Maghull ( ) is a town 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 ...

in Sefton,

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, Wir ...

(historically a part of

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancas ...

). The town is north of

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 ...

and west of Kirkby. The area also contains Ashworth Hospital. Maghull had a population of 20,444 at the 2011 Census. Housing in the town is almost entirely a 20th-century settlement of semi-detached and detached housing although remains of the original town do exist. The town has had an elected council since the

Local Government Act 1894 The Local Government Act 1894 (56 & 57 Vict. c. 73) was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales outside the County of London. The Act followed the reforms carried out at county level un ...

when the government set up a network of local governance across England. Following the Local Government Act 1974, the council changed its name from a parish to a town council.

Etymology

It has been proposed by Dr

Eilert Ekwall Bror Oscar Eilert Ekwall (born 8 January 1877 in Vallsjö (now in Sävsjö, Jönköpings län), Sweden, died 23 November 1964 in Lund, Skåne län, Sweden), known as Eilert Ekwall, was Professor of English at Sweden's Lund University from 1909 t ...

that the name Maghull may have been derived from the Celtic word ''*magos'' referring to a plain or field, and the

Old English Old English (, ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the early Middle Ages. It was brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlers in the mid-5th ...

''halh'' referring to a corner or nook, giving the meaning of a "flat land in a bend". Another theorised origin is

Anglo-Saxon The Anglo-Saxons were a cultural group who inhabited England in the Early Middle Ages. They traced their origins to settlers who came to Britain from mainland Europe in the 5th century. However, the ethnogenesis of the Anglo-Saxons happened wit ...

''mægðe'' to refer to

mayweed Mayweed is a common name for two different species of flowering plants and also a name commonly used for several genera of the tribe Anthemideae whose species are currently in a flux of renaming: Species with the common name of mayweed: :''Anthemis ...

History

The original settlement, consisting of fifty people and six square miles of agricultural settlement, was established prior to the

Domesday Survey 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 ...

of 1086 where the town is recorded as Magele on a ridge of high ground, that can be most clearly seen at Red Lion Bridge towards the centre of the town and the

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 ...

follows it on the plain and the A5147 on the brow. This ridge marks the edge of the

flood plain A floodplain or flood plain or bottomlands is an area of land adjacent to a river which stretches from the banks of its channel to the base of the enclosing valley walls, and which experiences flooding during periods of high discharge.Goudi ...

of the River Alt, providing protection from flooding and access to this fertile pasture of the plain. A church is known to have existed in the area in 1100 although it has been rebuilt at least once and the chapel still stands, in the

churchyard In Christian countries a churchyard is a patch of land adjoining or surrounding a church, which is usually owned by the relevant church or local parish itself. In the Scots language and in both Scottish English and Ulster-Scots, this can also ...

of the Victorian St Andrew's and is the oldest ecclesiastical building in

still in regular use for worship but in 1756 the mediaeval nave of Maghull Chapel was pulled down with a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: * Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

dual-purpose school-chapel opening in 1890 near Massey's Barn. It is noted that in 1568 Maghull Moss was divided between Sir Richard Molyneux of Melling and Edward Hulme of Maghull. The boundary of Maghull was, in the north, Maghull Brook and to the south, Melling Brook; the west was marked by the River Alt. At the eastern edge, however, the boundary was ill-defined on the moorland and due to the value of turf from the moss as a vital fuel this caused regular disputes between both Maghull and Melling Manors. Maghull Manor House was built in 1638 and local tradition has it that Charles II slept there during a visit to the area but by 1780 a new manor house had been built near the site of the original and it still stands in the grounds of Maghull Homes with part of the original

moat A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that is dug and surrounds a castle, fortification, building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive ...

. It is also recorded that by 1667 the population of Maghull had increased to 599 with 136 houses and 127 families and by 1770 initial work had begun on the

with the first sod being cut by

the Honourable ''The Honourable'' (British English) or ''The Honorable'' ( American English; see spelling differences) (abbreviation: ''Hon.'', ''Hon'ble'', or variations) is an honorific style that is used as a prefix before the names or titles of certa ...

