Crosby Beach

Crosby Beach is part of the Merseyside coastline north of Liverpool in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton, England, stretching about 2.5 miles (4.0 km) North-West from the Seaforth Dock in the Port of Liverpool, through Waterloo, where it separates the sea from the Marina. The beach has been the permanent home of the Another Place sculptures by Antony Gormley since 2007.

Crosby Beach
View out to sea, with the Iron Men in view
LocationCrosby, Merseyside
Coordinates53.477°N 3.042°W / 53.477; -3.042
Length2.5 miles (4.0 km)[1]
GeologyBeach
Patrolled byHer Majesty's Coastguard
AccessBlundellsands and Crosby railway station Hall Road railway station

History

The beach was stabilised from the mid 19th century, as prior to this, high sea tides could come in as far as the first row of houses.[2]

In the older dunes north of the coastguard station, between the sea and the West Lancashire Golf Club, there are still some remains of the old wartime defenses. The navigable shipping channel in Liverpool Bay, connecting the River Mersey to the Irish Sea, runs parallel to the beach to around the coastguard station where it swings out to sea.

The beach was featured in the 2012 BBC drama Good Cop, filmed at and around the beach region. Sefton Council hoped the drama would promote the coastline as a location ideal for filming.[3]

Recreation

Another Place
Some of the iron men from the Antony Gormley sculptures
Main article: Another Place (sculpture)

The Another Place sculptures by Antony Gormley are found here and, after a Sefton Council meeting on 7 March 2007, it has been allowed to stay permanently.[4] Gormley's reason for choosing Crosby Beach as the location was that he thought of the beach as being "the opposite of pretty. It is terrific and brutal and is a working beach".[5] The sculptures were painted in June 2017 in what was described as vandalism, although several residents reacted favourably to the graffiti.[6]

Waterloo Marina
View of Waterloo Marina

A million pound scheme was proposed to redevelop the nearby Marina as part of a visitor's centre for the beach and Another Place.[7] The new centre was opening in late 2009 under the name of the Crosby Lakeside Adventure Centre,[8] and is also home to the Crosby Scout and Guide Marina Club.

Coastal defences
Part of the Sea Wall barrier

Dune management, including the planting of old Christmas trees[9] and the building of a sea wall, is ongoing and have reduced the problems of high tides.[2] Land erosion was a problem during the early 1900s, with dunes and house gardens being washed away resulting in the demolition of houses up to 1929 and measures to control the erosion introduced during the 1930s. A scheme was undertaken during the late 1960s to reclaim land in association with the Liverpool Docks, which also involved creating a Marina at Waterloo; land was extended from excavated material through the control of the Mersey Tunnel.[2]

Throughout 2011-2012, around 4,000 tonnes (3,900 long tons; 4,400 short tons) of sand was moved from Crosby Beach further north towards the village of Hightown, in an effort to bolster coastal defences for the village; the sand dunes are expected to last for 30 years, which also includes a rubble wall at the southern end.[10] In 2012, Asbestos was discovered spread out over a 2-mile stretch of the beach, likely originating from the remains of bombed out buildings during The Blitz, which used the bombed materials to bolster the sea wall but over time eroded and exposed the fibres.[11]

Safety

The beach has a red flag rating, typically indicating danger and for visitors to not enter the water.[12] There have been numerous incidents over the years of visitors getting trapped in quicksand.[13][14] Some incidents have been attributed to the iron men sculptures, with visitors venturing beyond the safety point to see the sculptures.[15]

Transport

Crosby Beach can be reached by foot from Hall Road railway station, Waterloo railway station or Blundellsands and Crosby railway station. The number 53 bus runs through South Road, Waterloo, which stops near Waterloo Station. Many people take the 10-minute walk from here to the end of South Road where the Marina begins and Crosby Beach is located over the sand dunes. There is also car parking at Crosby Swimming Baths.

Sport
  • A parkrun takes place at the beach every Saturday morning at 9am. The course begins on the beach then proceeds along the promenade before returning, the total distance is 5Km[16].
  • Crosby Leisure Centre is located at the beach and has an indoor swimming pool.

Accolades

As of July 2017, Crosby Beach scored favourably on Trip Advisor, receiving an average rating of 4.5/5 from around 500 reviews.[17]

The beach was awarded Keep Britain Tidy's Quality Coast Award in 2011.[18]

References
  1. "Crosby Beach Length" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved 8 July 2017.
  2. "Crosby To Formby Point Strategy Study Consultation 2007" (PDF). Sefton Council. 2007. Retrieved 8 July 2017.
  3. "Crosby Beach Set For Starring TV Role". On The Spot News. 28 August 2012. Retrieved 9 July 2017.
  4. "Gormley's statues stay out to sea". BBC News. 7 March 2007. Retrieved 22 July 2007.
  5. "Antony Gormley explains why he chose Crosby Beach over Southport". Southport Visiter. 2 July 2015. Retrieved 9 July 2017.
  6. "ECHO readers torn over whether painting of Crosby beach Iron Men is vandalism or art". Liverpool Echo. 19 June 2017. Retrieved 8 July 2017.
  7. "Residents will get a first look at Crosby Lakeside Adventure Centre in Waterloo". Crosby Herald. 24 September 2009. Archived from the original on 1 March 2012.
  8. "Crosby Lakeside Adventure Centre". Sefton Council. Retrieved 9 July 2017.
  9. "Your Christmas trees can help defend Formby from the sea". Southport Visiter. 22 December 2015. Retrieved 8 July 2017.
  10. "30,000m of sand is set to be removed from Crosby beach to form a coastal defence at Hightown". Liverpool Echo. 18 November 2010. Retrieved 9 July 2017.
  11. "Council call emergency meeting after two-mile stretch containing asbestos found on beach". The Champion. 8 March 2012. Retrieved 8 July 2017.
  12. "Lifeguards and safety flags". NI Direct Government Services. Retrieved 9 July 2017.
  13. "'I thought I was going to die'". Macclesfield Express. 8 November 2006. Retrieved 9 July 2017.
  14. "Mum and two children "completely traumatised" after quicksand drama on Crosby beach". Liverpool Echo. 28 November 2016. Retrieved 9 July 2017.
  15. "Safety warning over sea statues". BBC News. 11 July 2005. Retrieved 9 July 2017.
  16. Crosby Parkrun Course
  17. "Trip Advisor - Crosby Beach". Trip Advisor. Retrieved 8 July 2017.
  18. "Your ultimate guide to Merseyside's most beautiful beaches". Liverpool Echo. 6 May 2017. Retrieved 8 July 2017.
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