North Liverpool: West Derby, Huyton, Knowsley and Kirby

	St. Mary's Church, West Derby Situated in West Derby Village on the edge of the extensive open spaces of Croxteth Park. There was a church here from at least 1360. The present one was commisioned by Lord Sefton and designed by George Gilbert Scott on a grand scale. It was completed in 1856. The West Derby place-name is viking in origin and West Derby was an important administrative centre at the time of the Norman Conquest (1066) when Liverpool itself was almost non-existent. Edward the Confessor had a castle and hunting lodge here. A second castle was built in the 11th or 12th century and the remains of the works are still (only just) discernible off Meadow Lane behind the church.
West Derby in Lewis's Topographical Dictionary of England (1848) In the Saxon era West Derby was probably the capital of the hundred; and a mound of earth, removed some years ago by Mr. Gascoyne, indicated by its name, Castle Hill, the site of the ancient castle. The parish [...] stands on rising ground, commanding beautiful views of the surrounding country. The Zoological gardens of Liverpool are here; they occupy a pleasant site, encompassed by elevated land, and the natural features of the spot have been judiciously improved by art. The only house of early date is that, not appropriately, called New Hall, the residence for many generations of a branch of the Molyneux family; but the district abounds in elegant modern mansions and villas. [...] Tue-Brook Villa, situated three miles from Liverpool, a private asylum for insane persons in the higher ranks of society, under the management of Mr. and Mrs. Owen, is a handsome building in the Italian style, and admirably adapted for the comfort and classification of the inmates.
West Derby in the Victoria History of the County of Lancaster (1907) In the eighteenth century the township was divided into four quarters: Woodside, on the east; Town Row, embracing the village and the north-west portion; Low Hill, on the border of Liverpool; and Ackers End, the Old Swan district. The township lies on the edge of the open country, where the smoke-laden air of the city is exchanged for the fresher breezes which blow over open fields and through masses of foliage. True, there is hardly a break in the long line of houses from the city to the village of West Derby, but the larger houses set amidst gardens and paddocks are separated by airy spaces and are overshadowed by trees. The country is very flat, and has, except in the far east, the unmistakable stamp of suburbanism. In the easterly direction are the plantations and grounds of Croxteth Hall; in the north is open land which was once mossland, a large cemetery being a conspicuous object in the level country. South and west are more crowded with houses, where such suburban neighbourhoods as Knotty Ash, Broad Green, and Old Swan are situated. The old-fashioned village of West Derby still presents a countrified aspect in spite of the advent of electric cars, and clusters principally about the gates of Croxteth Park. The open ground is chiefly pasture, but crops of corn and potatoes are raised in a loamy soil.
	West Derby Station The original station buildings and platforms still survive here at the West Derby and Clubmoor station on the dismantled Cheshire Lines railway
	Tunnel near West Derby Station
	Croxteth Park, West Derby The 500 acre (200 ha) Croxteth Country Park is an enclave of rural England within the outer suburbs of Liverpool that also includes historic Croxteth Hall. There are huge open spaces, woodland, farmland with livestock, a model Victorian farm and miles of tracks for walking and cycling.
Croxteth Park in the Victoria History of the County of Lancaster (1907) It is well wooded. A public footpath crosses the park, which is pleasantly carpeted with turf and shaded by good-sized trees. The woodlands have been planted with evergreen shrubs, chiefly rhododendrons, which make cover for the abundant game. The River Alt, rising in the township of Knowsley, before it attains much volume flows through the park, and finds its way through the most level of country into the sea at Hightown. Beyond the confines of the park there are wide open fields, some pasture, but the majority arable, where some of the finest Lancashire potatoes are grown. Corn and turnips also are successfully cultivated in the rich loamy soil.
	Croxteth Park, West Derby A distant view of St. Mary's Church, West Derby, from the park.
	The Queen Anne Wing, Croxteth Hall, West Derby Croxteth Hall became the permanent seat of the Molyneux family, the Earls of Sefton, following the completion of the Queen Anne wing in 1714 and until the death of the last earl in 1972.
