Croxteth
Encyclopedia
Croxteth is a suburb of Liverpool
, Merseyside
, England
and a Liverpool City Council
Ward. Although housing in the area is predominantly modern, the suburb has some notable history. It is known locally as "Crocky". At the 2001 Census
it had a population of 16,543.
landing via the River Alt
, which passes through Croxteth and at the time of the Viking invasion of Britain was navigable through the area. The similar root is also possible for Toxteth
.
Prehistoric tools were found on a site in Croxteth in 1992, though there were no signs of any permanent settlement. Since then the land has been developed.
The suburb is adjacent to Croxteth Hall
, the former home of the Earls of Sefton, and close to West Derby
, another suburb that predates Liverpool, being recorded in the Domesday Book
. The "Dog and Gun" Public House (closed, 2005) was a historic hostelry, likely associated with the hunt from Croxteth Hall.
The first tranche of housing in Croxteth was built to rehouse families from the Scotland Road
area of the city that was subject to mass demolition during the construction of the second Mersey Tunnel
. Within the past twenty years very large areas of Croxteth Park and a City Council playing field have been sold for housing development to create a huge housing estate
, noted for its lack of local amenities.
From the A580 road
(the Liverpool-East Lancashire Road, abbreviated to and known commonly as East Lancs Road) passing Malpas Road to St. Swithens including the much talked about haunting of Gillmoss School. Croxteth was one of the first "suburbs of Liverpool". Croxteth Park, a development area, came many years later.
The first houses in the Croxteth estate were in fact built in the immediate postwar period to house skilled workers from Slough
and Rugby
who had been brought in to the English Electric and Napier factories on the East Lancs Road), and families from the dockland inner-city areas who had lost their homes through bombing and slum demolition. The second tunnel came much later. The first families arrived in 1951 to live in an estate that was without roads, pavements, shops, pubs or buses. However, in the wake of World War II
during the late 1940s and early 1950s, massive residential extensions at Croxteth, alongside similar and indistinguishable development of neighbouring Norris Green, resulted in what together, are now regarded as the largest municipal housing estate in Europe.
and Gillmoss
. Other areas surrounding Croxteth include Fazakerley
and Kirkby
. The Croxteth Park estate is a separate large residential area built on the edge of Croxteth Country Park and in the L12 (West Derby
) postal code area.
In recent years Croxteth has become synonymous with gang violence, as reported in local and national press. Indeed, Merseyside police's Staysafe campaign was in response to anti-social behaviour and gang violence in Croxteth as well as neighbouring Norris Green and Clubmoor
.
On 22 August 2007 an 11-year-old boy, Rhys Jones, was fatally shot in the car park of the Fir Tree public house on the Croxteth Park estate, which was followed by major interest and coverage from the national media. The shooting has been directly attributed to gang violence. (See Murder of Rhys Jones
)
In January 2008, Shelagh Fogarty
, a BBC Radio Five Live
presenter from Liverpool had a gun pointed at her whilst filming a TV documentary in Croxteth.
(11-18); St. John Bosco (Catholic Girls) and De La Salle (Catholic Boys). In 2010, a third school, Croxteth Community Comprehensive (Mixed), closed due to poor academic standards and falling pupils numbers. In June 2008 it was revealed a new £20m "super-school" would be built on the site of De La Salle. However, this propasal has since been scrapped.
and England footballer Wayne Rooney
and his wife Coleen (formerly McLoughlin) grew up and met in the area. Coleen was a pupil at St John Bosco School and Wayne attended De La Salle School
.
One-time England footballer Francis Jeffers
also lived in Croxteth and attended De La Salle School.
Others include UFC and MMA fighter Paul Kelly.
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. Although housing in the area is predominantly modern, the suburb has some notable history. It is known locally as "Crocky". 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....
it had a population of 16,543.
