MORE than 150 people turned out for a day of events celebrating the history of a masonic hall in Birkenhead.

The heritage open day took place at the grade-II listed Masonic Temple in Clifton Park.

Pupils from the nearby Woodlands Primary School had done some digging into the history of the building – one of the first grand Villa developments in Birkenhead, laid out in 1840.

They found out where people had come from to live and work in the Park – including such places as Finland, Cuba, Portugal and North America!

They also looked at the 1851 Census records and found out the type of jobs that people did in those days.

Members of the Beaver group at the Deen Centre had also contributed to the display.

Years 3 and 4 went one step further and built a Victorian house, complete with individual blocks of "stone" and sash windows.

They then dressed up in Victorian clothes and made a video – acting out life in a typical household of the time.

Gillian Bolt, secretary of Conservation Areas Wirral who supported the event, said: "The displays and the video (which is also on youtube) fascinated many of the residents who visited the Masonic Hall as many of them had no idea about the history of their own houses.

"There was also a ‘virtual tour’ of Wirral by Nadia Parsons of Panobia, a professional photographer who lives in Clifton Park.

"The tour explores some of Wirral’s highlights and was declared “amazing” by the visitors who tried on the goggles and were instantly transported to the Boathouse in Birkenhead Park or down by Woodside Ferry."

Musical entertainment was provided by members of the Birkenhead Operatic Society Trust who came dressed in Victorian clothes and sang numbers from their recent shows.

Members of the Masonic Lodge were also on hand to talk to visitors about the charity work carried out by the Lodges and to show people around the lovely rooms in the Temple.

A visit by the Mayor, Cllr Geoffrey Watt, completed a very successful day.

The Clifton Park history display is now situated in the entrance to the Birkenhead Central Library for the remainder of the Heritage Open Day fortnight, which ends on Sunday.