Upton in the Hundred of Wirral

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Public Houses

In the ealy part of the 19th century there were two puplic houses in Upton Village, one was located on what is now Ford Road, opposite Rake Lane where Heseltines and Upton Travel are now. This was probably called the Horse and Groom and the victualler was William Mullineaux in the 1830s.

The second public house was located on Rake Lane, opposite the fish and chip shop, where the entrance to the Eagle and Crown's function room is now. The victualler was William Langley in the 1830s.

The present Eagle and Crown is built, in about 1840, on the site of the old pub and a house which was on the corner of Ford Road and Rake Lane. The first victualler of the Eagle and Crown was William Langley, who remained there until his death in the late 1850s. (The 1861 census shows his wife, Maria, as the victualler).

Over the years the Eagle and Crown has been home to various organisations, including The Wirral Farmers' Club and The Order of Oddfellows. In 1926 the pub was extensively renovated.

The Horse and Jockey was built on the opposite corner of Rake Lane about 1850 on a site previously occupied by an 'L' shaped block of cottages. The first victualler of the Horse and Jockey was William Mullineux, so it is likely that the Horse and Groom closed when the new pup opened.

The Horse and Jockey was owned by William Inman until 1875, on 31st July of that year Catherine Furness bought the buildings and land.

The Eagle and Crown has survived in much the same form as when renovated in 1926. The Horse and Jockey was demolished in the 1960s and a new supermarket for the Birkenhead and District Co-operative Society was built on the site.

The Co-op Grocers had previously been located next to the Eagle and Crown in Rake Lane. The new supermarket closed in the 1980s and the building was bought by Ethel Austin.

Following the demolition of the Horse and Jockey, a new pub, also called the Horse and Jockey, was built on the corner of Arrowe Park Road.

There are two other pubs within the township, the Overchurch on the Overchurch Estate, and the Willows on Saughall Massie Road.