View source for Woolton

{{short description|Suburb of Liverpool, England}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2019}}
{{Infobox UK place
| country                  = England
| coordinates              = {{coord|53.374|-2.865|display=inline,title}}
| official_name            = Woolton
| population               = 12,921
| population_ref           = ([[United Kingdom Census 2011|2011 Census]])
| metropolitan_borough     = [[Liverpool|City of Liverpool]]
| metropolitan_county      = [[Merseyside]]
| region                   = North West England
| constituency_westminster = [[Liverpool Garston (UK Parliament constituency)|Liverpool Garston]]
| post_town                = LIVERPOOL
| postcode_area            = L
| postcode_district        = L25
| dial_code                = 0151
| os_grid_reference        = SJ425867
| static_image_name        = Woolton Street.JPG
| static_image_caption     = Woolton Village in August 2006
}}
'''Woolton''' ({{IPAc-en|local|ˈ|w|uː|l|t|ə|n}}; {{respell|WUHL-ton}})<ref name=WI2004>{{cite web |title=Woolton Introduction |url=http://wooltonvillageuk.tripod.com/introduction.htm|year=2004|access-date=2013-04-30}}</ref><ref name=MOW>{{cite journal|title=Rental of Much Woolton|year=1658|series=(MS) in Salisbury Papers}}</ref><ref name=MOWA2004>{{cite web|title=Maps of Woolton|url=http://wooltonvillageuk.tripod.com/Maps.htm|year=2004|access-date=2011-06-30}}</ref><ref name=MOWB2004>{{cite web |title=Brief History of Much Woolton |url=http://wooltonvillageuk.tripod.com/HistoryOfWoolton.htm|year=2004|access-date=2011-06-30}}</ref> is a suburb of [[Liverpool]], in [[Merseyside]], England.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/all-about/woolton| title = Woolton - Latest news updates, pictures, video, reaction - Liverpool Echo}}</ref> It is an area located southeast of the city and bordered by [[Allerton, Liverpool|Allerton]], [[Gateacre]], [[Halewood]], and [[Hunt's Cross]]. At the [[United Kingdom Census 2011|2011 Census]], the population was 12,921.<ref name=2011census>{{citation|url=http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadKeyFigures.do?a=7&b=5941432&c=woolton&d=14&e=62&g=358367&i=1001x1003x1032x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1369683576238&enc=1|title=2011 Census: Woolton (Ward)|publisher=Office for National Statistics|access-date=27 May 2013}}</ref>
==Overview==
Originally a standalone village, Woolton was incorporated into Liverpool in 1913. The area was referred to as "Uluentune" in the [[Domesday Book]], with the name translating as "farm of Wulfa".<ref name=bdaugherty>{{citation|url=http://bdaugherty.tripod.com/liverpool/woolton.html|title=Woolton, Liverpool|first=Brian|last=Daugherty|access-date=15 April 2008}}</ref> Shortly after the Domesday survey, which was completed in 1086, Woolton became part of the [[Halton (barony)|Barony of Halton and Widnes]]. In 1189, a charge was granted by John, Constable of Chester, to the order of [[Knights Hospitaller|Knights of St. John of Jerusalem]], a religious order who protected the routes for Christians on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. The Knights held land in Woolton for over 350 years, until it was confiscated from them in 1559 by [[Elizabeth I of England|Queen Elizabeth I]]. The manorial rights to Woolton passed from Queen Elizabeth to [[James I of England|James I]], who sold them to [[William Stanley, 6th Earl of Derby]]. Woolton then passed to Isaac Green, then his daughter, then her son [[Bamber Gascoyne (the younger)|Bamber Gascoyne]] of Childwall (MP for Liverpool 1780–1796 and an ancestor of longtime ''[[University Challenge]]'' host [[Bamber Gascoigne]]),<ref name=bdaugherty /> and is now owned by the [[Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 6th Marquess of Salisbury|Marquess of Salisbury]].
Housing is primarily [[Single-family detached home|detached]] and [[semi-detached]], although some [[Terraced house|terraces]] survive in Woolton Village (the centre of the suburb). Pubs in the area include The Cobden, The Elephant, The Grapes, The Victoria, and The White Horse, with more within walking distance. Other notable buildings include the [[Victorian architecture|Victorian]] public swimming baths and the public library, which was converted from a [[Methodism|Methodist]] chapel but closed in 2012 as part of Liverpool City Council's cost-cutting measures.{{citation needed|date=May 2020}} Woolton has a number of churches, including [[St Mary's Church, Woolton|St Mary's]] ([[Catholic]]), St Peter's ([[Church of England|Anglican]]), and St James's (Methodist). The Catholic schools [[St Francis Xavier's College, Liverpool|St Francis Xavier's]] and [[St. Julie's Catholic High School|St Julie's]] are also located in Woolton.
[[Hunts Cross railway station|Hunts Cross Station]] is the nearest railway station on the southern boundary of Woolton,<ref name=MOW/><ref name=MOWA2004/><ref name=MOWB2004/> with local services on the [[Manchester-Liverpool Line#Southern route|southern route of the Manchester to Liverpool line]] between [[Liverpool Lime Street railway station|Liverpool Lime Street]] and [[Manchester Oxford Road railway station|Manchester Oxford Road]], and also [[Merseyrail]]'s [[Northern Line (Merseyrail)|Northern Line]] to [[Liverpool Central railway station|Liverpool Central]] and [[Southport railway station|Southport]]. [[Liverpool South Parkway railway station|Liverpool South Parkway]], one and a half miles to the west of Woolton, serves the same lines in addition to [[Crewe railway station|Crewe]] and [[Birmingham New Street railway station|Birmingham]] stopping services. Bus services provide connections with [[Liverpool John Lennon Airport]], the city centre, neighbouring districts and the broader Liverpool area. [[Gateacre railway station|Gateacre (for Woolton)]] also served passengers from 1879 until its closure in 1972.
