WEST KIRBY MUSEUM The Charles Dawson Brown Museum

Notable West Kirby people

The town's best-known connection to local history is Charles Dawson Brown, whose story the museum tells in full on its own About page. He was far from the only person of note to grow up in, be schooled in, or settle in West Kirby.

The promenade along the Marine Lake, West Kirby
Photo: Rept0n1x, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The museum and old school buildings, West Kirby
The old school buildings by St Bridget's, where several generations of West Kirby children were educated

West Kirby's Victorian growth (see From Farming Village to Victorian Resort) brought good schools and comfortable, well-connected housing — and with them, a run of notable residents and alumni across the 20th century.

Mountaineering

George Mallory

The mountaineer who disappeared attempting Everest in 1924 — famous for answering “because it's there” when asked why he wanted to climb it — was schooled in West Kirby.

Politics

Selwyn Lloyd

Chancellor of the Exchequer, Foreign Secretary, and later Speaker of the House of Commons — one of the most senior British politicians of the postwar decades.

Writing & illustration

Shirley Hughes

The children's author and illustrator, creator of Dogger and the Alfie books, was brought up in West Kirby.

Acting & politics

Glenda Jackson

Academy Award-winning actress turned Member of Parliament, educated at West Kirby Grammar School.

Acting

Daniel Craig

The James Bond actor attended Hilbre High School and Calday Grange Grammar School in the West Kirby area.

Acting & writing

Joanna Scanlan

Actress and television writer (The Thick of It, After Love), born in the town.

Football

Rafa Benítez

The former Liverpool and Everton manager has made West Kirby his home on Merseyside.

A golfing connection

West Kirby also sits close to the Royal Liverpool Golf Club at Hoylake, host to eleven Open Championships across more than a century of play, most recently in 2006 and 2014. Charles Dawson Brown himself was a club captain there — the museum is grateful to the club for the portrait photograph of him that hangs in the museum today.

Related research

Charles Dawson Brown & the museum's founding → From Farming Village to Victorian Resort → West Kirby at War →

Sources & further reading

Plan ahead

Bringing a group, or tracing local history?

Group visits

Bring a group to the museum

Clubs, schools, historical societies and social groups are welcome by arrangement — £2 per head, up to 20 people, with two weeks' notice.

Book a group visit

Research Group

Researching West Kirby's past?

Our Research Group holds decades of local material — including records of who lived and worked in individual houses and shops across the village. Genuine enquiries are welcome.

Contact the Research Group