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Kirkby ( ) is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley,
Merseyside Merseyside ( ) is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in North West England, with a population of 1.38 million. It encompasses both banks of the Mersey Estuary and comprises five metropolitan boroughs: Knowsley, St Helens, Sefton, Wirral ...
, England. The town,
historically History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...
in
Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a Historic counties of England, historic county, Ceremonial County, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significa ...
, has a size of is north of Huyton and north-east of Liverpool. The population in 2016 was 41,495 making it the largest in Knowsley and the 9th biggest settlement in Merseyside. Evidence of
Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...
activity has been noted though the first direct evidence of a settlement dates to 1086 via the Doomsday Book. The town was mainly farmland until the mid-20th century due to building of ROF Kirkby, the largest Royal Ordanance Factory filling munitions. In November 2020, Liverpool F.C. relocated its training facilities from the Melwood site in West Derby, to the town following the completion of the new AXA Training Centre.


History

It is believed that Kirkby was founded around 870 AD, due to archaeological evidence of
Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...
settlement.
Historically History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...
, it has been part of
Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a Historic counties of England, historic county, Ceremonial County, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significa ...
.
Kirk Kirk is a Scottish and former Northern English word meaning "church". It is often used specifically of the Church of Scotland. Many place names and personal names are also derived from it. Basic meaning and etymology As a common noun, ''kirk' ...
-by derives from the Northern dialect of Old English word ''Kirk'' ('church') and ''by'' (settlement or village; cognate with Old Norse ''byr''). Settlers arrived via Ireland around 900. The first direct evidence of a settlement dates from 1086 and the
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 manusc ...
, with a reference to "Cherchebi" (population 70). Ownership of present-day Kirkby (established as the West Derby hundred in the 11th century) passed through a number of hands until 1596, when the Molyneux family purchased the
hundred 100 or one hundred (Roman numeral: C) is the natural number following 99 and preceding 101. In medieval contexts, it may be described as the short hundred or five score in order to differentiate the English and Germanic use of "hundred" to des ...
. After a brief loss of patronage in 1737 (when the head of the family took holy orders), in 1771 the Molyneux family were made Earls of Sefton and regained their lands. Although it remained largely farmland until the mid-20th century, transport links to the region began in 1848 with the building of the
Liverpool and Bury Railway The Liverpool and Bury Railway was formed in 1845 and opened on 28 November 1848. The line ran from Liverpool Exchange first using a joint line with Liverpool, Ormskirk and Preston Railway before branching off to proceed via Kirkby then Wigan ...
through Kirkby. The
East Lancashire Road The A580 (officially the Liverpool–East Lancashire Road, colloquially the East Lancs Road) is the United Kingdom's first purpose-built inter-city highway. The road, which remains a primary A road, was officially opened by King George V on 18 ...
(the A580) added a road connection in 1935, and industrial development was considered before the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
. ROF Kirkby, a Royal Ordnance Factory, was established in 1939 and completed in 1941. At its peak, the factory employed over 20,000 workers. Liverpool had received much damage by the end of the war, and much of its remaining housing stock were
slum A slum is a highly populated urban residential area consisting of densely packed housing units of weak build quality and often associated with poverty. The infrastructure in slums is often deteriorated or incomplete, and they are primarily in ...
s. The Liverpool Corporation began a policy of buying land in surrounding areas and moving industry (and people) to newly-developed "over-spill" estates. This process culminated with the purchase of of land, including Kirkby, from the
Earl of Sefton Earl of Sefton was a title in the Peerage of Ireland created in 1771 for the 8th Viscount Molyneux. The Earls of Sefton held the subsidiary titles Viscount Molyneux, of Maryborough in the Queen's County (created 1628), in the Peerage of Ire ...
in 1947 for £375,000 (£ adjusted for inflation). Kirkby became
Merseyside Merseyside ( ) is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in North West England, with a population of 1.38 million. It encompasses both banks of the Mersey Estuary and comprises five metropolitan boroughs: Knowsley, St Helens, Sefton, Wirral ...
's largest over-spill estates. A 1949 Liverpool proposal to have Kirkby designated a
new town New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator ...
was rejected. Large-scale development began in February 1950 with the construction of the Southdene neighbourhood; the first houses were finished in 1952, the 5,000th in 1956, and the 10,000th in 1961. A population of 3,000 in 1951 grew to over 52,000 by 1961. The
Kirkby Urban District Kirkby Urban District was a local government district in the administrative county of Lancashire, England, from 1958 to 1974. From 1949 onwards, the main settlement of the district was Kirkby new town. A District Council was created in 1958. The ...
was created in 1958. Its population grew between the 1950s and the 1970s due to over-spill housing for
Liverpool Liverpool is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the List of English districts by population, 10th largest English district by population and its E ...
. Growth caused a number of problems, including a lack of local amenities. Although occupation of Southdene's council estates had begun in 1952, its first shops were not completed until 1955 and its first pub did not open until 1959. The people who were being moved into Kirkby during this period came from Liverpool's poorest areas. Kirkby Industrial Estate expanded to become one of England's largest; at its peak in 1971, the estate employed over 26,000 people. Kirkby became an Urban District in 1958. This status was later abolished, and on 1 April 1974 Kirkby was combined with Huyton with Roby and
Prescot Urban District Prescot Urban District was a local government district in the administrative county of Lancashire, England from 1895 to 1974.the main settlement of the district was the town of Prescot. In 1974 it was abolished and its former area was transferr ...
a and parts of Whiston and West Lancashire Rural Districts to form the Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley.


