A History of Thurstaston

Thurstaston Beach

The small village of Thurstaston is located in the north west of the Wirral Peninsula and is thought to be one of the first places on the Wirral to be settled by the Vikings, with the Viking parliament of Thingwall located nearby. Thurstaston means 'village of a man called Thorsteinn/Þorsteinn' and comes from the old Norse personal name 'Thorsteinn/Þorsteinn' and the old English word 'tún' meaning a 'farm or village'. It was mentioned in the Domesday Book as 'Turstanetone', being held by Robert de Rodelent (or Rhuddlan), a cousin of Hugh, surnamed Lupus, but called by the Welsh 'The Fat'. He was created Earl of Chester and gave Thurstaston to Robert along with many other lands in the Wirral and as much as he could conquer in North Wales. The popular conception that the name refers to the sandstone outcrop on Thurstaston Common, known as 'Thor's Stone' is therefore incorrect. Located on the 298 foot high Thurstaston Hill, one of the highest points on the Wirral, it was reputed, in early times, to have been thrown by the Norse god Thor. There is evidence that a Viking settlement called Straumby once existed in Tinker's Dale, near the current Visitors Centre. A probable Iron Age oval enclosure site has been identified, and a Romano-British site has been partially excavated in Mill Hill Road, Irby, revealing possible Iron Age and Romano-British evidence as well as the Roman settlement. With its rich geological as well as natural wealth, Thurstaston Common, which amounts to over 250 acres, is something of a Mecca for the natural sciences. Besides being a local nature reserve, famed for its wide range of butterflies among other creatures, it is also a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest.

Tower of the Former Church of St Bartholomew, approx. 30 Metres S.West of Present Church

The village is centred on the church of St. Bartholomew which has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade II listed building. Thurstaston Hall which stands next to it can be traced to A.D. 1070 and it was in this year that Hugh Lupus presented the manor house, which had formerly belonged to Levenot, possibly a Saxon, and other estates in Wirral and North Wales to his relative, Robert de Rodelent. Samuel Bagshaw, writing in 1850, describes the Hall as an 'ancient structure with gables and bay windows, the seat of John B. Glegg Esq.' He also mentions that additions and alterations were made to the Hall in 1836, creating the East Wing of the house. The central part of the Hall bears the date 1680 and the entrance goes back even further to 1350 with the origins of the Hall being medieval. A ghostly "white lady" is said to haunt the Hall.

The earliest mention of a Church here occurs around 1125 but other evidence suggests that one may have existed in Saxon times. The Norman church endured for many hundreds of years but was eventually taken down in 1820 and a second edifice, a plain stone building, was completed in 1824. In 1871, the executors of Joseph Hegan of Dawpool set apart £4,500 for a new church to be erected in his memory. This was designed in late 13th century mid-gothic style by John Loughborough Pearson, the architect of Truro Cathedral, and built entirely of local sandstone was consecrated in 1886. Although nothing remains of the earlier Norman church, the tower of the second one still stands in the churchyard and the sandstone of the building was used to construct a wall enclosing the new churchyard.

The Clock Tower which formed part of the prestigious Dawpool Estate

Between 1882 and 1886 the Liverpool shipowner Thomas Ismay, founder of White Star Line built his mansion 'Dawpool' here. He had bought the estate of Dawpool in 1877 and demolished the house on the site, commissioning Richard Norman Shaw to design a new house. He is said to have used his influence to ensure that the West Kirby–Hooton railway be routed a mile away along the Dee Estuary, rather than closer to the village and was also successful in moving the main Heswall to West Kirby road, which came too close to the doorstep of his mansion, via a cutting through Thurstaston Hill. Ismay died in 1899 at Dawpool and his estate was estimated to be worth £1½ million. The family moved out of the house in 1907 and it was sold to F. W. P. Rutter and was used as an orthopaedic hospital for officers in the First World War. The house was later sold to Sir Henry Roberts before being demolished in 1927. Thomas Ismay is buried in the nearby St Bartholomew's churchyard and his connection to the Titanic brings many visitors to Thurstaston and the Ismay family tomb each year. Still standing in the village is the original building of Dawpool Primary School, now a private house.

The Parish of Thurstaston has grown considerably over the years and most of Irby now lies within the Parish boundary. Tangible proof of this is provided by the Thurstaston war memorial which unusually has more names inscribed for the Second World War than it does for the First World War. In recent years, new development housing in Irby has pushed the population of the Parish to around 7000. The daughter church of St. Chad, Roslin Road, Irby, serves the need of a growing population in the Irby area and was built in 1967 with the generous assistance of many parishioners. Again supported by many very generous benefactors, this church has recently been considerably enlarged to cater for the growing congregation. Thurstaston is also a favourite for many cyclists and walkers thanks to the Wirral Way which runs through the village. This part of the trail uses a pathway left behind by the railway line which was removed in the 1950s and in its entirety, the Wirral Way is some 12 miles long. 

see also:- http://www.thefootballvoice.com/2021/08/a-history-of-bidston.html