Charles Lewis Mordaunt. The actual spot lies in a rock cutting 400 metres to the east of

Halsall Halsall is a village and civil parish in West Lancashire, England, located close to Ormskirk on the A5147 and Leeds and Liverpool Canal. Description Historically known as Heleshala, Herleshala, ( Domesday Book); Haleshal, 1224; Haleshale, ...

Hill Bridge. Soon after, the Red Lion

public house A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and wa ...

was built in Maghull to serve the canal trade. It became a café and general store in the 20th century and was demolished after 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 vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

. Several other canalside pubs were built over the years; for example, near Hall Lane Bridge there was the Traveller's Rest (demolished 1936) and the Horse and Jockey in Melling. In 1774, the canal had reached Maghull and provided it with its second connection to Liverpool. The arrival of the canal created new industry in the area, notably quarrying of

sandstone Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicat ...

and

clay Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4). Clays develop plasticity when wet, due to a molecular film of water surrounding the clay pa ...

extraction. It also bolstered the local

hostelry A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...

trade. Maghull's first school was founded in 1668 in a small cottage in School Lane with the headmaster being Humphries Webster, showing the town's emergence although County Rates from 1716 said of the town "Maghull doth always bear and pay a third less than either Down Holland or Lidyeat". This shows that Maghull was a developing community, but still not as rich as its neighbours

Downholland Downholland is a civil parish in Lancashire, England, on the West Lancashire Coastal Plain. The population at the 2011 census was 913. The area contains several villages including Haskayne, Barton and Downholland Cross, and the Leeds and Liverp ...

and Lydiate. Economic development continued with the Molyneux family ( Earls of Sefton) being significantly active in bringing about the Alt Drainage Act in 1779 which resulted in many acres of marshland along the river eventually becoming good agricultural land. This had led to the growth of the population to 534, with about half the employment being in trade rather than agriculture and a rise in 1815 to a population of 720 people with 71 families engaged in agriculture and 29 in trade, manufactures and handicrafts. There were 108 inhabited houses. By the 1820s, horse racing was well established on land in Maghull. Old Racecourse Farm later became the site for the Meadows Hotel; and Old Racecourse Road, off Sefton Lane, commemorates the sport. Baines' Directory of Lancashire in 1825 provided the first list of specialist male occupations in Maghull – 1

blacksmith A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such as gates, gr ...

, 1

cooper Cooper, Cooper's, Coopers and similar may refer to: * Cooper (profession), a maker of wooden casks and other staved vessels Arts and entertainment * Cooper (producers), alias of Dutch producers Klubbheads * Cooper (video game character), in ...

, 1

tailor A tailor is a person who makes or alters clothing, particularly in men's clothing. The Oxford English Dictionary dates the term to the thirteenth century. History Although clothing construction goes back to prehistory, there is evidence of ...

, 1

land surveyor Surveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, art, and science of determining the terrestrial two-dimensional or three-dimensional positions of points and the distances and angles between them. A land surveying professional is ...

and 1

wheelwright A wheelwright is a craftsman who builds or repairs wooden wheels. The word is the combination of "wheel" and the word "wright", (which comes from the Old English word "''wryhta''", meaning a worker or shaper of wood) as in shipwright and arkwr ...

. By 1840 the agriculture of the area had changed from animal to arable farming and the 1861 National Census the population stood at 1,222. Due to this increase in population the

railway Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a p ...

came to Maghull in 1849, with a station on the

Liverpool, Ormskirk and Preston Railway The Liverpool, Ormskirk & Preston Railway in north-west England was formed in 1846. It was purchased by the East Lancashire Railway the following year and opened to traffic on 2 April 1849. The railway ran from a junction with the Liverpool and ...

as well as the construction of the town's first

police station A police station (sometimes called a "station house" or just "house") is a building which serves to accommodate police officers and other members of staff. These buildings often contain offices and accommodation for personnel and vehicles, a ...

which was set up by

Lancashire County Council Lancashire County Council is the upper-tier local authority for the non-metropolitan county of Lancashire, England. It consists of 84 councillors. Since the 2017 election, the council has been under Conservative control. Prior to the 2009 L ...

in 1870 and the town got a second station in 1884, Sefton and Maghull, on the newly built

Cheshire Lines Committee The Cheshire Lines Committee (CLC) was formed in the 1860s and became the second-largest joint railway in Great Britain. The committee, which was often styled the Cheshire Lines Railway, operated of track in the then counties of Lancashire a ...

