Sitting in the northern reaches of Liverpool, Fazakerley borders Croxteth, Gillmoss, Aintree, and Kirkby. The area falls within the Liverpool Walton parliamentary constituency and had a recorded population of 16,786 at the 2011 Census. Its name stretches back to Anglo-Saxon origins, derived from the root words fæs (border or fringe), æcer (field), and lēah (wood or clearing) – a description that once accurately reflected its flat, open character.
History and Development
A 1321 account described the area bluntly as “extremely flat and treeless, with nothing to recommend it to the passer-by” – a district of straight lines separated from Walton by a brook and from West Derby partly by Sugar Brook up to Stone Bridge. Fazakerley originally covered 1,709 acres (6.92 km²) and was a township within the parish of Walton-on-the-Hill. It became a separate civil parish in 1866, and was absorbed into Liverpool on 1 April 1922. At that point the parish held a population of just 6,055 – significantly smaller than today. During and after the Second World War, ROF Fazakerley – a Royal Ordnance Factories plant – produced weapons including the Lee-Enfield rifle, the Sten, and the Sterling submachine gun.
Transport and Local Landmarks
Fazakerley railway station connects the area to the wider city via the Headbolt Lane branch of the Northern Line on the Merseyrail network, with up to four trains per hour running between Liverpool Central and Headbolt Lane during peak times. Two trains per hour operate on late evenings and Sundays. Within Fazakerley itself, Aintree University Hospital and Altcourse Prison are among the most prominent institutions. The area appeared in popular culture through the 1983 Yorkshire Television drama One Summer, which was partially set here. Notable people from Fazakerley include footballer and coach Rickie Lambert, darts player Stephen Bunting, TV presenter Neil Buchanan, and novelist Lyn Andrews.