Government

Kirkby has been represented in
Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. ...
by
George Howarth Sir George Edward Howarth (born 29 June 1949) is a British Labour Party politician who serves as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Knowsley. He also served the seat's predecessors since being elected in a by-election in 1986, firstly as the ...
since 1986. First as part of the
Knowsley North Knowsley North was a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1983 until 1997. It elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post voting system. History The constitue ...
constituency, then as part of the
Knowsley North and Sefton East Knowsley North and Sefton East was a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election. History A primar ...
constituency, and as part of the Knowsley constituency since 2010. Howarth holds a 42,214-vote majority, making his seat the second safest Labour Party seat. He was preceded by Robert Kilroy-Silk (Labour, 1974–1986), Harold Soref (
Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...
, 1970–1974) and
Harold Wilson James Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx, (11 March 1916 – 24 May 1995) was a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from October 1964 to June 1970, and again from March 1974 to April 1976. He ...
(Labour, 1950–1970). Kirkby is divided into four districts: Southdene, Westvale, Northwood and Tower Hill. Its
electoral wards The wards and electoral divisions in the United Kingdom are electoral districts at sub-national level, represented by one or more councillors. The ward is the primary unit of English electoral geography for civil parishes and borough and distr ...
, which do not coincide with the districts, are Cherryfield, Kirkby Central, Northwood, Park, Shevington and Whitefield. Kirkby's 18 local councillors belong to the Labour Party, and often run unopposed.


Geography

Kirkby is north-east of Liverpool, in Merseyside in
North West England North West England is one of nine official regions of England and consists of the ceremonial counties of England, administrative counties of Cheshire, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Merseyside. The North West had a population of ...
. It is north-west of London and north-west of Huyton, the borough administrative headquarters. The River Alt flows through the town's extreme south-west, with the Kirkby Brook
tributary A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drainag ...
passing through its centre.


Climate

Due to its position near England's north-west coast, Kirkby has a
temperate In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (23.5° to 66.5° N/S of Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ranges throughout t ...
maritime climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ...
; its
Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, nota ...
is Cfb. Its mean annual temperature of is similar to that throughout the
Mersey The River Mersey () is in North West England. Its name derives from Old English and means "boundary river", possibly referring to its having been a border between the ancient kingdoms of Mercia and Northumbria. For centuries it has formed par ...
basin and slightly cooler than the English average. The annual average sunshine duration, 1394.6 hours, is slightly higher than the UK average of 1339.7. January is the coldest month, with an average mean temperature of ; July is the hottest, at . Rainfall, , is slightly lower than the England average of and much lower than the UK average of . October is the wettest month, with an average rainfall of ; April is the driest, with of rain. The nearest
Met Office The Meteorological Office, abbreviated as the Met Office, is the United Kingdom's national weather service. It is an executive agency and trading fund of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and is led by CEO Penelope ...
weather station is at
Manchester Airport Manchester Airport is an international airport in Ringway, Manchester, England, south-west of Manchester city centre. In 2019, it was the third busiest airport in the United Kingdom in terms of passenger numbers and the busiest of those ...
.