Southport & Cheshire Lines Extension Railway The Southport & Cheshire Lines Extension Railway was an early British railway company operating in the then county of Lancashire. It was constructed to link the Cheshire Lines Committee railway at Aintree to Southport. It operated from 1884 to 19 ...

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 ...

, the line was an extension of the

North Liverpool Extension Line The North Liverpool Extension Line was a railway line in Liverpool, England in operation between 1879 and 1972. It was at one stage intended to become the eastern section of the Merseyrail Outer Loop, an orbital line circling the city. Histo ...

. A large section of embankment has been destroyed to make space for

Switch Island Switch Island is a major road junction near Aintree in Merseyside, England, in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton. The junction is at the western terminus of both the M57 and M58 motorways, which converge on the A59 trunk road, the north- ...

. In 1933 Northway (

A59 road The A59 is a major road in England which is around long and runs from Wallasey, Merseyside to York, North Yorkshire. The alignment formed part of the Trunk Roads Act 1936, being then designated as the A59. It is a key route connecting Merseysi ...

) was built, initially as a tree-lined single carriageway but dualled in the early 1960s, which bisects Maghull, taking travellers from

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 administ ...

off 'Liverpool Road'. The arrival of Northway triggered an increased rate of expansion in Maghull. In 1939, the IRA blew up the swing bridge at Green Lane on the canal but the strategic significance of this has never been fully explained due to Maghull's relative insignificance. In the

, three bombs landed, one adjacent to King George V Playing Fields, on the site of the former residential home, and one in Ormonde Drive and one in the middle of The Meadows Hotel bowling green A house that was then 16 Park Lane (now 321, the houses were renumbered in the late 1960s or early 1970s), Moss Side, was also destroyed; it was rebuilt in the 1950s. It served as a refuge for up to 6,000 people a night from

Bootle Bootle (pronounced ) is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton, Merseyside, England, which had a population of 51,394 in 2011; the wider Parliamentary constituency had a population of 98,449. Historically part of Lancashire, Bootle's ...

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

and Polish army units were stationed in Maghull and it also held several camps for displaced persons. Park Lane TB

sanatorium A sanatorium (from Latin '' sānāre'' 'to heal, make healthy'), also sanitarium or sanitorium, are antiquated names for specialised hospitals, for the treatment of specific diseases, related ailments and convalescence. Sanatoriums are often ...

and a hospital, built to treat

shell shock Shell shock is a term coined in World War I by the British psychologist Charles Samuel Myers to describe the type of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) many soldiers were afflicted with during the war (before PTSD was termed). It is a react ...

victims, were combined to form Ashworth Hospital and one hundred patients transferred from

Rampton Secure Hospital Rampton Secure Hospital is a high-security psychiatric hospital near the village of Woodbeck between Retford and Rampton in Nottinghamshire, England. It is one of three high-security psychiatric hospitals in England, alongside Ashworth Hospita ...

with it remaining a secure hospital to this day, holding such patients as

Ian Brady The Moors murders were carried out by Ian Brady and Myra Hindley between July 1963 and October 1965, in and around Manchester, England. The victims were five children—Pauline Reade, John Kilbride, Keith Bennett, Lesley Ann Downey, and Edward E ...

. In 2010, plans were announced by the Labour government that new housing was needed and Sefton East – where Maghull is – was chosen as one of the locations for the new homes. Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council showcased the plans at various locations around south Sefton, and were met by local opposition. Westwaytogreen

Geography

Maghull is seven miles north-northeast of Liverpool city centre. To the northwest is Lydiate, to the east Melling, to the south

Aintree Aintree is a village and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton, Merseyside, England. Historically in Lancashire, it lies between Walton and Maghull on the A59 road, north-east of Liverpool city centre, in North West England. I ...

and Netherton and to the west the Mersey Forest and Sefton village. Maghull is separated from the rest of the Greater Liverpool sprawl by a

green belt A green belt is a policy and land-use zone designation used in land-use planning to retain areas of largely undeveloped, wild, or agricultural land surrounding or neighboring urban areas. Similar concepts are greenways or green wedges, which h ...

which runs across the Switch Island motorway junction and through which flows the River Alt.

