Introduction to Woolton Park and its environs (continued)

The Enclosure Act of 1805 aimed at carving up the common and allotting parcels to people who were already landholders in the three townships. But first roads were laid out:

Woolton Road - formalised along an already established route;

Woolton Hill Road (Red Brow) - to be 40 ft wide, where hitherto the cows and sheep of Gateacre had drifted to their common pastures; and

Church Road - the new road from Much Woolton village.

In our study area the biggest allotments resulted in John Weston (fl.1801-13), a West Africa Merchant - slave trader - probably living at Gateacre Hall, building up an estate of about 42 acres. This was the whole area from the line of the garden wall of Riffel Lodge and The Riffel and the private road of Glenacres - Acrefield Road - Woolton Hill Road - Church Road - excepting only the ¾ acre Little Woolton Township Quarry (Parkwood Road). However by April 1811 John Weston was bankrupt.

The rest of our area consisted of a strip about 120 ft wide and 3 acres in extent from Church Road through to Acrefield Road belonging to the devisees of James Hall; and the future sites of Hillcroft, the Rectory (Churchfield), Summer Hill and Mount Aventine were allotted to John Nicholas Fazakerly.

Sherriff's Map of 1816 shows Robert Roskell (c.1773- 1847) watchmaker of Liverpool, living at Gateacre Hall; the attorney John Topham (c.1777-c.1833) had built what we are going to call "Dennison's House" behind the township quarry; "Woolton Hill House" - at Courtenay Road - had been built; and it seems that Weston was at another new house, Hillcroft.

In 1828 John Crosthwaite (c.1793-1866), West India Merchant, bought most of the area known to us as Reynolds Park and built the house.

continued . . .