Demographics

Kirkby's population was 42,744 in the 2011 census. This was just over a quarter of the total population of the borough of Knowsley and was down from its peak of 52,207 in the 1961 census, largely due to a falling birth rate and the slow decline of the industrial estate. Housing demand has increased, however, with significant developments built across the town. Part of the demand may be attributed to a need for replacement housing stock due to the demolition of high-rise flats and maisonettes, built during the 1960s and now in disrepair. According to
British government ga, Rialtas a Shoilse gd, Riaghaltas a Mhòrachd , image = HM Government logo.svg , image_size = 220px , image2 = Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (HM Government).svg , image_size2 = 180px , caption = Royal Arms , date_est ...
statistics, the borough of Knowsley (including Kirkby) had a population of 145,900 in the 2011 census and a gender balance of 52.6 percent female to 47.4 percent male. This is down from 150,459 in the 2001 census. The borough has a white population of 98.42 percent, compared with the national average of 90.9 percent. Other ethnic groups are
multiracial Mixed race people are people of more than one race or ethnicity. A variety of terms have been used both historically and presently for mixed race people in a variety of contexts, including ''multiethnic'', ''polyethnic'', occasionally ''bi-eth ...
(0.83 percent), Chinese (0.24 percent), other Asian (0.23 percent) and Black (0.22 percent). A large proportion of the population is of Irish Catholic descent as a result of immigration into Liverpool. The borough is mostly
Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words '' Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρ ...
(85.63 percent), compared to the national average of 71.74 percent. The next-largest group (5.84 percent) describe themselves as non-religious, significantly lower than the national average of 14.59 percent.
Muslims Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abra ...
,
Hindus Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
,
Buddhists Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and g ...
and
Jews Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""T ...
are 0.17, 0.11, 0.07 and 0.03 percent of the population.


Population changes

Kirkby's population was on a gradual downward trend from 1861 to 1931 before it rose when the Liverpool Corporation began to develop the region. Its annual growth rate from 1951 to 1961 was over 30 percent, making it England's fastest-growing town by far. Kirkby's population peaked in 1971 at 59,917, before declining. The town's population has again begun to increase.


Economy

Kirkby Industrial Estate, formerly ROF Kirkby, is still a large employer. The town's industrial heritage, however, has largely faded away as service industries replace factories. Major employers include QVC and Barclaycard, and several
call centre A call centre ( Commonwealth spelling) or call center ( American spelling; see spelling differences) is a managed capability that can be centralised or remote that is used for receiving or transmitting a large volume of enquiries by telephon ...
companies are based in Kirkby.


Regeneration

Kirkby has seen considerable regeneration efforts in recent years. The Kirkby Sports Centre, one of the region's main
velodrome A velodrome is an arena for track cycling. Modern velodromes feature steeply banked oval tracks, consisting of two 180-degree circular bends connected by two straights. The straights transition to the circular turn through a moderate easement c ...
s and athletic centres, was replaced in 2007 by a leisure facility without a track. Several new stores have opened after Kirkby had been without a major supermarket for nearly 40 years. The regeneration began in December 2006, when a proposal was made by
Tesco Tesco plc () is a British Multinational corporation, multinational groceries and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Welwyn Garden City, England. In 2011 it was the third-largest retailer in the world measured by gross revenues an ...
and
Everton F.C. Everton Football Club () is an English professional association football club based in Liverpool that competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The club was a founder member of the Football League in 1888 and has compe ...
for redevelopment of the town centre which included a 50,000-seat football stadium and retail outlets. Kirkby Market was redeveloped, and reopened on 26 April 2014.http://www.knowsley.gov.uk/news-items/kirkby-market-gets-ready-to-open In 2015, the town centre owned by Tesco was bought by
St. Modwen Properties St. Modwen Properties limited is a British-based property investment and development business specialising in the regeneration and remediation of brownfield land and urban environments. It is headquartered in Birmingham and has a network of four ...
for £35.8 million. St Modwen announced their plans for the regeneration of the town centre, including a cinema, a supermarket, parking, and leisure development. This led to reports that two supermarkets were competing to build a store; it was rumoured that one of the stores was
ASDA Asda Stores Ltd. () (often styled as ASDA) is a British supermarket chain. It is headquartered in Leeds, England. The company was founded in 1949 when the Asquith family merged their retail business with the Associated Dairies company of Yorks ...
who were the last major supermarket located in Kirkby, closing in the late 1970's. A public hearing was held for local businesses, shopkeepers and residents in October 2016. St, Modwen submitted a revised application for the town-centre scheme to include food-store anchor
Morrisons Wm Morrison Supermarkets, trading as Morrisons, is the fifth largest supermarket chain in the United Kingdom. As of 2021, the company had 497 supermarkets across England, Wales and Scotland, as well as one in Gibraltar. The company is headqu ...
, who submitted the winning bid.


