Crossens
Encyclopedia
Crossens is the northernmost district of the town of Southport
, Merseyside
, England
and part of the ancient parish
of North Meols
. Whilst most of the village is now within Merseyside
, part of northern Crossens known as Fiddlers Ferry, is in West Lancashire
. Formerly, Crossens was a detached settlement lying on the western edge of Martin Mere
, but after the drainage of the Mere and the expansion of Southport, it had become absorbed into the town's conurbation.
Formerly Crossenes or Crosnes meaning a “ness” or headland with a cross. The cross was possibly a guide for shipping or people crossing the Ribble Estuary from Freckleton (near Lytham). A hospice or lodging house was sited in Crossens where travellers could rest after making the crossing. It is also believed to be the point at which 2,000 horsemen from a retreating Royalist force crossed the Ribble estuary following the battle of Marston Moor. They later joined the battle at Lathom Hall.
. After Martin Mere was largely reclaimed for farmland, the focus of the town increasingly turned to agriculture, and to this day the high-quality soil supports several flower and vegetable farms in the east of the district. Farming of some scale or other has been a feature of this area since medieval times. However the Industrial Revolution
led to Crossens incorporation into Southport as a site for housing for the larger town's burgeoning worker population. The second-half of the 20th century saw the area becoming home to some light industry (including the Vulcan motor works
), but apart from some small industrial units the area is now primarily a commuter suburb for Southport, Preston and Ormskirk
.
, Scotland
. It was found in the ground when the pumping station on Banks Road was being built in 1959.
Geologists found that the rock was deposited in the area during the last ice age
(18,000 years ago) by ice. Rocks like this that have been transported in this way are called erratics.
; Crossens railway station
was the last electrified on the branch in 1906. The line closed in the 1960s.
Being the northernmost district of Southport, Crossens is the terminus of several bus routes - Arriva North West
services 42, 44, and 49/49A terminate at The Plough Hotel roundabout. Other bus services passing through Crossens include Stagecoach North West
services 2 and X2, Arriva service 47 and Cumfybus
service 40, which terminates on Harrogate Way.
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...
, 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 part of the ancient 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 North Meols
North Meols
North Meols is a civil parish in the West Lancashire district of Lancashire, England. The parish covers the village of Banks and the hamlet of Hundred End...
. Whilst most of the village is now within 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...
, part of northern Crossens known as Fiddlers Ferry, is in West Lancashire
West Lancashire
West Lancashire is a non-metropolitan district with the status of a borough in Lancashire, England. Its council is based in Ormskirk. The other town in the borough is Skelmersdale....
. Formerly, Crossens was a detached settlement lying on the western edge of Martin Mere
Martin Mere
Martin Mere is a mere near Burscough, Lancashire, England on the West Lancashire Coastal Plain. The mere is a vast marsh, around that, until it was drained, was the largest body of fresh water in England.-History:...
, but after the drainage of the Mere and the expansion of Southport, it had become absorbed into the town's conurbation.
Formerly Crossenes or Crosnes meaning a “ness” or headland with a cross. The cross was possibly a guide for shipping or people crossing the Ribble Estuary from Freckleton (near Lytham). A hospice or lodging house was sited in Crossens where travellers could rest after making the crossing. It is also believed to be the point at which 2,000 horsemen from a retreating Royalist force crossed the Ribble estuary following the battle of Marston Moor. They later joined the battle at Lathom Hall.
History
Sited as it was on the shore of Martin Mere and at the seaward end of Crossens Sluice, Crossens formed the basis of a substantial fishing industry supporting the surrounding area and the nearby village of BanksBanks, Lancashire
Banks is a large coastal village in Lancashire, England. It lies just south of the Ribble estuary and four miles north-east of the town of Southport. The village is administered by West Lancashire Borough Council, and by North Meols parish council for parochial matters. It falls in the South...
. After Martin Mere was largely reclaimed for farmland, the focus of the town increasingly turned to agriculture, and to this day the high-quality soil supports several flower and vegetable farms in the east of the district. Farming of some scale or other has been a feature of this area since medieval times. However the Industrial Revolution
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...
led to Crossens incorporation into Southport as a site for housing for the larger town's burgeoning worker population. The second-half of the 20th century saw the area becoming home to some light industry (including the Vulcan motor works
Vulcan (cars)
Vulcan, based in Southport, England, made cars from 1902 until 1928 and commercial vehicles until 1953.Brothers Thomas and Joseph Hampson trading as Vulcan Motor Manufacturing and Trading built the first Vulcan car which was a single-cylinder belt-driven type in 1902. In 1903, this grew to and...
), but apart from some small industrial units the area is now primarily a commuter suburb for Southport, Preston and Ormskirk
Ormskirk
Ormskirk is a market town in West Lancashire, England. It is situated north of Liverpool city centre, northwest of St Helens, southeast of Southport and southwest of Preston.-Geography and administration:...
.
Criffel granite boulder
Criffel granite boulder is a large boulder that lies at the side of Banks Road, Crossens. It is made of Criffel granite; a type of rock that is only normally found in DumfriesDumfries
Dumfries is a market town and former royal burgh within the Dumfries and Galloway council area of Scotland. It is near the mouth of the River Nith into the Solway Firth. Dumfries was the county town of the former county of Dumfriesshire. Dumfries is nicknamed Queen of the South...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. It was found in the ground when the pumping station on Banks Road was being built in 1959.
Geologists found that the rock was deposited in the area during the last ice age
Ice age
An ice age or, more precisely, glacial age, is a generic geological period of long-term reduction in the temperature of the Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental ice sheets, polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers...
(18,000 years ago) by ice. Rocks like this that have been transported in this way are called erratics.
Transport
Crossens lay on the route of the West Lancashire RailwayWest Lancashire Railway
The West Lancashire Railway ran northeast from Southport to Preston in northwest England.-History:Construction was started by Samuel Swire the Mayor of Southport, on 19 April 1873....
; Crossens railway station
Crossens railway station
Crossens railway station was a railway station serving Crossens, a suburb of Southport, Sefton, Merseyside, England. Located on the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway main line between and , it was opened to passengers by the West Lancashire Railway...
was the last electrified on the branch in 1906. The line closed in the 1960s.
Being the northernmost district of Southport, Crossens is the terminus of several bus routes - Arriva North West
Arriva North West
Arriva North West is a division of Arriva that operates bus services around North West England. It consists of two companies: Arriva North West Ltd and Arriva Merseyside Ltd....
services 42, 44, and 49/49A terminate at The Plough Hotel roundabout. Other bus services passing through Crossens include Stagecoach North West
Stagecoach North West
Stagecoach North West is a major operator of bus services in North West England. It is a subsidiary of the Stagecoach Group, and has its origins in the purchase of Cumberland in 1987 and Ribble in 1988 from the National Bus Company. The head office of Stagecoach North West is in Carlisle...
services 2 and X2, Arriva service 47 and Cumfybus
Cumfybus
Cumfybus Ltd is a bus operating company based in Southport in Merseyside, England. Its operations were small scale throughout the 1990s, but it has expanded significantly since its incorporation as a limited company in 2002, and as of 2010 has a fleet of nearly 100 buses.-Fleet:The Optare Solo...
service 40, which terminates on Harrogate Way.