63-755: Headbolt Lane is a railway station in Kirkby , Merseyside , England , which opened on 5 October 2023. The station is the interchange between Merseyrail 's Northern Line and the unelectrified Headbolt Lane branch line , operated by Northern . The opening of a station in the area had been an objective since the Transport Plan for Merseyside, published by the Merseyside Passenger Transport Authority in March 1972, with detailed plans first developed in 2013. The station
126-548: A new town was rejected. Large-scale development began in February 1950 with the construction of the Southdene neighbourhood; the first houses were finished in 1952, the 5,000th in 1956, and the 10,000th in 1961. A population of 3,000 in 1951 grew to over 52,000 by 1961. The Kirkby Urban District was created in 1958. Its population grew between the 1950s and the 1970s due to over-spill housing for Liverpool . Growth caused
189-512: A 65-acre site the town centre. Refurbishment began in June 2016, and was planned to take eight weeks. In October, St. Modwen announced 24 November as the date for Kirkby's Christmas lights switch-on. Costa Coffee agreed in February 2017 to open a store in the town centre. In September, St. Modwen confirmed that Morrisons would open a 45,000-square-foot supermarket in the town centre. The following month, St. Modwen held an information event with
252-426: A car park with 270 spaces. The station is the terminus of the current Merseyrail service to Kirkby and Liverpool Central , which currently has a 4 train per hour service, with trains departing every 15 minutes. Also, the station serves as the terminus of the hourly Northern service towards Wigan Wallgate . Almost all Northern services extend beyond Wigan to Manchester Victoria and Blackburn via Todmorden. There
315-497: A library, a gallery and a local-history archive. After the collapse of Tesco's plans for Kirkby Town Centre, regeneration halted until St. Modwen Properties acquired the town centre in October 2015. St. Modwen planned a multi-million-pound retail-led regeneration in partnership with Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council. They planned to develop and expand the retail centre, complementing Tesco's existing offer and providing housing on
378-412: A number of problems, including a lack of local amenities. Although occupation of Southdene's council estates had begun in 1952, its first shops were not completed until 1955 and its first pub did not open until 1959. The people who were being moved into Kirkby during this period came from Liverpool's poorest areas. Kirkby Industrial Estate expanded to become one of England's largest; at its peak in 1971,
441-648: A plan for the council to purchase St. Modwen's holdings in Kirkby Town Centre, including the shopping centre and the Knowsley College site on Cherryfield Drive. The college plans to move to the town centre. The main motorways that connect the town are the M57 motorway , which runs adjacent to the town, and M58 motorway , which connects just north of the town. However, the town also has other major roads that connect it, such as East Lancashire Road and
504-610: A revised application for the town-centre scheme to include food-store anchor Morrisons , who submitted the winning bid. Reports suggested that local support for the Tesco/Everton F.C. scheme appeared to be tempered by concern about the stadium's effect on residents. In 2012, the Knowsley council decided to invest £5 million to replace the multi-purpose Kirkby Civic Suite with the Kirkby Centre. The centre would include
567-431: A significant fall in population to around 154,600 by 1994. Subsequently, a population stabilization strategy helped to stem this decline. The strategy was focused on house building and marketing the borough to secure inward investment. Record house building and strong growth in inward investment yielded the borough's first small rise in population in over 25 years in 1995. The population stabilized at over 154,000 for most of
630-462: A small part of West Lancashire Rural District , all from the administrative county of Lancashire. It is known for Knowsley Hall and Knowsley Safari Park . The modern-day borough of Knowsley was formerly composed of villages and towns in Lancashire dating back to 650 AD . The Earls of Derby have their ancestral home in the borough at Knowsley Hall , the surroundings of which today house
693-456: A track. Several new stores have opened. The regeneration began in December 2006, when a proposal was made by Tesco and Everton F.C. for redevelopment of the town centre which included a 50,000-seat football stadium and retail outlets. The proposal was known as The Kirkby Project . Kirkby Market was redeveloped, and reopened on 26 April 2014. In 2015, the town centre owned by Tesco
