Birkenhead lies on the west side of the Mersey and is linked to Liverpool by tunnels and the excellent Mersey Ferry service. Near the tunnel are the ruins of a 12th-century Benedictine abbey with a chapterhouse, crypt, and refectory.
Birkenhead Park, the first publicly funded park in Britain, opened in 1847 and has three entrances with Gothic, Italianate, and Norman architecture, as well as two lakes and an ornate bridge.
Also of interest is The Williamson Art Gallery and Museum with its first-rate collection of pictures and porcelain, together with material on the history of the town.
