Prenton Bridge, Prenton

Near Prenton once stood a bridge built from a whale’s jawbone, said to be haunted by the ghosts of two drowned men. Travellers feared to cross it after dark, and the story may have been encouraged by smugglers using the route to move contraband from Mother Redcap’s tavern on the Mersey dunes. The inn, accessible to boats at high tide, had hidden cellars for illicit goods and a false weather vane to warn of approaching Revenue men. The haunted legend likely served to keep unwanted visitors away from this shadowy coastal trade.