Parr, St Helens

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Parr is a former village, now situated within St. Helens, England and is located towards the eastern side of the town. However the area dates back to the West Derby 100 districts from the 12th century. The area is located within walking distance of St. Helens town centre within a distance of approximately half a mile.

1 History
2 Housing
3 Connections
4 Education
5 Sport

[edit] History

Parr was one of a number of townships formed at around 1866, that would later become St. Helens, the others being Sutton, Eccleston and Windle.

The Sankey Canal, also known as the Sankey Brook Navigation and St Helens Canal, flows through Parr. When opened in 1757, it ran from the mouth of Sankey Brook at the River Mersey along the valley of the Sankey Brook, ending North West of St Helens. Later extensions were made at the Mersey end, firstly to Fiddlers Ferry, then to Widnes, and at the northern end, where it was extended into what became the centre of St.Helens

[edit] Housing

Over recent years the area has succumbed to social problems linked to poverty and is considered to be one of the less desirable areas of the town. There are terraced cottage style houses in Parr that date back to the 1890s. A large council estate was built in the Derbyshire Hill area of Parr in the early 1960s. The area, as well as other areas of Parr, has been targeted for regeneration, and many council properties have been refurbished with UPVC doors and double glazing. Recently a new private housing development comprised of detached houses, terraced homes and flats was completed along Newton Road and adjacent to the Derbyshire Hill area.

[edit] Connections

Parr has three main access routes. The A572 (Newton Road) which links to Newton-Le-Willows, the A572 (Parr Stocks Road) which is a direct route into St. Helens town centre and the B5204 which runs towards Burtonwood, Warrington.

[edit] Education

There is currently no high school located in Parr, since the closure of Parr High School, the nearest being St. Cuthbert's located in Sutton and St. Augustine's located in Blackbrook.

[edit] Sport

There are no professional sporting clubs or organisations in Parr, but the area boasts a series of playing fields where the local combination football league and rugby fixtures are played as well as hosting the town's main swimming baths.