Huyton facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Huyton-with-Roby |
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| Town | |
 Huyton Village |
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 Huyton-with-Roby
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| Population | 33,193 (Office for National Statistics) |
| OS grid reference | SJ4692 |
| Metropolitan borough | |
| Metropolitan county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | LIVERPOOL |
| Postcode district | L11,L14,L36 |
| Dialling code | 0151 |
| Police | Merseyside |
| Fire | Merseyside |
| Ambulance | North West |
| EU Parliament | North West England |
| UK Parliament |
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Huyton (pronounced HY-tən) is a town in Merseyside, England. It's part of the larger Liverpool Urban Area. Huyton is next to Liverpool suburbs like Dovecot, Knotty Ash, and Netherley.
Long ago, Huyton was part of Lancashire. In the mid-1800s, it included areas like Croxteth Park and Knowsley. It was part of an old area called the hundred of West Derby. This area covered the southwest part of Lancashire.
Contents
History of Huyton
Early Times
People first settled in Huyton around 600–650 AD. These early settlers were called Angles. They built their homes on a small hill. This hill was surrounded by wet, marshy land. The name Huyton might mean a place where boats could land. This would likely have been on the banks of the River Alt.
Both Huyton and Roby are mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086. This was a very old record of land and people in England. In that book, Huyton was spelled Hitune.
Industrial Growth
Huyton-with-Roby is close to where coal used to be mined in Lancashire. In the 1800s, workers from Wales moved here. They came to work in the nearby coal mines. There was even a chapel for Welsh-speaking people in Huyton Quarry. A nearby coal mine, Cronton Colliery, closed in 1984.
Huyton and Roby both have train stations. These stations are on the Liverpool and Manchester Railway. Another station, Huyton Quarry, closed in 1958. George Stephenson oversaw the building of this railway. When it opened in 1830, it was the world's first regular passenger train service. On the opening day, a famous leader, Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, got off the train at Roby station.
Second World War in Huyton
During the Second World War, Huyton was bombed by German planes. But the damage was much less than in nearby cities like Liverpool. Children in Huyton were not sent away to safer places. Instead, schools and homes were given air-raid shelters. These shelters protected people during air raids.
Huyton was home to three special camps during the war. There was an internment camp, a prisoner-of-war camp, and a base for American soldiers. The internment camp might have been one of the biggest in the UK. Some people held there were refugees. They were escaping the Nazis. This included artists and thinkers who were not liked in Germany.
Famous people held in the Huyton internment camp included artists Martin Bloch and Hugo Dachinger. Dancer Kurt Jooss and composer Hans Gál were also there. Many of the people in the camp were over 50 years old. The camp started in May 1940. It used new, empty council houses and flats. Barbed wire fences made it secure. Twelve people were put in each house. But it was very crowded, so many slept in tents.
At first, the camp was only meant to hold people until they could be sent to the Isle of Man. But this stopped after a ship, the Arandora Star, was sunk. Many lives were lost. Most people in the camp were released before it closed in 1942. The camp was in an area now called the "Bluebell Estate". Many streets there are named after big battles from World War II.
The prisoner-of-war camp closed in 1948. Some prisoners stayed in Britain and married local women. One famous person from the Huyton camp was Bert Trautmann. He later became a famous goalkeeper for Manchester City. From 1944, American soldiers also stayed in Huyton for a short time.
Local Government
In 1894, Huyton became part of the Huyton with Roby Urban District. After the First World War, Huyton-with-Roby changed a lot. It became a place where people from Liverpool lived. Farming, which used to be the main job, almost disappeared. In 1932, Liverpool City Council bought a large area of land. Then, in the 1930s, the city built four big housing estates in Huyton-with-Roby. These were called Fincham, Huyton Farm, Longview, and Woolfall Heath. Many people moved to these new homes from Liverpool. By 1950, over 55,000 people lived there.
After the Second World War, the area successfully avoided becoming part of Liverpool City Council. However, it did not become a borough in 1952. The Huyton Municipal Building was finished in 1963.
On April 1, 1974, Huyton-with-Roby became part of the new Knowsley.
Today, Huyton-with-Roby includes areas like Huyton Park, Roby, Longview, Huyton Quarry, Page Moss, and Bowring Park. These areas are covered by six local government wards.
Getting Around Huyton
Huyton is just west of the M57 motorway. This motorway forms part of its border. Liverpool city centre is about 6 miles (10 km) to the west. You can get there using the M62 motorway.
There are three nearby motorway exits. These make it very easy to reach Huyton by road.
Huyton Train Station
Huyton railway station used to be called Huyton Gate. It has regular train services. You can travel to and from Liverpool, St. Helens, and Wigan.
Huyton Bus Station
Huyton bus station is on Huyton Hey Road. It is next to the shopping centre. It's also very close to Huyton railway station.
Buses from Huyton bus station go to many places. These include Liverpool, Kirkby, St. Helens, Warrington, Runcorn, and Liverpool John Lennon Airport.
Education in Huyton
Huyton has one secondary school. It is called Lord Derby Academy on Seel Road. There are also fifteen primary schools. A college for construction training is on Princess Drive.