History
The name is believed to derive from a contraction of Crocker's Staithe, or the landing place of Crocker, which is a likely reference to a VikingViking
The term Viking is customarily used to refer to the Norse explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, explored and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia and the North Atlantic islands from the late 8th to the mid-11th century.These Norsemen used their famed longships to...
landing via the River Alt
River Alt
The River Alt is in Merseyside, England.The Alt runs from Hag Plantation in Huyton at , through Croxteth Park, roughly follows the M57 motorway south of Kirkby, then flows north of Aintree and south of Maghull...
, which passes through Croxteth and at the time of the Viking invasion of Britain was navigable through the area. The similar root is also possible for Toxteth
Toxteth
Toxteth is an inner city area of Liverpool, England. Located to the south of the city, Toxteth is bordered by Liverpool City Centre, Dingle, Edge Hill, Wavertree and Aigburth.-Description:...
.
Prehistoric tools were found on a site in Croxteth in 1992, though there were no signs of any permanent settlement. Since then the land has been developed.
The suburb is adjacent to Croxteth Hall
Croxteth Hall
Croxteth Hall is the former country estate and ancestral home of the Molyneux family, the Earls of Sefton. After the death of the 7th and last Earl in 1972 the estate passed to Liverpool City Council, which now manages the remainder of the estate, following the sale of approximately half of the...
, the former home of the Earls of Sefton, and close to West Derby
West 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:...
, another suburb that predates Liverpool, being recorded in the Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
. The "Dog and Gun" Public House (closed, 2005) was a historic hostelry, likely associated with the hunt from Croxteth Hall.
The first tranche of housing in Croxteth was built to rehouse families from the Scotland Road
Scotland Road
Scotland Road or "Scottie Road" is the A59 and is situated near the docks in the Vauxhall area of north Liverpool, England.-History:Scotland Road was created in the 1770s as a turnpike road to Preston via Walton and Burscough. It became part of a stagecoach route to Scotland, hence its name...
area of the city that was subject to mass demolition during the construction of the second Mersey Tunnel
Kingsway Tunnel
The Kingsway Tunnel is a road tunnel under the River Mersey in Merseyside, northwest England, and runs between Liverpool and Wallasey. It is one and half miles long and is often called the Wallasey Tunnel to distinguish it from the older Queensway Tunnel which runs between Liverpool and...
. Within the past twenty years very large areas of Croxteth Park and a City Council playing field have been sold for housing development to create a huge housing estate
Housing estate
A housing estate is a group of buildings built together as a single development. The exact form may vary from country to country. Accordingly, a housing estate is usually built by a single contractor, with only a few styles of house or building design, so they tend to be uniform in appearance...
, noted for its lack of local amenities.
From the A580 road
A580 road
The A580 is a primary A road in England that connects Walton, near Liverpool and Salford, near Manchester and known officially as Liverpool-East Lancashire Road. Locally, the road is shortened to the "East Lancs". The road was designed and built to provide better access to the Port of Liverpool for...
(the Liverpool-East Lancashire Road, abbreviated to and known commonly as East Lancs Road) passing Malpas Road to St. Swithens including the much talked about haunting of Gillmoss School. Croxteth was one of the first "suburbs of Liverpool". Croxteth Park, a development area, came many years later.
The first houses in the Croxteth estate were in fact built in the immediate postwar period to house skilled workers from Slough
Slough
Slough is a borough and unitary authority within the ceremonial county of Royal Berkshire, England. The town straddles the A4 Bath Road and the Great Western Main Line, west of central London...
and Rugby
Rugby, Warwickshire
Rugby is a market town in Warwickshire, England, located on the River Avon. The town has a population of 61,988 making it the second largest town in the county...
who had been brought in to the English Electric and Napier factories on the East Lancs Road), and families from the dockland inner-city areas who had lost their homes through bombing and slum demolition. The second tunnel came much later. The first families arrived in 1951 to live in an estate that was without roads, pavements, shops, pubs or buses. However, in the wake of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
during the late 1940s and early 1950s, massive residential extensions at Croxteth, alongside similar and indistinguishable development of neighbouring Norris Green, resulted in what together, are now regarded as the largest municipal housing estate in Europe.
