A sleepy village in a largely rural part of the Wirral could have been home to the earliest parliament in mainland Britain.
Over 1000 years ago, the village of Thingwall in leafy south Wirral was the seat of political power for the growing numbers of Norwegian Vikings who settled in the area after being earlier expelled from Ireland following a huge battle.
Along with many places in Wirral, such as Greasby, Frankby, Roby, Pensby and Neston, Thingwall's name derives from Old Norse, meaning "assembly field".
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With nearby Meols one of the key Viking seaports, Thingwall was home to its parliament, one of the oldest, if not the oldest in mainland Britain.
The Wirral's Viking links are well document in more than just the area's place names.
A genomic study found a high degree of Viking ancestry among the population of Wirral while artefacts found across the borough also bear testament to its unique history, as the place with the only documented evidence of Norwegian Viking settlements in England.
Various artefacts have been found across the borough, including crosses and sculptures, with two Viking tombstones found at West Kirby and Bidston, and evidence of two Viking houses at Irby and Moreton.
St Bridget's Church in West Kirby, whose name is also derived from a Viking term, is home to one of the Viking tombstones, dating from the 10th century, while another was found in Bidston.
Irby and Moreton both have evidence of Viking houses, with numerous artefacts also found along the Meol's coast, including coins, brooches, remnants of a drinking horn and some items that resemble ceremonial weapons for use in a burial.
At the 2001 census Thingwall was recorded as having a population of around 3000 people, a substantial increase from a mere century before, when 154 inhabitants were recording in the area although the the area retains its sleepy village feel to this day.
From the ninth century, however, on a small high hill, which is today known as Cross Hill, Thingwall dominated the political landscape for Viking communities from across the Wirral peninsula and as far afield as Talacre, on the other side of the River Dee.
While there are few indications now of the once prominent role the village played in the politics of centuries past, the sign to the village proudly proclaims its prestigious origins.
