Norris Green is a large
housing estateA housing estate is a group of buildings built together as a single development. The exact form may vary from country to country. Accordingly, a housing estate is usually built by a single contractor, with only a few styles of house or building design, so they tend to be uniform in appearance...
and council ward in
LiverpoolLiverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
,
MerseysideMerseyside is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 1,365,900. Taking its name from the River Mersey, Merseyside came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974, after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972, and the county consists of five metropolitan...
,
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. At the
2001 CensusA nationwide census, commonly known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census....
it had a population of 17,784.
Historically a part of
LancashireLancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Lancashire County Council is based in Preston. However, Lancaster is still considered to be the county town...
, Norris Green was developed in the 1920s and named after the Liverpool-based Norris family. It was built on land donated to the city by
Lord DerbyEdward George Villiers Stanley, 17th Earl of Derby KG, GCB, GCVO, TD, PC, KGStJ, JP , known as Lord Stanley from 1893 to 1908, was a British soldier, Conservative politician, diplomat and racehorse owner. He was twice Secretary of State for War and also served as British Ambassador to...
, who was at the time resident at nearby
Knowsley HallKnowsley Hall is a stately home near Liverpool within the Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley, in Merseyside, England . It is a Grade II* listed building and is the ancestral home of the Stanley family, the Earls of Derby. The hall is surrounded by of parkland, which contains the Knowsley Safari Park...
. He donated the land on the provision that no
public houseA public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises in countries and regions of British influence. Although the terms often have different connotations, there is little definitive difference between pubs, bars,...
s were to be built within the estate.
Norris Green is a large
housing estateA housing estate is a group of buildings built together as a single development. The exact form may vary from country to country. Accordingly, a housing estate is usually built by a single contractor, with only a few styles of house or building design, so they tend to be uniform in appearance...
and council ward in
LiverpoolLiverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
,
MerseysideMerseyside is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 1,365,900. Taking its name from the River Mersey, Merseyside came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974, after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972, and the county consists of five metropolitan...
,
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. At the
2001 CensusA nationwide census, commonly known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census....
it had a population of 17,784.
History
Historically a part of
LancashireLancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Lancashire County Council is based in Preston. However, Lancaster is still considered to be the county town...
, Norris Green was developed in the 1920s and named after the Liverpool-based Norris family. It was built on land donated to the city by
Lord DerbyEdward George Villiers Stanley, 17th Earl of Derby KG, GCB, GCVO, TD, PC, KGStJ, JP , known as Lord Stanley from 1893 to 1908, was a British soldier, Conservative politician, diplomat and racehorse owner. He was twice Secretary of State for War and also served as British Ambassador to...
, who was at the time resident at nearby
Knowsley HallKnowsley Hall is a stately home near Liverpool within the Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley, in Merseyside, England . It is a Grade II* listed building and is the ancestral home of the Stanley family, the Earls of Derby. The hall is surrounded by of parkland, which contains the Knowsley Safari Park...
. He donated the land on the provision that no
public houseA public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises in countries and regions of British influence. Although the terms often have different connotations, there is little definitive difference between pubs, bars,...
s were to be built within the estate. A small number of public houses, however, do exist in the area particularly around the vicinity of Broadway shops.
Geography
The area is defined by a number of major thoroughfares. These are: the
A580 East Lancashire RoadThe A580 is a primary A road in England that connects Manchester and Liverpool and known officially along its entire length as the East Lancashire Road) The road was designed and built to provide better access to the Port of Liverpool for East Lancashire and Manchester...
and a small portion of Walton Hall Avenue to the north; Lowerhouse Lane and Dwerryhouse Lane to the east; Muirhead Avenue and Queens Drive to the south and Townsend Avenue back to Walton Hall Avenue to the west.
