Crossens

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Crossens is the northernmost district of the town of Southport, Merseyside and part of the ancient parish of North Meols. Formerly, Crossens was a detached settlement lying on the western edge of Martin Mere, but after the drainage of the Mere and the expansion of Southport, it had become absorbed into the town's conurbation.

[edit] History

Sited as it was on the shore of Martin Mere and at the inland end of Crossens Sluice, Crossens formed the basis of a substantial fishing industry supporting the surrounding area and the nearby village of Banks. After Martin Mere was largely reclaimed for farmland, the focus of the town increasingly turned to agriculture, and to this day the high-quality soil supports several flower and vegetable farms in the east of the district. Farming of some scale or other has been a feature of this area since medieval times, however.

The Industrial Revolution led to Crossens incorporation into Southport as a site for housing for the larger town's burgeoning worker population. The second-half of the 20th Century saw the area becoming home to some light industry (including the Vulcan motor works), but apart from some small industrial units the area is now primarily a commuter suburb for Southport, Preston and Ormskirk.

[edit] Transport

Crossens lay on the route of the West Lancashire Railway; Crossens railway station was the last electrified on the branch in 1906. The lines closed in the 1960's.