Eccleston, St Helens
Eccleston is a civil parish within the Metropolitan Borough of St Helens, Merseyside, England. At the 2011 Census, it had a population of 10,433.
Historically part of Lancashire, the early history of Eccleston is marked by its status as a township, an area much larger than the modern civil parish, extending into what is now St. Helens. Part of the township was united with Parr, Sutton and part of Windle to form the Municipal Borough of St Helens in 1868.
Eccleston is one of seven civil parishes in St Helens and one of the largest covering the neighbourhoods of Eccleston Park, Gillars Green, Trapwood Close and the area around Springfield south of the A580 road.
History
Eccleston means church farm or settlement. Eccles which is found in several place names in the North West of England is derived from the Welsh Eglwys and the use of this word implies a Celtic religious foundation. However, there does not seem to have been a church in the township of Eccleston until Portico Our Lady's Roman Catholic chapel in the late 18th century. St Thomas, Eccleston and Christ Church date from 1838/39. It is suggested that the name is connected with the adjoining town of Prescot which has had a church for over a thousand years.The present Eccleston Hall dates from the 1820s but there have been halls on the site from the late mediaeval period. The Eccleston family, who were Lords of the Manor of Eccleston, were recusants and there was a Catholic chapel in the old hall which was built in the Tudor era.
Richard Seddon, 15th Prime Minister of New Zealand, was born in Eccleston and attended the local grammar school.
Governance
Eccleston is built upon green fertile rolling hills with countryside to the north and west and urban sprawl to south and east. Running through Eccleston there is a stream or brook called Windle Brook and Mill Brook. There is a mere called Eccleston Mere and three dams used for cooling purposes in factories. There are several open public spaces including many woods and small nature reserve at Millfields. There are a number of public footpaths through local countryside such as Green Lane and Sadlers Lane.There is a large public area at Ecclesfield playing fields, which is located behind the library.
Transport
Road connections are to the M6, M62, M57 and M58. The A580 locally known as the 'East Lancs' is a 1930s trunk road running north of the borough linking the M58 and M6, traffic problems are often reported at the notorious Windle Island. The A570 links the M58 and M62. The B5201 takes traffic from Prescot through the centre of Eccleston.There are many frequent bus services that run to parts of St Helens and Liverpool some of these are:
35/35A Gillars Green-St Helens Junction
37 Eccleston-St Helens Bus Station
137/138 Billinge/St Helens Circular
There are no railway stations in Eccleston but there are a number of stations close by such as St Helens Central, St Helens Junction, Eccleston Park, Prescot, Whiston. Liverpool John Lennon Airport is the closest airport and Manchester second to that both no more than a 45-minute drive.
Housing
Houses in Eccleston include 1930s semi-detached homes in Eccleston village, council estates at Gillars Green and Trapwood Close, small 1970s housing estates at Eccleston Mere and an abundance of 1990s detached houses, including small developments at Ledbury Close, Long Meadow, Eccleston Woods and The Cloisters.Most recently, detached houses have been built at The Spires and Pikes Bridge Fold, and flats have been built on Holme Road. Extensive development is currently being carried out at Eccleston Grange on the site of the old Triplex factory.
Economy
Eccleston is a suburban area with a limited number of shops at Walmesley Road, Mill Brook Lane and Gillars Green Drive. These are mainly local shops including two small supermarkets, four hairdressers, a chemist, a florist and a continental-style coffeehouse.An NHS medical centre is located on the site of the church hall, Chapel Lane. Broadway offers a library, a private day nursery and an NHS dental practice. A private dental practice is situated on Kiln Lane.
A number of Mother and Toddler groups take place at St Julie's Parish Hall, the library and the Lester Drive Centre.
Eccleston has several pubs including The Seven Stars, The Griffin, The Stanley, The Game Bird and The Wellington. All of these public houses serve food.
Landmarks
The main attraction is The Smithy Heritage Centre on Kiln Lane, which is a museum about the works of a local blacksmith's businessesEccleston was also home to the St Helens R.F.C. rugby team and St. Helens Town AFC, from 1890 until stadium closure in 2010, when both the teams moved from the Knowsley Road stadium to Langtree Park. The capacity of the Knowsley Road stadium was 19,100 with 3,000 seats in the main stand. The stadium also boasted a restaurant and a club official store.
Eccleston Mere is owned by Pheasant Equities Ltd of Rainford Hall and is jointly supervised by the Pilkington Sailing Club and the Pilkington Angling Association. The mere was originally constructed to hold water to feed through to Pilkington's Watson Street works, but is now used solely for recreational purposes.
People and culture
A resident of Eccleston is known as an "Ecclestonian". Accents in Eccleston vary from that of a St Helens accent through to a more well spoken northern English accent. The people of Eccleston are mainly of St Helens origin with family in the area. Eccleston is an area with households mainly comprising families and the elderly. Young people tend to move away and come back later in life to settle down.Religion is still quite vibrant in Eccleston with several churches including St Julie, Christ Church and Portico. Eccleston Methodist Church closed in May 2006. The former United Reformed Church on Kiln Lane closed in 2005 and the site has now been redeveloped into retirement homes. Ethnicity is approximately 98% British/Irish White.
Community activities revolve around church and school festivals and fêtes.
In terms of sport, the area is home to the amateur Rugby League team Eccleston Lions. There are also teams for the youngsters of Eccleston these clubs being Millfields and Bleak Hill.