Halsall is a village and

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authorit ...

West Lancashire West Lancashire is a local government district with borough status in Lancashire, England. The council is based in Ormskirk, and the largest town in the borough is Skelmersdale. At the 2011 Census, the population of the borough was 110,68 ...

, England, located close to

Ormskirk Ormskirk is a market town in the West Lancashire district of Lancashire, England, north of Liverpool, northwest of St Helens, southeast of Southport and southwest of Preston. Ormskirk is known for its gingerbread. Geography and administr ...

on the

A5147 The A5147 is a road in northern England that runs from Maghull in Merseyside to Scarisbrick in Lancashire. Route Merseyside It begins off the A59 road in Maghull, where it is called Liverpool Road North. After leaving the town, it crosses ov ...

and

Leeds and Liverpool Canal The Leeds and Liverpool Canal is a canal in Northern England, linking the cities of Leeds and Liverpool. Over a distance of , crossing the Pennines, and including 91 locks on the main line. The Leeds and Liverpool Canal has several small branc ...

Description

Historically known as Heleshala, Herleshala, (

Domesday Book Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manus ...

); Haleshal, 1224; Haleshale, 1275; Halsale, 1278; Halshale, 1292; Halleshale, 1332; Halsall, xv century. Halsall is a large ancient parish which grew from being a small farming settlement; reflecting this background, much of the land area of Halsall is sparsely populated with many isolated dwellings. The land area (and postal area) of Halsall extends quite a way towards

Ainsdale Ainsdale is an area of Southport in Merseyside, England, situated three miles south of the centre of Southport. Originally in the Historic counties of England, Historic County of Lancashire, at the United Kingdom Census 2001, 2001 Census it had a ...

along Carr Moss Lane, to a point where the border is closer to Ainsdale village centre than it is to Halsall. Halsall village is centred around St Cuthbert's Church and the war memorial. The church dates from the 14th century and the Rector is the Rev. Paul Robinson. The hall is to the south-west of the church; between them was a water-mill, taken down about 1880. Near the site of the water mill now stands the former Halsall Arms public house (now offices for business). There is a junior school, St Cuthbert's Church of England Primary School with around 140 pupils from age 4 to 11. The Saracen's Head is a large public house on the banks of the canal. There is also a garage, offices (in what used to be the Halsall Arms public house) and a

red telephone box The red telephone box, a telephone kiosk for a public telephone designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, is a familiar sight on the streets of the United Kingdom, Malta, Bermuda and Gibraltar. Despite a reduction in their numbers in recent years, ...

situated by the former post office. The church and much of the village stand on a rocky ridge, in marked contrast to the low-lying flat peat mossland between the ridge and the sand of

and

Birkdale Birkdale is an area of Southport, within the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton, Merseyside, though historically in Lancashire, in the north-west of England. The area is located on the Irish Sea coast, approximately a mile away from the centre of S ...

. There are several listed buildings in Halsall including the Grade I listed church including Halsall Hall and a number of listed canal bridges amongst other structures. Halsall Hall still stands, but it has been subdivided into a number of dwellings. In 2011, the parish had a population of 2,057 and covered an area of . A natural curiosity of the district was the bituminous turf which was found in the Halsall moss. This was known as Lit-turf and could be burnt like a candle.

The Leeds to Liverpool Canal

Halsall is where the first sod was ceremonially dug (on 5 November 1770, by the Hon. Charles Mordaunt of Halsall Hall) for the commencement of the

. A sculpture ("Halsall Navvy" by

Thompson Dagnall Thompson Dagnall is a British sculptor. Born in Liverpool on 15 February 1956, he attended Liverpool Polytechnic, Liverpool and University of Brighton, Brighton Polytechnics before gaining an Master of Arts, MA at Chelsea College of Art and Desig ...

) just across the bridge from the Saracen's Head pub now commemorates this. The canal in this area was partially fortified with pillboxes and anti tank measures as it formed part of Stop Line 14 in WW2.

Transport

The village has five bus stops, served by the 300 bus route, operated by

Arriva North West Arriva North WestCompanies House extract company no 1990871

, travelling from

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...

Southport Southport is a seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. At the 2001 census, it had a population of 90,336, making it the eleventh most populous settlement in North West England. Southport lies on the Iris ...

(and the reverse). Halsall railway station on the

Liverpool, Southport and Preston Junction Railway The Liverpool, Southport and Preston Junction Railway was formed in 1884, and totaled 7 miles. In 1897 it became part of Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway, and on 1 May 1901, its northern terminus switched from to . It connected the West Lanc ...

was in service between 1887 and 1938.

Culture

Halsall plays host to the annual scarecrow festival. The festival runs from June to July. The official route for the scarecrow festival was down the main road through the village but the scarecrows have spread to the surrounding areas. The scarecrow festival is not a competition.

References

External links