IMAGES TAKEN NEAR TO
High Carrs, LIVERPOOL, L36 4RW

Gardens and terrace at the rear of the Derby Lodge Hotel looking out over Bowring Park Golf Course. This lovely red sandstone house was originally called Edenhurst, built in 1840 by Edward Stanley (who later became the 14th Earl of Derby) for his estate manager and close friend, Richard Earle.

View of the second green on Bowring Park golf course, Roby, with the Derby Lodge hotel in the background. This was the very first municipal course, opened in 1913 in the grounds of Roby Hall.

Originally a Norse settlement, Roby appears in the Domesday Book as 'Rabil', which means boundary farm. In 1726 this road became a turnpike road between Liverpool and Prescot bringing an increasing volume of traffic through the township, one of the original toll cottages still stands. The construction of the Liverpool - Manchester railway attracted new housing developments, including Edenhurst which is now The Derby Lodge Hotel, the gatelodge of which can be seen here.

Roby, like its neighbour Huyton, is an ancient village mentioned in the Domesday Book and still proud of its identity. These cottages are on a corner opposite the toll bar cottage on the busy A5080.

In 1761, John Williamson, Mayor of Liverpool built a new Roby Hall to the south-west of the Old Hall, a medieval estate house with a gatehouse. In 1906 William Bowring transferred his ownership of the Roby Hall estate (Bowring Park) to the City on the agreement that it would be used for general recreation purposes for the benefit of the inhabitants of the City. In 1913 the first Municipal Golf Course in the UK was established in the park. Both halls were demolished in the 20th Century, one gatehouse following the construction of the M62. A blank canvas, the restoration of the historic, previously unloved and overgrown sunken garden, ha-ha and other areas of Bowring Park has been possible thanks to a £1.9m grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund. Upon completion, the park will feature a new cafe in the coach house. For more information and old photographs see:- http://restorebowringpark.co.uk/heritage/

Sadly not open on this day!! As at February 2009 the kiosk has now been reported demolished, leaving a hole in the ground and some new concrete posts where it used to stand. This is a sad end to another piece of our local history.

The very last (standard gauge) steam-hauled train promoted by British Rail ran on Sunday 11th August 1968. Universally (but unofficially) known as the 'Fifteen Guinea Special' because of what was then regarded as an outrageous ticket price (equivalent to almost £340 in 2024), the train ran from Liverpool, to Manchester, and on to Carlisle over the Settle & Carlisle line. It returned by the same route. The first leg of the trip, from Liverpool to Manchester along the original Liverpool & Manchester Railway of 1830, was headed by LMS Black 5 45110 seen here approaching Roby Station. For a 2011 photo taken from the exact same spot see Image Happily 45110 survived into the preservation era and arrived at the Severn Valley Railway in August 1970. It saw much use on the line and also headed many specials on the national network in the late 1990s. It has however been out-of-use awaiting an overhaul since 2008. In August 2023 the SVR sold 45110 to a private owner and it was moved to Carnforth Motive Power Depot.

Recovering grassland following the completion of excavations for a new link road and 119 space car park in Bowring Park. Hopefully the new faclities and restored gardens will be open to the public later this year.

Used to collect tolls when the road was a turnpike