ess121 view from everton park
everysinglestreet

#everysinglestreet [31/05/21] Everton Park: The Greatest View In Liverpool

Graham Holland     

It was a beautiful, bright and sunny bank holiday Monday morning so I decided to run all of the streets around Everton Park. It was my second day out in my new running shoes, a pair of black, grey, stormy Brooks Ghost 13.

Looking at the 1892 – 1914 map the whole of the area that’s now Everton Park was terraced streets. Only a handful of the original streets remain, although it’s great to see many of the current streets taking their names from the ones they replaced. Disappointingly there was no surprise on Kinder Street. 

Everton Park Heritage Trail has a series of board explaining what used to be at specific locations – Everton Village Cross (on Village Street), Prince Rupert’s Cottage (there was a Prince Rupert Street, Lane and Terrace, plus a Rupert Grove), the Queen’s Head Hotel (where St Domingo’s church football team changed its name to Everton Football Club), and the Everton Lock-Up (Prince Rupert’s Tower, as featured on EFC’s club badge). 

Everton Road becomes Heyworth Street and it’s here that Rupert Lane view point is found inside the park. The information board describes it as the ‘Greatest view in Liverpool’, and who am I to disagree? And on a morning like today the view was indeed special.

An old chapel building is the only thing left standing on what was Cochrane Street. Further along Heyworth Street you can see North Liverpool Academy looking like a weird spaceship. 

The Mere Bank pub stands on the corner of Heyworth Street and Mere Lane. Built in 1881, the mock-Tudor woodwork, and decorative friezes, make it rather pretty. If you’re interested, it’s currently available on a 5, 10 or 15 year lease. 

In comparison, just next door is the abandoned Everton Library. Built in 1896, it was designed by city surveyor Thomas Shelmerdine who was also responsible for Toxteth Library, Sefton Park Library, St John’s Gardens, and the Hornby Library. Everton Library is a Grade II listed building on account of its architecture and the role it played in the development of Liverpool’s library service. In 2019 the Victorian Society listed it as one of the top ten most endangered buildings in England and Wales.

Opposite the library is St George’s, known as The Iron Church. This Grade I listed building was one of the earliest to use an iron frame in its construction, the others being St Michael-in-the-Hamlet, and the now demolished St Philip’s on Hardman Street. 

Havelock Street – ‘Mount Everton’ – the steepest street in Liverpool

On Northumberland Terrace, opposite the end of Grecian Terrace there used to be a street that headed down the hill to Breckfield Road North. Havelock Street, known locally as ‘Mount Everton’, was the steepest street in Liverpool. It was so steep that one side of the street had an iron handrail for the entire length to help elderly people make the climb. In the early 1900s car manufacturers would use Havelock Street to test how well their cars handled the challenge of the steep climb. Eventually bollards were placed at the top of the street to stop cars from accessing it. The street was demolished in the 1960 when huge swathes of housing were cleared. https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/nostalgia/lost-mountain-street-steepest-climb-19754915 

There’s a short section of Georgian terrace on Shaw Street at the junction of Everton Brow. The whole of this section of the road would have had housing like this. 

Liverpool Collegiate School is opposite Liverpool Hope’s Creative Campus on Shaw Street. It was opened in 1843 as a fee-paying boys school. It eventually became a comprehensive school before eventually closing. It’s now accommodation. Notable former pupils include Pete Best (The Beatles’ original drummer), radio presenter Billy Butler, Leonard Rossiter (actor, Rising Damp), and Holly Johnson (singer, Frankie Goes To Hollywood).

There are three double-fronted Georgian houses on Everton Road. Designed as a drill hall for the 19th Lancashire Rifle Volunteers, it went on to house the 9th Battalion, the King’s (Liverpool) Regiment. After closing it was used for many years by the Red Triangle Karate Club. The most recent plans are for a Veterans Centre of Excellence and housing complex by local charity Veterans HQ. https://www.veteranshq.org.uk/the-kings-barracks-project/ 

Stats

  • Monday 31st May 2021
  • 50 streets
    Cobden Street, Cochrane Street, Albion Street, Amelia Close, Atherton Close, Back Guildford Street, Back York Terrace, Beacon Lane, Bright Street, Brow Side, Churton Court, College Street North, College Street South, Dukes Road, Ermine Crescent, Everton Road, Fizclarence Way, Gardenside Street, Grecian Terrace, Greenside, Gregson Street, Hackthorpe Street, Hapton Street, Henglers Close, Heyworth Street, Hillside Street, Hodder Street, John Bagot Close, Joshua Close, Kinder Street, Lansdowne Place, Leadenhall Close, Lytton Street, Melda Close, Mere Lane, Monk Street, Northumberland Terrace, Parkside Street, Penrose Street, Plumpton Street, Rupert Lane, St George’s Hill, Severn Street, Shaw Street, Staffordshire Close, St Domingo Road, Tichbourne Way, Village Street, Wye Street, York Terrace
  • Total: 3,963 (69.8%)
  • Remaining: 1,715

Photos on Facebook

All of the photos from this run are in a publically viewable Facebook album.

To view them click here.

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Great North Run

I’m running the Great North Run for the first time on Sunday 12th September, raising money for Alzheimer’s Research UK. My mum has Alzheimers so this charity is close to my heart. If you can spare a couple of quid to help me reach my target I would be extremely grateful.

justgiving.com/fundraising/grahamsgreatnorthrun2021

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