Scotland Road, known locally as Scottie Road, is the section of the
A59 road
The A59 is a major road in England which is around long and runs from Wallasey, Merseyside to York, North Yorkshire. The alignment formed part of the Trunk Roads Act 1936, being then designated as the A59. It is a key route connecting Merseysi ...
situated near
the docks in the
Vauxhall
Vauxhall ( ) is a district in South West London, part of the London Borough of Lambeth, England. Vauxhall was part of Surrey until 1889 when the County of London was created. Named after a medieval manor, "Fox Hall", it became well known for ...
district of north
Liverpool
Liverpool is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the List of English districts by population, 10th largest English district by population and its E ...
, England.
History
Scotland Road was created in the 1770s as a
turnpike
Turnpike often refers to:
* A type of gate, another word for a turnstile
* In the United States, a toll road
Turnpike may also refer to:
Roads United Kingdom
* A turnpike road, a principal road maintained by a turnpike trust, a body with powe ...
road to
Preston, Lancashire
Preston () is a city on the north bank of the River Ribble in Lancashire, England. The city is the administrative centre of the county of Lancashire and the wider City of Preston local government district. Preston and its surrounding distr ...
, via
Walton and
Burscough
Burscough () is a town and civil parish in West Lancashire in the ceremonial county of Lancashire, England. It is located to the north of Ormskirk and northwest of Skelmersdale.
The parish also includes the hamlet of Tarlscough and the Marti ...
. It became part of a stagecoach route to
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to ...
, hence its name. It was partly widened in 1803, and streets of
working-class
The working class (or labouring class) comprises those engaged in manual-labour occupations or industrial work, who are remunerated via waged or salaried contracts. Working-class occupations (see also " Designation of workers by collar colou ...
housing were laid out on either side as Liverpool expanded. Scotland Road was at the centre of working-class life for the people of the surrounding
Everton and
Vauxhall
Vauxhall ( ) is a district in South West London, part of the London Borough of Lambeth, England. Vauxhall was part of Surrey until 1889 when the County of London was created. Named after a medieval manor, "Fox Hall", it became well known for ...
areas near the north Liverpool docks and the city centre.
The population in the
Victorian era
In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the period of Queen Victoria's reign, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. The era followed the Georgian period and preceded the Edwa ...
was swelled by the arrival of thousands of Irish immigrants, many of whom had fled Ireland's
Great Famine. The area became known for having a large number of Irish-Catholic residents, and the
Liverpool Scotland UK Parliament constituency was represented by
T. P. O'Connor, an
Irish Nationalist
Irish nationalism is a nationalist political movement which, in its broadest sense, asserts that the people of Ireland should govern Ireland as a sovereign state. Since the mid-19th century, Irish nationalism has largely taken the form of c ...
MP for 44 years until 1929, being the first and only constituency outside of Ireland to continually vote for an Irish nationalist.
Decline
The area had a vibrant community and was home to a large
Irish population, but was often associated with poor housing, poverty, violence, and sectarian divisions. Many dwellings in the area were demolished in the 1930s, and replacement housing included corporation flats.
After the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
ended in 1945, many residents were rehoused in new
council house
A council house is a form of British public housing built by local authorities. A council estate is a building complex containing a number of council houses and other amenities like schools and shops. Construction took place mainly from 1919 ...
s in areas such as
Croxteth
Croxteth is a suburb of Liverpool, Merseyside, England, and a Liverpool City Council Ward. Although housing in the area is predominantly modern, the suburb has some notable history. At the United Kingdom 2011 Census it had a population of 14,561 ...
,
Halewood,
Huyton
Huyton ( ) is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley, Merseyside, England. Part of the Liverpool Urban Area, it borders the Liverpool suburbs of Dovecot, Knotty Ash and Belle Vale, and the neighbouring village of Roby, with which ...
,
Kirkby,
Norris Green
Norris Green is a suburb and ward of Liverpool, England, in the east of the city. At the 2001 Census it had a population of 17,784, which had fallen to 15,047 at the 2011 Census.
History
Historically a part of Lancashire, Norris Green's develo ...
