Editing Leasowe (section)

==Landmarks==
===Solar School===
{{Infobox historic site
| name =
| native_name =
| image =
| image_size = 250
| caption =
| locmapin = Merseyside
| map_width = 200
| map_caption = Location in Merseyside
| alt =
| coordinates = {{coord|53|25|11|N|03|04|45|W|display=inline}}
| location =
| gbgridref = SJ 2837491974
| area = Wirral, Merseyside
| built = 1961
| built_for =
| demolished =
| rebuilt =
| restored =
| restored_by =
| architect = Emslie A Morgan
| architecture = [[Passive solar building design]]|
| designation1 = Grade II
| designation1_date = January 1996
| designation1_number = 1246185
}}
The Solar Campus, on Leasowe Road, <ref>see [http://wikimapia.org/4031698/Solar-Campus "Solar Campus"]</ref> is the former St Georges Secondary School, and is the site of the Solar Building, the first building in the world to be heated entirely by [[solar heating|solar]] energy. At 53.4°N, it is also the most northerly.<ref name=C20>[https://c20society.org.uk/building-of-the-month/the-solar-campus-former-st-georges-school-wallasey-merseyside The Solar Campus, formerly St Georges School, Wallasey, Merseyside]. Elain Harwood (2023) Building of the Month April 2023: Twentieth Century Society; retrieved 29 June 2024.</ref> The school was built in 1955, in the contemporary style as the St Georges Secondary School for Girls; in 1958, it was decided to admit boys, requiring a doubling in capacity. 

This was met by building a new block, now known as the Solar Building, to a design by Emslie Morgan, the Assistant Borough Architect, who spent a lifetime looking into ways of harnessing the sun's rays.<ref name=C20/> His design featured a high south-facing solar wall, largely of glass, to absorb the sun's warmth, a sloping well-insulated roof, and a low blind north-facing wall backing the buildings corridor. The solar wall is built of glass leaves two feet apart; these draw the ultra violet rays from sunshine and reflect them around the walls of the classrooms. The walls become warm and heat the air. Hardly any warmth escapes through the school's massively thick roof and walls covered with slabs of plastic foam. On the coldest days it is always {{convert|60|°F|°C}} inside and, in summer, the school is cooler than its more conventional neighbours; panels inside the glass wall can be turned to deflect heat or absorb it.<ref name=C20/><ref name=MM>[https://www.mainstreammodern.co.uk/casestudies.aspx/Detail/127/solar-campus Solar Campus 1961] at Mainstream Modern; retrieved 29 June 2024</ref>

{{citation needed span|date=June 2024|text=In practice, the large convector ducts which direct the warmed air to the colder north side of the building are a major safety hazard; fire breaks have had to be inserted to reduce or cut off the air flow. The result is that, on sunny days, the south glazed side of the building reaches unbearable temperatures in excess of 40&nbsp;°C, while for most of the time the unglazed north side never reaches a comfortable temperature nor receives much natural light.}}

A small secondary single-pipe heating system was installed to give additional heating on cold winter days with very few hours of sunlight but, by 1966, it had never been used and was dismantled. In 1963, the [[Liverpool Echo]] reported that during the previous winter temperatures never dropped below {{cvt|60|F}}, while in the summer it was cooler than the older part of the school.<ref name=C20/> {{citation needed span|date=June 2024|text= Today, the secondary heating has to be used very often and is expensive.}}

The property is [[Grade II]] [[listed building|listed]] and is maintained by the Children & Young People's Department of the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, {{citation needed span|date=June 2024|text=which struggles to find the necessary revenue and capital to fully maintain it.}}

===Leasowe Castle===
{{Infobox historic site
| name = Leasowe Castle
| native_name = 
| image = File:Leasowe Castle.jpg
| image_size = 250
| caption = Leasowe Castle
| locmapin = Merseyside
| map_width = 200
| map_caption = Location in Merseyside
| alt =
| coordinates = {{coord|53|25|06.32|N|03|06|28.16|W|display=inline}}
| location = 
| gbgridref = SJ 26471 91863
| area = Wirral, Merseyside
| built = 1593
| built_for = 
| demolished = 
| rebuilt = 
| restored = 
| restored_by =
| architect = 
| architecture = [[Private house]]|
| designation1 = Grade II*
| designation1_date = May 1952
| designation1_number = 1273527
}}

