Edge & Son Butchers has been a staple of New Ferry since 1844(Image: Andrew Teebay Liverpool Echo)

Wirral butcher's long road to becoming one of the oldest businesses in the UK

by · Liverpool Echo

The Wirral business has been running successfully for nearly 200 years

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A Wirral butcher's hailed as “the cornerstone of the local community for generations” has opened a second site after almost 200 years in business. Edge and Son, based on New Chester Road in New Ferry, was established in 1844 and is regarded as one of the oldest businesses in both Wirral and the UK.

The family-run butcher's works with more than 30 farms located within a 25-mile radius and has previously been named "Top Retailer of the Year" at the BBC Food and Farming Awards.

It also supplies independent Liverpool restaurant Delifonseca at Brunswick Dock and was recently praised by Wirral Council as “a cut above the rest” as part of a campaign celebrating independent shops and businesses across the borough.

To get the full picture behind one of the most celebrated family legacies in Merseyside, you can read how it took 182 years to open a second site with our gallery below.

  1. A family business since 1844

    During the time the butcher's has been open, it’s seen two world wars and periods of rationing where people were restricted on how much meat they could buy. It also saw New Ferry after a devastating explosion that ripped through its high street in 2017.
    1 of 7(Image: Andrew Teebay Liverpool Echo)

  2. A family with an Edge above the rest

    Callum Edge, who was the fifth generation of his family to run the business, started washing up every night at the butcher's aged 13 after cycling there after school.
    Growing up in Parkgate, he was at the helm of the shop for more than 50 years, kept going by customers further afield and regulars from the nearby Port Sunlight village.
    2 of 7(Image: Andrew Teebay Liverpool Echo)

  3. Boom went the butcher's

    In the 2017 New Ferry explosion, the butcher's lost its front windows as well as its shutters due to the shock of the blast, but while some shops were forced to shut for months due to safety concerns, Edge and Son were back open after one day.
    Like many other businesses, the butcher's saw an impact on trade in New Ferry after the explosion but it has long since recovered.
    3 of 7(Image: Liverpool Echo)

  4. A new era on the horizon

    In 2024, Callum handed the mantle to current owner Jess Bowling, her husband Tom, and shop butcher Jonathan Carrol with a view to taking the shop into the next century.
    4 of 7(Image: Liverpool Echo)

  1. The new owners were already well known

    Jess told the ECHO: "We were initially using them as farmers to process as meat and we just got really interested in the business. Far too much, probably.
    "They could see how much passion we had about the food chain, so when they were ready to leave they approached us and here we are today."
    5 of 7(Image: Andrew Teebay Liverpool Echo)

  2. An important promise

    Fast forward two years and the team has finally opened a long-awaited second shop in Wirral's Brimstage Hall & Courtyard, with Jess promising to keep the family legacy intact and retain the heart and feel of the business.
    She said: "Everyone told me Brimstage used to be really cool, then it went a bit slack, but now the guys running it have given it a new boost of energy. There's really good new and existing shops to bring it into a new era."
    6 of 7(Image: Colin Lane/Liverpool Echo)

  3. Edge opens a new site after nearly 200 years

    The decision to open a second site comes after customers reported difficulties in visiting the original location. Jess added: "The heart will always be in New Ferry, but with the current regeneration mission, people were coming less and less because they couldn't find parking.
    "A lot of customers who travel from further afield said they lost access to the shop. We were approached by the Brimstage team and after chatting with the locals and community we got a really good feeling about it."
    The new shop offers a full double counter, focusing on sustainability and locally-sourced meat ensuring every part of the animal is used to prevent waste. An alcohol licence is "in the process" with the hope of a wine offering in the future.
    7 of 7(Image: Colin Lane/Liverpool Echo)