IRKDALE is most famous for its golf club. Every few years all eyes turn towards the Southport district for The Open Championship.
However, there is far more to the wealthy suburb than meets the eye. As well as being home to well-known footballers playing with Lancashire teams, Birkdale was also the birthplace of controversial English historian, AJP Taylor.
Shoreside Birkdale may be the place for millionaires to wind down but just down the road in Birkdale Village, as it is still known, there is a gem of a place with a wealth of family-run shops reminiscent of times before supermarkets and chain stores. The village, split by the Southport- Liverpool railway line, features many shops tucked below Victorian canopies for you to browse. Try Broughs of Birkdale for some award-winning sausages, bread galore at The Swiss Patisserie or an homage to fromage at the Birkdale Cheese Centre.
Property prices have risen in general in the last five years but surprisingly, despite large price tags on many of the area’s homes, property prices have consistently remained a minimum of £5000 below the national average.
Land Registry figures show in recent years that you can get a home for an average of £180,000. However many of the area's detached properties, particularly those situated on in the Shoreside Birkdale region, come in at well over £500,000 with a few tipping the million pound mark and more. There are plenty of resale homes to choose from that ooze character. New homes are also available, including in Trafalgar Road where a two bedroom apartment can cost you more than £350,000. It is apartments, spurred on by Birkdale's popularity, that have enjoyed the largest price gain with around a £100,000 increase in the costs of a flat in the past year. In some cases, it is more expensive to buy a flat than a terraced or semi-detached.
Some of these apartments are on sites that were once elegant Victorian residences. However, many of the houses that sprung up on the reclaimed sandhills 150 years ago have survived along with several Victorian and Edwardian houses that still provide a beautiful home for many families. There are also some distinctive properties, the most famous probably being the Round House, with its white walls overlooking the Royal Birkdale Golf Club.
Birkdale certainly has many charms so give it a look before buying your next home.
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