When they hear the name Merseyside most people think about football. All sport fans associate it with Liverpool FC and Everton FC and their world famous local derby. However most people tend to forget that besides a Merseyside derby there is also a Merseyside county that has much more to it’s visitors than it’s undoubtedly great football teams.
The county itself was formed in 1974 with the famous Local Goverment Act 1958 that brought major reforms to the administrative divisions of England and Wales. The administrative county of Merseyside comprises of 5 metropolitan boroughs – Wirrla, Sefton, St Helens, Knowsley and the city of Liverpool. People from outside the UK sometimes mistakenly equate the city of Liverpool with the county of Merseyside but the former is a aprt of the latter.
In terms of population the county ranks 9th just behind neighbouring Lancashire with about 1,381,200 people according to the Office for National Statistics ‘s 2011 mid-year estimates. Conty covers 645 square kilometers (about 249 square miles), bordering the counties of Cheshire, Lancashire and Greater Manchester and the Irish sea. While the landscape throughout it’s territory varies from densely urban to rural , Merseyside can be described as dominantly urbanized. Although Liverpool City Centre can be pointed as the financial and cultural hear of Merseyside it’s worth noting that each borough has at least on larger town with suburbs acting as borough center.
The county is famous worldwide for two things – it’s football clubs and it’s contribution t rock music. The Merseyside derby is the longest continuously running local derby in England’s highest level football with both teams being permanent members of the Premier League since season 1962-1963. Another curious fact about it is that it’s know as the “friendly derby” since there lacks the animosity between fans typical for regional derbies and games are usually played in a very friendly atmosphere (unlike similar derbies like Atletico and Real Madrid or Milan and Inter Milano).
The other thing the county of Merseyside is word famous for is of course being the home of The Beatles. It’s unlikely that there is anybody who hasn’t heard of the most legendary rock band of all time that originated in the town of Liverpool.
Of course like we said there are a lot more things in the county of Merseyside to be appreciated so here is a short list highlighting some of the places worth seeing in the five boroughs or Merseyside:
- Knowsley – Knowsley Hall which is the ancestral home of the notable local Stanley family; Knowsley Safari Park, a zoological park which is one of the major tourist attractions in the county
- Sefton – Meols Hall is a 12th century mannor house that was restored in the 1960’s; Southport Pier is the secong longest pier in Great Britain
- St Helens – The Dream is a sculpture by Jaume Plensa that stands in Sutton; North West Museum of Road Transport
- Wirral – Birkenhead Priory is the oldest standing building on Merseyside, dating back to the middle of the 12th century; Leasowe Castle is an 16th century castle built by Ferdinando Stanley, 5th Earl of Derby, which today functions as a hotel
- Liverpool – Goodison Park and Anfield a- the staduims of Everton FC and Liverpool FC respectively; Merseyside Maritime Museum
This is only the most basic list of notable places which are worth seeing while using the time you save after booking a man with van in Liverpool with our company.