The area is bordered by
WaltonWalton, originally known as Walton-on-the-Hill, is an area of Liverpool, in Merseyside, England, situated to the north of Anfield and the east of Bootle and Orrell Park. It is largely residential, with a diverse population.-History:...
to the west,
FazakerleyFazakerley is a suburb of north Liverpool, Merseyside, England, and a Liverpool City Council Ward. At the 2001 Census it had a population of 15,062.-Description:...
to the north,
CroxtethCroxteth is a suburb of Liverpool, Merseyside, England and a Liverpool City Council Ward. Although housing in the area is predominantly modern, the suburb has some notable history...
to the north east and east,
West DerbyWest Derby is a suburb in the north of Liverpool, Merseyside, England. It is also a Liverpool City Council ward. At the 2001 Census, the population of the ward was 14,801 .-History:...
to the south and
ClubmoorClubmoor is a district of Liverpool, Merseyside, England and a Liverpool City Council ward.At the 2001 Census the population was recorded as 13,387....
to the south-west
Norris Green's district centre is known locally as "Broadway", consisting of mainly shops found around Broadway and Broad Lane (though this is actually located in neighbouring Clubmoor ward). The former
North Liverpool Extension LineThe North Liverpool Extension Line is a now-disused railway line in Liverpool, England.-History:The line was built by the Cheshire Lines Committee, branching from the Committee's Liverpool to Manchester line at Hunts Cross and skirting the edge of Liverpool before finally arriving at the Walton...
runs past this area and includes
Broadway Bridge.
Housing
Homes on the periphery (outer edge) of the estate and on the main routes through the area are largely brick and well-built, with those on minor routes and residential roads are of concrete construction. It is this concrete group of housing which is considered defective.
The estate was subject to large scale upgrading and renovation in the early 1970s, when still almost universally under local council ownership - this was several years before the introduction of the right to buy scheme which gave council tenants the right to buy their homes from local authorities.
A number of new homes are planned to be constructed on derelict land cleared following the demolition of defective houses on the "Boot Estate". Most of these demolitions took place around the year 2000.
Landmarks
The most notable landmark when approaching Norris Green from the north or west is the large former Cheshire Lines railway bridge, on the former Loop Line, crossing the junction of Utting Avenue and Townsend Avenue from North to South. A 1930s
art decoArt Deco was a popular international art design movement from 1925 until the 1940s, affecting the decorative arts such as architecture, interior design, and industrial design, as well as the visual arts such as fashion, painting, the graphic arts, and film...
public library is also widely recognised.
Transport
There are a number of frequent bus services to and from Liverpool City Centre via Norris Green and the Broadway area. A major cross city bus route, the 61
AigburthAigburth is a suburb of Liverpool, Merseyside, England. Located to the south of the city, it is bordered by Dingle, Garston and Mossley Hill.-History:...
to
SeaforthSeaforth is a district within the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton, Merseyside, England. It is located to the north of Liverpool. It resides between Bootle and Waterloo.-History:Seaforth comes from Old Norse sæ-fjord "sea inlet"...
bus service also passes through the area. A project to provide a tram service,
MerseytramMerseytram was a proposed tramway for Liverpool and surrounding districts of Merseyside, England. Originally proposed in 2001 - forming part of the Merseyside Local Transport Plan - it called for three lines, connecting outlying suburbs of the city with the city centre.-History:The project was...
, was abandoned due to a lack of funds.
Gangs
In recent years, Norris Green has become synonymous with gang violence. This perception of Norris Green as a hotbed of gang activity was illustrated with the death of local gang leader Liam Smith ("Smigger"), whose death led to parts of Norris Green being closed down for the passing of his funeral cortege,
The PeopleThe People, previously known as the Sunday People, is a British tabloid Sunday-only newspaper, owned by the Trinity Mirror Group. The paper was founded on 16 October 1881....
newspaper reported that following Smith's death, Scargreen Avenue in Norris Green had been: "turned into a shrine" for his passing.
Whilst filming for an
ITVITV is a public service network of British commercial television broadcasters, set up under the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC. ITV is the oldest commercial television network in the UK...
Tonight with Trevor McDonald special, journalist and presenter Sheila Fogarty and her crew were threatened by teenagers armed with glass bottles and stones in Norris Green in January 2008.
The Sky1 programme
Ross Kemp on GangsRoss Kemp on Gangs is a BAFTA award-winning documentary series shown on Sky1 then repeated on Sky3. On 20 May 2007 the series won a BAFTA award for best factual series. The show is hosted by actor Ross Kemp, best known for his role of Grant Mitchell in the show EastEnders...
featured the gang problems in Norris Green.