SECTION 10
#1732773118229756-572: A year early when Ruffwood was designated a failing school in an Ofsted report. After the shake-up, All Saints Catholic High School and the Kirkby Sports College Center for Learning emerged. On 1 September 2013, Kirkby Sports College became an academy and was relaunched as Kirkby High School. Higher education is provided by Knowsley Community College , with its main campus in Kirkby Town Centre. The college has an annual intake of over 12,000. St Chad's Church , built during
819-542: Is United Utilities ; there are no power stations in the town. United Utilities also manages Kirkby's drinking and wastewater. SUEZ Recycling & Recovery UK process Merseyside and Halton's waste at a rail loading transfer station in Kirkby. The waste is transported from Kirkby to Wilton in Teesside where it is used to generate electricity. Power generated at Wilton is sufficient to power every home in Knowsley. Kirkby
882-521: Is 180 miles (290 km) north-west of London and 5 miles (8 km) north-west of Huyton, the borough administrative headquarters. The River Alt flows through the town's extreme south-west, with the Kirkby Brook tributary passing through its centre. Due to its position near England's north-west coast, Kirkby has a temperate maritime climate ; its Köppen climate classification is Cfb. Its mean annual temperature of 10.2 °C (50.4 °F)
945-529: Is 5 miles (8 km) north of Huyton and 6 miles (10 km) north-east of Liverpool. The population in 2016 was 41,495 making it the largest in Knowsley and the 9th biggest settlement in Merseyside . Evidence of Bronze Age activity has been noted though the first direct evidence of a settlement dates to 1086 via the Domesday Book . The town was mainly farmland until the mid-20th century until
1008-412: Is a ticket office that is staffed from 15 minutes before the start of service until 15 minutes after the last train. The station also has a ticket-vending machine . There are multiple shelters on the platforms, along with digital displays and aural announcements on when the next service will be. The station is completely step-free and accessible for all customers. There is an 80-space secure cycle area, and
1071-517: Is available. At the secondary level, secular and Roman Catholic education is available. Educational services are provided or monitored by the Knowsley local education authority . Kirkby has 11 primary schools; Northwood Community Primary School is the newest and largest. Kirkby High School and All Saints Catholic High School were formed after the town's three secondary schools closed. Ruffwood and Brookfield, due to merge in September 2009, merged
1134-486: Is beyond the end of those platforms and is for Northern Rail. A 270 space car park and a bus interchange were also part of the design. The Liverpool City Region Combined Authority announced in July 2021 that, after a trial of a battery electric multiple unit (BEMU) version of the new Class 777 , it would serve the new station on opening, eliminating the need for the line from Kirkby to be electrified. Construction began on
1197-532: Is divided into four districts: Southdene, Westvale, Northwood and Tower Hill. Its electoral wards , which do not coincide with the districts, are Cherryfield, Kirkby Central, Northwood, Park, Shevington and Whitefield. Kirkby's 18 local councillors belong to the Labour Party, and often run unopposed. Kirkby is 6 miles (10 km) north-east of Liverpool, in Merseyside in North West England . It
1260-474: Is no late evening or Sunday service on this route. 53°29′28″N 2°53′08″W / 53.4911°N 2.8856°W / 53.4911; -2.8856 Kirkby Kirkby ( / ˈ k ɜːr b i / KUR -bee ) is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley , Merseyside , England. The town, historically in Lancashire , has a size of 4,070 acres (16.5 km )
1323-590: Is provided by Merseyside Police , whose basic command unit in the borough of Knowsley has a Kirkby station on St Chad's Drive. Public transport is co-ordinated by Merseytravel . Fire and rescue services are provided by the Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service , which has a Kirkby station on Webster Drive. Waste management is co-ordinated by the Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority . Kirkby's distribution network operator for electricity
SECTION 20
