Although Oxton Village is only a stone's throw from Birkenhead town centre, it feels like another world.
The historic village is a self-contained area filled with niche shops, artisan cafes, and Merseyside's only Michelin-starred restaurant. Tucked away at the top of a sloping uphill road, even some people who live in Wirral may have never visited the village or might even be unaware of its existence.
After emerging from the pandemic, the area is re-inventing itself as a "go-to destination" for people who want to support independent businesses, and as a foodie haven. There isn't a chain store in sight in the village. Instead you will find places such as a florist, a card and gift shop, numerous cafes, a craft beer shop, a women's clothing store and two well-established pubs - the Shrewsbury Arms (known locally as "the Shrew") and Oxton Bar & Kitchen.
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Apart from the famous Michelin-starred restaurant Fraiche, the area is probably best known for its annual Secret Gardens of Oxton event, where a select number of private gardens are thrown open to the general public for one day of the year. The village - which technically is part of Prenton - includes a variety of housing, ranging from terraces, to stone built cottages and detached villas, giving the area a character which is unique in Birkenhead.
The ECHO paid a visit to speak to people about what makes this tiny area so special.
"It's a halfway house between Liverpool and the rest of Wirral"
Sarah Ewer and Abi Roberts, who already run an established wedding business, opened their Ewer Roberts florists' shop a year ago, as lockdown lifted. It's in the premises once occupied by the old post office on Christchurch Road.
Abi Roberts said: "Oxton Village has had a bit of a revival since the pandemic. It's really coming up and there are quite a lot of new businesses here now. It's given the village a new vigour and new life. It's affordable and it's got nice restaurants and bars that people can come to. We've gone from strength to strength in the year we've been open, and it's been better than I expected.
"The local support has been fantastic. People are glad to have somewhere they can get flowers in the village - it's a halfway house between Liverpool and the rest of Wirral. A lot of people have visited us from other parts of Merseyside and Cheshire and been surprised by just how much there is in the village and how nice it is."
"We don't serve people, we want to do things with people"
The Green Community Shop and Centre is a survivor from Oxton's past, having been a presence in the village for around 25 years.
Contrary to expectations, it's not a charity shop. By selling second hand clothes, books, toys, Fair Trade and locally produced goods in the shop side, it is able to sustain a community room which is used as a meeting place for groups such as The Reader organisation, and for parents and toddlers. It is also currently hosting a mini-social supermarket run by the Wirral-based Break the Mould organisation.
The shop's project worker Joanna Stakes said: "As a not for profit community shop, I always say we don't serve people, we want to do things with people. We used to be in the old Co-op supermarket across the road, before we moved in here. We take stuff that people might put in the skip or in the bin, and whatever money we make goes into paying for the other rooms. We try to accommodate anyone who asks to use them.
"Oxton Village used to have High Street-type shops, but now it has re-invented itself more as a niche-type place. I really like it. We've had massive support thanks to the people of Birkenhead. People come from quite a distance to donate and use the rooms."
"There's a unique community feeling here"
Alex Ellis, who is a trained chef, is currently helping out at the village's Home cafe.
He said: "This was my first job at 16, when the cafe was based at Woodside ferry terminal. It's a great little village and a busy place. It's gone from 'ladies who lunch' to a younger crowd. But we get all sorts of customers.
"It's reinvented itself as a destination and a place to go, like Heswall. It's such a small bit of the Wirral and there's a unique community feeling here. The Secret Gardens of Oxton is such a busy day and it brings people in who've never been here before, and familiarises them with what's in the village."
"It's been a rollercoaster ride"
Host is one of the independent businesses to have opened in a new area of the village, created around a year ago on the former site of a bank premises. Host was originally intended to be a gift shop, but when the coffee side of things took off it was decided to focus on that. It now has a strong social media presence.
Manager Claudia Hutley said: "It's been a rollercoaster ride, what with the pandemic and the way we've had to chop and change. To begin with, we did takeaways only. We focus on specialty coffee from a roastery in Chester, and everything's organic. All our products are sourced ethically and locally.
"There's a real community vibe in the cafe, and people come here from as far as Warrington after they've heard about us on social media. Oxton Village is one of those rare places where it feels like a community, with no high street shops."
'Oxton is like its own little hamlet'
The shop known as Greens of Oxton is probably the most instantly recognisable thanks to its central position in the village. It was a traditional greengrocer's for many years, but after the previous owners retired it re-invented itself as a one stop shop for the best locally sourced food and drink.
Owner Emma Wombwell, who also runs Boysenberry Deli in New Ferry, said: "I've always loved this village and this shop. Oxton is the heartbeat of Birkenhead. All the businesses look out for each other, and we've got a loyal set of customers who've supported us and the shop throughout Covid.
"If there was a Tesco Express in the village, it just wouldn't work. It's the small independent businesses that make it work."
Laura Twamley, who works at the shop, added: "Oxton is like its own little hamlet. It attracts a lot of people from outside the area, especially on Friday and Saturday nights."
This year's Secret Gardens of Oxton event, the first since the lifting of lockdown restrictions, takes place on Sunday, May 8. More information and tickets available here.
