We caught the train from Maghull to Central Station..
...and then made our way to the start of the walk...
...on the corner of Everton Road and West Derby Road.
This was the site of the ‘Liverpool Necropolis’ or ‘City of the Dead’Opening in 1825, it was closed in 1898, as it was completely full.
Liverpool Corporation bought the cemetery, as it was very short of open land for public recreation space and parkland, and in 1912, all the monuments were removed and the headstones laid flat.
These, and the great vaults and tombs, were all turfed over and landscaped.
It opened as Grant Gardens, in 1914.
Today, few people realise that, as they stroll, play games, or walk their dogs, they are doing so on top of the 80,000 corpses that still lie there!
We continued along Everton Road, then left into Village Street and Brow Side.
This was once, in the 18th Century, an extremely desirable residential district with outstanding views across the countryside, river, the Wirral and the Irish Sea.
The 'Nob Hill' of Liverpool.Because of the views, bakeries, taverns and Molly Bushell's Everton Toffee Shop it also became a major tourist destination for ordinary people.
Visitors who misbehaved were detained in the lock-up, built in 1787.
An image of the lock-up appears as the central image in the logo of Everton Football Club, which also has the nickname of ‘The Toffees’, after Molly Bushell’s famous confection.
We found the Everton Park Heritage Trail Boards very informative...
We then headed into into Everton Park and the Vista Point...
...past some interesting graffiti...
The view alone was worth the visit...
...including the new cranes down at Seaforth Docks...
Here in 1644, during the English Civil War, Prince Rupert of the Rhine, the 24-year-old nephew of King Charles I, invaded Liverpool.
Today, the views are still stunning and, on our visit, the wild flowers were worth taking the walk.
Back onto Heyworth Street we continued on to St George's Church...
...where the 'Everton Beacon' stood from 1230 - 1803, when it fell due to a severe storm.
Over the road we could see the Mere Bank Pub...
...and Everton Library, once home to a technical college as well as a public library...
...Sadly it has been closed since 1999; the good news, the Heritage Works Buildings Preservation Trust, working with local organisation, Hope Street Ltd, and Liverpool City Council, has received all the funding necessary to fully restore and re-open this glorious building, as what has now been named...
‘The Jewel On The Hill’ project.We look forward to revisiting, after the restoration.
It was then time to head down from Everton Ridge and catch a bus back home.
If you can, this walk is well worth doing and the Everton Park Heritage Trail Boards provide even more information about this, the First Hill of 7!
P.S. You can find out more about the 7 Walks and download maps and/or the Points of Interest Guide at http://www.bikeright.co.uk/merseyside/7hills/
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