Crosby Beach facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Crosby Beach |
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View out to sea, with the Iron Men in view
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 Location in Merseyside
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| Location | Crosby, Merseyside |
| Coordinates | 53°28′37″N 3°02′31″W / 53.477°N 3.042°W |
| Length | 2.5 miles (4.0 km) |
| Geology | Beach |
| Patrolled by | Her Majesty's Coastguard |
| Access | Blundellsands and Crosby railway station Hall Road railway station |
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.
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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.
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.
Recreation
Another Place
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. 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". The sculptures were painted in June 2017 in what was described as vandalism, although several residents reacted favourably to the graffiti.
Waterloo Marina
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A million pound scheme was proposed to redevelop the nearby Marina as part of a visitor's centre for the beach and Another Place. The new centre was opening in late 2009 under the name of the Crosby Lakeside Adventure Centre, and is also home to the Crosby Scout and Guide Marina Club.
Coastal defences
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Dune management, including the planting of old Christmas trees and the building of a sea wall, is ongoing and have reduced the problems of high tides. 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.
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. 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.
Safety
The beach has a red flag rating, typically indicating danger and for visitors to not enter the water. There have been numerous incidents over the years of visitors getting trapped in quicksand. Some incidents have been attributed to the iron men sculptures, with visitors venturing beyond the safety point to see the sculptures.
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.
- 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.
The beach was awarded Keep Britain Tidy's Quality Coast Award in 2011.