Tesco plans

Knowsley Borough Council hosted public consultation events about possible redevelopment options in summer 2007, which indicated most respondents had reservations about the proposed football ground. A majority of people supported regeneration in general, but not the plan which included the building of the new Everton stadium. Reports suggest local support for the Tesco/Everton F.C. scheme was tempered by concern over the effect the stadium will have on residents. The Tesco Plans were a point of contention in the May 2008 local government election and a newly formed political party to fight the plans was formed known as 1st 4 Kirkby which missed out on gaining a council seat by 16 votes. At the original planning committee, four Lib-Dem councillors voted in favour of the proposals and the majority Labour Party candidates in the town general supported the development. Ultimately the Secretary of State rejected the application outright on 26 November 2009 and so ended what was known as " Destination Kirkby". In 2012, the Knowsley council decided to invest £5 million to replace the multi-purpose Kirkby Civic Suite with the Kirkby Centre. The centre would include a library, a gallery and a local-history archive.


St. Modwen plans

After the collapse of Tesco's plans for Kirkby Town Centre, regeneration halted until St. Modwen Properties acquired the town centre in October 2015. St. Modwen planned a multi-million-pound retail-led regeneration in partnership with Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council. They planned to develop and expand the retail centre, complementing Tesco's existing offer and providing housing on a 65-acre site the town centre. Refurbishment began in June 2016, and was planned to take eight weeks. In October, St. Modwen announced 24 November as the date for Kirkby's Christmas lights switch-on. X Factor finalists Reggie 'n' Bollie officially turned on the lights, ahead of a month of celebrations in Kirkby Town Centre; the music duo was joined by boy band District 12, pop act S Club Party and girl group Tiger S. In November 2016, Reel Cinemas agreed a deal with St Modwen to operate a 15,000sq ft, six screen Cinema in the town centre on the site of the old library. Costa Coffee agreed in February 2017 to open a store in the town centre. In September, St. Modwen confirmed that
Morrisons Wm Morrison Supermarkets, trading as Morrisons, is the fifth largest supermarket chain in the United Kingdom. As of 2021, the company had 497 supermarkets across England, Wales and Scotland, as well as one in Gibraltar. The company is headqu ...
would open a 45,000-square-foot supermarket in the town centre. This was predicted to create around 200 jobs in the town as well as a 450-space car park. The following month, St. Modwen held an information event with the community about their proposed plans. According to the company, work would begin in 2018 and end in 2019. The planning application was granted in November 2019. In November 2017, it was revealed that ''
X-Factor ''The X Factor'' is a television music competition franchise created by British producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment. It originated in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for '' Pop Idol'' (2001–200 ...
'' finalists
Jedward John and Edward Grimes (born 16 October 1991), collectively known as Jedward (a portmanteau of their first names), are an Irish singing and television presenting duo. They are identical twins who first appeared as John & Edward in the sixth ...
would turn on Kirkby's Christmas tree lights on 23 November 2017. This followed the success of 2016's festive events. The musical duo was joined by 90s dance-pop group
N-Trance N-Trance () are a British electronic music group who were formed by Kevin O'Toole and Dale Longworth in 1991. The group is known for their European hit songs " Set You Free" and " Electronic Pleasure", and their covers of the 1970s disco songs ...
. The performances were followed by a fireworks finale as the lights were switched on. It was reported that 9000 people attended the event. In June 2018, St Modwen reported that deals had been agreed with two major brands, Home Bargains and fast food restaurant KFC. Home Bargains were to relocate from their existing small store to occupy a larger 20,000 sq ft unit. KFC agreed a lease to a new 3,500 sq ft restaurant and with that became the first food and beverage brand to sign-up to the scheme. In November 2018, the Kirkby Christmas lights were again turned on in a dedicated event. This year
B*witched B*Witched are an Irish girl group consisting of twin sisters Edele and Keavy Lynch, Lindsay Armaou and Sinéad O'Carroll. Originally active between 1997 and 2002, they enjoyed success in both Europe and North America between 1998 and 2002, ...
front woman, Edele Lynch, switched on the Christmas lights in the Town Centre on Thursday 22 November, performing some of B*witched's hits and a range of Christmas songs. There was a range of special guests from a variety of talent shows including, '' The Voice'' 2016 winner Kevin Simm, Ella Shaw, Mr Zip, Ryan Lawrie and Dene Michael's Black Lace. There were also performances from 2011 '' Britain’s Got Talent'' winner and musician, Jai McDowall, and 1990s band Dave Finnegan's Commitments performed.