Governance

In 1912, the Maghull & District

Conservative Club The Association of Conservative Clubs is an organisation associated with the Conservative Party in the United Kingdom. It represents and provides support to the largest association of political clubs in the country estimated at 1,100. The Assoc ...

was founded on Station Road; it still stands today. The Maghull Labour Party was formed in 1928. Maghull has been governed as part of the Borough of Sefton since the Local Government Act 1974, when the boundaries were redrawn. Maghull moved from

into

. Maghull has had an elected council since the

when the government set up a network of local councils across England. Following the Local Government Act 1974, the council changed its name from a parish to a town council and remains the second largest town council in England. Maghull has worked with the neighbouring parishes and villages, as well as Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council under the banner of the Altside Business Village, to give businesses in the areas a united voice and to promote tourism in the area. For this scheme, Maghull works with

, Lydiate, Melling and Sefton Village; all of which are connected geographically as being near the River Alt – hence the name Altside, and politically as they are all in the eastern parishes of Sefton borough. By 1971 the population of the town stood at 22,794 and gave Maghull the largest population of any

in the country. Maghull also has a town council, established by the 1974 Local Government Act. The town council is composed of councillors elected every four years. The council has been under the control of Labour since the 2011 local elections. Since 2019 it has the following make up 12 Labour, 2 Conservatives and 2 Independent Councillors. Maghull town council is made up of four wards: East which elects five councillors, West which elects four councillors, North which elects five councillors, and South which elects two Councillors Maghull also falls into Molyneux, Park and Sudell Wards on Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council. There are 3 Borough Councillors to each of these wards.

Education

Education in the town began with William Harper founding the Maghull School in Damfield Lane, the location of Maricourt Catholic High School, in 1815 under the terms of his will. In 1839, the National School, later St Andrew's Church of England School, was built and the earlier school, a small cottage, which still stands, became the headmaster's house. Money for the school, which cost £450 7s 0d (£450.35p), was raised by local subscription and the schoolmistress was paid £5 a year, and each scholar had to pay one penny (1d) a month towards the cost of a fire, and tuppence (2d) a month for pens and ink, if they were being taught to write but by 1873 a second storey was added to the school to accommodate the growing population. In 1957, the

Sisters of Mercy The Sisters of Mercy is a religious institute of Catholic women founded in 1831 in Dublin, Ireland, by Catherine McAuley. As of 2019, the institute had about 6200 sisters worldwide, organized into a number of independent congregations. They a ...

created the Maricourt Catholic High School with all students initially taught in Quarry Brook House with an initial intake of only twelve girls. In 1982, Old Hall High School, formerly Maghull Grammar School, was merged with Ormonde Drive High School to form Maghull High School, concentrating on the Ormonde Drive site. Today Maghull contains several primary schools including

State State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

and

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 Brit ...

schools. There are also three high schools which all contain independent

Sixth Form In the education systems of England, Northern Ireland, Wales, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and some other Commonwealth countries, sixth form represents the final two years of secondary education, ages 16 to 18. Pupils typically prepare for ...

facilities, working together as part of the Maghull Collaborative. These secondary schools being Deyes High School, Maghull High School and Maricourt Catholic High School. As well as serving Maghull, the secondary schools serve pupils from the neighbouring towns in south Sefton, and the neighbouring local authorities of the

Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley The Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley is a metropolitan borough in Merseyside, North West England. It covers several towns and villages, including Kirkby, Prescot, Huyton, Whiston, Halewood, Cronton and Stockbridge Village; Kirkby, Huyton, ...

and

Transport

Maghull is bisected by the

and is served by

Maghull railway station Maghull railway station is a railway station in Maghull, a suburb of Liverpool, England. It is situated on the Ormskirk branch of the Northern Line of the Merseyrail network. During the 2013/14 period, it was the tenth busiest station on ...

and the Maghull North railway station, along with bus routes to the nearby areas of Kirkby, Southport, Ormskirk and Liverpool city centre with most running past or near Maghull Square. The M57 and M58 motorways start at

, between Aintree and Maghull. The

runs through the centre of old Maghull. The Trans Pennine Trail, a long-distance footpath from

Hornsea Hornsea is a seaside town and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. The settlement dates to at least the early medieval period. The town was expanded in the Victorian era with the coming of the Hull and Hornsea Railway in 18 ...

