Historical Churchtown Constitutional
Churchtown is a small town, part of Southport in Merseyside. This walk takes us through the heart of the little town and starts at the junction of Radnor Drive and Knob Hall Lane. Postcode PR9 9QS. On street parking available. The walk is a little under 4 miles and is over pavements. Suitable for dogs, though they should be kept on a lead.
Walk down Knob Hall Lane, away from Radnor Drive. Look right to see the thatched roof cottage. Follow the road as it bends to the right and then to the left till the end.
At the junction, look for a road almost directly opposite, Shellfield road, this is the road we are taking. There is a barber shop on the far right hand corner. Carefully cross the busy road. Continue along Shellfield Road. Cross over the road so that you are walking on the left hand pavement, this is easier than walking on the other side of the road as you will soon see. Some of the houses on the right, come to the edge of the pavement. I'm guessing that this is due to the houses being older than the road as we know it today.
As you continue to walk, look at the houses and cottages as you pass. A number of cottages down Shellfield road are listed buildings. As you approach the end of the road, stay on the pavement turning left into Larkfield Lane. Cross over to the other side of the road when possible and continue to the top. When you have reached the junction, turn right into Fairhaven Road.
At the top of Fairhaven Road, there is a post office on the right and a roundabout straight ahead of you. Cross over here, taking great care. Take the road directly opposite the road you have just left, North Road.
Continue down North Road and take the third road on the right, Balmoral Drive. Walk a distance down the road till you reach the first road on the left, Verulam Road, take this road. You will see a car park on the right, head for the trees and enter Botanic Gardens.
The park was created in 1874 and a few of the structures inside are listed including the gates at the front entrance, we will see them shortly, which were erected roughly around 1876. Dogs must be kept on a lead in the park. Botanic has a fernery, aviary, play area, public toilets, cafe, bowling green and a mini golf course, there is also a lake which we will see part of.
You may wish to explore the park a little. The grassy area straight ahead as you enter is home to grey squirrels if you can spot them. For the purpose of this route, we are going to stay as left as we can. As you follow the path, you will see a bowling green on your right and a little further down the bandstand.
Not too much further past the bandstand, you will see an entrance to a tunnel on your left. Walk through here and duck if you're tall. If you don't want to walk through, take the path around it.
The path continues to the lake which we will follow round. Watch the ducks swimming by. The gulls circling for food.
Just as we come to the end of the path round the lake there is a round little building ahead. The original Round House and Pound were demolished in 1874 but a copy was rebuilt and used as a tram and bus shelter. Leave the lake following the path to the left then turn left to exit the park.
Turn right outside the park and follow the road towards The Hesketh Arms Pub on the right hand side. Originally called The Black Bull with William Sutton as landlord. At the rear of the car park, the coach house can be seen. Food is served from midday here if you are feeling peckish or in need of a drink.
Slightly further along on the left hand side near the bend is the entrance to Meols Hall. This is not open to the public. It is a popular wedding venue.
Continue down the road. Another pub can soon be seen across the road. As you approach the pub. look right for a zebra crossing and cross over here. We are presented with a view of The Bold Arms car-park. Originally called The Griffin, the building at the back of the car park was used as a stable area for the horses that pulled the first horse-drawn trams before the tram sheds were built.
Stop for a drink if you are feeling thirsty. Food is served from midday till ten pm. Continue past the front of The Bold Arms on Botanic Road. Keep an eye out on your right hand side for number 51.
Now a private house, number 51 is a former police station that was used till the 1950s. The cells are still said to be standing at the side of the house. Continue down the road till you reach a mini roundabout. Once at the roundabout, look for the pedestrian crossing on the right and cross the road here. As soon as you reach the other side of the road, look for 31a. Now a private house, the building was once The Farmers Arms Ale House around 1841.
Once again, continue down Botanic Road till you reach The Forge. This and the surrounding cottages are stood on an area known as Cock's Cod. Opposite The Forge is the United Reform Church.
We turn back on ourselves and retrace our steps to the pedestrian crossing we have just used on Manor Road. Go slightly past the crossing and look for number 36 on the left hand side. This is Bold House. A building has stood here since before 1554. The present has was built around 1802.
Use the crossing again and turn left when you reach the other side of the road. Follow Manor Road till you reach the roundabout. Staying on the pavement turn right into Cambridge Road. As you walk along, look for a new block of houses on the right hand side. This was the site of the tram sheds built in 1878. Only the gable end of the sheds remains.
When safe to do so, cross the road. Keep an eye out for the Civic Gardens on the left hand side. Feel free to enter the gardens. Remember to shut the gate after yourself when you leave.
Originally the site of an ancient orchard. Sit for a while on one of the benches and enjoy the tranquility of the garden. Upon exiting, continue up the road in the same direction.
As you near the end of the road, you will notice The Bold Arms car-park again. Looking past this, on the other side of the road, you will see another thatched cottage. Before we reach this however, we see a thatched cottage on our left. Walk round this building till you see The Conservative Club.
Prior to the Conservative Club, the building built in 1729 was a grammar school. It became the National School for Boys in 1826 and extended in 1837. The Conservative Club was founded in 1889. Follow the building around to the side. Cross the narrow road and look for the stocks next to the church wall.
The stocks are believed to have been built by John Linaker around 1941. They were last used on the 3rd of June 1861 by Thomas Rimmer who was sentenced to 6 miserable hours for the crime of drunkeness. Head towards the village green which is opposite the entrance to the church. The obelisk was erected in the 1950s.With your back to the village green, enter St Cuthbert's Church yard.
The church was built in 1571, though it has been rebuilt a few times since then. Believed to be on the site of a church dating pre-conquest times. Follow the church round to the right through the graveyard, then around to the left. You will soon see a pathway and the Hesketh Family vault on the left hand side. Continue on this path. Look at some of the gravestones as you pass, most are quite old. Follow the path till it looks like you are going to stop at a wall, look left and you will see a passageway. Take this passage. There is a sign advising the path is uneven and unsuitable for wheelchairs.
Once you emerge from the passageway, turn right into St. Cuthbert's Road. As you walk along, you will see Churchtown primary school on the right hand side. The end of the road meets with Sunny Road. Turn left.
As you approach the junction, Natwest Bank can be seen on the right hand side, with Betfred and Subway opposite. Turn right here into Cambridge Road. Keep an eye out on the right hand side for Churchtown Medical Centre. This area was once the Churchtown Railway Station. The station opened in 1882 and was part of the line running from Southport town centre to Preston. The station closed in the 1960s as part of the Beeching Cuts.
Around this area, I am not sure of the exact location, is where potatoes were reportedly first grown in England. A cargo of sugar and potatoes washed up here from a shipwreck in 1575. The sea embankment was known as the Sugar Hillocks or Sugar Houses after this event.
Continue to the traffic lights directly ahead. Use the crossing to get across this busy road. As soon as you have crossed, look for another crossing on your left. Use that crossing and then turn right onto Marshside Road. Walk past Marshside Road Methodist Church on your left hand side. Take the first left into Radnor Drive. After a short distance, St. Patrick's Catholic Primary School can be seen on the right hand side. Knob Hall Lane is the third road on the right. Once you have reached the junction of Knob Hall Lane and Radnor Drive, you have reached the end of the walk.
I hope you have enjoyed the walk through historic Churchtown. I will include a link to North Meols Civic Society were a Churchtown Village Trail leaflet can be downloaded, from which I gathered much information from for this walk. It is unfortunately slightly out of date as the Botanic Gardens Museum was sadly closed a few years ago in a round of Sefton Council budget cuts.
