Landican

Landican (/ˈlændɪkən/) is a hamlet on the Wirral Peninsula, England. It is situated on the outskirts of Birkenhead, near to Woodchurch and the M53 motorway. Landican consists of a small group of cottages and farm buildings[3] as well as a cemetery and crematorium. At the 2001 Census the community had a population of only 20.[1]

Landican
Hamlet

The Garden of Remembrance, Landican Cemetery
Landican
Location within Merseyside
Population20 (2001 Census)[1]
OS grid referenceSJ283855
• London178 mi (286 km)[2] SE
Metropolitan borough
Metropolitan county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townWIRRAL
Postcode districtCH49
Dialling code0151
ISO 3166 codeGB-WRL
PoliceMerseyside
FireMerseyside
AmbulanceNorth West
UK Parliament

History

In 1085, Landican was recorded in the Domesday Book as Landechene.[4] The name possibly derives from Llan diacon, meaning "church of the deacon", with the llan- prefix being of Welsh origin.[5] However, it does not have a parish church and probably refers to Woodchurch.[5][nb 1]

The hamlet was a township in Woodchurch Parish of the Wirral Hundred and was added to Birkenhead civil parish in 1933. The population was 45 in 1801, 57 in 1851, 71 in 1901 and 66 in 1931.[6]

On the 19th of October 1944, a United States Air Force B-24 Liberator bomber from the 703rd Bomb Squadron, 445th Bomb Group based at RAF Tibenham, was on a familiarisation flight when it exploded in mid-air. The bomber crashed near the hamlet with the loss of all 24 people on board. In 1996 a large stone memorial to those who died was erected at the nearby North Cheshire Trading Estate in Prenton.[7][8]

Geography

Landican is in the central part of the Wirral Peninsula, approximately 6 km (3.7 mi) south-south-east of the Irish Sea at Leasowe Lighthouse, 5 km (3.1 mi) east-north-east of the Dee Estuary at Thurstaston and 5 km (3.1 mi) west-south-west of the River Mersey at Tranmere Oil Terminal. Landican is situated between Thurstaston Hill and the Bidston to Storeton ridge, with the centre of the hamlet at an elevation of about 44 m (144 ft) above sea level.[9]

Landican Cemetery

Landican Cemetery is situated opposite Arrowe Park and is one of the main cemetery and crematorium sites for the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral. Opening on 22 October 1934, the site now consists of nearly 30 hectares (74 acres). A large population of European hares are known to inhabit the cemetery grounds.[10]

There are 125 Commonwealth service war graves of World War II in the cemetery, 35 of them in a war graves plot, and include two unidentified sailors of the Royal Navy and an unidentified airman.[11] In addition, a Screen Wall memorial opposite the Cross of Sacrifice at the plot lists 38 service personnel of the same war who were cremated at the crematorium.[12]

Other individuals buried or cremated there include:

Notes
  1. In this instance, Llan de chesne would be a Welsh-Norman construct, literally "church (built) of oak (wood)".

References
  1. "Wirral 2001 Census: Landican". Metropolitan Borough of Wirral. Archived from the original on 29 September 2007. Retrieved 1 September 2007.
  2. "Coordinate Distance Calculator". boulter.com. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
  3. "Landican Village". Geograph. Retrieved 6 February 2009.
  4. "Cheshire L-Z: Landican". Domesday Book Online. Retrieved 1 September 2007.
  5. Johnston, Rev. James B. (1915). The Place-names of England and Wales. London: John Murray. Retrieved 7 June 2015.
  6. "Landican". GENUKI UK & Ireland Genealogy. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
  7. Schroeder, Colin. "Liberator Explosion". wirralhistory.uk. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
  8. "Wirral air crash memorial takes place in Prenton". BBC News. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
  9. "SRTM & Ordnance Survey Elevation Data in PHP". Retrieved 1 November 2016.
  10. "Landican Cemetery" (PDF). Wirral Council. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
  11. "Birkenhead (Landican) Cemetery". CWGC. Retrieved 20 August 2012.
  12. "Birkenhead (Landican) Crematorium". CWGC. Retrieved 20 August 2012.

Bibliography
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