'''Leasowe Castle''' may have been built for [[Ferdinando Stanley, 5th Earl of Derby]]<ref name="Randall">{{harvnb|Randall|1984|pp=44–46}}</ref> – a patron of [[Shakespeare]] – in 1593, possibly (though this is disputed) as an observation platform for the Wallasey races which took place on the sands in the 16th and 17th centuries, and which are regarded as a forerunner of the [[Derby (horse race)|Derby]] races. Ferdinando's brother [[William Stanley, 6th Earl of Derby|William, the 6th Earl]], was described as a noted sportsman and is remembered as a keen supporter of the Wallasey races.

At first the castle consisted only of an octagonal tower. This had become disused by 1700, and it became known as "Mockbeggar Hall", a term often used for an ornate but derelict building.<ref name="Castle">{{cite web |title=Leasowe Castle Hotel |url=http://www.leasowecastle.com/about.html |access-date=28 June 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120408205330/http://www.leasowecastle.com/about-us.html |archive-date=8 April 2012}}</ref> The term ''Mockbeggar Wharf'' is still used for the adjoining foreshore. The ''Mockbeggar Hall'' is also the name of a [[Wetherspoons]] pub in neighbouring Moreton.

In 1821, ownership passed to the Cust family.<ref name="Randall" /> After 1826, the building was used as a hotel for some years. The ceiling of the [[Star Chamber]] at the [[Palace of Westminster]] was brought to the castle in 1836 along with panelling and other furnishings; they had been salvaged from the old Palace of Westminster before the Star Chamber was demolished in an 1806 building project.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://leasowecastle.com/dine/ |title=Dine – Leasowe Castle}}</ref> The Star Chamber was so called because the ceiling was decorated with bright stars. The ceiling and four tapestries depicting the four seasons still remain. Oak panelling from the Star Chamber and some made from the submerged forest along the coast were also installed;<ref name="Old Wirral">{{cite web |title=Old Wirral web site |url=http://www.oldwirral.com/moreton_mockbeggar.html
|access-date=26 June 2012}}</ref> however, these were removed in 1893.<ref name="Old Wirral" />

Between 1911 and 1970, it became a railway convalescent home;<ref name="Randall" /> between 1974 and 1980, it was owned by [[Wirral Borough Council]]. It reopened as a hotel in December 1982<ref name="Randall" /> and was acquired by Lawton Hotels Ltd in 2000. The hotel is now a popular venue for weddings and other family functions, with around 50 bedrooms. Leasowe Castle is recorded in the [[National Heritage List for England]] as a designated [[Grade&nbsp;II*]] [[Listed building#England and Wales|listed building]].<ref>[https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1273527 ''Leasowe Castle''] at Historic England; retrieved 29 June 2024</ref>

