New Ferry is an urban area on the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, Merseyside, England. It is located on the Wirral Peninsula, with the River Mersey to the east and the town of Bebington to the west. Within the boundaries of the historic county of Cheshire, the area was developed from the early nineteenth century. The 2001 census measured the population at 5,300. History As with the neighbouring settlement of Rock Ferry to the north-west, a ferry service gave its name to the locality: the first recorded mention of New Ferry was in 1774. On 4 April 1865, a "South End" service was established between New Ferry and South Ferry Basin in the southern dock system of Liverpool, although this appears to have been relatively short-lived. From 1879, services to Liverpool Pier Head were usually augmented with Rock Ferry. The ferry service was forced to close after a ship collided with New Ferry Pier in thick fog, in the early hours of 30 January 1922. Declining passenger numbers, improved local land-based public transport and a close proximity to the Rock Ferry service meant that it never reopened. The lease on the ferry rights officially expired on 22 September 1927, although no service had operated at New Ferry for over five years as a result of the collision. New Ferry was part of the Lower Bebington township, which became the Bebington-cum-Bromborough civil parish in 1922. Between 1894 and 1974 these parishes were administered as part of Bebington urban district. On 1 April 1974, local government reorganisation in England and Wales resulted in most of Wirral, including New Ferry, being transferred from the county of Cheshire to Merseyside. On 25 March 2017, a massive gas explosion destroyed and damaged a lot of buildings, causing many injuries. It was caused by a shop owner attempting to destroy his business so he could collect insurance money. Geography New Ferry is on the eastern side of the Wirral Peninsula, on the western bank of the River Mersey. The area is approximately south-south-east of the Irish Sea at New Brighton and about east-north-east of the Dee Estuary at Heswall. The area lies at an elevation of between above sea level. Transport New Ferry is on the A41, the main road between Birkenhead and London before the introduction of motorways, and immediately adjacent to the village of Port Sunlight. At the centre of the town is the Toll