, near

Hull Hull may refer to: Structures * Chassis, of an armored fighting vehicle * Fuselage, of an aircraft * Hull (botany), the outer covering of seeds * Hull (watercraft), the body or frame of a ship * Submarine hull Mathematics * Affine hull, in affi ...

skirts Maghull, following the line of the old Cheshire Lines railway.

Shopping

Maghull saw some regeneration during the early 1990s with the creation of a central square shopping region. Over the road from the new shopping square was ''Clent House'', then owned by farmer John Cropper who sold the land and property around 1993 to the local authorities. Cropper's family had owned the land for generations, while their house was fronted by a "picturesque delf, ringed by trees" and was considered among the more beautiful parts of Maghull. Plans to regenerate the site were set in motion to provide needed amenities for the area, with a new police station and council offices among the suggestions. Maghull is presently served by the Central Square Shopping Centre, which is based in the northwest of Maghull, which is the original town centre. Known locally as "the square", it contains several shops, a police station, numerous banks and nearby is a

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 headq ...

supermarket. In Kennessee Green there is a shopping area called Tree View Court. There are also the Meadows shops near to Maghull Town Hall and Deyes Lane shops near the end of Deyes Lane, about five or ten minutes walking distance from Deyes High School. File:Lidl supermarket, Maghull - geograph.org.uk - 1411357.jpg, Supermarket File:Maghull Maths Centre & The Nail Academy.jpg, Shops File:The Square, Maghull - geograph.org.uk - 1411694.jpg, Maghull Square

Community

In 1929, the Maghull Townswomen's Guild was formed. It later became the Maghull Summerhill Townswomen's Guild and was a

Registered Charity A charitable organization or charity is an organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being (e.g. educational, religious or other activities serving the public interest or common good). The legal definition of a ch ...

, but closed in 2014. The Maghull Community Association on Green Lane provides live entertainment, family fun days and special events such as Christmas parties and ladies nights. In 2009, Maghull Town Hall was given a large extension costing £8.2million, and which included a library and sports facilities.

Media

The main local newspapers are 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 Liverp ...

'' (evening) and the ''

Liverpool Daily Post The ''Liverpool Post'' was a newspaper published by Trinity Mirror in Liverpool, Merseyside, England. The newspaper and its website ceased publication on 19 December 2013. Until 13 January 2012 it was a daily morning newspaper, with the tit ...

'' (morning). Both are

tabloid Tabloid may refer to: * Tabloid journalism, a type of journalism * Tabloid (newspaper format), a newspaper with compact page size ** Chinese tabloid * Tabloid (paper size), a North American paper size * Sopwith Tabloid The Sopwith Tabloid an ...

s published by the Trinity Mirror group. There are also two local newspapers, the ''Aintree & Maghull Champion'' and the ''Maghull Star'', both of which are free and are delivered every week either on a Wednesday or a Thursday. The local BBC radio station is

Radio Merseyside BBC Radio Merseyside is the BBC's local radio station serving Merseyside. It broadcasts on FM, DAB, digital TV and via BBC Sounds, from studios on Hanover Street in Liverpool. According to RAJAR, the station has a weekly audience of 203,000 ...

. Maghull is also served by the Liverpool radio stations and multiple pan-North West radio stations. The ITV franchise holder for the town is ITV, previously Granada, and the BBC regional news programme is '' North West Tonight''. An online radio station, Maghull Radio, has been running since February 2014 in partnership with Maghull Council and Maghull Community Enterprise. This radio station broadcasts live from Maghull Town Hall and has a variety of shows that combine music, both mainstream and niche, as well as talk shows including news and sport updates.

