The oldest buildings surviving in the village are probably Grange Lodge in Grange Lane (a house which retains some 17th century features), the Unitarian Chapel in Gateacre Brow (built in 1700 for an English Presbyterian congregation) and Paradise Row in Grange Lane (the original inhabitants of which, pre-1750, are thought to have been out-workers producing components for the Prescot watchmaking industry).

Around this small cluster of buildings stretched farmland and heathland, which during the nineteenth century proved attractive to wealthy individuals seeking a rural retreat from their everyday business in Liverpool, Warrington or Widnes.