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Walton, Merseyside
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HISTORY


To the Saxons , the original Celtic Britons were 'Walas' or 'Wealas', from which the name Wales derives. Similarly the Walton could be 'Walas' town. Walton lost it independence in 1836 when it was made part of Liverpool Borough Council .

Walton has a History of Animal Attractions. In 1884 the Liverpool Inner City Zoological Park & Gardens opened on what is now the Cavendish Retail Park. It's star attraction was "Pongo" a Chimpanzee who lived in the Monkey House. The Zoo itself was known for it's large bronze Liver Bird s which sat atop of the Entrance Gates, and it's splendid beauty. The gardens closed in the early 1900's and the only surviving remains is the Ticket Booth which is now a Cafe besides '''The Plough''' Public House. The '''Rice Lane City Farm''' is also housed in Walton, this is situated at the end of Rawcliffe Road.

The Prince William Pub on Rice Lane, which has the nickname of "The Sod House", was given the nickname by King Edward VII , who after making a royal visit to the previously mentioned Zoo, entered the establishment for refreshments, and proclaimed the Pub to be a "Sod House" for reasons unknown.

The Shell Garage on Rice Lane (now Elite Fleet Car Dealership) was once the Official Workshop of Ferrari for their raceteam when competing at Aintree Grand Prix course in the 1950's .

Walton-on-the-Hill's Town Hall was demolished in the 1960's to make way for the Queens Drive Fly-Over. Though no longer there, the side wall, which includes the name etched in stone, still stands on the Northbound side of the A59 at the Fly-Over. The wall is currently owned by a Garage who occupy the space.

Walton also housed the recently demolished Queens Drive Baths, which until 1981 , was " Olympic Standard" in it's size.

Walton is notorious as the location in which two-year-old James Bulger was brutally murdered by two ten-year-old boys on February 12 , 1993 .


POLITICS


The Walton constituency was long a bastion of the left in the Labour Party with a Marxist influence stretching right back to the 1950s. This came to a head when the Walton By-election in 1991 saw the official Labour Party candidate, Peter Kilfoyle , defeat Militant Tendency supporter, Lesley Mahmood , in the by-election caused by the death of left-wing MP, Eric Heffer .

Current M.P.'s Representing Walton-on-the-Hill are Labour's Peter Kilfoyle MP (Warbreck). Current Councillors in power and charge of Walton are The Liberal Democrats.


ECONOMY


Hartley's Village was built in the 19th Century to house workers from the local Hartley's Jam Factory. Commissioned by Hartley himself, the Village and Jam Works are still there today, providing a look into Waltons Industrial Past.

Moulded Plastics Company, Dunlop , had their UK Head Offices and Manufacturing plant based on what is now the Cavendish Retail Park (off Rice Lane, Opposite Walton Hospital ) until the Mid 1990's . A Severe Fire at the plant closed Rice Lane and residents where told to stay indoors due to chemicals in the Air in September 1980 . The Fire causes so much damage, the plant had to be demolished, and only a 1/3 of the site remained until its closure in the Mid 1990's . The building used as the Main HQ was left abandoned for many years until a Chinese Restaurant was opened in the Late 1990's on the site. The Last remaining plant, situated on Cavendish Drive, was demolished in 2004 to make way for a housing estate.


FAMOUS PEOPLE OF WALTON-ON-THE-HILL


  • Sir Paul McCartney Musician / The Beatles Was Born in Walton Hospital

  • Alexei Sayle Comedian - Attended Alsop High School as a Teenager.

  • John Birt Was Born in Walton Hospital

  • S.O.D recorded their 'speak english or die' album above the AZAD video shop in walton

  • John Melvin, Lead Guitarist of The Farm. Lived in Walton from 1982 until 1998.

  • Ricky Tomlinson , Actor, Lived off Queens Drive in Walton during the Late 1990's.

  • Wigan Athletic Manager, Paul Jewell was raised in the Walton Area.

  • Professional Wrestler Andi Rush resides in Walton.



TRANSPORT

Walton is connected to Liverpool city centre via the A59 Road .

Walton Currently houses two Railway stations.


Though only two stations provide Walton with railway links today, this wasn't always the case. The underneath the Shops.

  "http://wwwwhatwasinwaltoncom/uploads/story_1962/cd88ec66-5c2b-401c-9e53-e7a19f01700f/macca%20bith%20cert%204JPG" class="copylinks" target="_blank">Paul McCartney's Birth Certificate
  "http://wwwwhatwasinwaltoncom" class="copylinks" target="_blank">What was in Walton Website - The Walton-on-the-Hill History Group