Garston, Merseyside
Encyclopedia
Garston is a district of Liverpool
, Merseyside
, England
. It is bordered by Aigburth
, Allerton
, and Speke
.
In Medieval times, Garston was home to a group of Benedictine monks. The first recorded mention of settlement in Garston is of the church of St. Michael in 1235. By the 19th century, the area had become a small village, one of the eight townships forming the parish
of Childwall
.
A small dock was first built at Garston in 1793 for Blackburne’s saltworks, which still stands today.
Garston's growth accelerated rapidly in the 1840s, when in 1846, the area's first dock
was constructed and opened, under the auspices of the St Helens and Runcorn Gap Railway Company
. The "Old Dock" was followed twenty years later by a second, the "New Dock" . In 1902, Garston was incorporated into the City of Liverpool.
. Much of the area is also residential, housing being mainly in Victorian terraces with some semi-detached homes around Liverpool South Parkway.
It is partnered with the nearby district of Speke
in a series of redevelopment and regeneration schemes, which have succeeded in reversing recent trends in dereliction and unemployment. Garston is regularly quoted as one of Liverpool's 'up and coming' areas because of this, and house prices have continued to rise.
St Mary's Road is home to the youth project Interchill - which offers young people free access to ICt, Sit Off, digital media projects and many other social, educational and economic opportunities. Hurricane Films engaged a group of young people in Garston and spoke to them about their life experiences, from this a script was developed which became a full length feature film entitled Under The Mud. Interchill has worked with local young people regarding the history of Speke Hall
, producing a guided tour podcast for their website. Interchill is presently working on a new project with the National Trust
around the photographic studio of E. Chambré Hardman
.
, a major new interchange station opened in 2007. Trains operate at regular intervals to the city centre, Southport
, Manchester
and Birmingham
. Bus services operate from Liverpool South Parkway to the surrounding districts and the city centre. A regular bus shuttle to the Liverpool John Lennon Airport
is available from the same location.
and Grassendale Park are nearby.
football club was formed in 1935 to serve the area and set up base at the Holly Park stadium in Garston. The club went on to win the Welsh Cup
in 1939 (despite being an English side and playing in the English non-league systems) and won a host of non-league football competitions over the next 50 years. However, they were forced to sell Holly Park after a fire in 1989 and folded in 1991, only to reform as a junior side in a host of locations in and around the city before settling at a site in Otterspool in 2000. Although South Liverpool were never successful in their many applications to join the Football League, many of their players went on to play for Football League sides; most notably striker John Aldridge
and midfielder Jimmy Case
, who won major trophies in the great Liverpool
sides of the 1970s
and 1980s
. Aldridge, locally born but of Irish
descent, was also a Republic of Ireland
international regular in the late 1980s and early to mid 1990s, representing his country at two World Cups
.
album Favourite Worst Nightmare
.
The BBC Television Serial Lilies was based in Garston.
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, Merseyside
Merseyside
Merseyside is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 1,365,900. It encompasses the metropolitan area centred on both banks of the lower reaches of the Mersey Estuary, and comprises five metropolitan boroughs: Knowsley, St Helens, Sefton, Wirral, and the city of Liverpool...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It is bordered by Aigburth
Aigburth
Aigburth is a suburb of Liverpool, Merseyside, England. Located to the south of the city, it is bordered by Dingle, Mossley Hill, and Garston.-History:...
, Allerton
Allerton, Merseyside
Allerton is a suburb of Liverpool, in Merseyside, England. It is located southeast of Liverpool city centre, bordered by Mossley Hill, Woolton, Hunts Cross and Garston....
, and Speke
Speke
Speke is an area of Liverpool, Merseyside, England, close to the boundaries of the Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley. It is south east of the city centre and to the west of the town of Widnes....
.
History
Gaerstun, meaning 'grazing settlement' or 'grazing farm' in Old English, is one possible root of the name.In Medieval times, Garston was home to a group of Benedictine monks. The first recorded mention of settlement in Garston is of the church of St. Michael in 1235. By the 19th century, the area had become a small village, one of the eight townships forming the parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
of Childwall
Childwall
Childwall is a suburb of Liverpool, Merseyside, England and a Liverpool City Council Ward. It is located to the south of the city, bordered by Gateacre, Wavertree, Belle Vale, Broadgreen, Bowring Park and Mossley Hill...
.
A small dock was first built at Garston in 1793 for Blackburne’s saltworks, which still stands today.
