[2] Up to the nineteenth century, the area had a reputation for smuggling and wrecking,[3][page needed] and secret underground cellars and tunnels are still rumoured to exist.

In 1830, a Liverpool merchant, James Atherton, purchased 170 acres (69 ha) of land at Rock Point, which enjoyed views out to sea and across the Mersey and had a good beach.

During the latter half of the nineteenth century, New Brighton developed as a very popular seaside resort serving Liverpool and the Lancashire industrial towns, and many of the large houses were converted to inexpensive hotels.

[9] This served both as a recreational amenity in its own right, and to link up the developments along the estuary, and was later extended westwards towards Leasowe, making it the longest in the UK.

[citation needed] The River Mersey and the resort were described by the diarist Francis Kilvert in 1872 as: "crowded with vessels of all sorts moving up and down the river, ships, barques, brigs, brigantines, schooners, cutters, colliers, tugs, steamboats, lighters, "flats", everything from the huge emigrant liner steamship with four masts to the tiny sailing and rowing boat ... At New Brighton there are beautiful sands stretching for miles along the coast and the woods wave green down to the salt water's edge.

[citation needed] The New Brighton Tower, the tallest in the country, was opened in 1900 but closed in 1919, largely due to lack of maintenance during World War I.

New Brighton's former open-air swimming pool, of Art Deco architecture, was opened on 13 June 1934 by Viscount Leverhulme.

However, the Tower Ballroom continued as a major venue, hosting numerous concerts in the 1950s and 1960s by local Liverpool groups such as the Beatles as well as other international stars.

[4] New Brighton is at the northeastern corner, and most northerly point, of the Wirral Peninsula, at the western side of the mouth of the River Mersey.

On Victoria Road, the Anglican St James Church by Sir George Gilbert Scott notable for its thin broach spire and a polygonal apse.

Unusually for an artwork it is the focus for many other activities, mainly as a children's play structure, but also as a mock-up vessel for RNLI exercises, wedding ceremonies and as a popular subject for photography.

New Brighton is part of the Wallasey parliamentary constituency and represented by Angela Eagle MP, of the Labour Party who retained her seat in the 2019 general election.

[29][30] Typical of a seaside resort, New Brighton has a wide range of visitor attractions and facilities adjoining the beach.

[31][32] This includes a 66-bedroom Travelodge hotel,[33] a range of cafe bars and restaurants, a Morrisons supermarket[34] and The Light, which is an 8-screen digital multiplex cinema.

The Wirral Show, a free-to-enter annual event, was held on open ground off the King's Parade at New Brighton.

The pop concert New Brighton Rock was held over two days: 21 and 22 May 1984 at the town's open-air swimming pool and transmitted by Granada Television on 23 June 1984 on ITV.

[46] It featured many musical artists of the day including Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Gloria Gaynor, Madness, Nik Kershaw and Spandau Ballet.

[50] Also the band Jegsy Dodd and the sons of Harry Cross had a track on their 1986 Winebars & Werewolves album called "Who Killed New Brighton".

[51] The bandstand situated in Vale Park is a popular outdoor music venue, hosting a variety of acts, typically an orchestra or choir every Sunday.

[54] New Brighton is one of the smallest settlements ever to have a Football League club,[citation needed] although it generally classed as part of the town of Wallasey.

The station has a return service to Liverpool Central every 15 minutes during Monday to Saturday daytimes, which reduces to half-hourly at other times.