Garston is a district of
Liverpool
Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
, in
Merseyside
Merseyside ( ) is a ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial and metropolitan county in North West England. It borders Lancashire to the north, Greater Manchester to the east, Cheshire to the south, the Wales, Welsh county of Flintshire across ...
, England.
Historically in
Lancashire
Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...
, it is bordered by the suburbs of
Aigburth,
Allerton, and
Speke. It lies on the Eastern banks of the
River Mersey
The River Mersey () is a major river 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 h ...
.
History
In
medieval
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...
times, Garston was home to a group of
Benedictine monk
The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, they ...
s. The first recorded mention of settlement in Garston is of the
Church of St Michael in 1235. By the 19th century, the area had become a small village. Garston was formerly a
township
A township is a form of human settlement or administrative subdivision. Its exact definition varies among countries.
Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, this tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Canad ...
and
chapelry
A chapelry was a subdivision of an ecclesiastical parish in England and parts of Lowland Scotland up to the mid 19th century.
Status
A chapelry had a similar status to a Township (England), township, but was so named as it had a chapel of ease ...
in the parish of
Childwall
Childwall () is a suburb and ward of Liverpool, in Merseyside, England, located to the southeast of the city. It is bordered by Belle Vale, Bowring Park, Broadgreen, Gateacre, Mossley Hill, and Wavertree. In 2019, the population was 13,640. ...
, in 1866 Garston became a separate
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. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...
, from 1894 to 1902 Garston was an
urban district, on 1 April 1922 the parish was abolished and merged with Liverpool. In 1921 the parish had a population of 28,729.
A small dock was first built at Garston in 1793 for Blackburne's Saltworks, which still stands today.
Garston's growth accelerated rapidly in the 1840s, when in 1846, the area's first
dock
The word dock () in American English refers to one or a group of human-made structures that are involved in the handling of boats or ships (usually on or near a shore). In British English, the term is not used the same way as in American Engl ...
was constructed and opened, under the auspices of the
St Helens and Runcorn Gap Railway Company. The "Old Dock" was followed twenty years later by a second, the "North Dock." The third and final dock, Stalbridge, was opened in 1907. In 1903, Garston was incorporated into the City of Liverpool. The population expanded as migrants flooded in to work on the docks, especially from Ireland.
Description
Today, Garston is a shipping and container port, with the
Port of Garston second only to
Liverpool Docks
The Port of Liverpool is the enclosed Dock (maritime), dock system that runs from Brunswick Dock in Liverpool to Seaforth Dock, Seaforth, Merseyside, Seaforth, on the east side of the River Mersey and the Great Float, Birkenhead Docks betwee ...
in the
North-West. Although inside the city of Liverpool, Garston Docks are not a part of the Port of Liverpool and is regarded as a separate port. Much of the area is also residential, housing being mainly in Victorian terraces with semi-detached homes around Liverpool South Parkway.
Garston is partnered with the nearby district of
Speke in a series of redevelopment and regeneration schemes, which have succeeded in reversing trends in dereliction and unemployment, and house prices have continued to rise.
Etymology
Grazing settlement root
''Gaerstun'', meaning 'grazing settlement' or 'grazing farm' in
Old English
Old English ( or , or ), 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 developed from the languages brought to Great Britain by Anglo-S ...
, is one possible root of the name.
Garston as a name of a place may have its etymology informed by both Old English and Norse. The area that Garston was part of during the Viking Danelaw period would have been influenced by Norse speech. When Vikings settled they would sometimes change names because of speech difficulties. For example, the Saxon name for the city Eoforwic was changed to Jorvik. Shelton, was altered to Skelton, though the old English of 'ton' meaning settlement was retained attesting to the development of language over time.
Spear root
Gar', from Old English (spear, dart, javelin, shaft, arrow, weapon) from Norwegian and Icelandic (spear) and Old Norse geirr (spear, arrow), may suggest that the name of Garston is a combination of Viking and Old English. Another meaning of the name has been suggested as being Gar' (Great) ston' (stone). Therefore meaning "Great Stone". A name possibly meaning the place where spears or arrows were made. In the Anglo Saxon period the forests belong to landowners and their subjects. It wasn't until the coming of William in 1066 that the 'Forest Law' was introduced which claimed woodland as the hunting grounds for kings. Woodland covered approximately 15% of England in 1086 (this had dwindled to just 5.3% in 1905).
