Aigburth () is a suburb of
Liverpool,
Merseyside,
England. Located to the south of the city, it is bordered by
Toxteth,
Dingle,
Mossley Hill,
Grassendale and
Garston.
History
Historically a part of
Lancashire, 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The spelling Aigburgh (or, more rarely, Aighburgh) is sometimes found in old publications and historical documents (for example, S. Lewis, A Topographical Dictionary of England (1848)), as well as in modern references to former residents and is occasionally seen as an alternative (if incorrect) spelling today.
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 and 2010 general elections.
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 and semi detached homes, with large detached houses (mostly converted into flats or hotels) in Aigburth Drive overlooking Sefton Park and modern estates containing detached and semi detached houses in the Riverside Drive area. It is considered by most Liverpudlians to be one of Liverpool's more prosperous and green areas, and is widely regarded as the most bohemian part of Liverpool . Lark Lane (between Aigburth Road and Sefton Park) is one of the most popular areas to eat/drink/pass the time of day in Liverpool. The Guardian published a semi-accurate article in its 'Let's move to ...' series.
Landmarks
Liverpool Cricket Club, (Aigburth)
Sudley House
Sefton Park
Church of St Anne, Aigburth
Stanlawe Grange
Otterspool Promenade
Lark Lane
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.
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.
Sport
Liverpool Cricket Club, a regular home venue of
Lancashire County Cricket Club, and
Sefton Park Cricket Club are located in Aigburth.
Notable residents
Peter Beckett, musician and composer.
Cyril Bibby, sexologist and educationalist.
Ronald Brittain, Sergeant Major of The Guards.
John Leslie Chadwick, original bassist, Gerry & The Pacemakers
Kenneth Cranston, dentist and England cricketer.
Gloria Grahame, Hollywood actress.
Mikey Dalton, Big Brother housemate in 2006.
Dixie Dean, professional footballer for Everton Football Club.
Sonia, singer.
Benjamin Howard Baker Everton player and Olympian.
Augustus Radcliffe Grote, born in Aigburth, noted entomologist and author.
Gérard Houllier, manager of Liverpool Football Club from 1998 to 2004.
J. Bruce Ismay, managing director of the White Star Line, operators of the RMS Titanic.Shipwreck survivor.
Gillian Kearney, actor.
Billy Liddell, professional footballer for Liverpool Football Club.
Dave Lister, fictional television character in BBC Television's Red Dwarf.
Florence Maybrick, convicted murderer.
James Maybrick, cotton broker, murder victim and Jack The Ripper suspect.
George Melly, jazz/blues singer, Surrealist art collector and writer.
Elliot Morley, former MP.
Steven Norris, former MP and businessman.
John E. Owens, Liverpool born American comedian.
Geoff Rowley, professional skateboarder.
Banastre Tarleton, MP and cavalry commander in American War of Independence.
Alfred Waterhouse, architect of the Natural History Museum and other noted public buildings.
Ricky Tomlinson, actor
Alfred Lewis Jones, shipowner, philanthropist.
Stuart Sutcliffe, artist, Beatle.
Gary Ablett, professional footballer at both Liverpool and Everton Football Clubs.
Danielle Lloyd, former Miss England and Miss Great Britain.
Gillian Gibbons, teacher and Sudanese prisoner.
Brian Reade, Daily Mirror journalist.
Richard Synge, 1952 Nobel Prize winner, (Physics).
George Holt, shipowner and merchant.
Harold Garnett, first class English cricketer.
Peter Calvocoressi, wartime codebreaker, historian, author, publisher.
References
External links
Liverpool Street Gallery - Liverpool 17
Website of the Sudley Area Residents' Association
Sudley Blog
Aigburth Community Church
Category:Districts of Liverpool
Category:Articles including recorded pronunciations (UK English)