#17327731182291386-676: Is served by the Knowsley PCT , and Aintree University Hospital is the nearest hospital. The town has nine GP surgeries and four dental practices. Ambulance service is provided by the North West Ambulance Service , with a station in Kirkby. BT Group 's Simonswood exchange provides local telephone and ADSL Internet service to the area, with a number of other companies offering services through local-loop unbundling . Virgin Media services are also available to
1449-575: Is similar to that throughout the Mersey basin and slightly cooler than the English average. The annual average sunshine duration, 1394.6 hours, is slightly higher than the UK average of 1339.7. January is the coldest month, with an average mean temperature of 4.7 °C (40.5 °F); July is the hottest, at 16.7 °C (62.1 °F). Rainfall, 806.6 millimetres (31.76 in), is slightly lower than
1512-414: Is still a large employer. The town's industrial heritage, however, has largely faded away as service industries replace factories. Major employers include QVC and Barclaycard , and several call centre companies are based in Kirkby. Kirkby has seen regeneration efforts. The Kirkby Sports Centre, one of the region's main velodromes and athletic centres, was replaced in 2007 by a leisure facility without
1575-505: The 2011 census , 80.9% of people in Knowsley describe themselves as Christian, the highest proportion in any local authority in England and Wales. This is significantly different from average figures from the 2011 census for England and Wales, which showed that 59.3 per cent of the population identified as Christian and 14.1 million people, around a quarter of the population in England and Wales, reported that they have no religion. Knowsley
1638-523: The A506 . Alongside road connections, Kirkby also has a few rail links, with Kirkby railway station and Headbolt Lane railway station offering frequent trains to Liverpool, and Headbolt Lane offering an hourly service to Wigan. Buses in the town and the wider region are managed by Merseytravel , are run by several different companies, mainly Arriva North West and Stagecoach North West . Primary secular, Church of England , and Roman Catholic education
1701-544: The British Parliament by Members of Parliament (MPs) for three separate parliamentary constituencies. Knowsley is represented by Anneliese Midgley MP ( Labour ), Garston and Halewood is represented by Maria Eagle MP (Labour) and St Helens South and Whiston is represented by Marie Rimmer MP (Labour). After local elections in 2008 the Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley was governed by
1764-523: The Knowsley North constituency, then as part of the Knowsley North and Sefton East constituency, and as part of the Knowsley constituency since 2010. Howarth holds a 42,214-vote majority, making his seat the second safest Labour Party seat. He was preceded by Robert Kilroy-Silk (Labour, 1974–1986), Harold Soref ( Conservative , 1970–1974) and Harold Wilson (Labour, 1950–1970). Kirkby
1827-473: The Labour Party , the largest party represented on the council. The Liberal Democrats , the second largest party, were in opposition. There were no other councillors. After local elections in 2010 the Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley continued to be governed by the Labour Party , the largest party represented on the council, who increased their total number of seats by 5 to 53. The Liberal Democrats ,
1890-544: The Liverpool City Region Combined Authority . The combined authority has effectively become the top-tier administrative body for the local governance of the city region and the leader of Knowsley Council, along with the five other leaders from neighbouring local government districts, take strategic decisions over economic development, transport, employment and skills, tourism, culture, housing and physical infrastructure. According to
1953-513: The West Derby hundred in the 11th century) passed through a number of hands until 1596, when the Molyneux family purchased the hundred . After a brief loss of patronage in 1737 (when the head of the family took holy orders ), in 1771, Charles Molyneux became the 1st Earl of Sefton and regained the land. Although it remained largely farmland until the mid-20th century, transport links to
Headbolt Lane railway station - Misplaced Pages Continue
2016-556: The 1960s and now in disrepair. According to British government statistics, the borough of Knowsley (including Kirkby) had a population of 145,900 in the 2011 census and a gender balance of 52.6 per cent female to 47.4 per cent male. This is down from 150,459 in the 2001 census. The borough has a white population of 98.42 per cent, compared with the national average of 90.9 per cent. Other ethnic groups are multiracial (0.83 per cent), Chinese (0.24 per cent), other Asian (0.23 per cent) and Black (0.22 per cent). A large proportion of