Neither of these names may be exclusive and whilst they may have a different etymological ancestry they may simply because of the way language develops have a common history. The etymology of 'garden' is the same as yard and garth and derives from the Old English 'geard', meaning enclosure or hedge. So a hedged enclosure is the exact definition of a garden just as it is of a field.
Etymological conclusions
Geardton (Old English field) or Geirrton (Old Norse spear) or Garton (Old English spear, weapon), all omit the S. S is used in Modern English to suggest plural and possessive. Nouns, noun phrases and some pronouns generally form a possessive with the suffix 's'. This form, is sometimes called the Saxon genitive, reflecting the suffix's derivation from a genitive case ending in Old English (Anglo-Saxon; a clitic).
This suggests at least two possible roots. Firstly one based on grazing as not geographically specific, unlikely to be fenced in, within the periods we are dealing with and secondly one based on specific activity or activities at a given point in a general location spear or arrow or weapon making, which is linked to a settlement, So a settlement where arrows were made is Geirr(s)ton or as it is now known, Garston, e.g. "the place of the arrows".
Transport
Garston is home to
Liverpool South Parkway railway station
Liverpool South Parkway station is a railway station and bus interchange in the Garston district of Liverpool, England. It serves, via a bus link, Liverpool John Lennon Airport in the neighbouring suburb of Speke, as well as providing an interc ...
, a major interchange station opened in 2006 replacing
Garston (1874–2006). Trains operate at regular intervals to the city centre,
Southport
Southport is a seaside resort, seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. It lies on the West Lancashire Coastal Plain, West Lancashire coastal plain and the east coast of the Irish Sea, approximately north of ...
,
Manchester
Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...
and
Birmingham
Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...
, and other locations. The 86 and 86A bus routes provide regular bus services from Liverpool South Parkway to the surrounding districts and the city centre. A regular bus shuttle to
Liverpool John Lennon Airport
Liverpool John Lennon Airport is an international airport serving Liverpool, England, on the estuary of the River Mersey south-east of Liverpool city centre. Scheduled domestic, European, North African and Middle Eastern services are oper ...
is available from Liverpool South Parkway railway station.
Attractions
Garston was home to the 'New Slaughterhouse Gallery' on St. Mary's Road, which aimed to promote local artists as well as community regeneration in partnership with the Garston Embassy on Wellington Street but is now closed. Cressington and Grassendale Parks are nearby, and there is a public swimming pool on Long Lane.
A former venue, the
Winter Gardens (since demolished), opposite the police station in Heald Street, hosted concerts, dances and other public events.
Football
In 1935, when Garston and indeed much of the south of Liverpool was expanding due to the mass development of
council housing
Public housing in the United Kingdom, also known as council housing or social housing, provided the majority of rented accommodation until 2011, when the number of households in private rental housing surpassed the number in social housing. D ...
to replace inner city slums, as well as the significant development of private housing, the new
South Liverpool F.C. was formed in 1935 to serve the area and set up base at the Holly Park stadium in Garston. The club went on to win the
Welsh Cup
The FAW Welsh Cup (), currently known as the JD Welsh Cup for sponsorship reasons, is a knock-out football competition contested annually by teams in the Welsh football league system. It is considered the most prestigious of the cup competitions ...
in 1939 (despite being an English side and playing in the English non-league systems) and won a host of non-league football competitions over the next 50 years. However, they were forced to sell Holly Park after a fire in 1989 and folded in 1991, only to reform as a junior side in various locations in and around the city before settling at a site in
Otterspool in 2000.
Although South Liverpool were never successful in their many applications to join the
Football League
The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional association football, football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in Association football around the world, the w ...
, many of their players went on to play for Football League sides; most notably striker
John Aldridge and midfielder
Jimmy Case
James Robert Case (born 18 May 1954) is an English retired professional association football, footballer who played as a midfielder. He gained national prominence with Liverpool F.C., Liverpool in the 1970s and early 1980s.
