IMAGES TAKEN NEAR TO
Burrows Lane, ST. HELENS, WA10 5AE

The Griffin Inn, an old coaching inn at the junction of Church Lane with Millfields, Eccleston. The left side of the building dates back to 1620, an inn originally called The Magpie. The Griffin Inn as we see it today came into existence in 1812, taking its name from the crest of the family resident at Eccleston Hall.

Quote from Eccleston Parish Council magazine 2005/2006. “In 1963 Westfield Street Methodist Church in central St Helens closed for worship and the building was demolished under a compulsory purchase order. The trustees had already made provision for its continuing life by purchasing a large house with extensive grounds in Burrows Lane, Eccleston. The house became a residence for the minister and the lounge served as a place of worship for nearly four years until the present church was built and opened in June 1967 by the late Lady Pilkington.” The church closed in May 2006 and the land was sold for residential development. On the night of 5th November 2010 a fire badly damaged the building though its fate was already sealed.

Eccleston means church farm or settlement. "Eccles" which is found in several place names in the North West of England is derived from the Welsh "Eglwys" and the use of this word implies a Celtic religious foundation. However, Christ Church half a mile to the north on Church Lane was built between 1838/9 and is considerably older than this modern church.

Eccleston Parish Church was built in 1836 by the local squire Samuel Taylor and his emblem a griffin is the weather vane and gave the name to the nearby Griffin Inn

A view of the west end of the church with its three-stage tower topped by a spire.

Christ Church opened its doors on October 10th 1838. Built of rock-faced red sandstone from the nearby quarry at Eccleston Hill, the land was given by Samuel Taylor, a cotton manufacturer who also donated 52 and a half acres of his land to create Taylor Park with its 12 acre lake.