Garston's growth accelerated rapidly in the 1840s, when in 1846, the area's first dock
Dock (maritime)
A dock is a human-made structure or group of structures involved in the handling of boats or ships, usually on or close to a shore.However, the exact meaning varies among different variants of the English language...
was constructed and opened, under the auspices of the St Helens and Runcorn Gap Railway Company
St Helens and Runcorn Gap Railway
St Helens and Runcorn Gap Railway, later known as St Helens Railway, was an early railway company in Lancashire, England, which opened in 1833. It ran originally from the town of St Helens to the area which would later develop into the town of Widnes. Branches were opened to Garston, Warrington...
. The "Old Dock" was followed twenty years later by a second, the "New Dock" . In 1902, Garston was incorporated into the City of Liverpool.
Description
Today, Garston is a major shipping and container port, second only to Liverpool Docks in the North-WestNorth West England
North West England, informally known as The North West, is one of the nine official regions of England.North West England had a 2006 estimated population of 6,853,201 the third most populated region after London and the South East...
. Much of the area is also residential, housing being mainly in Victorian terraces with some semi-detached homes around Liverpool South Parkway.
It is partnered with the nearby district of Speke
Speke
Speke is an area of Liverpool, Merseyside, England, close to the boundaries of the Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley. It is south east of the city centre and to the west of the town of Widnes....
in a series of redevelopment and regeneration schemes, which have succeeded in reversing recent trends in dereliction and unemployment. Garston is regularly quoted as one of Liverpool's 'up and coming' areas because of this, and house prices have continued to rise.
St Mary's Road is home to the youth project Interchill - which offers young people free access to ICt, Sit Off, digital media projects and many other social, educational and economic opportunities. Hurricane Films engaged a group of young people in Garston and spoke to them about their life experiences, from this a script was developed which became a full length feature film entitled Under The Mud. Interchill has worked with local young people regarding the history of Speke Hall
Speke Hall
Speke Hall is a wood-framed wattle-and-daub Tudor manor house in Speke, Liverpool, England. It is one of the finest surviving examples of its kind.-History:...
, producing a guided tour podcast for their website. Interchill is presently working on a new project with the National Trust
National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty
The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
around the photographic studio of E. Chambré Hardman
E. Chambré Hardman
Edward Fitzmaurice Chambré Hardman was an Irish photographer.-Biography:E. Chambré Hardman was born in 1898 in Dublin, Ireland. The only son of the keen amateur photographer Edward Hardman, E. Chambré Hardman took his first photographs aged nine and went on to win many photographic competitions...
.
Transport
Garston is home to Liverpool South Parkway railway stationLiverpool South Parkway railway station
Liverpool South Parkway station is a railway station and bus interchange in the Garston district of Liverpool, England. It serves, via a bus link, Liverpool John Lennon Airport in the neighbouring suburb of Speke....
, a major new interchange station opened in 2007. Trains operate at regular intervals to the city centre, Southport
Southport
Southport is a seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. During the 2001 census Southport was recorded as having a population of 90,336, making it the eleventh most populous settlement in North West England...
, Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
and Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
. Bus services operate from Liverpool South Parkway to the surrounding districts and the city centre. A regular bus shuttle to the Liverpool John Lennon Airport
Liverpool John Lennon Airport
Liverpool John Lennon Airport is an international airport serving the city of Liverpool and the North West of England. Formerly known as Speke Airport, RAF Speke, and Liverpool Airport the airport is located within the City of Liverpool adjacent to the estuary of the River Mersey some southeast...
is available from the same location.
Attractions
Garston is home to the 'New Slaughterhouse Gallery' on St. Mary's Road, which aims to promote local artists as well as community regeneration in partnership with the Garston Embassy on Wellington St. CressingtonCressington
Cressington is a Liverpool City Council Ward in the Garston and Halewood Parliamentary constituency. It contains the Cressington Park, Grassendale Park and the Grassendale area of Liverpool...
and Grassendale Park are nearby.
Football
In 1935, when Garston and indeed much of the south of Liverpool was expanding due to the mass development of council housing to replace inner city slums, as well as the significant development of private housing, the new South LiverpoolSouth Liverpool F.C.
South Liverpool F.C. are a football club from Liverpool, England. They are currently in the West Cheshire Amateur Football League and play their home matches at Jericho Lane. The club's colours are white shirts, black shorts and red socks.-First incarnation:...
football club was formed in 1935 to serve the area and set up base at the Holly Park stadium in Garston. The club went on to win the Welsh Cup
Welsh Cup
The Welsh Cup is a knock-out football competition contested annually by teams from Wales.The Football Association of Wales is the organising body of this competition, which has been run every year since its inception in 1877-78...
in 1939 (despite being an English side and playing in the English non-league systems) and won a host of non-league football competitions over the next 50 years. However, they were forced to sell Holly Park after a fire in 1989 and folded in 1991, only to reform as a junior side in a host of locations in and around the city before settling at a site in Otterspool in 2000. Although South Liverpool were never successful in their many applications to join the Football League, many of their players went on to play for Football League sides; most notably striker John Aldridge
John Aldridge
John William Aldridge is a former Republic of Ireland international footballer and football manager...
and midfielder Jimmy Case
Jimmy Case
James Robert Case is a retired English football player who shot to fame with the all-conquering Liverpool side of the 1970s and became known as a player with one of the hardest shots in the game.-Early life:...