Council intervention

Despite St Modwen's assurances of development and new building in the town, much of what was confirmed by the company failed to materialise. The town still lacked a major supermarket, and the town centre lacked new parking facilities, additionally despite being agreed in November 2016 the proposed cinema on the site of the old library has not been built. This culminated with Knowsley council deciding to step in after developers refused to say when construction would start. Council leader Graham Morgan said in a statement reported by the
Liverpool Echo The ''Liverpool Echo'' is a newspaper published by Trinity Mirror North West & North Wales – a subsidiary company of Reach plc and is based in St Paul's Square, Liverpool, Merseyside, England. It is published Monday to Sunday, and is Liver ...
"despite our best efforts, the redevelopment of the town centre still hasn't happened and it's quite clear that we need to find a different model. The people of Kirkby deserve more than this. We have worked closely to encourage St. Modwen to push on with their plans but, despite major names already being signed up, they remain extremely cautious and have still not confirmed a start date. We have waited too long and it's time to move on.” On 19 July 2019, the Council’s Cabinet endorsed the plan for the Council to purchase St Modwen’s assets in Kirkby town centre, buying 100 properties: 87 existing shops, 10 which are going to be built, and moved forward with plans to build two drive-through restaurants, and a petrol station. As well as the deal to purchase St Modwen’s assets, the Cabinet also agreed plans to deliver a cinema and restaurants/bars scheme (on the former Kirkby Library site on Newtown Gardens) and purchase the Knowsley College site on Cherryfield Drive, the council purchasing the Cherryfield Drive site from them will enable the College to progress with their plans to relocate to new premises in the heart of the town centre. On 29 January 2020, a ground breaking ceremony was held in Town Centre marking the council's commitment to the new redevelopment plans including a 45,000 sq ft Morrisons superstore. As of July 2022 the site also includes a petrol station, car parking, a Home Bargains, A Taco-Bell and drive-thru KFC.


Transport

The M57 motorway runs adjacent to Kirkby, and the
M58 motorway The M58 is a motorway passing through Merseyside and Lancashire, terminating in Greater Manchester. It is 12 miles (19.3 km) long and provides a link between the M6 motorway and the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton and hence on, via the A5 ...
connects just north of the town. Other major routes include
East Lancashire Road The A580 (officially the Liverpool–East Lancashire Road, colloquially the East Lancs Road) is the United Kingdom's first purpose-built inter-city highway. The road, which remains a primary A road, was officially opened by King George V on 18 ...
and the A506. Kirkby railway station serves the town on the
northern line The Northern line is a London Underground line that runs from North London to South London. It is printed in black on the Tube map. The Northern line is unique on the Underground network in having two different routes through central London, two ...
and on the Kirkby branch line. Stagecoach Merseyside connects Kirkby with most of Merseyside and Greater Manchester.


Education

Primary secular,
Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britai ...
, and Roman Catholic education is available. At the secondary level, secular and Roman Catholic education is available. Educational services are provided or monitored by the Knowsley
local education authority Local education authorities (LEAs) were local councils in England that are responsible for education within their jurisdiction. The term was used to identify which council (district or county) is locally responsible for education in a system wit ...
. Kirkby has 11 primary schools; Northwood Community Primary School is the newest and largest. Kirkby High School and All Saints Catholic High School were formed after the town's three secondary schools closed. Ruffwood and Brookfield, due to merge in September 2009, merged a year early when Ruffwood was designated a failing school in an Ofsted report. After the shake-up, All Saints Catholic High School and the Kirkby Sports College Center for Learning emerged. On 1 September 2013, Kirkby Sports College became an academy and was relaunched as Kirkby High School. Higher education is provided by Knowsley Community College, with its main campus in Kirkby Town Centre. The college has an annual intake of over 12,000.


Houses of worship

St Chad's Church, built during the 19th century on the site of a church noted in the Domesday Book, has graves of soldiers of both world wars. Other churches are St Michael's and All Angels Roman Catholic Church; St Mark's, St Andrews and St Martin's Churches (
Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britai ...
), St Mary, Mother of God and St Joseph's Roman Catholic Churches, Kirkby Baptist Church, St Peter & Paul RC Church, Northwood Chapel, Lifegate Church and the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses.


Sports and recreation

Kirkby is home to the training ground and youth academy of Liverpool F.C. The youth academy was built in 1998 on the site previously used for
Kirkby Town F.C. Knowsley United was an English football club based in the town of Huyton, Knowsley Merseyside. Originally named Kirkby Town they folded in 1997. History Kirkby Town joined the Second Division of the Lancashire Combination in 1963. In 1966– ...
's ground located on Simonswood Lane; the plans to move Liverpool F.C.'s full training ground to the same location were announced in 2018 and the move was completed during the international break in November 2020. The town's former football club Kirkby Town, was later renamed Knowsley United and was dissolved in 1997. The most widely supported football teams in Kirkby are Liverpool F.C. and Everton F.C. reflecting the town's proximity to Liverpool and historically that a large proportion of the town's residents moved from Liverpool to the town after world war two.