Sport

Maghull's sport facilities include bowls and tennis next to the town hall and Maghull football and cricket clubs playing at Old Hall Field. Maghull Cricket Club was founded in 1926 and after playing friendly cricket for the 50 years of their existence started playing league cricket in the 1970s. After moving through various junior leagues, they joined the Liverpool and District Competition in 1999. The 1st XI gained promotion to the ECB Premier League in 2001 before being relegated in 2004. In 2005, they won the First Division title for the 2nd time and rejoined the Premier league in 2006. They were relegated in 2008. The 1st XI captain from the beginning of the 2011 season is batsman John Ring, who led the team to their 3rd First Division Championship in ten years in 2011, returning Maghull to the Premier League for the 2012 campaign. The 2nd XI plays in the 2nd XI First Division and is captained by Liam Gibbons. Gibbons led the side to promotion, and the 1st Division championship, to the 2nd XI Premier Division in 2010, but the side was relegated in 2011. The club has a 3rd and 4th XI, with Andy Buchannon in charge of the 3rds and Gareth Barry responsible for the 4th team. In 2007, the 3rd XI won the 3rd XI First Division championship and plays in the 3rd XI Premier Division. 2011 saw the 3rd XI win the Embee Trophy and narrowly miss out on the Premier Division championship. It also saw the 4th XI win promotion to the Premier Division for the first time in the side's history. In 2005, the club entered a team in the Sunday 3rd XI First Division Competition, called the 5th XI. Due to regional boundaries in this league, the team have moved between the East and West divisions. As of 2018, the 1st XI captain is Paul Walter. 2nd XI captain is James Stanley and the 3rd XI and 4th XI are now equal teams being captained by Adam Lloyd and Gareth Lloyd respectively. The 5 XI is now defunct ending in 2016 under the final captaincy of Joe Campbell. In the last few years, the 1st XI has slumped to the 2nd Division of the Liverpool Competition but are on the rise. Also, the club has had trouble with the local council over the issue of the rent, this has now been resolved with a new lease being signed in 2017. The 3rd and 4th teams play at the Parkhaven Trust, which is situated a few hundred metres from the main Old Hall pitch. Maghull F.C. joined the Lancashire Combination in 1972. In the 1978–79 season, they joined

Cheshire County League The Cheshire County League was a football league founded in the north west of England in 1919, drawing its teams largely from Cheshire, surrounding English counties and North Wales. Initially the league was dominated by the reserve teams of Footb ...

as founder members of Division Two, while they were founder members of

North West Counties League The North West Counties Football League is a football league in the North West of England. Since 2019–20, the league has covered the Isle of Man, Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Merseyside, Cumbria, northern Staffordshire, northern ...

in 1982–83. In 1992–93, they were North West Counties League Division Two Champions but were not promoted due to ground gradings. They left to join the West Cheshire League in 1999–00. File:Batting practice at Maghull Cricket Club - geograph.org.uk - 491923.jpg, Cricket Pitch File:Cheshire Lines health club, Maghull.jpg, Gym

Notable people

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

performed live on one occasion at the Albany Cinema in October 1961; the compere was

Ken Dodd Sir Kenneth Arthur Dodd (8 November 1927 – 11 March 2018) was an English comedian, singer and occasional actor. He was described as "the last great music hall entertainer", and was primarily known for his live stand-up performances. A lifel ...

. The site is now a

Lidl Lidl Stiftung & Co. KG (; ) is a German international discount retailer chain that operates over 11,000 stores across Europe and the United States. Headquartered in Neckarsulm, Baden-Württemberg, the company belongs to the Schwarz Group, whi ...

supermarket. *

John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...

lived with relatives at Cedar Grove, Maghull, for a short while, as a result of family issues. *

Frank Hornby Frank Hornby (15 May 1863 – 21 September 1936) was an English inventor, businessman and politician. He was a visionary in toy development and manufacture, and although he had no formal engineering training, he was responsible for the inven ...

, of

Hornby Railways Hornby Railways is a British model railways manufacturing company. Its roots date back to 1901 in Liverpool, when founder Frank Hornby received a patent for his Meccano construction toy. The first clockwork train was produced in 1920. In 1938, ...

Dinky Toy Dinky Toys was the brand name for a range of die-cast zamak zinc alloy scale model vehicles produced by British toy company Meccano Ltd. They were made in England from 1934 to 1979, at a factory in Binns Road in Liverpool. Dinky Toys were amon ...

and

Meccano Meccano is a brand of model construction system created in 1898 by Frank Hornby in Liverpool, England. The system consists of reusable metal strips, plates, angle girders, wheels, axles and gears, and plastic parts that are connected using nut ...

fame, lived in Maghull, first at "The Hollies" in Station Road, and later at the much larger "Quarry Brook". This house is also on Station Road, close to Maghull railway station and is now the

for Maricourt Catholic High School. "The Hollies" was the first building outside

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

to be awarded a

Blue plaque A blue plaque is a permanent sign installed in a public place in the United Kingdom and elsewhere to commemorate a link between that location and a famous person, event, or former building on the site, serving as a historical marker. The term ...

