The name Wirral literally means myrtle corner, derived from the Old English word for a myrtle tree and an angle or slope. This land was once overgrown with bog myrtle, a plant no longer found in the area but plentiful around Formby.
The earliest evidence of human occupation dates from the Mesolithic period around 12000BC. Excavations at Greasby uncovered flint tools and signs of stake holes used by hunter-gatherer communities during this time.
Today the peninsula is roughly rectangular, about 20 miles long and 15 miles wide. It is bounded by the Dee Estuary to the west and the Mersey Estuary to the east while Liverpool Bay lies to the north.
The first steam ferry service across the Mersey started in 1817. Steam-powered ships opened up the Wirral's Mersey coast for industrialisation shortly after this date.
Plans announced in 2006 for a £4.5 billion development called Wirral Waters began work in 2011. Planning permission was granted in 2010 with potential lasting 30 years.