2079-500: The 19th century on the site of a church noted in the Domesday Book, has graves of soldiers of both world wars. Other churches are St Michael's and All Angels Roman Catholic Church; St Mark's, St Andrews and St Martin's Churches ( Church of England ), St Mary, Mother of God and St Joseph's Roman Catholic Churches, Kirkby Baptist Church, St Peter & Paul RC Church, Northwood Chapel, Kirkby Christian Fellowship, Lifegate Church and
2142-416: The England average of 838 millimetres (33.0 in) and much lower than the UK average of 1,125.5 millimetres (44.31 in). October is the wettest month, with an average rainfall of 86 millimetres (3.4 in); April is the driest, with 49.1 millimetres (1.93 in) of rain. The nearest Met Office weather station is at Manchester Airport . Kirkby's population was 42,744 in the 2011 census. This
2205-698: The Housing Finance Act of 1972. The 1985 film Letter to Brezhnev was shot in Liverpool, with scenes filmed in Kirkby. The film starred Margi Clarke , who was born in the town. Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley The Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley is a metropolitan borough in Merseyside , North West England . It covers several towns and villages, including Kirkby , Prescot , Huyton , Whiston , Halewood , Cronton and Stockbridge Village ; Kirkby, Huyton, and Prescot being
2268-583: The Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses. Kirkby is home to the training ground and youth academy of Liverpool F.C. The youth academy was built in 1998 on the site previously used for Kirkby Town F.C. 's ground located on Simonswood Lane; the plans to move Liverpool F.C.'s full training ground to the same location were announced in 2018 and the move was completed during the international break in November 2020. The town's former football club Kirkby Town,
2331-399: The administrative county of Lancashire , but were transferred to the new metropolitan county of Merseyside at the same time the district came into being on 1 April 1974. A committee of councillors from the outgoing district councils chose the name Knowsley for the new district in 1972, taking the name from Knowsley village, being a central location within the new district, rather than using
2394-399: The community about their proposed plans. According to the company, work would begin in 2018 and end in 2019. The planning application was granted in November 2019. In June 2018, St. Modwen reported that Home Bargains and fast food restaurant KFC would open in the town centre. When the promised development was delayed, Knowsley council leader Graham Morgan said: "Despite our best efforts,
2457-559: The construction of ROF Kirkby , the largest Royal Ordanance Factory filling munitions, during the Second World War ; Kirkby's urban development happened in the post-war period. In November 2020, Liverpool F.C. relocated its training facilities from the Melwood site in West Derby , to the town following the completion of the new AXA Training Centre . Archaeological evidence of Bronze Age settlement indicates that Kirkby
2520-578: The end of the war, and much of the remaining housing stock were slums . The Liverpool Corporation began a policy of buying land in surrounding areas and moving industry (and people) to newly developed "overspill" estates. This process culminated with the purchase of 4,070 acres (16.5 km ) of land, including Kirkby, from the Earl of Sefton in 1947 for £375,000 (£18.5 million adjusted for inflation ). Kirkby became Merseyside 's largest over-spill estates. A 1949 Liverpool proposal to have Kirkby designated
2583-479: The estate employed over 26,000 people. Kirkby became an Urban District in 1958. This status was later abolished, and on 1 April 1974 Kirkby was combined with Huyton with Roby and Prescot Urban District and parts of Whiston and West Lancashire Rural Districts to form the Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley . Kirkby has been represented in Parliament by Anneliese Midgley since 2024. First as part of
Headbolt Lane railway station - Misplaced Pages Continue
2646-581: The local television station TalkLiverpool also broadcasts to the area. Television signals are received from the Winter Hill TV transmitter. Kirkby and Seaforth were the bases for the fictional Newtown of the 1960s BBC TV series, Z-Cars . Behind the Rent Strike is a 1974 documentary by Nick Broomfield documenting a 14-month rent strike in Kirkby by 3,000 social housing tenants protesting poor housing and rent increases triggered by
