Aigburth

infobox UK place
country= England
official_name= Aigburth
latitude= 53.35864
longitude= -2.90796
population=
metropolitan_borough= City of Liverpool
metropolitan_county= Merseyside
region= North West England
constituency_westminster= Liverpool Riverside
post_town= LIVERPOOL
postcode_district= L17
postcode_area= L
dial_code= 0151
os_grid_reference= SJ385864
map_type= Merseyside Aigburth (Audio|En-uk-Aigburth.ogg|pronunciation; IPA|/ˈɛɡbəθ/) is a suburb of Liverpool, Merseyside, England. Located to the south of the city, it is bordered by St Michael's Hamlet, Mossley Hill and Grassendale.

History

Aigburth means "hill where oak trees grow" and is a hybrid place-name: the first part of the name is from Old Norse "eikr" "oak tree" (which is found in Eikton in Cumbria and Eakring in Nottinghamshire) and Old English" beorg" meaning " hill, tumulus" but here in the sense "rising ground". This element usually occurs as "-borough" (as in Barlborough in Derbyshire) or more rarely as "-barrow" (e.g. Backbarrow in Cumbria). The meaning is probably derived from the presence of a sacred oak grove in the area. The name was also recorded as "Eikberei" in an undated record.

The spelling "Aigburgh" (or, more rarely, "Aighburgh") is sometimes found in old publications and historical documents (for example, S. Lewis, "A Topographical Dictionary of England" (1848)), [citeweb|url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=50745#s20|title=Aigburth, or Aigburgh|publisher="British History Online"|accessdate=15 February|accessyear=2008] as well as in modern references to former residents [citeweb|url=http://www.reading.ac.uk/SerDepts/vl/colls/special/waterhouse.html|title=The Waterhouse collection|work=University of Reading|accessdate=15 February|accessyear=2008] [citeweb|url=http://autrevie.com/Articles/Venezuelan_Orchids_Webpage.htm|title=Venezuelan Orchids|accessdate=15 February|accessyear=2008] , and is occasionally seen as an alternative (if incorrect) spelling today.

The area was previously part of the West Allerton parliamentary district and, as such returned (now Lord) David Alton for many years. It is now part of the Liverpool Riverside constituency and returned Louise Ellman as MP in the 2005 general election.

Description

Aigburth is mainly residential and covers an area following Aigburth Road, (A561) and the areas either side of it. The suburb is to the south of Sefton Park and adjoins Otterspool Park, which leads to Otterspool Promenade on the Mersey. Housing in the district is mostly a mixture of semi-detached housing with some detached and terraced houses. It is considered one of Liverpool's more prosperous and green areas, and it is adjacent to similar areas. [citeweb|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2007/jul/21/property.lifeandhealth|title=Let's move to ... Aigburth, Liverpool|work=The Guardian|date=21 July 2007|accessdate=4 April|accessyear=2008] [http://www.liverpoolcricketclub.co.uk Liverpool Cricket Club] , although located just outside the new district boundary, is one of Lancashire County Cricket Club's regular home venues. [http://www.seftonparkcc.co.uk Sefton Park Cricket Club] is also located in Aigburth.

Often St Michael's Hamlet, officially a separate area, is considered part of Aigburth.

Attractions

* Sudley House
* Church of St Anne, Aigburth
* Stanlawe Grange
* Otterspool Promenade
* Lark Lane

Education

There are the [http://www.hope.ac.uk/gettingtohope/aigburth.htm Aigburth Park] halls of residence of Liverpool Hope University, close to the railway line on St Michael's Road. Close by towards Mossley Hill are the Carnatic and Elmswood Road halls of residence for the University of Liverpool. On the piece of land between Mossley Hill Road and Barkhill Road is the IM Marsh Campus of Liverpool John Moores University, where the university's [http://www.ljmu.ac.uk/ECL/index.htm Faculty of Education, Community and Leisure] is based. There is a student bar and refectory. On Aigburth Road, is the [http://www.stmargaretshigh.com St Margaret's Church of England High School] . Opposite this is the junior section of Sudley County Primary School, whose infant section is situated on Dundonald Road.

Prior to the reorganisation of secondary education in Liverpool in the 1980s, Aigburth was also home to Aigburth Vale Comprehensive School for Girls, formerly Aigburth Vale High School for Girls, which was merged with Quarry Bank School to form Calderstones School.

Transport

The area is served by Aigburth railway station on the Northern Line of the Merseyrail network, located some distance from larger residential areas. St Michaels railway station is also situated in the area, at the bottom of Southwood Road.

Notable residents

* Peter Beckett
* Cyril Bibby
* Ronald Brittain
* John Leslie Chadwick, original bassist, Gerry And The Pacemakers
* Kenneth Cranston
* Gloria Grahame, Hollywood actress
* Mikey Dalton
* Dixie Dean, professional footballer for Everton Football Club.
* Sonia Evans
* Ben Howard-Baker
* Augustus Radcliffe Grote, born in Aigburth, noted entomologist and author.
* Gérard Houllier, manager of Liverpool Football Club from 1998 to 2004.
* J. Bruce Ismay, managing director of the White Star Line, operators of the RMS "Titanic".
* Gillian Kearney
* Billy Liddell, professional footballer for Liverpool Football Club.
* Dave Lister, fictional television character in BBC Television's "Red Dwarf".
* Florence Maybrick
* James Maybrick
* George Melly, jazz/blues singer and writer.
* Elliot Morley
* Steven Norris
* John E. Owens, Liverpool born American comedian. cite book | title = Who Was Who in America, Historical Volume, 1607-1896 | publisher = Marquis Who's Who | location = Chicago | date = 1963 ]
* Geoff Rowley, professional skateboarder.
* Alfred Waterhouse

References

External links

* [http://liverpoolstreetgallery.com/thumbnails.php?album=23 Liverpool Street Gallery - Liverpool 17]
*oscoor gbx|SJ385859
* [http://www.sudley.org.uk Website of the Sudley Area Residents' Association]
* [http://sudley.blogspot.com Sudley Blog]
* [http://www.aigburthcommunitychurch.org Aigburth Community Church]