Belle Vale, Liverpool facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Belle Vale |
|
|---|---|
 Our Lady of the Assumption (Roman Catholic church in Belle Vale) |
|
 Belle Vale
|
|
| OS grid reference | SJ337927 |
| Metropolitan borough | |
| Metropolitan county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | LIVERPOOL |
| Postcode district | L25 |
| Dialling code | 0151 |
| Police | Merseyside |
| Fire | Merseyside |
| Ambulance | North West |
| EU Parliament | North West England |
| UK Parliament |
|
Belle Vale is a neighbourhood in south-east Liverpool, England. It's part of the Liverpool City Council area. Its local council ward also includes the nearby area of Netherley.
Contents
About Belle Vale
Belle Vale is located in south-east Liverpool. It shares its borders with other areas like Huyton, Netherley, Gateacre, and Childwall. The main road that runs through Belle Vale is Childwall Valley Road. An old railway line, now a path, often marks the border with Childwall and Gateacre.
What You'll Find in Belle Vale
Belle Vale has a busy District Centre. Here you can find many useful places. These include a fire station, a police station, and a health centre. There is also a large shopping centre for all your needs. You can also relax and play in Belle Vale Park. The local junior football league, Belle Vale Junior, now plays in Netherley.
The area is sometimes linked with Childwall or Gateacre. This is because they are very close neighbours. Belle Vale also has smaller areas within it. These have their own names, like Hartsbourne, Lee Park, and Naylorsfield. Sometimes, old and new signs might even say "Gateacre" for parts of Belle Vale. This can be a bit confusing! The postcode for Belle Vale is L25. This is the same postcode for nearby Woolton and Gateacre.
Belle Vale's Past
Belle Vale was once a small part of the Childwall parish. It was also part of a larger area called Little Woolton. In 1913, Little Woolton became part of the City of Liverpool. At the start of the 1900s, Belle Vale was a tiny village. It had cottages, farm buildings, and a large house called Belle Vale Hall. This hall was on a twelve-acre estate.
Belle Vale Hall and Its Changes
In 1901, Belle Vale Hall was owned by Thomas Harrison. He was a merchant and ship owner. The famous actor Rex Harrison was related to this family. He visited the hall when he was a boy. In the 1920s, the estate became a fruit farm. It was known as Belle Vale Orchards Ltd. The hall was taken down in 1929. Later, in the 1930s and 1940s, a jam factory was built on the site. After 1960, this factory started making spam. Today, a Morrisons supermarket and petrol station stand where the factory used to be. Part of the old estate grounds became Belle Vale Park.
Early Churches and Homes
The first church in Belle Vale was St Stephen's. It was built between 1872 and 1874. It was a Church of England church. Next to the church, Church Cottages were built in 1880. These were for workers on a nearby estate. In the church garden, there is a stone cross. It remembers local men who died in the First and Second World Wars.
After World War II, many homes in Liverpool were destroyed. To help, over a thousand prefabricated homes were built in Belle Vale. This was between 1945 and 1947. These homes were quick to build and rent. This made Belle Vale one of the biggest "Prefab" communities in the country.
Famous People from Belle Vale
One very famous person who lived in the Prefab estate was Sir Terry Leahy. He used to be the boss of Tesco, a very big supermarket chain. He is also the President of the Belle Vale Prefab Project. From the mid-1960s, the Prefab homes were replaced. New houses and a shopping centre were built by the mid-1970s.
Paul McCartney of The Beatles went to Joseph Williams Primary School. This school was on the Prefab estate from 1949 to 1953. He took a bus to school because there weren't enough school places in Speke, where he lived. The old school site is now new housing.
Another famous person from Belle Vale is actress Jodie Comer. She started acting at a drama school in Belle Vale Shopping Centre when she was about 11 years old. Every Saturday, she would spend an hour each on singing, dancing, and acting.
Education in Belle Vale
Belle Vale has several primary schools. These include Childwall Valley Primary School, Belle Vale Community Primary School, and Our Lady of the Assumption Roman Catholic Primary School. There is also a Belle Vale Sure Start centre for young children and families.
Gateacre School is a secondary school that moved to a new location in Belle Vale in 2011. The move cost £30 million. It helped to create modern learning spaces for students.
Places to Worship
Belle Vale has several churches for different faiths:
- St Stephen's, Church of England, on Belle Vale Road.
- St Mark's, Church of England, on Cranwell Road.
- Our Lady of the Assumption, Roman Catholic, on Hedgefield Road.
- Carmel Mar Thoma Church, on Cockshead Road.
- Salvation Army, Liverpool Valley Corps, on Mildenhall Road.
Football
Gateacre School is the home ground for a local football team called Gateacre F.C. They were started in 2012.
Transport
Belle Vale has a small bus station next to its shopping centre. From here, you can catch buses to many places. These include Huyton and St Helens to the east. You can also go to Woolton, Halewood, Garston, and Speke to the south.
The area has not had a train service since Gateacre railway station closed in 1972. The old railway tracks have been turned into a path for bikes and walkers. This path is part of the Trans Pennine Trail.