Services

Law enforcement is provided by Merseyside Police, whose basic command unit in the borough of Knowsley has a Kirkby station on St Chad's Drive. Public transport is co-ordinated by Merseytravel. Fire and rescue services are provided by the Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service, which has a Kirkby station on Webster Drive.
Waste management Waste management or waste disposal includes the processes and actions required to manage waste from its inception to its final disposal. This includes the collection, transport, treatment and disposal of waste, together with monitori ...
is co-ordinated by the
Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority The Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority (MRWA) (formerly Merseyside Waste Disposal Authority (MWDA)) is a statutory waste disposal authority that manages the municipal solid waste produced in Merseyside, England. MWDA was established in 19 ...
. Kirkby's
distribution network operator A distribution network operator (DNO), also known as a distribution system operator (DSO), is the operator of the electric power distribution system which delivers electricity to most end users. Each country may have many local distribution netwo ...
for electricity is United Utilities; there are no power stations in the town. United Utilities also manages Kirkby's drinking and wastewater.
SUEZ Suez ( ar, السويس '; ) is a seaport city (population of about 750,000 ) in north-eastern Egypt, located on the north coast of the Gulf of Suez (a branch of the Red Sea), near the southern terminus of the Suez Canal, having the same b ...
Recycling & Recovery UK process Merseyside and Halton's waste at a rail loading transfer station in Kirkby. The waste is transported from Kirkby to Wilton in
Teesside Teesside () is a built-up area around the River Tees in the north of England, split between County Durham and North Yorkshire. The name was initially used as a county borough in the North Riding of Yorkshire. Historically a hub for heavy manu ...
where it is used to generate electricity. Power generated at Wilton is sufficient to power every home in Knowsley. Kirkby is served by the Knowsley PCT, and Aintree University Hospital is the nearest hospital. The town has nine GP surgeries and four dental practices. Ambulance service is provided by the
North West Ambulance Service The North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust (NWAS) is the ambulance service for North West England. It is one of ten ambulance trusts providing England with Emergency medical services, and is part of the National Health Service, receiving direct ...
, with a station in Kirkby.
BT Group BT Group plc ( trading as BT and formerly British Telecom) is a British multinational telecommunications holding company headquartered in London, England. It has operations in around 180 countries and is the largest provider of fixed-line, bro ...
's Simonswood exchange provides local telephone and
ADSL Asymmetric digital subscriber line (ADSL) is a type of digital subscriber line (DSL) technology, a data communications technology that enables faster data transmission over copper telephone lines than a conventional voiceband modem can provide. ...
Internet service to the area, with a number of other companies offering services through local-loop unbundling.
Virgin Media Virgin Media is a British telecommunications company which provides telephone, television and internet services in the United Kingdom. Its headquarters are at Green Park in Reading, England. It is owned by Virgin Media O2, a 50:50 joint ven ...
services are also available to the town, providing television, telephone and
cable Internet access In telecommunications, cable Internet access, shortened to cable Internet, is a form of broadband Internet access which uses the same infrastructure as a cable television. Like digital subscriber line and fiber to the premises services, cable In ...
.


Media

The main local newspaper is the ''
Liverpool Echo The ''Liverpool Echo'' is a newspaper published by Trinity Mirror North West & North Wales – a subsidiary company of Reach plc and is based in St Paul's Square, Liverpool, Merseyside, England. It is published Monday to Sunday, and is Liver ...
''. The ''Kirkby Extra'' and the ''Knowsley Challenge'' are free local newspapers. The local BBC radio station is Radio Merseyside, and the ITV franchisee is
ITV Granada ITV Granada, formerly known as Granada Television, is the ITV franchisee for the North West of England and Isle of Man. From 1956 to 1968 it broadcast to both the north west and Yorkshire but only on weekdays as ABC Weekend Television was it ...
.


Filmography

Kirkby and Seaforth were the bases for the fictional Newtown of the 1960s
BBC TV BBC Television is a service of the BBC. The corporation has operated a public broadcast television service in the United Kingdom, under the terms of a royal charter, since 1927. It produced television programmes from its own studios from 19 ...
series, ''
Z-Cars ''Z-Cars'' or ''Z Cars'' (pronounced "zed cars") is a British television police procedural series centred on the work of mobile uniformed police in the fictional town of Newtown, based on Kirkby, near Liverpool. Produced by the BBC, it debut ...
''. ''Behind the Rent Strike'' is a 1974 documentary by
Nick Broomfield Nicholas Broomfield (born 1948) is an English documentary film director. His self-reflective style has been regarded as influential to many later filmmakers. In the early 21st century, he began to use non-actors in scripted works, which he cal ...
documenting a 14-month rent strike in Kirkby by 3,000 social housing tenants protesting poor housing and rent increases triggered by the Housing Finance Act of 1972. The 1985 film '' Letter to Brezhnev'' was shot in Liverpool, with scenes filmed in Kirkby. The film starred Margi Clarke, who was born in the town.