Notable people
- Steve Coppell
Stephen James "Steve" Coppell is a former English footballer and former manager. As a player, he was a highly regarded right winger known for his speed and work rate. He won domestic honours with Manchester United and represented England at the World Cup...
, former Manchester UnitedManchester United Football Club is an English football club, one of the most popular football clubs in the world, based at Old Trafford in Greater Manchester. The club was a founding member of the Premier League in 1992, and has played in the top division of English football since 1938, with the...
football player and former manager of ReadingReading Football Club is an association football club, based in the English town of Reading, in Berkshire, who play in the The Championship. Formed in 1871 the club is one of the oldest teams in England, but did not join the Football League until 1920, and never played in the top tier of English...
, was born here.
- Actor Geoffrey Hughes
Geoffrey Hughes is an English actor.As well as a wide range of TV and film appearances Hughes is best known for a series of supporting roles in popular UK television dramas...
, who found fame in Coronation StreetCoronation Street is an award-winning prime time soap opera set and produced in Manchester created by Tony Warren...
, and later HeartbeatHeartbeat is a long running British TV police drama series set in 1960s Yorkshire. It is made by ITV Studios at The Leeds Studios, and on location, for broadcast on ITV. Heartbeat first aired on Friday 10 April 1992...
and Keeping Up AppearancesKeeping Up Appearances is a British sitcom starring Patricia Routledge as eccentric, social-climbing snob Hyacinth Bucket. Created and written by Roy Clarke, it aired on BBC1 from 1990 to 1995 — spanning five seasons and 44 episodes — four of which are Christmas specials.In 2004 the show came 12th...
, was born in Norris Green.
- Holly Johnson
Holly Johnson is an English artist, writer and musician, best known as the lead vocalist of Frankie Goes to Hollywood.-Career:Johnson was born in Liverpool, England...
and other members of Frankie Goes to HollywoodFrankie Goes to Hollywood was an English dance-pop band that was extremely popular in the mid-1980s. The Liverpool group was fronted by Holly Johnson , supported by Paul Rutherford , Peter Gill , Mark O'Toole and Brian Nash .The group's debut single "Relax" was famously banned by the BBC while at...
.
- Ian McCulloch
Ian Stephen McCulloch is an English singer, born in Liverpool, and frontman for the rock group Echo & the Bunnymen.-Career:...
, lead singer of the prominent Liverpool band Echo & the BunnymenEcho & the Bunnymen are an English post-punk group, formed in Liverpool in 1978. Their original lineup consisted of vocalist Ian McCulloch, guitarist Will Sergeant and bass player Les Pattinson, supplemented by a drum machine. By 1980, Pete de Freitas had joined as the band's drummer, and their...
grew up on Parthenon Drive in Norris Green. Also, a track from their 2006 album SiberiaSiberia is the tenth studio album by Echo & the Bunnymen. The album garnered generally positive reviews, with some commentators calling it their best work since Ocean Rain, despite it being the first to not reach the UK Top 75....
is titled Parthenon Drive.
- Winifred Robinson
Winifred Robinson is a BBC Radio presenter currently working on the You and Yours programme. Robinson was the fourth of six daughters of a docker and a housewife...
, the BBC RadioBBC Radio is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927...
presenter, lived here for twenty years from 1962.
- Joe Royle
Joseph "Joe" Royle is an English football manager. In his club career, he played for Everton , Manchester City, Bristol City, Norwich City, and the England national team...
, former EvertonEverton Football Club are an English professional football club from the city of Liverpool. Having competed in the top division for a record 107 seasons, they have played more top-flight league games than any other English team and have won the League Championship 9 times — the fourth highest...
player and Manchester CityManchester City Football Club is an English professional football club based in the city of Manchester. The team is currently a member of the Premier League.The first known competitive fixture was played in November 1880, when the side was known as St...
manager, was also from the area.
- 1980's pop band A Flock of Seagulls
A Flock of Seagulls are a British Grammy Award winning band originally formed by brothers Mike Score and Ali Score , with Frank Maudsley and Paul Reynolds...
originated from Norris Green.
External links