Description
Croxteth has an L11 postcode, which is also the same postcode for neighbouring Norris GreenNorris Green
Norris Green is a large housing estate and council ward in Liverpool, Merseyside, England. At the 2001 Census it had a population of 17,784.-History:...
and Gillmoss
Gillmoss
Gillmoss is an area in north Liverpool, Merseyside, England, located between Croxteth, Fazakerley and Kirkby.-Description:Gillmoss is a predominantly industrial area with little residential housing although pockets exist around the East Lancashire Road, and parts have been described as a 'ghost...
. Other areas surrounding Croxteth include Fazakerley
Fazakerley
Fazakerley is a suburb of north Liverpool, Merseyside, England, and a Liverpool City Council Ward. At the 2001 Census it had a population of 15,062...
and Kirkby
Kirkby
Kirkby is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley in the metropolitan county of Merseyside in England. The town was developed from the 1950s through 1970s as a means to house the overspill of Liverpool. It is situated roughly north of Huyton, the administrative HQ of the borough and about...
. The Croxteth Park estate is a separate large residential area built on the edge of Croxteth Country Park and in the L12 (West Derby
West 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:...
) postal code area.
In recent years Croxteth has become synonymous with gang violence, as reported in local and national press. Indeed, Merseyside police's Staysafe campaign was in response to anti-social behaviour and gang violence in Croxteth as well as neighbouring Norris Green and Clubmoor
Clubmoor
Clubmoor is a district of Liverpool, Merseyside, England and a Liverpool City Council ward.At the 2001 Census the population was recorded as 13,387...
.
On 22 August 2007 an 11-year-old boy, Rhys Jones, was fatally shot in the car park of the Fir Tree public house on the Croxteth Park estate, which was followed by major interest and coverage from the national media. The shooting has been directly attributed to gang violence. (See Murder of Rhys Jones
Murder of Rhys Jones
The murder of Rhys Milford Jones occurred in Liverpool, England, when he was shot in the back. An 18-year-old youth, Sean Mercer, went on trial on 2 October 2008 and was convicted of murder on 16 December 2008....
)
In January 2008, Shelagh Fogarty
Shelagh Fogarty
Shelagh Fogarty, born 13 January 1966 in Liverpool, Merseyside, England, is a radio and television presenter and journalist. She formerly hosted the BBC Radio 5 Live breakfast show with Nicky Campbell.-Early life:...
, a BBC Radio Five Live
BBC Radio Five Live
BBC Radio 5 Live is the BBC's national radio service that specialises in live BBC News, phone-ins, and sports commentaries...
presenter from Liverpool had a gun pointed at her whilst filming a TV documentary in Croxteth.
Education
The area is serviced by two secondary schoolsComprehensive school
A comprehensive school is a state school that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude. This is in contrast to the selective school system, where admission is restricted on the basis of a selection criteria. The term is commonly used in relation to the United...
(11-18); St. John Bosco (Catholic Girls) and De La Salle (Catholic Boys). In 2010, a third school, Croxteth Community Comprehensive (Mixed), closed due to poor academic standards and falling pupils numbers. In June 2008 it was revealed a new £20m "super-school" would be built on the site of De La Salle. However, this propasal has since been scrapped.
Notable residents
Manchester UnitedManchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
and England footballer Wayne Rooney
Wayne Rooney
Wayne Mark Rooney is an English footballer who plays as a striker for Premier League club Manchester United and the England national team...
and his wife Coleen (formerly McLoughlin) grew up and met in the area. Coleen was a pupil at St John Bosco School and Wayne attended De La Salle School
De La Salle School (Liverpool)
For the school of the same name in Basildon, see De La Salle School.De La Salle Academy is a boys' voluntary aided school under the trusteeship of the De La Salle Brothers and maintained by the Liverpool Education Authority. The school is named after St John Baptist De La Salle, patron saint of...
.
One-time England footballer Francis Jeffers
Francis Jeffers
Francis Jeffers is an English football striker who currently plays for Newcastle United Jets in the A-League. In his career Jeffers has played for Barclays Premier League teams Everton and Arsenal...
also lived in Croxteth and attended De La Salle School.
Others include UFC and MMA fighter Paul Kelly.