Notable people


Footballers

*
Dennis Mortimer Dennis George Mortimer (born 5 April 1952) is an English former footballer and captain of Aston Villa. He made nearly 600 appearances in the Football League playing for Coventry City, Aston Villa, Sheffield United, Brighton & Hove Albion and Bir ...
- Captained Aston Villa to the 1982 European Cup final * Mike Marsh - Former Liverpool and Southend United player, Liverpool coach, and national under-17 coach * Leighton BainesEverton player, formerly of Wigan Athletic *
Aaron McGowan Aaron Joseph McGowan (born 24 July 1997) is an English professional footballer who plays as a right-back for club Northampton Town. He has previously played for Kilmarnock, Morecambe and Hamilton Academical. Career McGowan made his professio ...
- Kilmarnock F.C. player *
Jamie Jones Jamie Jones may refer to: * Jamie Jones (DJ), Welsh DJ, producer and two-time DJ Awards winner * Jamie Jones (footballer) (born 1989), English professional footballer for Wigan Athletic * Jamie Jones (snooker player) (born 1988), Welsh professional ...
– Wigan Athletic player *
Phil Boersma Philip Boersma (born 24 September 1949 in Kirkby) is an English former professional footballer, who played as a midfield/striker for Liverpool and Middlesbrough among others. Life and playing career He began his career with Liverpool, sig ...
– Former Liverpool player * Tommy Caton – former Manchester City,
Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
, and Oxford United player * Paul Cook – Former Wigan Athletic manager and former Wigan Athletic and Tranmere Rovers player *
Alan Dugdale Alan Dugdale (born 11 September 1952 in Liverpool) is an English retired professional football central defender. He spent most of his career in England with one season in the North American Soccer League. In 1969, Dugdale began his career with ...
– Former
Coventry City Coventry City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Coventry, West Midlands, England. The team currently compete in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. The club is nicknamed the ...
, Charlton Athletic and Barnsley player * Ken Dugdale – Former Wigan Athletic player and
New Zealand national team New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...
manager * Alan Stubbs – Former
Bolton Wanderers Bolton Wanderers Football Club () is a professional football club based in Horwich, Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in . The club played at Burnden Park for 102 years from 1895 after moving from their original home at Pik ...
, Everton and Celtic player, and current Rotherham United manager * Terry McDermott – Former Liverpool and
Newcastle United Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional Association football, football club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, that plays in the Premier League – the top flight of English football league system, English football. The club was ...
player * Phil Thompson – Captain of Liverpool F.C. in the
1981 European Cup Final The 1981 European Cup Final was an association football match between Liverpool of England and Real Madrid of Spain on 27 May 1981 at the Parc des Princes, Paris, France. It was the final match of the 1980–81 season of Europe's premier cup com ...
. * Rickie Lambert - Former
West Bromwich Albion West Bromwich Albion Football Club () is an English professional Association football, football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English foo ...
and Liverpool player * Craig Noone - Cardiff City F.C. player * Phil Edwards - Burton Albion F.C. player, former Accrington Stanley F.C. player *
Jimmy Redfern Jimmy Redfern (born 1 August 1952) is an English retired professional football midfielder. In May 1977, Redfern moved to the Washington Diplomats of the North American Soccer League at the completion of the 1976–1977 English season. In Oct ...
- Former Bolton Wanderers F.C. and Chester City F.C. player * Gary Bennett - Former Kirkby Town,
Skelmersdale United F.C. Skelmersdale United Football Club is a football club from Skelmersdale, Lancashire. They are currently members of the and play at The Community Ground, Burscough. The club is a member of both the Liverpool F.A. and the Lancashire County Foot ...
, Wigan Athletic, Chester City F.C., Wrexham A.F.C., Tranmere Rovers F.C. and Preston North End F.C. player * George Donnelly - Former Tranmere Rovers player *
Michelle Hinnigan Michelle Hinnigan (born 12 June 1990) is an English former footballer who played as a midfielder for Everton. She has represented England on the under-17, under-19, under-20 and under 23 national teams. Club career Hinnigan joined Everton Ladi ...
- Former
Everton L.F.C. Everton Football Club () is an English women's association football team based in Liverpool, England, that competes in the FA Women's Super League, the top division of English women's football. Formed in 1983 as Hoylake W.F.C., it is now part of ...
player * Steve Torpey - Former
Prescot Cables F.C. Prescot Cables Football Club is a supporter-owned football club based in Prescot, Merseyside. It was established in 1884 and has also been known as Prescot and Prescot Town. They compete in the and play their home games at Valerie Park. The ...
, F.C. United of Manchester AFC Telford United, and Fleetwood Town F.C. player. Scored F.C. United of Manchester's first goal in a friendly match against Flixton F.C. *
Mark Hughes Leslie Mark Hughes (born 1 November 1963) is a Welsh football coach and former player who is the manager of Bradford City. During his playing career he usually operated as a forward or midfielder. He had two spells at Manchester United, an ...
- Accrington Stanley F.C. player, former Everton player * John Coleman - Accrington Stanley manager * Ryan Taylor - Former Newcastle United F.C. player * Connor Randall Former Liverpool player, current
Ross County F.C. Ross County Football Club is a professional football club based in Dingwall, Scotland. They play all of their home matches at Victoria Park in Dingwall. The club currently play in the Scottish Premiership, being promoted after winning the Scott ...
player *
Danny Coid Daniel John Coid (born 3 October 1981) is an English former professional footballer. Career Blackpool Born in Liverpool, Merseyside, Coid started his career with Blackpool in 1995 as 14-year-old . He then signed a 2-year YTS before making his p ...
Former
Blackpool F.C. Blackpool Football Club is a professional association football club based in the seaside town of Blackpool, Lancashire, England. The team competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1887, th ...
player


