Heswall Lower Village
The Heswall Lower Village Conservation Area was designated with the aim of preserving the distinctive character of the original village with its church, former farm buildings, smithy and cottage-scale dwellings. Protection was also provided for those parts of the surrounding area characterised by substantial properties set in large, well landscaped grounds.
The manor of Heswall was first recorded in Domesday Book, its name meaning ‘spring where hazels grow’ from the Old English hæsel wella. Little has changed in the village over the centuries. In 1819 Ormerod described it as: ‘situated on the shore of the Dee, along which they present a fertile tract of meadow ground, which gradually changes to a dreary and barren flat as it advances inwards; to the north east this rises into a wild and rocky moor, immediately under which the parish church is situated commanding the estuary and environed by huts and farms mostly of stone, rude in their structure, and placed in great disorder.’
Stone remained the chief building material in the area for years. A warm red in colour, it was quarried locally and can be seen in numerous houses, boundary walls and cuttings through the bedrock.
Farming and some market gardening remained the main occupation of the inhabitants until the later 19th century. The Lydiate, Church Farm and the Old Smithy are reminders of this period.
In 1877 Thomas Helsby’s edition of Ormerod reported a new trend, describing the village as becoming a ‘favourite place of resort in the summer by the residents of Liverpool and Birkenhead.’ The result of this was the appearance of large Victorian villas, set in substantial gardens and often with stretches of heather or woodland within their grounds.
Growth was further stimulated when, in 1886, the railway linking Hooton with Parkgate was extended through Heswall to West Kirby. Running below the village, closer to the shore, the line provided easy access to Liverpool. This and the area’s healthy surroundings and spectacular views brought more villas and several late Victorian and Edwardian terraces.
The principal feature of the village is the Grade II* listed St Peter’s Church, with its churchyard sloping away to the west. It was rebuilt in 1879, having been struck by lightning, but its tower was begun in the 14th century and many of its internal fittings date from earlier years. As with several Wirral churches, there are stained glass windows by C.E. Kempe, who also designed the reredos. A sundial, listed Grade II and dated 1726, stands in the churchyard as do a number of Commonwealth war graves, dating from both World Wars.
The former Rectory was replaced in the 1960s but part of its large sandstone barn still abuts on Village Road.
Other features worth noting are the two inns, The Dee View, a later Victorian public house and the Black Horse, whose stone built centre section dates from 1843. At the top of School Hill is the original village school, opened in 1872 and at the bend in Dee View Road is the red sandstone war memorial, unveiled in 1924. Several areas of open space lie within or adjacent to the Conservation Area.
The triangular Dawstone Park was laid out by the former Heswall cum Oldfield Parish Council in 1931 at the head of School Lane. A sandstone plaque in the boundary wall, bearing the inscription ‘Floreat Sanctus Sanctorum’, commemorates its opening on 1st July. The Beacons, a stretch of sandstone outcrops and pine is a Site of Biological Importance. Most extensive are the Dales, over 70 acres of lowland heath, designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest and a Local Nature Reserve. To view a map of the Conservation Area click here.