	The Edwardian Wing, Croxteth Hall, West Derby The Edwardian west wing replaces earlier building extensions ca. 1760, 1805 and 1870. The present wing, designed by J. McVicar and completed in 1904, now incorporates the main entrance.
	The Elizabethan House, Croxteth Hall, West Derby This is all that remains of the original Elizabethan house of about 1575, somewhat overwhelmed by subsequent developments.
	The River Alt at Croxteth Park, West Derby The name Croxteth is Viking in origin, meaning either 'Croc's landing place' or 'river-bend landing place'. It had become Croxstath by 1228. Vikings are presumed to have sailed up the River Alt and peacefully established a settlement here, possibly in the 9th century. Looking at the river now, it is hard to imagine Viking ships here, but up to a few hundred years ago, before the construction of flood gates near the estuary and the expansion of Liverpool depleted the water supply at both ends, it was a much more substantial waterway.
	St.John's Church, Knotty Ash This fine, elegant church, constructed from local West Derby and Woolton sandstone, was opened in 1834. It is located in the conservation area of Knotty Ash village, a peaceful enclave seemingly far removed from the busy highways that surround it. Adjacent is the area that was once the hilltop location of the ancient hamlet of Thingwall. The church was extended during the 19th century and the stained glass windows are particulary noteworthy, including one designed by Pre-Raphaelite Edward Burne-Jones. An impressive lych gate dates from 1900. It was constructed from oak timbers rescued from the demolition in 1897 of Boltons, then the oldest house in West Derby (built around 1400) and incorporates features of the original woodwork. There is a bell of 1707 from St. Peter's Church (once of Church Street, Liverpool).
Knotty Ash in Lewis's Topographical Dictionary of England (1848) The situation of this locality is very beautiful, and its air salubrious; it contains several handsome mansions, and some of the principal merchants of Liverpool have seats and villas here.
	The Trans-Pennine Trail near Knotty Ash The Trans-Pennine Trail here follows the old Cheshire Lines railway line (the Liverpool Loop Line) that passes through the eastern suburbs of Liverpool and once connected Hunts Cross to the north docks (via Walton on the Hill) and Southport (via Aintree Central). Other stations were Gateacre and Woolton, Knotty Ash and West Derby and Clubmoor. Not much remains of these except at West Derby. Passenger services ceased in 1960. It is hard to imagine steam trains running here so recently. Despite the proximity of habitation, there is a sense of isolation, peace and quiet all along the track. Near Knotty ash, it cuts through sandstone bedrock. Elsewhere it is surrounded by trees.
Huyton in Lewis's Topographical Dictionary of England (1848) The land is principally arable; about 2025 acres are woodland and park-grounds: the surface is elevated and undulating, the soil various, the air salubrious, and the scenery beautiful. The stream anciently designated the Terbeck skirts the southern verge of the parish; rising near Childwall, and passing by Little Woolton and Tarbock, it descends into the Mersey at Hale-Bank, in Halewood. A branch, also, of the Alt, a small affluent of the Irish Sea, flows from the vicinity of Huyton to the north-west, by Croxteth Park. Coal, but of inferior quality, is raised; and to the east of the village of Huyton, is an excellent slatequarry. A brewery, belonging to Mr. Barker, was established in 1825.
Huyton with Roby in the Victoria History of the County of Lancaster (1907) The original township of Huyton has been united with Roby to form the township of Huyton with Roby. To them in 1877 was added Thingwall, part of the parish of Childwall. [...] The country is somewhat undulating in the north, but flat in most places. This is quite a residential district with the dwellers in the city of Liverpool, for pleasant country houses with gardens and shrubberies are seen on all sides. Beyond the houses are open fields, some pastures, others where corn, potatoes, and turnips are generally cultivated. [...] At Huyton Quarry the character of the country varies; coal mines begin to indicate their presence by shafts and ventilators. The Huyton Quarry mine is the nearest to Liverpool of the South Lancashire mines.
	The Village Green, Knowsley Opposite St. Mary's Church in the centre of Knowsley village is the village green, known locally as the Knowsley Triangle. There used to be a maypole here and the area still retains an authentic village atmosphere, surprising to those who think of Knowsley as the entire borough or as the huge neighbouring estate, seat of the Stanley family, Earls of Derby, since the 14th century and a safari park since 1971.
