Eccleston (st Helens)

Eccleston is one of seven civil parishes in St Helens, and one of the largest covering the neighbourhoods of Eccleston Park , Gillars Green , Trapwood , and the area around "Springfield" (now a Carmelite Monastery) south of the A580 Road . According to the 2001 census it had a population of 10,528.

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 (now on Westfield Street, St Helens town centre) 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. (work in progress)
The present Eccleston Hall dates from the 1820's 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.

ENVIRONMENT

Eccleston is built upon green fertile rolling hills with countryside to the north and west and Urban Spread to south and east. Running through Eccleston there is a stream or Brook called Windle Brook (actually the boundary with Windle CP) 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 a wood and small Nature Reserve and may public foothpaths through local countryside. There is a large park just on the outskirts, Taylor Park and the Ecclesfield playing fields.

CONNECTIONS

Road connections are generally good in Eccleston with close connections to the M6 , M62 , M57 and M58 . The A580 (Liverpool to Manchester) locally known as the 'East Lancs' is a 1930's Trunk Road running north of the borough linking the M58 and M6, Traffic problems are often reported at the notorious Windle Island. The A570 (St Helens to Southport) 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 and bus stops are plentiful and in good condition. There is a railway station 'Eccleston Park', going to Wigan and Liverpool. Liverpool John Lennon Airport is the closest airport and Manchester seconds to that both no more than a 45 minute drive.

HOUSING

Eccleston is a mix match of English Middle Class homes. Predominantly 1930 & Post War Semi s in the centre of Eccleston, " Council Estate s"at Gillars Green and Trapwood (now a mixture of private and housing association property) , a mix-mach of small 1970’s housing estates and an abundance of 1990’s detached houses. Privately built homes are found in the sought after areas of Eccleston Park which were have been built in the past 120 years, mainly 3-5 bedroom detached homes. Most homes have front and rear gardens, Victorian Homes with extensively large gardens have been transformed into mini-housing estates. Housing in Eccleston is much sought after and can be very expensive for Northern England. People living here mainly work outside of the area generally in St Helens but many commute to Liverpool, Wigan and Manchester.

BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY

Eccleston serves as a suburban area and has a limited number of shops and are mainly local amenity shops. There is a library at Broadway.

There are a some specialist businesses in the Eccleston including car showrooms, funeral director and gym. Walsmeley Road, Mill Brook Lane and Gillars Green Drive are the main shopping streets and have some parking facilities. There is a large factory just outside the civil parish, Pilkington Automotive run by St Helens firm Pilkington’s which produces safety glass and several other small industrial firms.

TOURISM

The main attraction is the RLFC St. Helens Ground locally known as 'The Saints Ground' or just ' The Saints ', which is St Helens Rugby League Team. The capacity is 19,100 mainly standing and has a restaurant and sports shop. The Stadium is very old and may be moved to the town centre in future years. Though in the historic township of Eccleston the ground is outside the modern civil parish.
Eccleston has one small museum, the Smithy which is a museum about the works of a local Blacksmith ’s businesses. People tend not to come for the village but mainly the rugby matches and therefore without the stadium tourism would be non-existent. During big matches roads around Eccleston become gridlocked with the swarm of cars parking on local roads as parking facilities are limited and roads are small with limited traffic controls.

PEOPLE AND CULTURE

A resident of Eccleston is known as an "Ecclestonian". Accents in Eccleston vary from that of a St Helens accent through Liverpudlian to a 'posh' northern English accent. The people of Eccleston are mainly of St Helens origin with family in the area. Eccleston is a family area with households mainly being families or 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 bustling churches including St. Julie, Roman Catholic ; Christ Church, CofE ; Portico, Roman Catholic and Eccleston Methodist Church. The former Kiln Land U.R.C closed recently and has been demolished. Ethnicity is 98% British/Irish White.

Community activities take part through church and school Festivals and Fetes . Other forms of social interaction are meeting on streets, schools, churches, pubs and shops. Eccleston has several pubs including the Seven Stars, Griffin, Stanley ,The Royal Oak and Wellington. All of these public houses serve food.

EDUCATION FACILITIES

Eccleston has some of the best schools in the Metropolitan Borough including two top three primary schools St Julie's Catholic Primary and Bleak Hill Primary and one of the best high schools in St. Helens (2005 results), De La Salle. Many children go to Rainford High School . Others schools include Eccleston Mere Primary and Eccleston Lane Ends. Schools in the area have good outdoor, IT, special needs and catering facilities. There is also a good sized Library in the parish with reference guides and IT facilities.

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Eccleston (st Helens)