Garston, Liverpool facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Garston |
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.jpg) St Michael's Church, Garston |
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 Garston
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| OS grid reference | SJ405842 |
| Metropolitan borough | |
| Metropolitan county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | LIVERPOOL |
| Postcode district | L19 |
| Dialling code | 0151 |
| Police | Merseyside |
| Fire | Merseyside |
| Ambulance | North West |
| EU Parliament | North West England |
| UK Parliament |
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Garston is a district in the city of Liverpool, England. It used to be part of Lancashire. Garston is located on the eastern banks of the River Mersey. It is surrounded by other areas like Grassendale, Allerton, and Speke.
Contents
Garston's History
Garston has a long history. In the medieval period, Benedictine monks lived here. The first time Garston was mentioned in writing was in 1235. This was about the Church of St Michael. By the 1800s, Garston was a small village. It was one of eight small towns that made up the Childwall area.
A small dock was built in Garston in 1793. It was for Blackburne's Saltworks, a company that made salt. This building is still there today.
Garston grew very quickly in the 1840s. In 1846, the first large dock was built and opened. This was managed by the St Helens and Runcorn Gap Railway Company. Twenty years later, a second dock called the "North Dock" was added. The third and last dock, Stalbridge, opened in 1907. In 1903, Garston became part of the City of Liverpool. Many people, especially from Ireland, moved to Garston to work at the docks. This caused the population to grow a lot.
What Garston is Like Today
Today, Garston is an important shipping and container port. The Port of Garston is the second busiest port in the North-West, after Liverpool Docks. Even though it's in Liverpool, Garston Docks is a separate port. Much of Garston is also where people live. Most homes are Victorian terraced houses. There are also semi-detached homes near Liverpool South Parkway.
Garston is working with the nearby area of Speke on projects to improve the area. These projects have helped reduce empty buildings and unemployment. House prices in Garston have also been increasing.
The Meaning of the Name Garston
The name Garston might come from old languages.
Grazing Settlement
One idea is that "Garston" comes from the Old English word Gaerstun. This means 'grazing settlement' or 'grazing farm'. It suggests a place where animals grazed.
Spear or Great Stone
Another idea links the name to the word 'Gar'. This word means 'spear', 'dart', or 'weapon' in Old English, Norwegian, and Icelandic. So, Garston could mean a place where spears or arrows were made.
Some also think 'Gar' could mean 'Great' and 'ston' could mean 'stone'. This would make Garston mean "Great Stone".
During the Viking Danelaw period, Vikings settled in this area. They sometimes changed names to make them easier to say. For example, the Saxon name Eoforwic became Jorvik. The word 'ton' in Old English meant 'settlement'.
Possible Conclusions
Both ideas for the name Garston are possible. The name might mean a place for grazing animals. Or it could mean "the place of the arrows" or "where spears were made". The 'S' in Garston might show that it was a place belonging to or known for something specific, like "the place of the arrows".
Getting Around Garston
Garston has a major train station called Liverpool South Parkway railway station. It opened in 2006 and replaced the older Garston station. From here, you can catch trains regularly to the city centre, Southport, Manchester, and Birmingham. Bus routes 86 and 86A also provide regular services from Liverpool South Parkway to nearby areas and the city centre. There is also a bus shuttle that goes to Liverpool John Lennon Airport.
Fun Things to Do in Garston
Garston used to have the 'New Slaughterhouse Gallery' on St. Mary's Road. It showed art by local artists and helped improve the community. This gallery is now closed. Nearby, you can find Cressington and Grassendale Parks. There is also a public swimming pool on Long Lane.
The Winter Gardens was a popular place for concerts and dances. It was located opposite the police station but has since been taken down.
Garston and Football
In 1935, Garston was growing a lot. Many new council housing and private homes were being built. At this time, a new football club called South Liverpool F.C. was formed. They played at Holly Park stadium in Garston. The club won the Welsh Cup in 1939, even though they were an English team. They also won many other non-league football competitions over 50 years.
However, after a fire in 1989, they had to sell Holly Park. The club stopped playing in 1991. But they reformed as a junior team in 2000 and now play in Otterspool.
South Liverpool F.C. never joined the top professional Football League. But many of their players went on to play for bigger teams. Famous players include striker John Aldridge and midfielder Jimmy Case. They both won major trophies with the great Liverpool teams in the 1970s and 1980s. John Aldridge, who was born locally and had Irish family, also played for the Republic of Ireland in two World Cups.
Famous People from Garston
Many well-known people have connections to Garston:
- John Aldridge, a professional footballer
- Billy Ashcroft, a professional footballer
- Peter Atherton, an inventor
- Paul Connolly, a professional footballer
- Alex Corina, an artist
- Les Dennis, a television personality
- Tony Dodson, a professional boxer
- Billy Fury, a singer and songwriter
- Dan Haggis, drummer for the Wombats
- Jack Jones, a trade union leader
- Liz McClarnon, a singer
- Ray McFall, who owned the Cavern Club and first booked the Beatles
- Kevin McLeod, a professional footballer
- Steve Morgan, founder of Redrow
- Simon O'Brien, an actor and presenter
- John Parrott, a professional snooker player
- Alan Parry, a sports commentator
- Pete Price, a radio personality
- Barry Sloane, an actor
- Rita Tushingham, an actress