, who won major trophies in the great Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
sides of the 1970s
1970s
File:1970s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: US President Richard Nixon doing the V for Victory sign after his resignation from office after the Watergate scandal in 1974; Refugees aboard a US naval boat after the Fall of Saigon, leading to the end of the Vietnam War in 1975; The 1973 oil...
and 1980s
1980s
File:1980s decade montage.png|thumb|400px|From left, clockwise: The first Space Shuttle, Columbia, lifted off in 1981; American President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev eased tensions between the two superpowers, leading to the end of the Cold War; The Fall of the Berlin Wall in...
. Aldridge, locally born but of Irish
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
descent, was also a Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland national football team
The Republic of Ireland national football team represents Ireland in association football. It is run by the Football Association of Ireland and currently plays home fixtures at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, which opened in May 2010....
international regular in the late 1980s and early to mid 1990s, representing his country at two World Cups
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
.
Cultural references
A house in Garston was used in creating the artwork for the Arctic MonkeysArctic Monkeys
Arctic Monkeys are an English indie rock band. Formed in 2002 in High Green, a suburb of Sheffield, the band currently consists of Alex Turner , Jamie Cook , Nick O'Malley and Matt Helders...
album Favourite Worst Nightmare
Favourite Worst Nightmare
Favourite Worst Nightmare is the second studio album by English indie rock band Arctic Monkeys that was first released in Japan on 18 April 2007 before being released around the world. Recorded in east London's Miloco Studios with producers James Ford and Mike Crossey, the album was preceded by the...
.
The BBC Television Serial Lilies was based in Garston.
Notable residents
- John AldridgeJohn AldridgeJohn William Aldridge is a former Republic of Ireland international footballer and football manager...
, former professional footballer - Paul ConnollyPaul ConnollyPaul Connolly is an English footballer who plays for Football League Championship club Leeds United as a right back, having previously played for Plymouth Argyle, Bideford, Derby County and Sheffield United.-Plymouth Argyle:...
, professional footballer - Alex CorinaAlex CorinaAlexander John Corina, known as Alex Corina is an artist and community worker based in Garston, Liverpool.Alex Corina was born in Bradford where he attended Buttershaw Comprehensive School and Bradford College of Art. He moved to Liverpool 1985 where he worked as a civil servant for the Drugs...
, artist and community worker - Steve DaviesSteve Davies (footballer)Steven Gary "Steve" Davies is an English footballer who currently plays as a striker for Derby County.-Tranmere Rovers:...
, professional footballer - Les DennisLes DennisLes Dennis is an English comedian, television presenter and actor best known as the host of Family Fortunes for 15 years.-Early life:...
, television personality - Billy FuryBilly FuryBilly Fury, born Ronald William Wycherley , was an internationally successful English singer from the late-1950s to the mid-1960s, and remained an active songwriter until the 1980s. Rheumatic fever, which he first contracted as a child, damaged his heart and ultimately contributed to his death...
, singer/songwriter - Jack JonesJack Jones (trade union leader)James Larkin Jones, CH, MBE , known as Jack Jones, was a British trade union leader and General Secretary of the Transport and General Workers' Union.-Early life:...
, trade union leader - Kevin McLeodKevin McLeodKevin Andrew McLeod professional footballer, currently playing for Conference National side Braintree Town. His preferred position is as a left-sided midfielder....
, professional footballer - Steve Morgan, owner of Redrow Homes and Wolverhampton WanderersWolverhampton Wanderers F.C.Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club that represents the city of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands region. They are members of the Premier League, the highest level of English football. The club was founded in 1877 and since 1889 has played at...
- Pete PricePete PricePete Price is a British media personality and radio presenter, based in Merseyside, England. He is best known for the Sunday night talk radio show Pete Price: Unzipped, broadcast across sister stations City Talk 105.9 and Radio City 96.7. The show is aired live from 10pm to 2am and follows an open...
, local radio personality - Barry SloaneBarry SloaneBarry Paul Sloane is an English actor. He trained as a musician and actor before landing his first professional acting role in the film In his Life: The John Lennon Story. He has appeared in numerous TV shows, notably the BAFTA award-winning dramas Pleasureland and The Mark of Cain...
, actor - Rita TushinghamRita Tushingham-Career:Born in Liverpool, Tushingham began her career as a stage actress at the Liverpool Playhouse. Her screen debut was in A Taste of Honey...
, actress