The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser. — Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1844-11-05 00:00:00

BIRKENHEAD. MOUNT CLAUGHTON, &c. the intended residence of William Jackson, Esq., the father of the! enterprising " Corporation " of Birken head, now in course of erection, and on which a great number of masons and other workmen are daily emyloyed. The house is an elegant and commanding building, of fine white veined freestune from Stourton, and in a handsome style of Grecian, or rather, we think, Italian architecture. It has, it may be said, four fronts, one to each cardinal point. The principal entrance is on the west, and the stone work is very fine throughout, with relieving projec tions, and stone balconies or ballustrades to several of the lower windows to correspond, supported (as well as their tops) by richly-carved trusses. The doors are topped by rich cornices of a deeply-cut segmental form at the top, in lieu of pediments, and these have a fine effect. The plan on the ground floor forms an oblong square, but the eastern front has a semicircular projection, with enriched windows in the centre or main part of the building. This portion will be of four stories, with an elevation of about 45 feet. The portions on each side of it will form wings of a story lower. The house stands on an elevated site sloping gradually towards the eastward, and commands (as well as the lawn and pleasure grounds in front already laid out in winding walks and shrubberies, &c.,) a most extensive and uninterrupted view of the Park below, the Pool, the Wirral peninsula northward, the river and shipping, the whole of Birkenhead and Liverpool (which, saving where the water intervenes, appear to be blended into one huge metropolis), Everton and Edge-hill, the shores of Bootle and Seaforth northward in the distance, and Toxteth-park to the south. We could distinctly re cognise in succession every tall chimney, tower, spire, or conspicuous object along the whole range of the vista. The trees behind, and the higher ridge of Bidston-hill, secure this mansion from the west and northwest winds, and give it a warmth of appearance, as well as in reality, rarely attainable at such an altitude. It is proverbial that the well-fed monks of old, knew pretty well how to seat themselves in pleasant and prolific spots, and our neigh , hour has in his selection of a site for his domicile followed their laudable example. The distance, in a direct line from Birkenhead Church, is about t% o miles. Passing thence, by a pleasant road eastwardly, thro •gh Claughton, our attention was arrested by numerous taste ful villas, particularly on the right, studding the ground towards the old village and further southern heights of Oxton. The whole space is intersected by new well-laid macadamized roads with footpaths on each side. The villas are of diversified styles of architecture—Grecian, Italian, Elizabethan, &c., with surrounding parterres, lawns, and gardens. We passed a large pile of new white freestone houses, adjoining which a similar pile is in course of erection ; also a beautiful cottage orne'e, in the Elizabethan style, within an angular enclosure at the meeting of two roads. Further along, on the right, is the Waterworks, conspicuous from the ornamental chimney. From this the whole township, so abundant is the spring, can be supplied with any quantity of excellent water for household purposes, baths, fountains, &c., thoughthe po pulation were increased even tenfold. There is, in fact, water sufficient to supply a community of 150,000. To the right of the Water Works is " Claughton Firs," the residence of Thomas Kirkland Glazebrook, Esquire, commanding a rich and extensive panoramic view. A lit tle lower down is the Grange Hotel, and opposite to it, at the corner of the road leading to Holt-hill, and at which the road to Claughton Park ; that to Oxton, Woodchurch, Arrow, and Thurstaston ; and two to Birkenhead, form a junction, is a large and handsome hotel, nearly completed for tenantcy. We thence dropped down to Birkenhead, observing new buildings erected or springing up on every side. Oxton-hill which comparatively a few years ago almost wholly a barren heath is now, to a great extent, covered with fine houses and 'villas, with good gardens, fields, woods, and plea,ure-grounds—a village, in fact, of itself. Tire air in this elevated locality extremely salubrious, and the prospect from almost any point, uninterrupted and delightful, embracing a vast extent of land, town, and marine scenery. The first adventurers in building were thought to be somewhat fool-hardy in choosing a site so apparently exposed and unpromising; but the result has shown here, as in other parts of the neighbourhood, that they were wise in their generation. By force of cultiva tion thriving plantations, orchards, and gardens are rising all around ; the whole though high has assumed a pleasing and warm appearance, and we have not heard of any greater damage to buildings in gales of wind, than that to which we are occasionally subject in the lower parts of our own town, which are but little elevated above the level of the tide. BIRKENHEAD FERRY & HOTEL. This, the most southerly of the ferries on the Cheshire shore that are opposite to Liverpool, has a fine commodi ous slip, shorter than the slips at the other ferries, owing to the greater depth of water close to the shore. The hotel, which is extremely commodious, and admirably conducted by Messrs. Willoughby, stands on a delightful and almost art isolated site—close to the point forming the northern boundary of the indenture of Tranmere Pool and the bay above it, comprising the Sloyne. There are pleasure grounds in front, and a fine sloping tea garden, with al coves, and bordered at the water's edge by oak trees, on the north side. From the house and also from the grounds the most charming views are obtained of the river and shipping, the Lancashire shore, from Bootle Bay to Run corn, with Liverpool on the east, and the whole basin of the Mersey to the south ; also of the Cheshire shore, the Rock Ferry, &c., &c. A new pier has recently been built from the top of the slip, running northward, and parallel with the river ; and this is found to be extremely conve nient for passengers landing or embarking during the height of spring tides. There is also, belonging to the hotel, on the opposite side of the entrance road, a fine elevated garden, sloping to the margin of Tranmere Pool ; and adjoining to it is an excellent bowling-green, and a billiard-room, both affording a charming prospect of land and water to the south. The politeness and unceasing at tention of Mr. Seymour Willoughby, under whose super intendence is the ferry department, is an additional at traction to parties crossing the river. THE MONK'S FERRY HOTEL, TUNNEL, &c. This work is now completed, and will be formally opened I amply convenient for both the goods and passenger traffic to-morrow—the day of laying the foundation stone of the to and from their respective termini. The tunnel docks. It runs from the Grange-lane Railway Station to has excavate:l and embanked approaches. The in the Monks' Ferry pier, and is about 500 yards in length, clinations fall towards the river, and the line curves a lit with a single line of rails ; another intended tunnel being tle to the right in going down. About 11 chains of its about to be formed under the town from the Railway j length have a❑ inclination of 1 in 137 ; 24 of 1 in 251) ; Station to the Dock Company's Works, and the great and the remainder is level. It is approached by a cutting basin of Wallasey Pool. The two, it is supposed, will be 50 yards in length, averaging 10 feet in depth,—the sides