Other sports figures

* John Conteh - 1970 Commonwealth Games middleweight boxing gold medalist, former
WBC WBC may stand for: Business *Westinghouse Broadcasting Company, a former large India broadcaster now folded into CBS *Westpac (New Delhi Exchange code: WBC), a multinational Financial services company *Wholesale Broadband Connect, BT Wholesale's ...
light heavyweight Light heavyweight, also referred to as junior cruiserweight or light cruiserweight, is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the division is above and up to , falling between super middleweight and cruis ...
champion * Paul Hodkinson - Former WBC featherweight boxing champion * Joey "The Jab" Singleton - British champion boxer


Others

*
Robert Atherton Robert Atherton (1861–1930) was an English poet. During his lifetime he was referred to as The Ploughman Poet. Early life Atherton was the son of Robert Atherton and Ellen Hesketh. Born in Kirkby, Lancashire in 1861; at the time a small farmi ...
– poet *
Peter Augustine Baines Peter Augustine Baines (1786/87–1843) was an English Benedictine, Titular Bishop of Siga and Vicar Apostolic of the Western District of England. Life For his early education he was sent to Lamspringe Abbey, near Hildesheim, in the Kingdom of ...
-
Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , found ...
,
titular bishop A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese. By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox a ...
of Siga and Vicar Apostolic of the Western District of England * Alan Bleasdale – playwright * Aiden Byrne – youngest Michelin Award chef * China Crisis – pop/rock band * Margi Clarke – actress *Craig Colton – finalist on The X Factor 2011 *
Stephen Graham Stephen Joseph Graham (born 3 August 1973) is a British actor. He is best known for playing Andrew "Combo" Gascoigne in the film '' This Is England'' (2006) and its television sequels '' This Is England '86'' (2010), ''This Is England '88'' ...
– actor * Tony Jones – bass player in The Christians * Tony Maudsley – actor * Sharon Maughan – actress *
Tricia Penrose Patricia "Tricia" Penrose (born 9 April 1970) is an English actress and singer. She is best known for her role as Gina Ward in ITV's long-running 1960s drama ''Heartbeat'', a role she played continuously for 17 years from 1993 to 2010. She has ...
– actress * Steve Rotheram - Mayor of the Liverpool City Region * Andrew Schofield – actor * James Bulger - murder victim


See also

*
Listed buildings in Kirkby Kirkby is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley, Merseyside, England. It contains 15 buildings that are recorded in the National Heritage List for England as designated listed buildings. Of these, one is listed at Grade II*, ...


References


External links


Liverpool Street Gallery – Liverpool 33



St. Chad's Church websiteKirkby Christian Fellowship's websiteSt Kevin's Kirkby websiteKirkby Baptist Church's websiteKirkby High School's website
{{authority control Towns in Merseyside Towns and villages in the Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley Unparished areas in Merseyside