| Waterloo | |
|---|---|
| Town | |
 | |
  Waterloo Location withinMerseyside | |
| OS grid reference | SJ315985 |
| Metropolitan borough | |
| Metropolitan county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | LIVERPOOL |
| Postcode district | L22 |
| Dialling code | 0151 |
| Police | Merseyside |
| Fire | Merseyside |
| Ambulance | North West |
| UK Parliament | |
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Waterloo is a town in theMetropolitan Borough of Sefton, inMerseyside, England. Together withSeaforth, the two settlements make up the borough'sChurch ward. The area is bordered byCrosby to the north, Seaforth to the south, theRimrose Valley country park to the east, andCrosby Beach and Crosby Coastal Park to the west.
Crosby Beach begins in Waterloo at the Crosby Marine Park and stretches 3 miles (4.8 km) up toHightown. The beach is the location of Antony Gormley'sAnother Place sculpture.
The town is connected toLiverpool in the south andSouthport to the north byMerseyrail'sNorthern line atWaterloo station.
Waterloo washistorically part ofLancashire and originally an area ofCrosby, named Crosby Seabank. At that time it consisted mostly of cottages, the beachfront, sand-hills and fields.[1] The area grew in popularity with wealthy visitors from Liverpool, prompting the planning and construction of a large hotel in the Georgian style to be named theCrosby Seabank Hotel.[1] The grand opening coincided with 18 June 1816, the first anniversary of theBattle of Waterloo, and was named theRoyal Waterloo Hotel in honour of the event.[1] Gradually, as the population increased and the area became an identifiable location it became known as Waterloo, with several streets taking the name of names associated with the battle cementing the association.[1]
Some of the buildings in Waterloo such as theGrade II Listed Potters Barn park buildings are replicas of those found inWaterloo, Belgium.[1][2]
On 31 December 1894 Waterloo became acivil parish, formed from the part ofGreat Crosby parish inWaterloo with Seaforth Urban District, and subsequently became part of themunicipal borough of Crosby in 1937.[3] In 1951 the parish had a population of 16,997.[4] On 1 April 1974 the parish was abolished[5] and the Municipal Borough of Crosby became part of the newly createdMetropolitan Borough of Sefton.
From 1918 until 1950 Waterloo was within the Parliamentary seat known as theWaterloo constituency, a safe seat for theConservative Party. From 1950 until 2010 Waterloo was within the boundaries of theCrosby constituency. From 1997 to 2010 theMember of Parliament (MP) wasClaire Curtis-Thomas, a member of theLabour Party; prior to her election the Crosby seat was generally considered to be a safe Conservative Party stronghold, like its predecessor seat, with Tory MPs elected at every election barring the1981 Crosby by-election whereShirley Williams of theSocial Democratic Party was elected to represent the constituency. As a result of boundary revisions for the2010 general election, the Crosby constituency was abolished and Waterloo was included in the expandedBootle constituency. The town has been represented by Labour MPPeter Dowd since2015.
For elections toSefton Council, the southern part of Waterloo is within the electoral ward ofChurch and is represented by three councillors. The northern part from St John's Rd to Queensway is inVictoria ward and is represented by another three councillors.
Waterloo is made up of predominatelyGeorgian,Edwardian andVictorian villas, mews and terraces, facing the sea. The South Road offers shops and restaurants. A series of public gardens – built as a job creation scheme during the 1930sGreat Depression – run adjacent to the esplanade that abuts the marina leading to the coast and beach.
Chaffers Running Track was established in the early 1960s.[6] Southport Waterloo Running Club used the cinder track as their base for about 15 years until the Litherland Park Sports Centre was built in 2007.[7] Chaffers fell into disuse until plans were announced in 2020 to restore it.[8] It is now the home of the Marsh Lane Harriers running club.[9]
In 2019, a 3 acre wildflower meadow was established instigated by local resident Linda Gaskell with help from Sefton Councillor Michael Roche. The meadow is located within the former athletic track At Chafer's Fields. The varieties were selected by Richard Scott of theEden Project and include Cornflower, sunflower, field marigold, camomile and poppies. It is planned to extend the meadow each year along the Valley.
The Marina is a stretch of fields and protected natural wildlife area near the Marina Lake. The area begins adjacent to theRoyal Seaforth Dock. A path runs through the Marina toward thesand dunes ofCrosby Beach, it is the main route taken by foot to get to the beach, beginning at the top of South Road, Waterloo. The Marina has a café (Waterloo Place opened in 2015) and the Crosby Lakeside Adventure Centre (opened in early 2010).
The beach at Waterloo is the permanent home ofAntony Gormley'sAnother Place.[10] The permanent art installation consists of figures ofcast iron facing out to sea, spread over a 2 mile (3.2 km) stretch of the beach between Waterloo andBlundellsands.[10][11][12]
The Plaza Cinema has been a part of the fabric of Waterloo since 1939. The opening coincided with the outbreak ofWorld War II forcing it to immediately close its doors under wartime restrictions until the public order was rescinded by the government.[13][14] Originally namedThe Plaza, it has changed hands numerous times during its life, becoming known asThe Odeon in the 1950s,The Classic in the 1970s andThe Apollo in the 1990s.[13]
In 1996 the cinema was closed when the owners decided to sell the property for redevelopment.[13][14] After numerous petitions the cinema was reopened on 18 July 1997 under a community trust and its original name restored. After successfully raising money to secure equipment, the re-opened cinema was staffed entirely by volunteers apart from the projectionist. After the support of British Film Commissioner SirSydney Samuelson the cinema was able to secureThe Lost World: Jurassic Park as first film to be shown.[13][14][15] Since then The Plaza has been a focal community point in Waterloo, offeringAutism friendly screenings, Kids clubs and social clubs.[16] In September 2009 the Plaza celebrated its 70th anniversary.[14]
In May 2010, the venue hosted the celebration event for theWho I Am and Where I'm From project which showcased a collection of animations produced by the Polish Community in Sefton calledPolska Tales.[17]
In July 2011 the cinema completed an £80,000 refurbishment that saw Sir Sydney Samuelson attend its reopening ceremony.[18]
In 2016 the Plaza was awarded aQueen's Award for Voluntary Service.[16]
There are three primary schools: Waterloo Primary, St. Johns C of E Primary, and St Edmunds & St Thomas's RC. Local high schools are in Crosby.
The district is served byWaterloo station on theNorthern Line of theMerseyrail network. Waterloo is connected to Liverpool by the Dock Road. The number 53 bus runs through South Road, Waterloo and into Liverpool City centre.
Waterloo was home toWaterloo rugby club who took their name from the area, having played there from 1884 until 1892 before moving back toBlundellsands. In 1992, they famously defeated then English champions and cup holders Bath 9-8 in a fourth round cup tie. The marina in Waterloo, and adjacent Crosby Lakeside Adventure Centre, is home to theCrosby Scout and Guide Marina Club.
A local charity, theWaterloo Partnership, fundraises forWaterloo, a city in theWestern Area ofSierra Leone and the capital of that country'sWestern Area Rural District.[24]
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