A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



for the fresher breezes which blow over open fields 

 and through masses of foliage. True, there is hardly 

 a break in the long line of houses from the city to the 

 village of West Derby, but the larger houses set amidst 

 gardens and paddocks are separated by airy spaces and 

 are overshadowed by trees. The country is very flat, 

 and has, except in the far east, the unmistakable stamp 

 of suburbanism. In the easterly direction are the 

 plantations and grounds of Croxteth Hall ; in the 

 north is open land which was once mossland, a large 

 cemetery being a conspicuous object in the level 

 country. South and west are more crowded with 

 houses, where such suburban neighbourhoods as Knotty 

 Ash, Broad Green, and Old Swan are situated. The 

 old-fashioned village of West Derby still presents a 

 countrified aspect in spite of the advent of electric 

 cars, and clusters principally about the gates of Croxteth 

 Park. The open ground is chiefly pasture, but crops 

 of corn and potatoes are raised in a loamy soil. 



The geological formation is mostly the new red 

 sandstone or trias, consisting of pebble beds of the 

 bunter series on the west and in the centre, alternating 

 with the upper mottled sandstone of the same series 

 between the centre and the west, recurring on the 

 eastern side, except where a small area of the coal 

 measures crops up in Croxteth Park. These alternat- 

 ing areas of different formation extend through the 

 township and beyond from north-west to south-east. 



The map of 1768 ' shows how the town has grown 

 up. At that time the principal road out of Liverpool, 

 leading to Prescot and Warrington, ascended eastward, 1 

 by Cheetham's Brow, to Low Hill, and went onward * 

 with fields on either side for about two miles to the 



Old Swan Inn, 4 which has since given name to the 

 hamlet around it. 



At the ' Old Swan ' the road divided. The main 

 track, as Prescot Lane, went north-east, passing Knotty 

 Ash, 6 a small hamlet, near which the Dovecote was 

 built. 6 The other track, as Petticoat Lane, 7 went 

 east to Broad Green, then a small hamlet round a 

 triangular space. 



To the south of Prescot Road another led eastward 

 from Liverpool. At the foot of the hill it divided, 

 one road bending towards Low Hill, 8 the other going 

 direct to the top of the hill, where was a large open 

 space called Greenfield. 9 Here again the road divided, 

 Edge Lane 10 running parallel to the Prescot Road, while 

 the other road " led to Wavertree, passing Wavertree 

 Hall " on the north side. Smithdown Lane " led south- 

 ward, near the Liverpool and Toxteth boundary, to- 

 wards Allerton. 



To the north of the Prescot Road a third road ran 

 eastward ; it was then called Rake Lane, 14 and formed 

 for some distance the boundary between this township 

 and Everton. After passing the Upper Breck, 15 the 

 road, as Rocky Lane, descended the hill, 16 and then 

 crossed Tue Brook, 17 which here gives its name to the 

 neighbourhood. From the crossing Green Lane 18 led 

 away to the ' Old Swan.' The main road 19 led upward 

 to the Mill-house, near which had stood the ancient 

 Derby windmill, Lark Hill M lying to the north. As 

 Mill Lane the road then descended to the village with 

 its ancient chapel," being further prolonged, as Castle 

 Lane, in the direction of Croxteth Hall. 



At the village cross-roads led south-east to Town Row, 

 from which Deys Lane " branched off; and north-west 



