Forums Forums Wirral History : Chasing the Past Wirral History 4mph speed limit over the Penny Bridge.

4mph seem a bit ott, haha!


Nice pic of Borough Rd at junction with Wilmer Rd. Why was all the left hand side knocked down?


Some more old pics here in this recycled Echo article. Worth a little look.
https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/new...tos-show-wirral-through-decades-17280522

Road widening, Borough rd.

More info,
https://www.wikiwirral.co.uk/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=274299

When I was a child I used to hate walking over that Penny Bridge, because you could see the water between the planks of the footway. I closed my eyes and my Mum or Dad used to have to lead me across. What a wuss...!

Love to know if the Penny Bridge, Bidston road and the end of the bye pass used to get flooded every time we have a drop of rain, like it does now? Progress!!!!!

Well looking at these great photos from the Echo, it seems its been a problem since the 1950's?

The bridge didn't flood until they dammed Bidston Dock except for a very small number of times that there was a real freak tide which flooded all of the docks for very brief periods.

The entrance to the great culvert (by the mini-roundabout) had problems because of the Birket, prior to the culvert the land was pretty much swamp anyway. The land was drained and the Birket diverted/channelised in order to build the railway.

The by-pass is relatively new, iirc it was built then rebuilt after the M53 but I'm not too sure on that.

I think Keef is referring to the Wallasey end of Wallasey Bridge Road, by the Liverpool Victoria Rowing Club.
As he says, like it still floods today after some heavy rainfall.

'Floods at a level crossing in Wallasey, July 1958, after a day of torrential rain. The floods extended for around 25 yards near to the Penny Bridge'
(Image: Liverpool Echo)
I take it this level crossing was just for freight, to and from the docks?