===Leasowe Lighthouse===
{{main|Leasowe Lighthouse}}
{{Infobox historic site
| name = Leasowe lighthouse
| native_name = 
| image = 
| image_size = 250
| caption = 
| locmapin = Merseyside
| map_width = 200
| map_caption = Location in Merseyside
| alt =
| coordinates = {{coord|53|24|47|N|03|07|33|W|display=inline}}
| location = 
| gbgridref = SJ 2526891296
| area = Wirral, Merseyside
| built = 1761
| built_for = 
| demolished = 
| rebuilt = 
| restored = 
| restored_by =
| architect = 
| architecture = [[Lighthouse]]|
| designation1 = Grade II
| designation1_date = May 1952
| designation1_number = 1259738
}}
Leasowe Lighthouse was built in 1763 by Liverpool Corporation's Docks Committee<ref>{{citation |url=http://www.leasowelighthouse.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=29&Itemid=44 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180808140855/http://www.leasowelighthouse.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=29&Itemid=44 |url-status=dead |archive-date=8 August 2018 |title=Leasowe Lighthouse: Significant Dates |publisher=Friends of Leasowe Lighthouse |access-date=14 January 2008}}</ref> (the forerunner of the [[Mersey Docks and Harbour Board]]) and is the oldest brick-built lighthouse in Britain.<ref name="Leasowe Lighthouse">{{citation|url=http://www.leasowelighthouse.co.uk/ |title=Leasowe Lighthouse: A Wirral Highlight |publisher=Friends of Leasowe Lighthouse |access-date=14 January 2008}}</ref><ref>{{citation |url=http://www.visitwirral.com/site/attractions/leasowe-lighthouse-p44212?listingurl=%2Fsite%2Fattractions%2Fsearchresults%3Frp%3D3%26src%5Fname%3D%26posted%3D1%26src%5Fcategory%3D%26x%3D103%26src%5Farea%3D%26y%3D13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081005034902/http://www.visitwirral.com/site/attractions/leasowe-lighthouse-p44212?listingurl=%2Fsite%2Fattractions%2Fsearchresults%3Frp%3D3%26src%5Fname%3D%26posted%3D1%26src%5Fcategory%3D%26x%3D103%26src%5Farea%3D%26y%3D13 |url-status=dead |archive-date=5 October 2008 |title=Leasowe Lighthouse |publisher=visitwirral.com |access-date=14 January 2008}}</ref> According to local tradition its foundations were built on bales of cotton from a nearby shipwreck.<ref name="Leasowe Lighthouse" /> Around 1763, [[William Hutchinson (privateer)|William Hutchinson]] installed what may have been the first parabolic reflector in a lighthouse. The lighthouse was one of four lights on the North Wirral foreshore, the others being two at [[Hoylake]] and another – a lower light – at Leasowe. The latter was soon destroyed by the sea and was replaced by a lighthouse on [[Bidston Hill]] in 1771.

The lighthouse was operational until 14 July 1908,<ref>{{citation |url=http://www.wirral.gov.uk/LGCL/100006/200073/670/content_0001020.html|title=Leasowe Lighthouse |publisher=Metropolitan Borough of Wirral |access-date=14 January 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927004952/http://www.wirral.gov.uk/LGCL/100006/200073/670/content_0001020.html |archive-date=27 September 2007 |df=dmy-all}}</ref> 
with the only known female lighthouse keeper in those days, a Mrs. Williams. It then became a tearoom for a period, but was unused before 1989, since when it has been the base for the ranger service of the [[North Wirral Coastal Park]].<ref name="Birkenhead – An Illustrated History">{{citation |title=The Wirral ~ Photographic Memories |first=Jim |last=Rubery |pages=42 |year=2003 |isbn=1-85937-517-0}}</ref> The lighthouse is a [[Grade&nbsp;II]] [[Listed building#England and Wales|listed building]]<ref>[https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1259738 ''Leasowe lighthouse''] at Historic England; retrieved 29 June 2024</ref> and houses a visitor centre which is occasionally open to the public.

===Leasowe Hospital===
{{unreferenced section|date=April 2020}}
Leasowe Hospital or ''The Leasowe Sanatorium For Crippled Children and Hospital for Tuberculosis'', to give its full and original name, later became known as the Liverpool Open-Air Hospital, Leasowe, and finally Leasowe Hospital. [[Margaret Beavan]] (1877–1931) was the driving force of the hospital, admired by all, she was known affectionately as the "Little Mother of Liverpool", also not quite as complimentary, the "Mighty Atom" and "Clever Beggar".

The first mention of a sanatorium for children with tuberculosis occurred on 16 December 1911. Slowly, Leasowe Hospital changed from being principally a children's T.B. hospital to one for dealing with burns and skin grafts, and then arthritis until its closure in 1979. Another name closely associated with Leasowe, amongst others, is that of (the late) Dr T.R. Littler, Consultant Rheumatologist, who was devoted to Leasowe. Leasowe Hospital was eventually bought by the Wirral Christian Centre in 1981; it was used later as a retirement home and handicap centre. After failing to make that facility work, the buildings were eventually repossessed then later demolished around 2002–03. Luxury flats and houses have since been built on the site.

