Aigburth

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Aigburth
Aigburth (Merseyside)
Aigburth

Aigburth shown within Merseyside
OS grid reference SJ385864
Metropolitan borough City of Liverpool
Metropolitan county Merseyside
Region North West
Constituent country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town LIVERPOOL
Postcode district L17
Dialling code 0151
Police Merseyside
Fire Merseyside
Ambulance North West
European Parliament North West England
UK Parliament Liverpool Riverside
List of places: UK • England • Merseyside

Coordinates: 53°21′31″N 2°54′29″W / 53.35864, -2.90796

Aigburth (pronunciation (help·info); IPA /ˈɛɡbəθ/) is a suburb of Liverpool, Merseyside, England. Located to the south of the city, it is bordered by St Michael's Hamlet, Mossley Hill and Grassendale.

Contents

[edit] Toponymy

Aigburth means "hill where oak trees grow" and is a hybrid place-name: the first part of the name is from Old Norse eikr "oak tree" (which is found in Eikton in Cumbria and Eakring in Nottinghamshire) and Old English beorg meaning " hill, tumulus" but here in the sense "rising ground". This element usually occurs as "-borough" (as in Barlborough in Derbyshire) or more rarely as "-barrow" (e.g. Backbarrow in Cumbria). The meaning is probably derived from the presence of a sacred oak grove in the area. The name was also recorded as Eikberei in an undated record.

The spelling Aigburgh (or, more rarely, "Aighburgh") is sometimes found in old publications and historical documents (for example, S. Lewis, A Topographical Dictionary of England (1848) [1]), as well as in modern references to former residents [2], [3], and is occasionally seen as an alternative (if incorrect) spelling today.

[edit] History

The area was previously part of the West Allerton parliamentary district and, as such returned (now Lord) David Alton for many years. It is now part of the Liverpool Riverside constituency and returned Louise Ellman as MP in the 2005 general election.

[edit] Description

Aigburth is mainly residential and covers an area following Aigburth Road, (A561) and the areas either side of it. The suburb is to the south of Sefton Park and adjoins Otterspool Park, which leads to Otterspool Promenade on the Mersey. Housing in the district is mostly a mixture of terraced housing with some detached and semi-detached 1930s houses. It is adjacent to Liverpool's more prosperous and green areas and has benefited as a result[4].

Liverpool Cricket Club, although located just outside the new district boundary, is one of Lancashire County Cricket Club's regular home venues. Sefton Park Cricket Club is also located in Aigburth.

Often St Michael's Hamlet, officially a separate area, is considered part of Aigburth.

[edit] Attractions

[edit] Education

There are the Aigburth Park halls of residence of Liverpool Hope University, close to the railway line on St Michael's Road. Close by towards Mossley Hill are the Carnatic and Elmswood Road halls of residence for the University of Liverpool. On the piece of land between Mossley Hill Road and Barkhill Road is the IM Marsh Campus of Liverpool John Moores University, where the university's Faculty of Education, Community and Leisure is based. There is a student bar and refectory. On Aigburth Road, is the St Margaret's Church of England High School. Opposite this is the junior section of Sudley County Primary School, whose infant section is situated on Dundonald Road.

Prior to the reorganisation of secondary education in Liverpool in the 1980s, Aigburth was also home to Aigburth Vale Comprehensive School for Girls, formerly Aigburth Vale High School for Girls, which was merged with Quarry Bank School to form Calderstones School.

[edit] Transport

The area is served by Aigburth railway station on the Northern Line of the Merseyrail network, located some distance from larger residential areas. St Michaels railway station is also situated in the area, at the bottom of Southwood Road.

[edit] Notable residents

[edit] References

  1. ^ (1963) Who Was Who in America, Historical Volume, 1607-1896. Chicago: Marquis Who's Who. 

[edit] External links


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