Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
National
James McNeill

Link between sleepy Wirral village and the Empire State Building

Stones from a quarry in Wirral were used to build one of the most iconic buildings in the world.

Storeton Woods close to Bebington may be best known today for mysterious paranormal sightings, but it has been a hub of activity for thousands of years. The grounds cover around 31 acres and the area is on the site of a quarry that was present at the time of the Roman occupation.

However, before it was filled in, stone from the quarry was used to build the empire state building. At 443 metres high the Empire State Building in New York was once the world's largest structure.

READ MORE: Les Dennis dig at ex wife Amanda Holden's sultry Instagram post

The steel came from Pittsburgh, America's industrial heartland. Marble was sourced from Italy and France. But the most intriguing fact is that sandstone to clad the building was quarried in Storeton.

The village is built from the stone quarried on Storeton Ridge and was once a Viking heartland. Stone from Storeton was used in the construction of several significant buildings throughout Merseyside.

Birkenhead Town Hall, Liverpool Lime Street station, and Lever House at Port Sunlight. However, producing stone for the Empire state building is the quarry's biggest claim to fame.

On March 1930, building on the Empire State Building began and took one year and 45 days to build. After the opening festivities, newspaper articles recount how visitors gathered on the observation deck to marvel at the views. Crowds of guests, jammed into the building’s souvenir stands, tearoom, and soda fountain.

The building was dubbed as one of the 'Eight Wonders of the World' and while the quarry may no longer be in use today Wirral played a small but significant role in completing what is one of the world's most important buildings.

READ NEXT:

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.