BIRKENHEAD, a municipal, county and parliamentary bor ough and seaport of Cheshire, England, on the river Mersey, op posite to Liverpool, and 195 m. NAV. of London. Pop. in 1931 147,946; area 5,995 ac.; under a mayor, 15 aldermen and 45 councillors. Rateable value L983,6o6. A Benedictine monastery was founded here (c. ii5o) by Hamon de Mascey and drew rev enues from tolls levied at the Mersey Ferry. In 1818 Birkenhead was a hamlet of 5o inhabitants and its development is largely due to the establishment of shipbuilding yards by William Laird, a pioneer of iron vessels, in 1824. Telford, Stevenson and other en gineers favouring the 'conversion into a basin of Wallasey pool, a creek of the Mersey, parliamentary powers were obtained in 1843 and the first docks were carried out by James Rendel in less than five years, and opened in 1847. In 1858 they passed under the control of the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board. Subsequent large additions have brought the total quayage to ten miles. The town was built on the rectangular block plan; and the first street tramway in Europe was started here in 186o. The town was cre ated a parliamentary borough returning one member in 1861, but since 1918 it has returned two members. The charter of municipal incorporation was granted in 1877 and a large extension of bound aries was secured in 1927.
Besides sharing in the general trade of the Merseyside port Birkenhead has developed an individual trade in the export of Midland manufactures and in trade with the East. The two great "floats" or main basins of the dock system have attracted a gigantic milling industry which makes Birkenhead the largest milling centre in Europe. A vast cattle and meat trade is carried on at lairages and abattoirs on the river front. Cammell Laird and Company, the successors of W. Laird, conduct great shipbuilding yards here. Port Sunlight lies near the southern boundary.
Birkenhead is the northern terminus of the G.W. Railway. From Chester to Birkenhead the line is shared with the L.M. and S. railway, and the town is thus connected with the main lines of the two largest railway systems. Most of the other systems have depots at the docks. The corporation run a steam ferry to Liver pool for vehicles, goods and passengers (separate steamers for the latter) from Woodside near the dock entrances and a second (passenger) ferry from Rock Ferry, farther south. Passengers and lighter goods traffic are also catered for by the Mersey tunnel (electric) railway, and in a year or two the traffic tunnel now being constructed by the two corporations will effect a further link between Birkenhead and Liverpool. The municipal undertakings include gas, water supply, electricity, tramways and omnibuses, steam ferry, public market and public baths.
Public buildings include the town hall, the New Art gallery, Birkenhead park entrance arch, St. Aidans Theological college, the central library and the General hospital.