| Stockbridge Village | |
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Stockbridge Village
Stockbridge Village shown within Merseyside |
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| Metropolitan borough | Knowsley |
|---|---|
| Metropolitan county | Merseyside |
| Region | North West |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | LIVERPOOL |
| Postcode district | L28 |
| Dialling code | 0151 |
| Police | Merseyside |
| Fire | Merseyside |
| Ambulance | North West |
| EU Parliament | North West England |
| UK Parliament | Knowsley |
| List of places: UK • England • Merseyside | |
Stockbridge Village is an area in Liverpool, England. The area adopted its current name in 1983 following the regeneration of the Cantril Farm housing estate, which was originally laid out during the 1960s but deteriorated rapidly due to crime and unemployment.
The district was built in the 1960s as Cantril Farm to rehouse some 15,000 people from inner-city slum clearances, and consisted of mainly council-owned properties which included several high-rise blocks of flats. It was part of a deal to rehouse some 200,000 people from inner-city Liverpool in new residential areas beyond the city's borders, with other families from inner-city Liverpool moving to other overspill places like Huyton, Kirkby, Halewood, Skelmersdale and later, Runcorn New Town.
The land on which Cantril Farm would be built was purchased by Liverpool council in 1961 for a sum of £132,500.
The first homes on the estate were ready for occupation during 1965, but initially the estate lacked facilities such as public transport, health care and shops, these facilities not being provided until a couple of years after the first residents arrived on the estate. Mobile shops were located on the estate until permanent buildings were erected. The first pub on the estate was opened in 1968, around the same time that the first bus routes were established. Subways were also erected to underpass the busiest roads on the estate for pedestrian safety. Small supermarkets were also erected in the late 1960s and the Withens Shopping Centre opened in 1970.
St Jude's Parish Church was opened in 1972 at a cost of £40,000. St Albert's Roman Catholic church opened in 1966, and later on Cantril Farm Methodist Church opened. A second Parish Church, St Brigid's, opened in October 1967.
The autumn of 1968 saw the opening of two primary schools on the estate - St Albert's and St Brigid's.
Cantril High School was also opened to serve pupils aged 11-16.
A total of nine tower blocks were built in the late 1960s, but three of those have now been demolished.
However, the estate was in deep decline by 1980. There was a riot on the estate in 1981. By 1982, unemployment on the estate was at 49% among males and 80% among young people. burglary and violent crime were rife on the estate. Shop units were becoming vacant. Household spaces were also becoming vacant as families were wanting to leave the estate and the vacant properties were difficult to let to new tenants. Two school buildings on the estate were wrecked in arson attacks and had to be completely rebuilt. Car theft was a serious problem, as were arson attacks on parked vehicles.
Stockbridge Village Trust Limited was established on 18 February 1983 as a non-profit-making Private Company limited by guarantee. The estate within the Borough of Knowsley, which was owned by the Borough Council, was conveyed to the Trust on 6 April 1983, at the District Valuer’s valuation of £7.42M. This resulted in the Cantril Farm Estate being split, with two-thirds owned by the Trust, and one third owned by Liverpool City Council. The estate was renamed Stockbridge Village.
The estate was plagued by unemployment, car crime, burglaries, rioting and vandalism during the 1980s as it was one of the most hard-hit parts of Liverpool during this era. It has since been regenerated, with most of the housing stock either improved or replaced.
Three of the estate's nine tower blocks were demolished, along with some 600 maisonettes and 340 low-rise flats. The remaining properties were refurbished. The layout of the estate was altered to improve vehicular access. The shopping and recreational areas of the estate were also improved or replaced.
All council properties on the estate were transferred to the Village housing association in 1995.
Footballer Micky Quinn grew up on the estate and lived there from 1967 until 1986. His father Mick Quinn senior now runs a pub in the area.
Footballer Ian Bishop was born on the estate. He later played for Everton, Manchester City and West Ham United.
Former Liverpool striker David Fairclough grew up on the estate after moving there as a child in the 1960s.
Comedian/actor Craig Charles grew up in the area.
Musician Paul Rutherford, a member of Frankie Goes to Hollywood (whose Relax and Two Tribes hits topped the UK charts in 1984), also grew up on the estate after moving there from an inner-city slum area during the 1960s.
All of the members of The Farm, a successful pop group who achieved fame at the turn of the 1990s, were from Cantril Farm and named their band "The Farm" in honour of the estate they came from. Their most famous hit is All Together Now, a top 10 hit which was released in November 1990.
Joey McLoughlin, a professional cyclist who won the Milk Race in 1986, was born at Cantril Farm and grew up on the estate as the youngest of 10 children.