Knotty Ash
Encyclopedia
Knotty Ash is an area of Liverpool
, Merseyside
, England
and a Liverpool City Council
Ward. Historically within Lancashire
, at the 2001 Census
, the population was 13,200.
, Old Swan
, Broadgreen
and Dovecot
.
It derived its name from a gnarled ash tree
. In the 1960s it was made famous in the United Kingdom
by stand-up comedian
and local resident Ken Dodd
, in whose television programme the dwarfish comic characters he called the Diddy Men
lived there. In his BBC
children's television programme Ken Dodd And The Diddymen (1969), the fictitious Diddyland, boasting the highest sunshine rate in the world, was situated in the centre of Knotty Ash. The Diddy Men worked in the local "Jam Butty Mines".
In 2004, Mr Dodd planted a new ash tree close to the site of the original (outside the Knotty Ash pub).
Knotty Ash is mentioned in the lyrics of the song "Liverpool Lullaby" written by Stan Kelly-Bootle
.
Knotty Ash was the site of the unsolved "Tiki" Murder in 1961 in which a housewife was killed in what was claimed to be a ritual linked to the worship of the Polynesian
idol Tiki
.
.
Prior to the general election of Thursday, 6 May, 2010 the MPs were Jane Kennedy
, Labour
(Wavertree Constituency) and Bob Wareing
, Independent (West Derby Constituency), both of whom stepped down at that election.
At the 6 May, 2010 General Election, Knotty Ash was wholly in the West Derby constituency. Candidates were Stephen Twigg
(Labour), Paul Twigger (Liberal Democrat), Steve Radford
(Liberal
) and Pamela Hall (Conservative
).
Stephen Twigg
(Labour) was elected, with an increased majority for Labour, going against the trend of the election nationwide.
secondary school Clifford Holroyde
and a primary school, Knotty Ash CP.
, on the North Liverpool Extension Line
, once served the area.
It is also at the western end of the M62 motorway
.
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...
and a Liverpool City Council
Liverpool City Council
Liverpool City Council is the governing body for the city of Liverpool in Merseyside, England. It consists of 90 councillors, three for each of the city's 30 wards. The council is currently controlled by the Labour Party and is led by Joe Anderson.-Domain:...
Ward. Historically within Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, at the 2001 Census
United Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....
, the population was 13,200.
Description
Knotty Ash is a small area on the eastern fringe of Liverpool and neighbouring districts include West DerbyWest Derby
West Derby is a suburb in the north of Liverpool, Merseyside, England. It is also a Liverpool City Council ward. At the 2001 Census, the population of the ward was 14,801 .-History:...
, Old Swan
Old Swan
Old Swan is an inner-city area of Liverpool, Merseyside, England and a Liverpool City Council Ward. It is located fairly centrally in the city, bordered by Stoneycroft, Broadgreen, Fairfield and Wavertree...
, Broadgreen
Broadgreen
Broadgreen is a suburb of Liverpool, Merseyside, England. Located on the eastern edge of the city, it is bordered by Old Swan to the north west, Knotty Ash to the north east, Childwall to the south and, further east, Bowring Park...
and Dovecot
Dovecot, Merseyside
Dovecot is a district of Liverpool, Merseyside, England. It is situated to the east of the city, bordered by Knotty Ash, West Derby, Broadgreen and to the east, Roby...
.
It derived its name from a gnarled ash tree
Ash tree
Fraxinus is a genus flowering plants in the olive and lilac family, Oleaceae. It contains 45-65 species of usually medium to large trees, mostly deciduous though a few subtropical species are evergreen. The tree's common English name, ash, goes back to the Old English æsc, while the generic name...
. In the 1960s it was made famous in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
by stand-up comedian
Comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
and local resident Ken Dodd
Ken Dodd
Kenneth Arthur Dodd OBE is a British comedian and singer songwriter, famous for his frizzy hair or “fluff dom” and buck teeth or “denchers”, his favourite cleaner, the feather duster and his greeting "How tickled I am!", as well as his send-off “Lots and Lots of Happiness!”...
, in whose television programme the dwarfish comic characters he called the Diddy Men
Diddy Men
The Diddy Men are commonly believed to be a creation of the British comedian Ken Dodd. However, they have existed in local mythology for much longer and, along with the Treacle and Jam Butty Mines of Knotty Ash, had been referred to in the earlier act of another Liverpool comedian Arthur Askey...
lived there. In his BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
children's television programme Ken Dodd And The Diddymen (1969), the fictitious Diddyland, boasting the highest sunshine rate in the world, was situated in the centre of Knotty Ash. The Diddy Men worked in the local "Jam Butty Mines".
