An advert in the Chester Chronicle of 6th July 1804 refers to an auction to be held "at the house of ------- Buckley, the sign of the Ship in Upton", another advert in the Chester Courant of 10th August 1819 again refers to an auction to be held "at the house of George Buckley, the sign of the Ship, in Upton".

An advert in the Chester Chronicle of 9th April 1819 refers to an auction to be held "at the house of Mr John Briscoe in Upton", and a second advert in the Liverpool Mercury refers to an auction to be held at "Mrs Briscoe's, sign of the Grapes, at Upton.

It is believed that these two pubs became the Horse and Jockey and the Eagle and Crown respectively. The first mention f the name Eagle and Crown is in an advert in the Chester Chronicle dated August 31st 1827, while the name Horse and Jockey first appears in the Chester Chronicle dated July 31st 1829.

The tithe maps show the two public houses, one was located on Ford Road, opposite Rake Lane, where Heseltines and Upton Travel are now. A contemporary map shows this called the Horse and Groom, the victualler was William Mullineaux in the 1830s.

The second public house was located on Rake Lane, opposite Egerton Terrace, 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 was built, around 1840, it was built 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).

The Eagle and Crown and Horse and Jockey in 1962

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, this renovation involved the almost total rebuilding of the pub, however to comply with the licensing laws at the time, the pub had to be open during licensing hours throughout the renovation.

The Eagle and Crown in the 1920s

The Horse and Jockey was built on the opposite corner of Rake Lane about 1850. It was built 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 pub opened.

The Horse and Jockey in the 1930s

The Horse and Jockey was owned by William Inman until 1875, on 31st July of that year Catherine Furness, the victualler at the time, bought the buildings and land. The pub appears to have had several names over the years, the 1891 census lists it as the Furness Hotel (although Catherine Furness had retired and the vitctualler was James Shepherd) while photographs taken later in the 1890s show it called the Upton Hotel

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-operative Store, built on the site of the Horse and Jockey, in 1967

The Co-op Grocers had previously been located next to the Eagle and Crown in Rake Lane, where the Eagle and Crowns car park is now. The new supermarket closed in the 1990s and the building was bought by Ethel Austin who remained until they went into liquidation in 2010, the building has now been empty for several years.

The Horse and Jockey in the 1950s

Following the demolition of the Horse and Jockey, a new pub, also called the Horse and Jockey, was built by John Smith's Brewery 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.

The New Horse and Jockey in 1967