. He is buried in St Andrew's churchyard along with his wife and daughter. * William Vestey of

Blue Star Line The Blue Star Line was a British passenger and cargo shipping company formed in 1911, being in operation until 1998. Formation Blue Star Line was formed as an initiative by the Vestey Brothers, a Liverpool-based butchers company, who had ...

also lived at "Quarry Brook" before the Hornby family.

Football

Several

and Everton footballers have lived in the area, including Ian Callaghan,

Duncan Ferguson Duncan Cowan Ferguson (born 27 December 1971) is a Scottish former professional footballer. Ferguson was the caretaker manager of Everton in 2019 and 2022. He began his career at Dundee United in 1990, and moved to Rangers in 1993 for what was ...

Brian Labone Brian Leslie Labone (23 January 1940 – 24 April 2006) was an English footballer who played for and captained Everton. A one-club man, Labone's professional career lasted from 1958 to 1971, during which he won the Football League championship ...

Steve Staunton Stephen Staunton (born 19 January 1969) is an Irish football manager, scout and former professional footballer. He played as a defender with two separate spells each with Premier League sides Aston Villa and Liverpool. He also played in the Fo ...

, Gordon West, Mick Lyons, Joe Parkinson,

Roger Hunt Roger Hunt (20 July 1938 – 27 September 2021) was an English professional footballer who played as a forward. Eleven years with Liverpool, he was the club's record goalscorer with 286 goals until being overtaken by Ian Rush. Nonetheless, ...

, Tommy Wright,

Roger Kenyon Roger Kenyon (born 4 January 1949) is an English footballer who played as a defender for Everton between 1967 and 1979 . He also played for the NASL team Vancouver Whitecaps during his career. He was part of the Everton side that won the Firs ...

, John Hurst, Peter Thompson, Terry Darracott, Steve Heighway, Tony Hateley and Ian St John. *

Nathan Eccleston Nathan Geoffrey Eccleston (born 30 December 1990) is an English footballer who plays as a striker. He started his career as a youth player at Bury, before moving to Liverpool's youth system. Having progressed through the club's youth and ...

– English footballer who played as a striker for Liverpool, and lives in Maghull. * Jordan Rossiter - English footballer who played as a midfielder for Liverpool and now Rangers. * Mark Hateley – footballer and England international lived in Maghull on Shop Lane, spent two spells at Lambshear Lane Primary School (now Lydiate Primary School). * Alex Curran-Gerrard – wife of Liverpool and England footballer

Steven Gerrard Steven George Gerrard (born 30 May 1980) is an English professional football manager and former player, who most recently managed club Aston Villa. Described by pundits and fellow professionals as one of his generation's greatest players, ...

, lived most of her life in Aintree but attended Maghull High School.

Music

* Heidi Range, member of the

Sugababes Sugababes are a British girl group composed of Mutya Buena, Keisha Buchanan and Siobhán Donaghy. The lineup changed three times before returning to the original lineup in 2011. Formed in 1998 by All Saints manager Ron Tom, Sugababes releas ...

, attended Maricourt High School. * Echo & the Bunnymen – guitarist Will Sergeant who grew up in nearby Melling attended Maghull's Deyes High School, as did Les Pattinson bassist in Echo & the Bunnymen and Teardrop Explodes drummer Gary Dwyer and keyboard player Paul Simpson who was later the singer in the Wild Swans, as well as the original drummer in the Farm, Andy McVann. * Steve Grimes, guitarist with The Farm attended Maghull Grammar School. * David Turner, who attended Woodend Primary School and Maghull High School, went on to join SKA supergroup

Bad Manners Bad Manners are an English two-tone and ska band led by frontman Buster Bloodvessel. Early appearances included ''Top of the Pops'' and the live film documentary, '' Dance Craze'' (1981). They were at their most popular during the early 1 ...

and enjoy an international music and recording career * Clifford Ennis, who attended Woodend Primary school went on to form goth band Subterfuge, then joined alternative group

