Gayton is a village in the Wirral district, in Merseyside, England, located between Heswall and Parkgate. At the 2001 Census, the population of Gayton stood at 3,110.

History

The name is of Viking origin, deriving from the Old Norse Geit-tún, meaning 'goat farmstead'. Gayton was formerly a township in the parish of Heswall, in the Wirral Hundred, in 1866 Gayton became a separate civil parish. The hamlets of Dawstone and Oldfield are also included as part of Gayton. The parish population was 100 in 1801, 144 in 1851, 180 in 1901 and 832 in 1951. Before local government reorganisation on 1 April 1974, it was part of Wirral Urban District in the county of Cheshire. On 1 April 1974 the parish was abolished. William of Orange stayed at Gayton Hall in 1689 en route to the Battle of the Boyne in Ireland, and knighted his host, Sir William Glegg. Gayton Windmill, built of red sandstone and Wirral's oldest tower mill, ceased operation in 1875. It has since been converted into a private residence.

Geography

Gayton is on the western side of the Wirral Peninsula, and is situated at the eastern side of the Dee Estuary. The village is approximately 10 km south-south-east of the Irish Sea at Hoylake and about 8 km west-south-west of the River Mersey at Port Sunlight. The village is situated at an elevation of between 3-70 m above sea level.

Transport

Rail

The nearest railway station to Gayton is Heswall.

Bus

Services operating in the Gayton area, as of January 2015: