Hoylake Lighthouse | Leasowe Lighthouse at Meols | |
Emblem over castle gate | Gate to Leasowe Castle | |
Leasowe Castle | Leasowe Castle |
The lighthouse in Valentia Road at Hoylake is now part of a private house. It was built in 1865 as one of a pair.
Leasowe Lighthouse was built by Liverpool Corporation Docks Committee in 1763 and operated until 1908. In 1930 it was bought from Liverpool Docks and Harbour Board by Wallasey Corporation. There is now a body called Friends of Leasowe Lighthouse, which supports the restoration of the monument. The lighthouse is open to the public on dates advertised on the "Friends" website.
Leasowe Castle is now the Leasowe Castle Hotel. It was built in 1593 by the 5th Earl of Derby. At that time it had only an octagonal tower with the entrance a few feet above ground level for security and for protection against the highest tides. The Earls of Derby, with their main residence at Lathom House in Lancashire, had control of the Isle of Man from 1407 until 1735. On the remains of the castle there was a stone with the three-legged symbol of the Isle of Man and the date of 1593. It has been removed and is now on display at theWilliamson Art Gallery and Museum in Birkenhead. Willilam III stayed at the castle before embarkation to Ireland for his encounter with the exiled James II at the Battle of the Boyne.
Sources
Website of the Leasowe Castle Hotel
Website of the Friends of Leasowe Lighthouse
The Buildings of England, Cheshire, by Nikolaus Pevsner and Edward Hubbard, Yale University Press, 2003, ISBN 0 300 09588 0