Knowsley in the Victoria History of the County of Lancaster (1907) The country is generally flat, very slightly undulating on the east, where it reaches 330 ft. above sealevel. The land which lies outside the park itself is divided into rich arable fields, yielding crops of potatoes, turnips, and cereals. [...] Game, in the shape of pheasants, partridges, and hares, is particularly abundant in the district. The north of the township lies on the edge of mossland, the birches and bracken in the plantations being typical of moss vegetation. The village of Knowsley, which is situated in the north-west, is entirely modern. [...] The well-wooded park surrounding Knowsley Hall is the principal feature of the township, occupying the eastern half of its area, and stretching over the boundary into Eccleston.
*Knowsley Park in the The Stanleys of Knowsley (1868)* by William Pollard** The scenery in the park, which is beautifully undulating, is exceedingly varied, abounding in charming lawn and woodland views, with noble groups of trees in different elevated positions. From almost every part of the park, but more especially that portion of it more immediately in front of the hall, the view of the surrounding country is commanding and beautiful, not being confined to inland scenery, but embracing on the west a splendid marine and sea prospect. [...] The park throughout is magnificently wooded, more especially that portion which is known as the Gladewoods, in which there is one large tree constantly attracting much attention and interest from the fact of its having been twisted in the stem either by some freak of nature or other singular agency, which gives it the appearance of a huge corkscrew. The park also contains a large and artistically arranged lake, upward of 90 acres in extent. [...] A large portion of the eastern side of the park, consisting of several hundreds of acres, forms the deer park, in which there are numerous herds of red, fallow, and other deer. The gardens and pleasure grounds, which are very extensive, are most artistically laid out and beautifully decorated with works of art.
	St. Mary's Church, Knowsley Village St. Mary's is Knowsley Parish Church and was built between 1841-1844 with funding from the 13th Earl of Derby.
	St. Mary's Churchyard, Knowsley Village
	Old Cottages, Knowsley Village Numerous old cottages in Knowsley Village contribute to the atmosphere of bygone times.
	St. Chad's Church, Kirkby There has been a church here in Kirkby for over 1100 years. It features in the Domesday Book and an elaborately sculpted Saxon (or possibly early Norman) sandstone font survives, which has been relocated inside the present church. The foundations of an earlier church of 1766 (replacing a yet earlier chapel) can still be seen in the grounds, with the remains of a small plinth where the font once stood and a monument marking the position of the altar. It was dismantled in 1872 and the stone used to construct the boundary wall. St. Chad’s was completed in 1871 at the expense of the 4th Earl of Sefton with the help of the free labour from his tenants in the area. Local sandstone was carried from quarries in Kirkby and Melling. It is said that at the time of building, there was a dispute between the Kirkby farmers and those from Simonswood about the design of the pillars for the church. They settled the argument by building octagonal pillars along the north aisle and round pillars along the south aisle. To this day I understand that, at Harvest Festival time, Kirkby farmers decorate the south of the church and Simonswood farmers the north, and do not sit with each other! There are a few scattered remains of what was once a farming community in Kirkby. The construction of the East Lancashire Road in 1935 opened up the area for industrial development and a vast munitions factory was built during the war, employing 20,000 people. After the war, the area was gradually redeveloped as an industrial estate, becoming one of the largest in the country by the 1970s. On the back of industrial developments and the demolition of unsuitable (or bombed) housing in Liverpool, Kirby became a 'New Town', the population increasing from 3,000 in 1945 to 50,000 in 1961.
Kirkby in the Victoria History of the County of Lancaster (1907) This township [...] is open, generally flat, [...] portioned out into arable fields, divided by low hawthorn hedges. There is but little pasture. Potatoes, wheat, and oats are largely cultivated in a sandy and clayey soil. There are scattered farmsteads and isolated plantations of different kinds of trees, with undergrowths of rhododendrons. These plantations are strictly preserved, and afford cover to much game, chiefly hares and pheasants.