Guide to Wallasey

There are 46 schools within three miles of Wallasey which received either a ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ grade at their last inspection. This includes outstanding schools at primary level (ages 2-11) and an outstanding single gender school for girls. There are also a number of outstanding schools for children with special educational needs, and plenty of other great schools for all age ranges – including outstanding schools at all levels within five miles.

Wallasey is a fantastic area for young couples and families, with a wonderful balance of great schools and local amenities for children. It’s no wonder, therefore, that family homes in the area move fast.

Wallasey has ten or more medical practices dotted throughout the town and all providing day to day medical care, there are plenty of pharmacies for you to collect prescriptions from, and half a dozen NHS and private dental practices offering general and cosmetic dentistry to maintain your smile while you’re living in the area.

For more serious issues, accidents, procedures or injuries, there are two nearby hospitals – Victoria Central Hospital which offers a walk in centre, and Arrowe Park Hospital which also has an accident and emergency service. Services in Wallasey all fall under the NHS Wirral Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), and you can find out more about them and their mission to ‘commission high quality services which enable the people of Wirral to improve their own health and well being’ here.

Residents of Wallasey are spoiled for choice when it comes to dining options. With a fantastic selection of nearby cafes and pubs for a daytime meal, or coffee and a bite to eat, numerous takeaways (including everyone’s favourites – Chinese and Indian) and all of the standard fast food restaurants.

There are also a number of restaurants in and around Wallasey which cater for pre-theatre dining and evenings out, with options ranging from Italian and Middle Eastern to Seafood and pub grub, there’s something to appeal to everyone in the town.

For special occasions, or just because, there’s also the option of nearby Leasowe Castle where you can dine beneath a star-studded ceiling which was once a part of the Palace of Westminster, or take a trip to Fraiche, the Michelin starred restaurant in neighbouring Birkenhead
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Liverpool is a half hour trip by train from Wallasey Grove Road on the Wirral Line, Chester takes a little longer at 70 minutes and Manchester just over an hour and a half. While not the ideal commuter town for train passengers, three of the north west’s best performing cities are all within range of a commute

Things are a little easier by road, however, with Liverpool taking a mere 15 minutes, Chester taking half an hour and Manchester a little over an hour. So while the train may prove a little much, for drivers, the town of Wallasey is a marvellous place to experience a sedate small town homelife while retaining the opportunities of working in a big city.

Wallasey, like much of the Wirral, was home to settlements dating back a thousand or more years, but was sparsely populated until the 19th Century. However, Leasowe Castle was built in the 16th Century for the 5th Earl of Derby – whose horse races on the sands at Leasowe are considered forerunners of the modern Derby. After a period of disuse, the castle earned the name Mockbeggar Hall, a name now carried by a local pub. 

From 1830, and in line with Wallasey’s 19th Century boom, New Brighton began to be filled with large and luxurious buildings for Liverpool’s wealthier men of industry and commerce. Though these opulent buildings would later become hotels, the 19th Century was a time of great wealth for Wallasey – and great change.

Wallasey residents should never be short of nearby attractions. The area, which is home to New Brighton, is still a popular tourist destination and filled with things to do. There’s a funfair which is ideal for young families, a traditional arcade, a soft play area with slides and climbing frames (suitable for children up to twelve), there’s Championship Adventure Golf, a miniature golf course with a course based on famous landmarks, and plenty more.

However, if you’re looking for some nature, the local area has plenty of nature walks, wildlife parks and areas of real natural beauty. Take a walk along the longest promenade in the UK (between Seacombe and New Brighton), or a nature walk in North Wirral Country Park, there’s plenty of England’s native wildlife and woodlands within a short journey.

Wallasey offers plenty of entertainment, from New Brighton’s Floral Pavilion theatre, which runs a full programme of ballet, drama, opera and more, to The Light Cinema which offers coffee and cocktails with their selection of live music and the latest releases. There are also plenty of museums, galleries and smaller theatres on offer in the towns and villages surrounding Wallasey, meaning you shouldn’t struggle to find something to do.

If you want to carry on your evening with a night on the tiles, then you can take a trip over (or under) the water to the many bars, nightclubs, music venues and more that Liverpool has to offer (all within range of an affordable late night taxi ride).

There are plenty of beauty salons and stylists in and around Wallasey, with multiple options for any treatment you’re looking for. Whether you occasionally frequent a tanning parlour, or need a regular cut and colour, or just enjoy fine nail art, there will be a choice of venues for you to choose from, meaning it’s almost certain that you’ll find somewhere matching your personal tastes and aesthetic.

While such services can be forgotten about when looking for somewhere to call home, it’s these simple things that can make a nice place to live into a great place – and the options on offer in Wallasey should leave you in no doubt about which category it falls into.

Wallasey is better suited to a coffee and a bite to eat with friends than for extravagant shopping trips. Although that may be disappointing news for potential residents who are dedicated shoppers, there are several retail parks scattered around the Wirral which are within easy reach of Wallasey by car.

Nearby options include JunctionONE Retail Park in Wallasey itself, The Croft Retail and Leisure Park in Bromborough, and a few more besides. However, if you still can’t find what you’re looking for, or just want to make a day of your shopping trip, there’s fantastic shopping available in both Chester and Liverpool.

Wallasey has the expected supermarket access; there are Morrisons, Asda, Tesco and Iceland stores all within an acceptable distance for your weekly shop (there’s also a larger Tesco Extra in Bidston and Aldi in Hoylake). However, there are also smaller, independent stores around the area, so there’s plenty of choice whether you’re looking for a full shop or a few bits and pieces before heading home.

Where the Wirral excels is in these independent stores; there’s the popular Hoylake Pantry, for example, which is a zero waste shop selling wholefoods and refills for your detergents (all single-use plastic free), as well as farm shops like the Vineyard Farm in nearby Bromborough, and Claremont Farm in Bebington – both of which offer sustainable, locally sourced fresh produce including vegetables, meats and cheeses.