mere Wetlands reserve. Burton Point railway station 1953826 d38bb5aa

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

Wrexham Wrexham ( ; ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in the North East Wales, north-east of Wales. It lies between the Cambrian Mountains, Welsh mountains and the lower River Dee, Wales, Dee Valley, near the England–Wales border, borde ...

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 p ...

. 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 commuter rail network which serves Merseyside and adjacent areas of Cheshire and Lancashire in the North West England, North West of England. Merseyrail serves 69 Railway station, stations, 67 of which it manages, across two lin ...

, running right into the underground section of Liverpool's city centre.

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 ...

. The popular BBC radio broadcaster

John Peel John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), better known as John Peel, was an English radio presenter and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original disc jockeys on BBC Radio 1, broadcasting regularly from ...

grew up in the village, having been born in

Heswall Heswall () is a coastal town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral in Merseyside, England. It was historically part of Cheshire and became part of Merseyside in 1974. It is located on the Wirral Peninsula. At the 2021 United Kingdom census, 202 ...

References

External links

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