Gayton is a village in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, Merseyside, England. It is located on the Wirral Peninsula between Heswall and Parkgate. At the 2001 Census, the population of Gayton stood at 3,110.
History The name is of Viking origin, deriving from the Old Norse Geit-tún, meaning 'goat farmstead'. Gayton was formerly a township in the parish of Heswall, in the Wirral Hundred, in 1866 Gayton became a separate civil parish. The hamlets of Dawstone and Oldfield are also included as part of Gayton. The parish population was 100 in 1801, 144 in 1851, 180 in 1901 and 832 in 1951. Before local government reorganisation on 1 April 1974, it was part of Wirral Urban District in the county of Cheshire. On 1 April 1974 the parish was abolished.
William of Orange stayed at Gayton Hall in 1689 en route to the Battle of the Boyne in Ireland, and knighted his host, Sir William Glegg.
Gayton Windmill, built of red sandstone and Wirral's oldest tower mill, ceased operation in 1875. It has since been converted into a private residence.
Geography Gayton is on the western side of the Wirral Peninsula, and is situated at the eastern side of the Dee Estuary. The village is approximately south-south-east of the Irish Sea at Hoylake and about west-south-west of the River Mersey at Port Sunlight. The village is situated at an elevation of between above sea level.
Transport Rail The nearest railway station to Gayton is Heswall.
Bus Services operating in the Gayton area, as of January 2015:
Number Route Operator Days of operation 77 Heswall–Woodside Avon Buses Monday–Saturday 85 Clatterbridge Hospital–Heswall Avon Buses Monday–Saturday 113 Heswall–New Ferry A2B Travel Monday–Saturday evenings 174 Lower Village–Heswall A2B Travel Monday–Saturday 472 Barnston–Liverpool Arriva North West & Stagecoach Monday–Friday peak times only X22 Heswall–Chester Al's Coaches Monday–Saturday
See also Gayton Hall, Wirral
References
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External links
Photo: Gayton Windmill Merseytravel