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Birkenhead Priory 20/03/20

On a beautifully crisp, sunny day, twenty nine of us took the train to Hamilton square for a visit to Birkenhead Priory. Leaving the station, we walked along Chester Street and passed Gallaghers pub. Brian stopped us here to tell us that when HMS Birkenhead sank in 1852, carrying troops and civilians, the troops stood aside to let women and children get to the lifeboats as there weren’t enough to take all. 450 soldiers died and their chivalry gave rise to the unofficial “women and children first” protocol. This became known as the Birkenhead Drill, immortalised in a poem by Rudyard Kipling. Brian then showed us a mural on the side wall of the pub commemorating the event. We carried on along Chester Street and soon reached the Priory. We were met by guides Angela, Matthew and John, and we split into smaller groups to tour the various buildings. Our guides gave us a wealth of information on the history of the priory from 1150 to the present and its role in the development of Birkenhead. Housed in the Scriptorium was a collection of memorabilia of the training ship, HMS Conway, and another guide gave us the history of the various vessels to carry the name. The hundred and one steps to the top of the tower of St Mary’s Church gave us magnificent 360 degree views of Liverpool and the Wirral and we couldn’t have picked a better day to enjoy them. We left the Priory, having made a £50 donation, and made our way down to the river which we reached at the site of the original Monks Ferry. From there we followed the Wirral Circular Trail along the river’s edge until we reached the Woodside Ferry Terminal. It was a short walk back to the station, but Brian had booked us meal at the Liberty Bell Coffee shop opposite the entrance. Here we had the bonus of music from a singer/guitarist with a pleasing repertoire of oldies. The food and staff were excellent and, well stuffed, we made our way back across the river, some by train and some by ferry.

This trip and meal took a lot of organising and a big thank you goes to Brian and the Brendas (sounds like a sixties pop group) for all their hard work and coping with last minute cancellations, replacements and refunds. A great day out!