Ikon iKon (), stylized as iKON, is a South Korean boy band formed in 2015 by YG Entertainment, consisting of six members: Jay, Song, Bobby, DK, Ju-ne and Chan. Originally a seven-piece band, leader B.I departed from the group in June 2019. Ini ...

and later formed Razorfade with Mark Tansley of

Suspiria ''Suspiria'' () is a 1977 Italian supernatural horror film directed by Dario Argento, who co-wrote the screenplay with Daria Nicolodi, partially based on Thomas De Quincey's 1845 essay '' Suspiria de Profundis''. The film stars Jessica Harper ...

after emigrating to Australia.13 Questions to Clifford Ennis (Subterfuge, IKON, Jerusalem Syndrome, Razorfade) – Gothic Rock
/ref> * All the original members of the band

Apollo 440 Apollo 440 (also known as Apollo Four Forty or @440) are a British electronic music group formed in Liverpool in 1990. The group has written, recorded, and produced five studio albums, collaborated with and produced other artists, remixed as ...

either lived or went to school in Maghull –

Noko Noko (born Norman Fisher-Jones, 1 February 1962, in Bootle, Lancashire, England) is an English musician, multi-instrumentalist, composer and producer, has formed and/or played with a number of bands primarily as a guitarist or bassist. In chron ...

and James Gardner – lived in Maghull and attended Old Hall High School (later Maghull High) and brothers

Howard Gray Howard Gray (born 15 July 1962) is an English musician, sound engineer, programmer, composer, re-mixer and producer who has worked with Public Image Ltd, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, Kirsty MacColl, the Armoury Show, the Pale Fountains ...

and Trevor Gray from Aintree both attended Old Hall High School.

Other connections

* James Graham – St. Helens and GB

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...

player, attended Deyes High School. Played 9 seasons in Australia at the

Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs The Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Belmore, a suburb in the Canterbury-Bankstown region of Sydney. They compete in the NRL Telstra Premiership, as well as competitions facilit ...

and St. George Illawarra Dragons clubs. * David Price – Rugby Union player at

Orrell R.U.F.C. Orrell Rugby Union Football Club is a rugby union club from Orrell in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, Greater Manchester. The club was founded in 1927, holding a place in the top-tier of rugby union from 1986 to 1997. History Orrell Rug ...

attended Maricourt High School. *

Stephen Darby Stephen Mark Darby (born 6 October 1988) is an English former professional footballer who played as a right-back. Darby represented England at under-19 level. He began his career playing on the winning team of the Liverpool FA Youth Cup in 200 ...

–

Liverpool F.C. Liverpool Football Club is a professional football club based in Liverpool, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. Founded in 1892, the club joined the Football League the following year and has ...

youth player who played for Bolton Wanderers F.C., brought up in Maghull. On 18 September 2018, Darby announced his retirement from professional football at the age of 29 after being diagnosed with

motor neurone disease Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as motor neuron disease (MND) or Lou Gehrig's disease, is a neurodegenerative disease that results in the progressive loss of motor neurons that control voluntary muscles. ALS is the most commo ...

. He is married to Manchester City WC captain

Steph Houghton Stephanie Jayne Darby (, , born 23 April 1988) is an English professional footballer who plays for Women's Super League club Manchester City and the England women's national team. At club level, Houghton started at Sunderland in her native N ...

. * Charlotte Jackson – family of British journalist and television presenter, currently a presenter on Sky Sports News and originates from Maghull. * Bill Dean – actor who appeared as Harry Cross in the soap '' Brookside''. * Eddie Hemmings Sky TV Rugby League commentator. * Isaac Roberts – astronomer. *

Rafael Sabatini Rafael Sabatini (29 April 1875 – 13 February 1950) was an Italian-born British writer of romance and adventure novels. He is best known for his worldwide bestsellers: '' The Sea Hawk'' (1915), ''Scaramouche'' (1921), ''Captain Blood'' (a.k. ...

– novelist, lived in Station Road, Maghull. *

Zack Gibson Jack Rea (born 8 August 1990) is an English professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT brand under the ring name Rip Fowler. He is also known for his work as Zack Gibson on the UK independent circuit. H ...

- WWE wrestler grew up in Maghull and attended Deyes High School

References

External links

Town Council

Maghull Champion

{{authority control Towns and villages in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton Towns in Merseyside Civil parishes in Merseyside