Places to Visit and Things to Do
Local people still call Huyton's shopping centre "the village" or "the villie". This name comes from when it was a small rural community. There is a large Asda Walmart store nearby. There are also about 100 other independent shops. There used to be an indoor market, but it is now closed.
Huyton has a library called Huyton Library on Civic Way. Before 2014, there was also Page Moss Library. Huyton Library also has a contemporary art gallery.
There are eight public parks in Huyton. These include Court Hey Park and Bowring Park. Bowring Park is the oldest public park in Knowsley. It opened in 1907. Other parks are Huyton Lane Wetland and Stadt Moers Park. Stadt Moers Park covers over 220 acres (0.89 km2). There are also nine children's playgrounds.
Huyton has a King George's Field. This is a park named after King George V. It also has one of the biggest dogs' homes in Merseyside, called Dogs' Trust.
Huyton has many public houses, which are like local gathering places. Some names include The Huyton Park Hotel and The Stanley Arms. Several old pubs have been taken down for new buildings since the late 1990s. In 2011, a new pub called The Barker's Brewery opened. In 2012, the Longview Social Club was destroyed by a fire. In 2015, four supermarkets at Longview Shops were destroyed by fire.
Sports in Huyton
The area has the Knowsley Leisure and Culture Park. It also has the King George V Sports Centre.
Huyton-with-Roby has two 18-hole golf courses. These are Huyton & Prescot Golf Club and Bowring Golf Club. Bowring Golf Club is said to be the oldest public golf course in England.
Huyton has its own cricket club. It is located off Huyton Lane. The club was started in the 1860s. One famous cricketer from Huyton was Reginald Moss.
Huyton also had a professional rugby league club from 1968 to 1985. It was called Huyton RLFC. The club struggled and was later replaced by another team. People from Huyton who like professional rugby league can support teams in St. Helens or Widnes Vikings. Both are about 6 miles (10 km) away.
In football, Huyton has produced two amazing England players. These are Peter Reid (who played for Everton) and Steven Gerrard (who played for Liverpool). Other footballers from Huyton include Joey Barton and Tony Hibbert. On March 28, 2007, Steven Gerrard and David Nugent both scored for England in a game. Both players went to Cardinal Heenan High School.
Huyton has many amateur football teams for both younger and older players. But it has never had a long-lasting semi-professional club. Nearby, Knowsley United played at Alt Park. They had some success in the late 1980s and early 1990s. They even reached the first round of the FA Cup. But the team stopped being a senior semi-pro side in 1998.
People from Huyton who want to support a local semi-pro team can go to Prescot Cables. Their ground is less than 2 miles (3.2 km) away.
Famous People from Huyton
Many talented people have come from Huyton.
Music Stars
- Black – Had several hit songs in the UK, including 'Wonderful Life'.
- The Crescent – Had three songs in the UK Top 70.
- The La's – Known for their hit song 'There She Goes'.
- Space – Had eight songs in the UK Top 30.
Other Notable People
- Joey Barton, a well-known footballer.
- Sir Thomas Beecham (1879–1961), a famous classical music conductor. He grew up in Huyton. He founded the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
- Alan Bleasdale, a playwright known for Boys from the Blackstuff. He went to school in Huyton.
- Stan Boardman, a comedian.
- Henry Brunner, a chemist who helped start Brunner Mond, which later became part of ICI.
- John Christopher, a novelist.
- Peter Culshaw, a professional boxer and former world champion.
- Carol Decker, a rock singer.
- Alicya Eyo, an actress.
- Rebecca Ferguson, a singer.
- Edward Fieldwick, a cricketer.
- Steven Gerrard, a former England midfielder who played for Liverpool F.C..
- Sir Rex Harrison, an actor who starred in films like My Fair Lady. He was born and grew up in Huyton.
- Tony Hibbert, a footballer.
- Clint Hill, a footballer.
- Paul Lewis, a pianist.
- Chris Long, a footballer.
- Lee Mavers, the lead singer of the band The La's.
- John McCabe, a composer.
- Callum McManaman, a footballer.
- Sally Morgan, Baroness Morgan of Huyton, a politician.
- Reginald Moss, a cricketer.
- Matthew Murphy, guitarist and singer for The Wombats.
- Peter Noone, from the 1960s group Herman's Hermits, lived in Huyton before he became famous.
- David Nugent, a footballer.
- Paddy Pimblett, a mixed martial artist.
- Barbara Pym, a novelist who went to Huyton College.
- Rain, a band from Huyton in the early 1990s.
- Phil Redmond, who created popular TV shows like Hollyoaks and Brookside.
- Peter Reid, a former England midfielder who played for Everton. He also worked as a football manager.
- Tony Schumacher, an author and broadcaster.
- Paul Simpson (musician), a musician.
- Freddie Starr, a comedian.
- Stuart Sutcliffe, sometimes called the "fifth Beatle".
- Lee Trundle, a footballer.
- Harold Wilson, a former Prime Minister of the UK. He was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Huyton from 1950 to 1983. A statue of him was put up in Huyton town centre in 2006.
TV and Radio
Part of the TV show Boys from the Blackstuff was filmed in Woodlands Road, Roby.
Huyton is also home to 99.8FM KCC Live. This is a radio station based at Knowsley Community College. It started in December 2003.