In 2004, Mr Dodd planted a new ash tree close to the site of the original (outside the Knotty Ash pub).
Knotty Ash is mentioned in the lyrics of the song "Liverpool Lullaby" written by Stan Kelly-Bootle
Stan Kelly-Bootle
Stan Kelly-Bootle is an author of nine books and numerous magazine articles, and songwriter. His most famous song is the Liverpool Lullaby , which Cilla Black recorded in 1969 as the B-side to her pop hit Conversations...
.
Knotty Ash was the site of the unsolved "Tiki" Murder in 1961 in which a housewife was killed in what was claimed to be a ritual linked to the worship of the Polynesian
Polynesian mythology
Polynesian mythology is the oral traditions of the people of Polynesia, a grouping of Central and South Pacific Ocean island archipelagos in the Polynesian triangle together with the scattered cultures known as the Polynesian outliers...
idol Tiki
Tiki
Tiki refers to large wood and stone carvings of humanoid forms in Central Eastern Polynesian cultures of the Pacific Ocean. The term is also used in Māori mythology where Tiki is the first man, created by either Tūmatauenga or Tāne. He found the first woman, Marikoriko, in a pond – she seduced him...
.
Government
The elected councillors for Knotty Ash are Cllrs Dave Irving, Paul Twigger and Josie Mullen - all Liberal DemocratsLiberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
.
Prior to the general election of Thursday, 6 May, 2010 the MPs were Jane Kennedy
Jane Kennedy (politician)
Jane Elizabeth Kennedy is a British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Liverpool Wavertree from 1992 until she stood down in 2010...
, Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
(Wavertree Constituency) and Bob Wareing
Bob Wareing
Robert Nelson Wareing, commonly known as Bob Wareing , is a British independent politician who was the Member of Parliament for Liverpool West Derby from 1983 to 2010...
, Independent (West Derby Constituency), both of whom stepped down at that election.
At the 6 May, 2010 General Election, Knotty Ash was wholly in the West Derby constituency. Candidates were Stephen Twigg
Stephen Twigg
Stephen Twigg is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Labour Co-operative Member of Parliament for Liverpool West Derby since 2010. He previously served as the Member of Parliament for Enfield Southgate from 1997 to 2005, when he lost his seat. He came to national prominence in 1997...
(Labour), Paul Twigger (Liberal Democrat), Steve Radford
Steve Radford
Steve Radford is a British politician, and is leader of the Liberal Party.Radford is also a long-standing Liverpool city councillor, representing Tuebrook and Stoneycroft Ward. He is leader of the three-strong Liberal group on Liverpool City Council.Radford has been the Liberal candidate in four...
(Liberal
Liberal Party (UK, 1989)
The Liberal Party is a United Kingdom political party. It was formed in 1989 by a group of individuals within the original Liberal Party who felt that the merger of the party with the Social Democratic Party, to form the Liberal Democrats, had ended the spirit of the Liberal Party, claiming that...
) and Pamela Hall (Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
).
Stephen Twigg
Stephen Twigg
Stephen Twigg is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Labour Co-operative Member of Parliament for Liverpool West Derby since 2010. He previously served as the Member of Parliament for Enfield Southgate from 1997 to 2005, when he lost his seat. He came to national prominence in 1997...
(Labour) was elected, with an increased majority for Labour, going against the trend of the election nationwide.
Education
Knotty Ash contains the special needsSpecial needs
In the USA, special needs is a term used in clinical diagnostic and functional development to describe individuals who require assistance for disabilities that may be medical, mental, or psychological. For instance, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders and the International...
secondary school Clifford Holroyde
Clifford Holroyde
Clifford Holroyde Special School is a specialist special educational needs college in the district of Knotty Ash in the city of Liverpool, Merseyside for ages 7–16, and deals with all sorts of educational and behavioural needs....
and a primary school, Knotty Ash CP.
Transport
Knotty Ash railway stationKnotty Ash railway station
Knotty Ash railway station was a station located on the North Liverpool Extension Line to the north of the East Prescot Road, Knotty Ash, Liverpool, England, it opened on 1 December 1879....
, on the North Liverpool Extension Line
North Liverpool Extension Line
The North Liverpool Extension Line is a now-disused railway line in Liverpool, England. The line was to be the eastern section of the Merseyrail Outer Loop...
, once served the area.
It is also at the western end of the M62 motorway
M62 motorway
The M62 motorway is a west–east trans-Pennine motorway in Northern England, connecting the cities of Liverpool and Hull via Manchester and Leeds. The road also forms part of the unsigned Euroroutes E20 and E22...
.