Garston, Merseyside

infobox UK place
country = England
official_name= Garston
latitude= 53.3518
longitude= -2.894
population=
metropolitan_borough= City of Liverpool
metropolitan_county= Merseyside
region= North West England
constituency_westminster=
post_town= LIVERPOOL
postcode_district= L19
postcode_area= L
dial_code= 0151
os_grid_reference= SJ405842
map_type= Merseyside Garston is a district of Liverpool, Merseyside, England. It is bordered by Grassendale, Allerton, Hunts Cross and Speke.

History

"Gaerstun", meaning 'grazing settlement' or 'grazing farm' in Old English, is one possible root of the name. [citeweb|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/liverpool/localhistory/journey/scouse/city/villageplan.shtml|title=Local History - Liverpool Villages|work=BBC Online|accessdate=19 September|accessyear=2007]

In Medieval times, Garston was home to a group of Benedictine monks. The first recorded mention of settlement in Garston is of the church of St. Michael in 1235. By the 19th century, the area had become a small village, one of the eight townships forming the parish of Childwall.

A small dock was first built at Garston in 1793 for Blackburne’s saltworks, which is still there today.

Garston's growth accelerated rapidly in the 1840s, when in 1846, the area's first dock was constructed and opened, under the auspices of the St Helen's and Runcorn Gap Railway Company. The "Old Dock" was followed twenty years later by a second, the "New Dock" . In 1902, Garston was incorporated into the City of Liverpool.

Description

Today, Garston is a major shipping and container port, second only to Seaforth docks in the North-West. Much of the area is also residential, housing being mainly in Victorian terraces with some semi-detached homes around Liverpool South Parkway.

It is partnered with the nearby district of Speke in a series of redevelopment and regeneration schemes, which have succeeded in reversing recent trends in dereliction and unemployment. Garston is regularly quoted as one of Liverpool's 'up and coming' areas because of this, and house prices have continued to rise.

St Mary's Road is home to the youth project Interchill - which offers young people free access to ICt, Sit Off, digital media projects and many other social, educational and economic opportunities. Hurricane Films engaged a group of young people in Garston and spoke to them about their life experiences, from this a script was developed which became a full length feature film entitled "Under The Mud". Interchill has worked with local young people regarding the history of Speke Hall, producing a guided tour podcast for their website. Interchill is presently working on a new project with the National Trust around the photographic studio of E. Chambré Hardman.

Transport

Garston is home to Liverpool South Parkway railway station, a major new interchange station opened in 2006. Trains operate at regular intervals to the city centre, Southport, Manchester and Birmingham. Bus services operate from Liverpool South Parkway to the surrounding districts and the city centre. A regular bus shuttle to the Liverpool John Lennon Airport is available from the same location.

Attractions

Garston is home to the 'New Slaughterhouse Gallery' on St. Mary's Road, which aims to promote local artists as well as community regeneration in partnership with the Garston Embassy on Wellington St. Cressington and Grassendale Park are nearby.

Cultural references

A house in Garston was used in creating the artwork for the Arctic Monkeys album "Favourite Worst Nightmare". [citeweb|url=http://www.gigwise.com/news.asp?contentid=29363|title=Arctic Monkeys Reveal Album Artwork|work=Gigwise|date=16 March 2007|accessdate=19 September|accessyear=2007]

Notable residents

*John Aldridge, former professional footballer
*Alex Corina, artist and community worker
*Jack Jones, trade union leader
*Billy Fury, singer/songwriter
*Pete Price, local radio personality
*Rita Tushingham, actress
*Paul Connolly, professional footballer
*Steve Davies, professional footballer
*Les Dennis, T.V Personality
*Kevin McLeod, professional footballer

ee also

* Port of Garston

References

External links

External links

* [http://liverpoolstreetgallery.com/thumbnails.php?album=25 Liverpool Street Gallery - Liverpool 19]
* [http://www.catalystmedia.org.uk/issues/nerve9/garston_riots.php Article on the 1912 Garston riots from Liverpool's 'Nerve' magazine]