Birkenhead

Birkenhead, large town in the Wirral borough, in the metropolitan county of Merseyside, north-western England. Located on the Wirral peninsula (across the River Mersey from Liverpool), Birkenhead is a port and industrial centre. Located there are facilities for the storage and refining of petroleum, a major import. Other imports processed there are iron ore and cereals. The town also has a large cattle market. Birkenhead was a small community until the completion of new docks in 1847 led to its rapid growth as a commercial and shipbuilding centre. HMS Onyx and HMS Plymouth, veterans of the Falklands War, are open to visitors. Population (1994 estimate) Wirral borough 333,100.