Welcome
St. Nicholas, Halewood Parish Church
Halewood is a parish now reduced in size, located 8 miles south-east of Liverpool. During the medieval period it was originally part of the wood of Hale and it is difficult to discover when they separated, but by the 15th Century, Halewood was definitely a separate township within the West Derby Hundred.
The former township of Halewood lay between the old course of the Ditton Brook in the north, and Rams Brook in the south, both running into the Mersey. Disputes over the manor lands of Halewood between the Ireland and Holland families began in the 13th Century and continued through the medieval period. The Ireland family held Hale, most of Halebank, and part of North End of Halewood, while the Holland family who were the superior lords, controlled most of North End and a portion of Halebank. However, the Hollands were based in Halebank, while the Irelands' main residence was the 'Hutt' within Halewood. This confusing state of affairs continued for centuries.
Throughout the post medieval period, the township was mainly agricultural which continued until the 1960s, when the suburban sprawl of Liverpool began to envelope the west end of Halewood. Today, Halewood is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley. Though not officially part of Liverpool, it marks the southern edge of the city's urban area, being bordered by the southern suburbs of Hunts Cross, Woolton and Speke. However, people from Halewood still regard themselves as from Liverpool, as many of them moved there from the city in the 1960s, or are their descendants.
Halewood has been home to the large Ford Motor Company production facility since 2 October 1963, which today produces the Jaguar X-Type and the Land Rover Freelander, while on 9 October 2007 Everton Football Club opened their extensive modern training facilities and youth academy on the Finch Lane Farm site.
Parts of Halewood village still retains some of its former Victorian character with its open aspects, green areas and well spaced buildings.
Halewood Park, on the site of the old Railway Triangle sidings, still reflects this countryside atmosphere, providing a welcoming environment for residents. The Trans-Pennine Trail is an idyllic cycle route on the route of the old railway line that runs through the site, passing a number of ponds. There are many fine houses and farms in Halewood, many of which are shown on this website, although there are only four listed buildings, one of which is a unique grave of a horse that served in the First World War.
The parish church of St Nicholas is a Gothic style, Grade II listed building and displays pew boxes and stained glass designed by William Morris. The old rectory has an attractive late Georgian frontage and retains the original pattern of windows.
This is not a complete website by any means, as there is still a wealth of material in hand yet to be uploaded. Contributions to the site, especially old photographs, documents, or articles are most welcome.
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@HalewoodHistory Twitter account - don't forget to follow! |
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The Inhabitants of Halewood Biographies of people of Halewood, some well known, some obscure, others who have been recognised for their contribution to the community over many years. |
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Freddie Mercury & the Wade Deacon/Halewood Connection Before Freddie Bulsara hit the big time, he spent some of his early career in Liverpool, where he had hooked up with local band Ibex, which later morphed into Wreckage. He also played at Wade Deacon Grammar School, and stayed in Halewood at the home of lead guitarist Mike Bersin. |
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Blackie the War Horse - Grave receives Grade II Listed Status In December 2017, the grave of 'Blackie' the war horse at Halewood Horse's Rest was granted Grade II Listed Status to protect the site. This came after a local campaign and application to Historic England after fears it may have been removed by developers. This is the only site of its kind in the country with such status. Read about how Blackie came to be in Halewood and the story of his master Lieutenant Leonard Comer Wall. |
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Halewood - Then and Now
Here is a selection of archive photographs of the village, set up to view the same scene today as you roll the mouse over the picture - an interesting look at the village through its changes. If you have a photograph you would like to contribute it will be gratefully received. |
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Halewood History - Downloads
Books and source material on Halewood are rare - hence one of the reasons for this website. Click here for downloads of village history. If you have any source material you would like to contribute it will be gratefully received. |
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Halewood Photographic Archive This is intended to be as full a collection of archive photographs to found anywhere on the internet or in local record offices. They have been collected from a variety of sources over the last 40 years. If you have a photograph you would like to contribute it will be gratefully received. |
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Graveyard Survey Project - St Nicholas Parish Church Halewood Co-ordinated by Pam Beesley. Halewood graveyard has been systematically surveyed and recorded by volunteers co-ordinated by Pam Beesley. This has been a mammoth task and reflects a great deal of hard work. Pam has also produced a guide leaflet and booklet (now available on this site) which highlight many of the intruiging internments, such as Sir Thomas Brocklebank (of the Cunard-Brocklebank shipping line) and John Hays Wilson of Lee Park Hall. (Pam has also written articles about the church and the William Morris windows). |
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William Morris Windows Out of the 21 stained glass windows in St.Nicholas' Church, 17 were designed and produced by William Morris and his Company. They are a rare example of Morris' work and have recently undergone restoration. Click picture for more. |