2709-483: The major commercial centres. It takes its name from the village of Knowsley , though its headquarters are in Huyton . It forms part of the wider Liverpool City Region . Within the boundaries of the historic county of Lancashire , the borough was formed on 1 April 1974 by the merger of Huyton-with-Roby Urban District , Kirkby Urban District and Prescot Urban District , along with most of Whiston Rural District and
2772-519: The name of one of the three urban districts which had the majority of the population. The committee noted that the Knowsley Hall estate had historic connections to all the constituent parts of the new district. The government confirmed the name in 1973. The new district was awarded borough status from its creation, allowing the chairman of the council to take the title of mayor. The residents of Knowsley Metropolitan Borough are represented in
2835-718: The new rail link, including development of Headbolt Lane. It was initially estimated that it would cost around £300 million and would take up to a decade to deliver. However, in July 2022 the Department for Transport rejected the Strategic Outline Business Case for the extension, suggesting that better bus links with the Kirkby–Wigan rail line would be a cheaper way of improving connectivity. In August 2019, Liverpool City Region Combined Authority announced that part of an agreed £172m funding package for
2898-533: The political composition is now Labour 33, Green 5, Liberal Democrats 3, Independent 3 with one vacancy in Page Moss ward. The Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley is one of the six constituent local government districts of the Liverpool City Region . Since 1 April 2014, some of the borough's responsibilities have been pooled with neighbouring authorities within the metropolitan area and subsumed into
2961-453: The popular visitor attraction of Knowsley Safari Park . Knowsley experienced rapid population expansion in the 1950s and 1960s, resulting from the combination of industrialization and migration, including a significant amount of overspill development from Liverpool. By 1971, some 194,600 lived within the area which would become Knowsley. However, over the next two decades general economic decline – particularly in manufacturing – contributed to
3024-421: The population is of Irish Catholic descent as a result of immigration into Liverpool. The borough is mostly Christian (85.63 per cent), compared to the national average of 71.74 per cent. The next-largest group (5.84 per cent) describe themselves as non-religious, significantly lower than the national average of 14.59 per cent. Muslims , Hindus , Buddhists and Jews are 0.17, 0.11, 0.07 and 0.03 per cent of
3087-522: The population. Kirkby's population was on a gradual downward trend from 1861 to 1931 before it rose when the Liverpool Corporation began to develop the region. Its annual growth rate from 1951 to 1961 was over 30 per cent, making it England's fastest-growing town by far. Kirkby's population peaked in 1971 at 59,917, before declining. The town's population has again begun to increase. Kirkby Industrial Estate, formerly ROF Kirkby ,
3150-447: The redevelopment of the town centre still hasn't happened and it's quite clear that we need to find a different model. The people of Kirkby deserve more than this. We have worked closely to encourage St. Modwen to push on with their plans but, despite major names already being signed up, they remain extremely cautious and have still not confirmed a start date. We have waited too long and it's time to move on." The council's cabinet endorsed
3213-534: The region began in 1848 with the building of the Liverpool and Bury Railway through Kirkby. The East Lancashire Road (the A580) added a road connection in 1935, and industrial development was considered before the Second World War . ROF Kirkby , a Royal Ordnance Factory , was established in 1939 and completed in 1941. At its peak, the factory employed over 20,000 workers. Liverpool had received much damage by
SECTION 50
#17327731182293276-458: The region would be used to fund the construction of the new station. The Combined Authority approved that the first £3.3 million of funding for the project in July 2020, before signing off a further £66 million in March 2021. The station was designed with three fully accessible platforms, to accommodate any future extension of Merseyrail services to Skelmersdale. Platforms 1 and 2 are for Merseyrail, terminating platforms with buffer stops. Platform 3
3339-492: The rest of the 1990s. The borough of Knowsley was created on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972 covering the area of three former urban districts , which were abolished at the same time, plus six civil parishes (five from Whiston Rural District and one from West Lancashire Rural District ): ‡Parishes from Whiston Rural District All the component parts of Knowsley had previously been in