==== Notable staff at Leasowe Hospital ====
* Edith Marie Tucker (1876-unknown), Matron of the new hospital building from 1915 to 1919.<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal |date=26 April 1919 |title=Children's Hospital, Leasowe |journal=[[Nursing Times]] |volume=5 |issue=730 |pages=392}}</ref> Tucker trained at The London Hospital under Matron [[Eva Luckes]] between 1904 and 1906.<ref name=":0" /><ref>Edith Marie Tucker, Register of Probationers; RLHLH/N/1/10, 118; Barts Health NHS Trust Archives and Museums, London

</ref>  After her training Tucker remained at the London as a staff nurse, then gained promotion to sister working as holiday sister, night sister, in Outpatients department and in Matron's Office<ref>Edith Marie Tucker, Register of Sisters and Nurses; RLHLH/N/4/2, 134; Barts Health NHS Trust Archives and Museums, London</ref> until she was seconded to head a party of London Hospital nurses to the Balkan Wars between 1912 and 1913.<ref>Matron's Annual Letter to Nurses, No. 20, Matron's Annual Letter to Nurses, 1894–1916; RLHLH/N/7/2, No. 20, April 1913, 19–25; Barts Health NHS Trust Archives and Museums, London.</ref><ref>Matron's Report, 4 November 1912, House Committee Minutes, 1912–1914; RLHLH/A/5/53, 31; Barts Health NHS Trust Archives and Museums, London.</ref><ref name=":0" />
* Charlotte Hughes (1883–1961), Matron 1919- 1943.<ref name=":0">Rogers, Sarah (2022). 'A Maker of Matrons'? A study of Eva Lückes's influence on a generation of nurse leaders:1880–1919' (Unpublished PhD thesis, University of Huddersfield, April 2022)</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |date=3 May 1919 |title=Appointments |journal=[[The British Journal of Nursing]] |volume=62 |pages=300 |via=RCN}}</ref><ref>Hughes, Charlotte, RG101/3971e; 1939 England and Wales Register for Hospital for Children, Wallasey; The National Archives, Kew [Available at: www.ancestry.co.uk, accessed on 20 October 2018]</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |date=17 April 1943 |title=Retirement |journal=[[Nursing Times]] |volume=38 |issue=1981 |via=RCN}}</ref> Hughes also trained at [[Royal London Hospital|The London Hospital]] between 1906 and 1908.<ref name=":0" /><ref>Charlotte Hughes, Register of Probationers; RLHLH/N/1/13, 19; Barts Health NHS Trust Archives and Museums, London
</ref> After her training Hughes remained at The London working in various departments including the Private Nursing Institute, as a ward staff nurse, and pupil (student) [[Midwife]], before being promoted to holiday sister, then ward sister.<ref>Charlotte Hughes, Private Nursing Institution Register, January – November 1908; RLHLH/N/5/15, 76–77; Barts Health NHS Trust Archives and Museums, London</ref><ref>Charlotte Hughes, Register of Sisters and Nurses; RLHLH/N/4/2, 363; Barts Health NHS Trust Archives and Museums, London</ref> Hughes was in charge of both the TB hospital and adjacent Liverpool Babies Hospital, comprising over 300 beds.<ref name=":1" /> In 1927, Hughes wrote an article about Orthopaedic Nursing.<ref>{{Cite journal |date=Feb 5, 1927 |title=Orthopaedic Nursing |journal=[[Nursing Times]] |volume=23 |issue=1136 |pages=134–135 |via=RCN}}</ref> Whilst she was Matron at Leasowe, one of Hughes's ward sister's married, and Hughes 'gave the bride away.'<ref>{{Cite journal |date=20 September 1930 |title=A Real Hospital Wedding |journal=[[Nursing Times]] |volume=26 |issue=1325 |pages=1125 |via=RCN}}</ref> Probationer nurses trained for two years at Leasowe in the nursing care of children with Surgical [[Tuberculosis]].<ref>{{Cite journal |date=21 June 1930 |title=Leasowe Orthopaedic Hospital |journal=[[Nursing Times]] |volume=26 |issue=1312 |pages=769}}</ref>