Wavertree
| Wavertree | |
|---|---|
 | |
  Wavertree Location withinMerseyside | |
| Population | 14,772 (2011) |
| OS grid reference | SJ3889 |
| Metropolitan borough | |
| Metropolitan county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | LIVERPOOL |
| Postcode district | L15 |
| Dialling code | 0151 |
| Police | Merseyside |
| Fire | Merseyside |
| Ambulance | North West |
| UK Parliament | |
Wavertreeis a district ofLiverpool,England. It is awardofLiverpool City Council,and its population at the2011 censuswas 14,772.[1]Located to the south and east ofthe city centre,it is bordered by various districts and suburbs such asChildwall,Edge Hill,Fairfield,Mossley Hill,Old Swan,andToxteth.
History
[edit]
Within the boundaries of thehistoric countyofLancashire,the name derives from theOld Englishwordswæfreandtreow,meaning "wavering tree", possibly in reference toaspentrees common locally.[2] It has also been variously described as "a clearing in a wood" or "the place by the common pond".[3]In the past, the name has been speltWatry,Wartre,Waurtree,WavertreandWavertree.The earliest settlement of Wavertree is attested to by the discovery ofBronze Ageburialurnsin Victoria Park in the mid-1860s,[3][4]while digging the footings for houses, two of which were built for Patrick O Connor, patentee, ironmonger, merchant and chair to the Wavertree Local Board of Health.[5]
TheDomesday Bookreference is "Leving heldWauretreu.There are 2carucatesof land. It was worth 64 pence ". Wavertree was part of theparishofChildwallin theWest Derby Hundred.
Wavertree also boasts avillage lock-up,commonly known as The Roundhouse, despite beingoctagonalin shape. Built in 1796, and later modified by prominent local resident and architectSir James Picton,it was once used to detain local drunks. The lock-up was made alisted buildingin 1952.[6] A similar structure,Everton Lock-Upsometimes calledPrince Rupert's Tower,survives inEverton.The village green, on which Wavertree's lock-up was built, is officially the only surviving piece ofcommon landin Liverpool.[6]
In 1895, the village of Wavertree was incorporated into the city of Liverpool. Buildings of interest includeHoly Trinity Church,Liverpool Reform Synagogue,theBlue Coat School,and theRoyal School for the Blind,all of which are situated on the same road.King David High School,aJewish-affiliated school that also accepts students of other faiths and backgrounds, is situated in Wavertree and has a primary school attached to it.Wavertree Town Hallwas built in 1872 as the headquarters of the Wavertree Local Board of Health. Rescued from demolition in 1979, the town hall is now a restaurant.[7]
Wavertree is one of the areas in south Liverpool populated by students of Liverpool's three universities, especially theSmithdown Roadarea. This road is known for "The Smithdown Ten"pub crawl,although the number of pubs in business varies from year to year.[8]Wavertree is also home to the annual Smithdown Road Festival, with local bars and cafes hosting almost 200 bands every year. The community is ethnically diverse, with significant South Asian and black populations.
Governance
[edit]The elected councillors for Wavertree are Angela Coleman, Clare McIntyre and Dave Cummings, all of whom are members of theLabour Party.It has been represented since 2019 byPaula Barker,also of the Labour Party, in the parliamentary constituency ofLiverpool Wavertree.
Education
[edit]There are a number of bothprimaryandsecondary schoolsin this densely populated area of Liverpool. In addition to the aforementionedBlue Coat School,Royal School for the Blind,andKing David High School,there is also WavertreeChurch of EnglandSchool, which was renamed from Trinity District in the 1990s. The school celebrated its 150th birthday in September 2017. There is another primary school on South Drive called Our Lady of Good Help. This used to be located in Chestnut Grove next to our Lady's Roman Catholic Church, which is now facing re-development. St Clare's Roman Catholic Primary School is also situated off Smithdown Road.
Wavertree Playground (The Mystery)
[edit]
Wavertree Playground,known locally as The Mystery, was one of the first purpose-built public playgrounds in the UK. Opened in 1895, it is based on land donated to Liverpool Corporation by an anonymous donor (hence its nickname) to be a venue for organised sports, and a place for children from the city's schools to run about in, not a park for "promenading" in the Victorian tradition.[9]The donor expressed the hope that the City Council "might approve of giving it a fair trial for this purpose... before appropriating it for any other use".
The land is currently home to Wavertree Athletics Centre, which boasts many sports facilities includingtennis courts,an all-weather pitch, abowling green,and an athletic track with grandstand. It also houses Liverpool Aquatics Centre, with two swimming pools, a sports hall, and a lifestyles fitness centre. The athletics centre has produced Olympic athletes such asKatarina Johnson-Thompson,who trains with the Liverpool Harriers team that has made its headquarters at the centre since 1990.
Notable people
[edit]- Frederick Noel Ashcroft,mineral collector and photographer
- Ross Barkley,footballer
- Tony Bellew,boxer
- Joan Benesh,choreographer and dancer
- Augustine Birrell,barrister, politician, and writer
- Kim Cattrall,actress
- Kenneth Cope,actor
- Paul Dawber,actor
- Paul Draper,musician
- Georgia May Foote,actress
- Cyril Edward Gourley,soldier
- John Gregson,actor
- Chelcee Grimes,singer-songwriter
- George Harrison,musician
- Stewart Duckworth Headlam,priest
- Holly Johnson,singer
- Bill Kenwright,theatre director
- John Lennon,musician
- Norman Rossington,actor
- Leonard Rossiter,actor
- Bertram Peel,cricketer
- Denis Peel,cricketer
- Jimmy Tarbuck,comedian
- James Valiant,cricketer
- Dora Yates,linguist, Romani scholar. She lived in Marmion Road.[10]
Transport
[edit]- Train timesandstation informationfor Wavertree fromNational Rail
References
[edit]- ^"City of Liverpool Ward population 2011".Retrieved12 January2016.
- ^Placenames: Wavertree,National Museums Liverpool,retrieved19 March2008
- ^abWavertree History(PDF),Wavertree Cricket Club,ISBN0-7524-3068-8,archived fromthe original(PDF)on 3 October 2011,retrieved19 March2008
- ^"Burial Urn".
- ^"Patrick O Connors Number 11 door spring".
- ^abThe Village Green and Lock-up,Discovering Historic Wavertree, archived fromthe originalon 14 August 2007,retrieved19 March2008
- ^Wavertree Town Hall,Discovering Historic Wavertree, archived fromthe originalon 14 August 2007,retrieved19 March2008
- ^Graves, Steve (30 July 2013)."Bell rings for last orders on 'Smithdown Ten' pub crawl".liverpoolecho.
- ^Wavertree Playground ('The Mystery'),Discovering Historic Wavertree, archived fromthe originalon 14 August 2007,retrieved19 March2008
- ^1939 register
External links
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