3402-413: The second largest party represented on the council, continued to be in opposition losing 5 seats to the governing Labour Party to decrease their total number of seats to 10. After local elections in 2011 the Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley continued to be governed by the Labour Party , the largest party represented on the council, who increased their total number of seats to 59. The Liberal Democrats ,
3465-575: The second largest party represented on the council, continued to be in opposition losing 6 seats to the governing Labour Party to decrease their total number of seats to 4. After the local elections in 2012 , Knowsley became a one party borough, completely taking out the Liberal Democrat seats. In 2016 the number of seats was reduced to 45 with the Liberal Democrats winning three Following several years of subsequent elections,
3528-663: The station in March 2022. Services along the Northern rail line from Wigan were cut back to Rainford from 7 April 2023 (with bus replacement services provided between Rainford and Kirkby) to allow for the line to be double-tracked and a road bridge replaced. Originally intended to open in Summer 2023, delays caused by the contractor responsible for the construction of the station, the Buckingham group, going into administration meant that services did not commence until October. There
3591-611: The town, providing television, telephone and cable Internet access . The main local newspaper is the Liverpool Echo . The Kirkby Extra and the Knowsley Challenge are free local newspapers. Local radio stations are BBC Radio Merseyside , Heart North West , Capital Liverpool , Hits Radio Liverpool , Smooth North West and Greatest Hits Radio Liverpool & The North West . Local news and television programmes are provided by BBC North West and ITV Granada ,
3654-438: Was bought by St. Modwen Properties for £35.8 million. St Modwen announced their plans for the regeneration of the town centre, including a cinema, a supermarket, parking, and leisure development. This led to reports that two supermarkets were competing to build a store; it was rumoured that one of the stores was ASDA . A public hearing was held for local businesses, shopkeepers and residents in October 2016. St, Modwen submitted
3717-504: Was founded around 870 AD. Historically , it has been part of Lancashire . Kirk -by derives from the Northern dialect of Old English word Kirk ('church') and by (settlement or village; cognate with Old Norse byr ). Settlers arrived via Ireland around 900. The first direct evidence of a settlement dates from 1086 and the Domesday Book , with a reference to "Cherchebi" (population 70). Ownership of present-day Kirkby (established as
3780-504: Was initially planned to act as a new Merseyrail terminus, but later proposals — made after the Electrification Task Force declared the Kirkby branch line to be a Tier 1 priority for electrification in 2015 — were devised by Merseytravel and Lancashire County Council to enable Merseyrail services to serve Skelmersdale . In 2017, the two authorities commissioned an initial £5 million feasibility study into establishing
3843-489: Was intended to open in 1975, however, the project was abandoned in autumn 1975 over fears it was not safe. Investigations by the Liverpool Free Press revealed a considerable degree of corruption in the sourcing of materials and building of the slope. Police investigations later led to a former council leader and former council architect being jailed over their involvement in the project. Law enforcement
SECTION 60
#17327731182293906-458: Was just over a quarter of the total population of the borough of Knowsley and was down from its peak of 52,207 in the 1961 census, largely due to a falling birth rate and the slow decline of the industrial estate. Housing demand has increased, however, with significant developments built across the town. Part of the demand may be attributed to a need for replacement housing stock due to the demolition of high-rise flats and maisonettes , built during
3969-420: Was later renamed Knowsley United and was dissolved in 1997. The most widely supported football teams in Kirkby are Liverpool F.C. and Everton F.C. reflecting the town's proximity to Liverpool and historically that a large proportion of the town's residents moved from Liverpool to the town after world war two. During the 1970s, Kirkby was home to an artificial ski slope . Work started on the slope in 1973 and it
#228771