| Greasby | |
|---|---|
| Village | |
 TheGreave Dunning public house, Greasby Road | |
  Greasby Location withinMerseyside | |
| Population | 9,830 (2001 census)[1] |
| OS grid reference | SJ253868 |
| • London | 181 mi (291 km)[2] SE |
| Metropolitan borough | |
| Metropolitan county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | WIRRAL |
| Postcode district | CH49 |
| Dialling code | 0151 |
| ISO 3166 code | GB-WRL |
| Police | Merseyside |
| Fire | Merseyside |
| Ambulance | North West |
| UK Parliament | |
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Greasby (locally/ˈɡriːzbi/) is a large village on theWirral Peninsula,Merseyside, England. A predominantly residential area, it is contiguous withUpton to the east andSaughall Massie to the north. The small village ofFrankby is to the immediate west.Historically within the county ofCheshire, it is part of theGreasby, Frankby and Irby Ward of theMetropolitan Borough of Wirral and is in the parliamentary constituency ofWirral West.
At the2001 census, Greasby had 9,830 inhabitants,[1] with the total population of the ward at 14,667.[3] In the2011 census the population of Greasby was not measured. However the total population of Greasby, Frankby and Irby Ward was 13,991.[4]
The earliest known human settlement in Merseyside has been found at Greasby, believed to date from approximately 7000BC.[5] A rectangular floor ofsandstone slabs and pebbles suggests regular use by the nomadic hunters of that period.[6] The remains of burnthazelnut shells found at the site were used forradiocarbon dating. The results specified a time period between 8300 BC and 8500 BC, even earlier than previously thought.[7]National Museums Liverpoolarchaeologists excavated the site between 1987 and 1990.[7][5]
Greasby was anAnglo Saxon settlement, as witnessed by the form of the name,Gravesberie, in theDomesday Book.[8]Gravesberie derives from theOld Englishgräf (a grove) andburh (a fortified place). This has been recorded as meaning "grove farm/settlement",[9] or alternatively, a "stronghold or fortification by a grove, trench, canal or wood".[10][11][12]The name was Scandinavianised to Greasby, under the influence ofOld Norse speakers in Wirral (gräf andbýr, withbýr meaning "settlement" or "farmstead").[13] The name of the village has been variously spelt over time, including:Grauesberi,Grauesbyri,Grauisby (1093),Grauesbi (c.1155),Grauesby (c.1170),Griseby (1280) andGraysby (1610).[10][11][14]
Before theNorman conquest of England in 1066, Greasby was owned by a man named Dunning, who may have been an official (bailiff or steward) for the earls ofMercia.[15] After the invasion, all land in the area passed toHugh d'Avranches.[16] By the time of the Domesday Book (1086), Greasby was under the ownership of Nigel de Burcy and consisted of eight households.[8][17]
After theSecond World War the area expanded considerably, with significant residential development across previously agricultural land. This has resulted in Greasby becoming contiguous with the nearby settlements ofMoreton,Upton andWoodchurch.[18]
Greasby was formerly atownship split between the parishes ofThurstaston andWest Kirby, within theWirral Hundred. It heldcivil parish status between 1866 and 1974.[19]From 1866 Greasby was part of Wirral Rural Sanitary District, which was replaced in 1894 byWirral Rural District. In 1933 the village transferred toHoylake Urban District.[20] On 1 April 1974 the parish was abolished[21] andlocal government reorganisation in England and Wales resulted in most of the Wirral Peninsula, including Greasby, transfer from the county of Cheshire to Merseyside.
The population of the township/parish was 123 in 1801, rising to 177 in 1851, 290 in 1901 and significantly increasing to 4,367 in 1951.[19][22]
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Greasby is bounded byArrowe Brook, atUpton Meadow, and byGreasby Brook which flows around the western and northern sides of Greasby. Greasby Brook merges into Arrowe Brook between Greasby andSaughall Massie, which becomes a tributary ofthe Birket.
Greasby Cross is an iron cross on a sandstone plinth that was placed in the centre of the village in 1862 to replicate an earlier, possiblymedieval, cross on the same site. A restored late nineteenth century water pump is on Old Pump Lane.[10]
Greasby Old Hall on Frankby Road has been a Grade IIlisted building since 1953.[23] It is a seventeenth century sandstone house, although remnants of a possibly fifteenth century timber structure survive within.[24]
Manor Farm is a red sandstone and brick building with associated barns and are all Grade II listed buildings.[25][26] Manor Farm has a date stone inscription of "IM 1680" and has been previously known as Greasby House and The Manor.
The village is within the parliamentary constituency ofWirral West. It is currently represented byLabour Member of ParliamentMatthew Patrick.
Atlocal government level, Greasby is incorporated into theGreasby, Frankby and IrbyWard of theMetropolitan Borough of Wirral, in themetropolitan county of Merseyside. It is represented onWirral Metropolitan Borough Council by three councillors.[27] The most recentlocal elections took place on 6 May 2021.
The village has four primary schools: Greasby Infant School,[28] Greasby Junior School,[29] Our Lady of Pity Primary School[30] and Brookdale Primary School.
Greasby has three churches: St. Nicholas'Church of England,[31] the Our Lady Of PityCatholic Church,[32] and GreasbyMethodist Church.[33]
The village has a library[34] and a community centre. They are centrally situated and close together, along with the health centre. The Greasby Centre is a purpose-built single-storey building which has two halls. This was built as Greasby Community Centre in 1984, and replaced an older building on Arrowe Road.[35] The 2nd GreasbyScout Group is also within the village, having been established in 1954.[36][37]
There are five public houses in Greasby. TheCoach and Horses is possibly the oldest pub, which was definitely in business by 1832, having been named on the Bryant map of that year, and possibly dating as far back as 1725.[38] TheRed Cat was built in 1964 to replace theNew Inn which had stood a few metres from the site of the present building since at least 1849.[38][39] TheTwelfth Man opened around 1960 and was named as a result of its proximity to Upton Cricket Club.[38] This pub has an adjoiningbudget hotel which is part of thePremier Inn chain.[40] The pub was renamedThe Gravesberie Inn in 2019.[41] TheGreave Dunning was an 18th-century farmhouse, and it was opened as a pub in 1981.[38]
Coronation Park is situated at the eastern end of the village.Upton Meadow borders Greasby to the east.Arrowe Park borders to the south-east.
JFC Greasby is a youthfootball club based in Greasby, which was founded in 2009.[42] Greasby Livery caters fordressage andshowjumping.[43] The community centre also has akarate club.[44] Greasby FC were a small football club, which played in theWest Cheshire League between 1951 and 1958.[45]
The village contains apost office, a branch ofThe Co-operative Food, aBoots pharmacy, a branch ofAge UK, aWilliam Hill bookmaker and aBPpetrol station. ASainsbury's Local convenience store was opened on 8 October 2014, along with aveterinary surgery which opened on 6 October 2014.[46][47] These were opened in new retail unit, after many parts of the local community opposed the construction of the new building.[47][48] Greasby also has a number of other small shops including butchers, florist, greengrocer's, estate agents and a number of fast food takeaways.
Greasby is situated on theB5139, which runs between Upton and West Kirby.[49] TheA5027 Uptonbypass is along the eastern side of Greasby, at the junction with the B5139.[49] The A5027 connects directly to Junction 2A of theM53 motorway[50] approximately 0.62 miles (1 km) from the junction with the B5139.
Upton railway station on theBorderlands line is the closest station to the village.Meols railway station on theWirral line of theMerseyrail network is several miles to the north west.
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