TAKE THE TOUR!

There are many ways to walk around Childwall, one may walk around the Parish boundary, or maybe just around the heart of the Village and take in the tour of the Church and Graveyard. I plan to take you on a long and varied tour starting in the heart of the village having just left the Church and now crossing over the road towards the Childwall Abbey Pub which has been featured in the previous page. Up Childwall Abbey Road past the Gatehouse, around the Triangle for a look at shops in days gone by, down towards the fiveways for information on the 'Farm', turning left on Queens Drive to head up to Woolton Road, turning left and going past the old Dudlow Lane Pumping Station, carry on down Woolton road past Childwall C of E School, heading out towards the roundabout of Childwall Park Avenue/Woolton Road, heading through the gate at the edge of Childwall Woods, through Childwall Woods in to Childwall Fields, out of Childwall Fields to Childwall Cross, then up Childwall Lane past the church and along to Score Lane. At each stage on the tour you can read up on current and past information.

THE VICARAGE

Records on a Vicarage go back all the way to 1307 when a dwelling place for the newly-created Vicar was provided for in the endowment by the rector of the vicarage, dated 17th December 1307, on a piece of ground next to the church called Greenland. In the churchwardens books, the Vicarage is first mentioned in 1572, 1574 and in 1657, the parish to pay for repairs of the "vicaridge" house. The Vicarage house, out-housing and an acre of land, worth in all 2, 10s. a year, appears in Mr. Marklands revenue statement of 1714. The terrier of 1728 describes it as containing a house, brew house, granary, barn, stable, and cow-house, with a kitchen garden and an acre of lane, apart from some glebe in Little Woolton and Childwall.

THE TRIANGLE

Today, the shops around the Triangle produce a very good place to shop, with many different outlets. However while the shops themselves have undergone many changes, it is the area that has gone considerable change even in the last 100 years. Standing in the same place over 100 years ago, you wouldn't be shopping, but rather you would be standing in a sandstone quarry! Not only was this a large quarry, there were also changes to the road layout and was also home to a couple of large exclusive houses. Walking down Taggart Avenue (which was once called Park Road) up to Stand Park road, this was once called Rabbit Lane. However Rabbit Lane, while taking the same route at it does today, stopped around the location of what is now Highville Road and turned left rather than carrying on to Childwall Park Avenue (as Childwall Park Avenue wasn't there 100 years ago!). The lane then followed part of Highville road as it is today but then came out opposite the top of Childwall Abbey Road. The location today would be part of the Alleyway that runs behind the shops on the left hand side. At the junction of Dunbabin Road, there were two large houses. On the left hand side one was called Stand House and what was Rabbit Lane is now called Stand Park Road taking the Stand from the house name and the Park Road from the name what is now Taggart Avenue. On the right hand side of Dunbabin Road was a house called "Hill Top". Now long gone, the only remains is the name which is given to Hilltop Road which can be found off Dunbabin Road. The colour photo above left was taken in 1960 by Mr Dale and shows his fathers tobacconist/confectioners shop, which was owned, from 1938 to 1965. In 1965 it was taken over and remained a tobacconist/confectioners shop but changed hands again a few years later when it was bought by a Larry Hodgson. It was subsequently sold to Ricafeg who only used it for a short time as they had bought the shop on the other block, which then became RS McColl. Ricafeg sold 94 Childwall Priory Road to Sylvia Rose who bought what was Dorothy Rennies shop knocking them through in to one.

CHILDWALL PRIORY FARM

Childwall Well was situated on the slope of the hill about 200 yards from the Childwall Abbey Hotel and was known as the Monks Bath. It was working as a strong cold spring in the 1830's. The bason of the well measured about 15' across and it was well protected by an interior four sided wall of masonry. A stream from it used to flow into the Childwall Brook a short distance away. After a long career, the well suddenly dried up about 1840 as a result of the Corporation Wells in Green Lane and therefore became filled up with rubbish. When the old wall was taken down, they came across a well 4-5' in diameter with three steps leading down to it. This was so ancient that it was not even featured on any local records. Historians have suggested that this could be the well which gave the village its name of Childewell as it was called in the region of Richard II. The newly discovered well very probably gave its name to Well Lane. Sadly the well has now been filled in, with 15 tons of rubble and covered over. Perhaps this may be excavated in the future!

CHILDWALL ABBEY ROAD

FIVEWAYS

DUDLOW LANE PUMPING STATION

CHILDWALL WOODS

Looking at older maps of the area, it can be said that the area of Childwall Wood, Black Wood and Childwall Field haven't changed all that much, but rather the names given to them and the ownership of the land that has changed over the years. At one time, the owners of Childwall Hall owned vast amounts of land in the area. This can be seen today as Childwall Woods with the border of Childwall Abbey Road, Countisbury Drive and Woolton Road. The area then was called The Grounds and was literally the grounds to Childwall Hall. However, before Woolton Road was built from Gateacre up to the Roundabout at the end of Childwall Park Avenue, the grounds extended to what is known today as the Black Woods. It is interesting to view the boundary of Childwall Woods of 100 years ago as it has virtually kept the same boundary 100 years later. Bisected by Woolton Road, even the Black Woods has been virtually unchanged too. The area that is now Cabot Green (off Woolton Road) was actually a small field on exactly the same size that the Green is now including the houses, no land was taken from the Grounds to build this exclusive Green. Touring the woods, it is interesting to note that it has virtually unchanged. Starting off by the exit to the Roundabout, one can take the left path and follow it around to the exit of Countisbury Drive, or take the path to the right to bring one round to the border of Childwall Fields. Taking the path to the left, one can walk through the trees and many plants and flowers and take in the surroundings around. Bats, voles, foxes and squirrels can be seen in the area and one only has to stop walking and look up on the larger trees to see the Grey squirrel darting around. Other Urban wildlife that can be seen include small blue, small copper and red admiral butterflies, linnets and sparrow-hawks, and also on the ground one can notice English Bluebells and Southern Marsh Orchids. Over 100 years ago, Childwall Fields didn't exist, nor did the land resemble anything like it does today! Childwall Fields was originally called Childwall Park and while the name has long disappeared, it has moved and can now be found on a local road called Childwall Park Avenue. The area of the Fields virtually holds the same boundary today as it did 100 years ago with it bordering on Childwall Woods running down to Childwall Lane, however the land has changed. Originally the land was a gentle slope from the Woods to Childwall Lane and followed the hill much in the same way as the photo taken on the Welcome page. The area was sparsely covered in trees and the only building on the land was almost opposite the Childwall Cross on Childwall Lane. The original entrance (though boarded up) can still be seen to the drive on Childwall Lane. In the 1960s, this land was used as a landfill site and there are now three large hills that make up the land. The area was left to grow itself and it is amazing that so much greenery can be found on the hillside. From large bushes covering hidden pathways to grass virtually covering the entire area. With the land bordering Childwall Woods, there are many entrances, however it is safe to say that there are now two official entrances. That from Childwall Lane through the gate or from Childwall Woods by the entrance opposite the rear of Cabot Green. It is from this entrance that a pathway was made and forms the access point to the first area. This area on both sides of the path is built up with thick bushes in this area though following the line of the Woods, it is less dense the further one goes in. Continuing this path, one will come to the start of the 1st hill and has an amazing view of the hillside running away. On a good day many areas can be seen including Winter Hill and the Runcorn Bridge.

The 'Moat' in Childwall Woods