West Derby

For the ancient division of Lancashire, see West Derby (hundred).

Coordinates: 53°26′02″N 2°54′25″W / 53.4338°N 2.9070°W / 53.4338; -2.9070

West Derby
West Derby District Sign.
West Derby  West Derby shown within Merseyside
Population	14,801 (2001 Census)[1]
OS grid reference	SJ396932
Metropolitan borough	City of Liverpool
Metropolitan county	Merseyside
Region	North West
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	LIVERPOOL
Postcode district	L12
Dialling code	0151
Police	Merseyside
Fire	Merseyside
Ambulance	North West
EU Parliament	North West England
UK Parliament	Liverpool West Derby
List of places: UK • England • Merseyside

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 (7,182 males, 7,619 females).^[1]

History

Mentioned in the Domesday Book, West Derby achieved significance far earlier than Liverpool itself.^[2] The name West Derby comes from an Old Norse word meaning "place of the wild beasts" and named an administrative area called the West Derby hundred, or West Derbyshire, which covered south west Lancashire.

It was home to the Earls of Sefton (family name Molyneux), whose house, Croxteth Hall, and the surrounding countryside estate now forms Croxteth Park, an attractive public space.

West Derby once had a castle, now completely disappeared, but still retains a courthouse built in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I: the first (Wapentake) court in West Derby was established around 1,000 years ago.^[3] The West Derby Courthouse, built in 1586, was restored and conserved in 2005 and is the only freestanding post-medieval courthouse in Britain.^[4] The tiny Grade II* listed building is open to the public between 2 pm and 4 pm every Sunday except Easter from April to October inclusive, admission free.

Opposite the Courthouse is a set of Victorian cast iron stocks once used as a public restraint punishment for offenders the villages used fruit and rotten vegetables to throw at the offenders. The stocks were placed in their current position to commemorate the coronation of Edward VII in 1902. Temporarily removed in 2008 whilst the site was renovated, the stocks have since been put back in place.

There is also some suggestion of a Roman site on a street called Castlesite (nicknamed "The Rosies" by some locals). The site is now a small public park, the shape and dimensions of which are similar to that of a Roman barracks or castra. The remnants of a wooden castle were unearthed on this plot during excavations in the mid 1930s.

Government

Main article: West Derby (ward)

The three elected councillors for West Derby ward are Cllr Graham Hulme of the Liberal Democrats and Cllrs Daniel Barrington and Pam Thomas of the Labour Party.

Organisations

Alder Hey Children's Hospital is located on the south side of West Derby, at Eaton Road.

Both Everton, and Liverpool football clubs located their training grounds in West Derby, Everton at Bellefield and Liverpool at Melwood. However, in 2007 Everton moved to their new complex in south Liverpool called Finch Farm.

The West Derby Society was founded in 1977 and holds regular monthly meetings and outings. It also lobbies on planning and environmental issues. The West Derby Community Association, a registered charity, owns Grade II-listed 'Lowlands' in West Derby. This 1846 mansion underwent restoration and renovation with the help of a £1 million Heritage Lottery Fund grant.^[5]

Education

West Derby is home to a number of schools that have produced famous students: West Derby School, one of whose alumni is actor Craig Charles. St. Edward's College produced Sir Terry Leahy, former England rugby union player Mike Slemen and actor Michael Williams. Cardinal Heenan Catholic High School includes footballer Steven Gerrard and musician Mike di Scala as former students. Previously called Cardinal Allen Grammar School, it was attended by Everton footballer Colin Harvey and actor Paul McGann. Broughton Hall High School former students include singer Natasha Hamilton of Atomic Kitten, and actress Jennifer Ellison. Ellison later moved to St. Edward's College for sixth form.

Other schools in the area include Holly Lodge Girls' College, St. Pauls Junior School and Blackmoor Park Junior School.

Notable residents

Well known residents of West Derby have been; Shakespearian actor Leslie Banks, The Beatles' first drummer Pete Best, who lived in Haymans Green - the home of the Casbah Club where the group first practised; Bill Shankly the iconic Liverpool FC football manager, whose house overlooked Bellefield; Carla Lane the scriptwriter lived close by, as did Eddie Braben, the scriptwriter for Morecambe and Wise, Bessie Braddock the famous Liverpool Exchange Division MP.

Transport

West Derby railway station was located on the North Liverpool Extension Line. The station building has since become a shop and the access ramps to the former platforms remain, although one of the passages have been closed off to the public. The track has been lifted and the trackbed now forms part of National Cycle Network Route 62 and a public footpath between Liverpool and Southport.

Filmography

Brookside Close in West Derby.

The former Channel 4 soap opera Brookside was filmed on a housing development built on part of Lord Sefton's estate.

References

1. ^ ^{a b} 2001 Census: West Derby, Office for National Statistics, http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadKeyFigures.do?a=3&b=6080820&c=west+derby&d=14&e=16&g=358775&i=1001x1003x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1214583528910&enc=1, retrieved 27 June 2008 
2. ^ Blake, Norman (April 2003), The Decline of the Manor of West Derby and the rise of Liverpool..., Mike Royden's local history pages, http://www.btinternet.com/~m.royden/mrlhp/students/westderby/westderby2.htm, retrieved 27 June 2008 
3. ^ Mersey Times: Court House, BBC Liverpool, http://www.bbc.co.uk/liverpool/localhistory/mersey_times/issue_05/west_derby_village/court_house.shtml, retrieved 27 June 2008 
4. ^ West Derby Courthouse (News 2007), croxteth.co.uk, http://www.croxteth.co.uk/news/2007/Court.asp, retrieved 27 June 2008 
5. ^ Lowlands: History, West Derby Community Association, http://www.lowlands.org.uk/History.html, retrieved 17 August 2009 

External links

• Liverpool Today
• Liverpool City Council, Ward Profile: West Derby
• Liverpool Street Gallery - Liverpool 12
• The History of Sandfield Tower
• West Derby Society
• West Derby Hockey Club