Early life
Case wa ...
, who won major trophies in the great
Liverpool
Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
sides of the 1970s and 1980s. Aldridge, locally born but of
Irish descent, was also a
Republic of Ireland
Ireland ( ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland, with a population of about 5.4 million. ...
international regular in the late 1980s and early to mid-1990s, representing his adopted country at two
World Cups.
Cultural references
In Episode 2: Days 8 to 16 of the Peter Jackson documentary,
The Beatles: Get Back, whilst recording in the Apple Corps studio, there is a humorous exchange between Paul McCartney and John Lennon with the latter asking in mock voice "Are you talking to me?". It concludes with the McCartney response "The most together man in Garston".
The Beatles were very familiar with Garston as it is the village directly between Harrison's home in Speke and McCartney's in Allerton. In fact the McCartney home had installed a telephone line with a Garston exchange prefix. This was later referenced in the George Harrison recording "Miss O'Dell" from 1973. The song ends with Harrison saying “Garston six nine double two”. 6922 was the telephone number for the McCartney family home at 20 Forthlin Road, Liverpool, in the late 1950s and early 1960s.
"I remember the great excitement at 20 Forthlin Road when we had the phone put in. I still remember the phone number: Garston 6922. George still remembers it. It’s ingrained."
Paul McCartney
Many Years From Now, Barry Miles
A house in Garston was used in creating the artwork for the
Arctic Monkeys
Arctic Monkeys are an English Rock music, rock band formed in Sheffield in 2002. They comprise lead singer Alex Turner, drummer Matt Helders, guitarist Jamie Cook and bassist Nick O'Malley. The co-founder and original bassist Andy Nicholson ...
album ''
Favourite Worst Nightmare''. The house and estate have been demolished and new houses occupy the site.
Notable residents
*
John Aldridge, professional footballer
*
Billy Ashcroft, professional footballer
*
Peter Atherton, inventor and cotton machinery manufacturer
*
Paul Connolly, professional footballer
*
Alex Corina, artist and community worker
*
Les Dennis
Leslie Dennis Heseltine (born 12 October 1953) is an English television presenter, actor and comedian. He presented '' Family Fortunes'' from 1987 to 2002.
Early life
Dennis was born as Leslie Dennis Heseltine on 12 October 1953 in the Liv ...
, television personality
*
Tony Dodson, professional boxer
*
Billy Fury
Ronald Wycherley (17 April 1940 – 28 January 1983), better known by his stage name Billy Fury, was an English musician. An early star of rock and roll, he spent 332 weeks on the UK singles chart. His hit singles include " Wondrous Place", " H ...
, singer and songwriter
*Dan Haggis, drummer for
the Wombats
The Wombats are an English indie rock band formed in Liverpool in 2003, consisting of Matthew Murphy (lead vocals, guitar, keyboards), Tord Øverland Knudsen (bass, backing vocals, keyboards), and Dan Haggis (drums, backing vocals, keyboards). ...
*
Jack Jones, trade union leader
*
Liz McClarnon
Elizabeth Margaret McClarnon-Cho (born 10 April 1981) is an English singer, songwriter and actress, who is the longest serving member of the girl group Atomic Kitten, with whom she has scored three number-one singles and two number-one albums. M ...
, singer
*
Ray McFall, owner of the
Cavern Club who first booked
the Beatles
The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...
*
Kevin McLeod, professional footballer
*
Steve Morgan, founder of
Redrow and former owner of
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club ( ), commonly referred to as Wolves, is a professional association football, football club based in Wolverhampton, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league s ...
*
Simon O'Brien, actor, presenter, and cyclist
*
John Parrott, professional snooker player
*
Alan Parry, sports commentator
*
Pete Price, radio personality
*
Isabel Abraham Ross, suffragist, pacifist and teacher
*
Barry Sloane, actor
*
Rita Tushingham, actress
See also
*
Port of Garston
*
Old Garston River
References
Further reading
*
External links
Liverpool Street Gallery - Liverpool 19Article on the 1912 Garston riots from Liverpool's 'Nerve' magazine
{{Liverpool
Areas of Liverpool