All three elected councillors for the [[Woolton (ward)|Woolton ward]] (Malcolm Kelly, Kris Brown, and Barbara Mace) are [[Liberal Democrats (UK)|Liberal Democrats]].
==Beatles landmarks==
Numerous sites of interest associated with [[the Beatles]] can be found in Woolton, most notably [[John Lennon]]'s childhood home at [[251 Menlove Avenue]] and the children's care home [[Strawberry Field]], both of which are just one street away from each other. It is also generally believed that Lennon first met [[Paul McCartney]] during a [[fête]] at [[St Peter's Church, Woolton, Liverpool|St Peter's Church]] in Woolton on 6 July 1957.<ref>{{citation|url=http://www.beatlesource.com/savage/1950s/57.07.06%20fete/57.07.06fete.html|title=The Savage Young Beatles|last=The Beatle Source|access-date=15 April 2008}}</ref> The churchyard additionally houses the graves of [[Eleanor Rigby#The real-life Eleanor Rigby|Eleanor Rigby]] and Lennon's uncle, [[George Toogood Smith]], with whom he lived at 251 Menlove Avenue for much of his childhood.<ref>{{Citation | url = http://www.stpeters-woolton.org.uk/the-beatles-connection/| title = The Beatles Connection| access-date = 20 September 2013| publisher = St Peter's Church, Woolton}}</ref>
==Notable areas==
*[[251 Menlove Avenue|Mendips (251 Menlove Avenue)]]
*[[Much Woolton Old School]]
*[[St Peter's Church, Woolton, Liverpool|St Peter's Church]]
*[[Strawberry Field]]
*[[Woolton Hall]]
*[[Woolton Picture House]]
*[[Woolton Woods and Camphill]]
==Notable people==
*[[Ernest Alexander]], recipient of the [[Victoria Cross]], born in Woolton<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.memorialstovalour.co.uk/vc529.html |title = Ernest Wright Alexander}}</ref>
*[[Joe Baker]], footballer, born in Woolton
*[[Malandra Burrows]], actress and singer, born and raised in Woolton
*[[Jodie Comer]], actress, raised in nearby [[Childwall]] and attended St Julie's in Woolton
*[[Philip A. Gale]], scientist, raised in Woolton<ref>{{Cite journal|doi=10.1021/acs.chemrev.5b00099|title=Applications of Supramolecular Anion Recognition|year=2015|last1=Busschaert|first1=Nathalie|last2=Caltagirone|first2=Claudia|last3=Van Rossom|first3=Wim|last4=Gale|first4=Philip A.|journal=Chemical Reviews|volume=115|issue=15|pages=8038–8155|pmid=25996028|doi-access=free}}</ref>
*[[Amy Jackson]], actress, raised in Woolton
*[[Katarina Johnson-Thompson]], heptathlete, raised in Woolton and attended St Julie's
*[[John Lennon]], singer, musician, and songwriter, raised in Woolton
*[[Rex Makin]], solicitor, lived in Woolton
*[[Matthew Murphy]], singer, musician, and songwriter, born and raised in Woolton
*[[Simon O'Brien (presenter)|Simon O'Brien]], presenter and actor, lives in Woolton<ref>{{cite web |url=https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/officers/NDpJVMa9WUehtMNwCPjqQr9bXaE/appointments |title = Simon John O'BRIEN personal appointments - Find and update company information - GOV.UK}}</ref>
*[[Bob Paisley]], former manager of [[Liverpool F.C.|Liverpool FC]], buried in the churchyard of St Peter's
*[[Simon Rimmer]], celebrity chef, owns the Elephant Pub & Bakehouse in Woolton<ref name="wooltonfacts">{{cite web |url=https://www.venmores.co.uk/Woolton |title = Living in Woolton, Liverpool South}}</ref>{{better source needed|reason=unreliable source|date=May 2020}}
*[[Willy Russell]], playwright, lives in Woolton<ref name="wooltonfacts" />{{better source needed|reason=unreliable source|date=May 2020}}
*[[Peter Serafinowicz]], actor and comedian, raised in nearby [[Gateacre]] and attended St Francis Xavier's
*[[Benedictines|Benedictine]] nuns from [[Stanbrook Abbey]] lived in Woolton from 1795 to 1807<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.liverpool.ndo.co.uk/gatsoc/news06/page15.html|title=Nuns in Woolton|access-date=24 October 2020}}</ref>
*[[Hannah Elizabeth (TV personality)|Hannah Elizabeth]],  a Playboy Bunny and runner-up of the first series of [[Love Island (2015 TV series)|Love Island]]
==In popular culture==
The final two acts of [[Oscar Wilde]]'s satirical 1895 play ''[[The Importance of Being Earnest]]'' are set in Woolton during the year 1894.{{Dubious|The text of the play gives the address as "The Manor House, Woolton, Hertfordshire"|date=December 2023}}
==References==
{{Reflist}}
==External links==
{{Commons category|Woolton}}
* [http://www.liverpool.gov.uk/Images/tcm21-29284.pdf Liverpool City Council, Ward Profile: Woolton]
* [http://www.wooltonsociety.org.uk/index.htm  The Woolton Society]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090210130115/http://liverpoolstreetgallery.com/thumbnails.php?album=28 Liverpool Street Gallery - Liverpool 25]
* [http://wooltonvillage.co.uk/ Woolton Village website]
{{Liverpool}}
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:Areas of Liverpool]]