Parkgate
Parkgate had become important port from the start of the 18th century, as an embarkation point for Ireland.
During the years when the port existed, two distinguished guests stayed in the local hostelries. One was Lord Nelson's mistress, Lady Emma Hamilton, who was born in nearby. Another was George Frideric Handel, who stayed in Parkgate before sailing to Dublin in April 1742 for the first performance of Messiah.
As the Dee silted up, Parkgate became unusable as a port and was replaced by the port of Liverpool, on the nearby River Mersey. Towards the end of the 18th century Parkgate was popular as a seaside resort with bathers, but this diminished as the sands of the estuary were consumed with grass.
As silting progressed, Parkgate could manage only small subsistence from fishing and shrimps.
Mostyn House School, a striking black and white building, was opened in Parkgate in 1855. From 1862 until it closed in 2010, it was run by the Grenfell family, most recently as an independent co-educational day school. Sir Wilfred Grenfell (1865–1940), famous medical missionary to Newfoundland and Labrador, was born in Parkgate and was a pupil at the school.
In the years after World War II, Parkgate flourished as a highly desirable residential area and became a conservation area in 1973.
During seasonal spring high tides the water still reaches the sea wall, and visitors arrive at the village to witness the unusual sight. Bird watchers also come at this time to watch the birds usually hidden in the grasses of the marshland.
Read MoreDuring the years when the port existed, two distinguished guests stayed in the local hostelries. One was Lord Nelson's mistress, Lady Emma Hamilton, who was born in nearby. Another was George Frideric Handel, who stayed in Parkgate before sailing to Dublin in April 1742 for the first performance of Messiah.
As the Dee silted up, Parkgate became unusable as a port and was replaced by the port of Liverpool, on the nearby River Mersey. Towards the end of the 18th century Parkgate was popular as a seaside resort with bathers, but this diminished as the sands of the estuary were consumed with grass.
As silting progressed, Parkgate could manage only small subsistence from fishing and shrimps.
Mostyn House School, a striking black and white building, was opened in Parkgate in 1855. From 1862 until it closed in 2010, it was run by the Grenfell family, most recently as an independent co-educational day school. Sir Wilfred Grenfell (1865–1940), famous medical missionary to Newfoundland and Labrador, was born in Parkgate and was a pupil at the school.
In the years after World War II, Parkgate flourished as a highly desirable residential area and became a conservation area in 1973.
During seasonal spring high tides the water still reaches the sea wall, and visitors arrive at the village to witness the unusual sight. Bird watchers also come at this time to watch the birds usually hidden in the grasses of the marshland.