, and
Stockbridge Village, leaving Scotland Road in a state of steady decline. Housing was further cleared by the construction of the
second Mersey tunnel, with many former residents moving to Kirkby. Depopulation of the region is evident from census and electoral records, with
election turnout in 1931 at 27,444 (representing 68.7% of eligible voters) yet 70 years later in the 2001 census, the population was 6,699.
There once were over 200 pubs in the Scotland Road area, but only
The Throstles Nest, which opened in 1804, remains; it is next to
St Anthony's Church.
Scotland Road Free School
Scotland Road Free School
The Scotland Road Free School was a short-lived example of democratic education and free-schooling started in the UK in 1970 by two Liverpool teachers, John Ord and Bill Murphy. The latter went on to initiate a closely linked project, Liverpo ...
was a short-lived example of
democratic education
Democratic education is a type of formal education that is organized democratically, so that students can manage their own learning and participate in the governance of their school. Democratic education is often specifically emancipatory, wit ...
, established in 1970 by two local teachers. It was based at Major Street, just off Scotland Road. A related project, Liverpool Community Transport, was established in a disused transport depot in nearby Leeds Street.
Liverpool John Moores University
At its southern end, Scotland Road becomes Byrom Street, the location of the largest campus of
Liverpool John Moores University
Liverpool John Moores University (abbreviated LJMU) is a public university, public research university in the city of Liverpool, England. The university can trace its origins to the Liverpool Mechanics' School of Arts, established in 1823. This lat ...
.
Famous natives
*
Tom Baker
Thomas Stewart Baker (born 20 January 1934) is an English actor and writer. He is well known for his portrayal of the fourth incarnation of the Doctor in the science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'' from 1974 to 1981.Scott, Danny. (1 ...
(born 1934), actor best known for playing the
Fourth Doctor
The Fourth Doctor is an incarnation of the Doctor, the protagonist of the BBC science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. He is portrayed by Tom Baker.
Within the series' narrative, the Doctor is a centuries-old alien Time Lord from the ...
in ''
Doctor Who
''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the ...
''
*
Cilla Black
Priscilla Maria Veronica White (27 May 1943 – 1 August 2015), better known as Cilla Black, was an English singer, actress and television presenter.
Championed by her friends the Beatles, Black began her career as a singer in 1963. Her ...
(1943–2015), singer and television personality
*
Tommy Comerford
Thomas Anthony "Tommy" Comerford (19 October 1932 – October 2003), also known as "Tacker" and "Top Cat", was an English gangster. A longtime figure in Liverpool's underworld, Comerford dominated criminal activity in the Merseyside area, spe ...
(1933–2003), crime boss
*
Thomas Cecil Gray
Thomas Cecil Gray CBE KCSG (11 March 1913 – 5 January 2008) was a pioneering English anaesthetist.
Early life
Gray was born in Liverpool in 1913. The only son of Thomas and Ethel Gray of Thornton, he was educated at Ampleforth College in Yorksh ...
(1913–2008), pioneering anaesthetist
*
Holly Johnson (born 1960), singer best known for fronting
Frankie Goes to Hollywood
Frankie Goes to Hollywood were an English synth-pop band formed in Liverpool in 1980. The group's best-known line-up comprised Holly Johnson (vocals), Paul Rutherford (singer), Paul Rutherford (backing vocals), Peter Gill (FGTH drummer), Peter ...
* Rt. Rev.
Thomas Anthony Williams (born 1948), auxiliary bishop of
Liverpool's Roman Catholic Archdiocese
* Philip Regan (born around 1973), Social Media Influencer known as the Queen of Scotty Road
Other uses
The term "Scotland Road" can also be used as a slang reference to a corridor or passageway which allows crew access to the length of a vehicle. For example, on board the
RMS ''Titanic'', a broad, lower-deck working corridor on E Deck, which ran the length of the ship, was referred to by crew as "Scotland Road" (and by officers as "
Park Lane
Park Lane is a dual carriageway road in the City of Westminster in Central London. It is part of the London Inner Ring Road and runs from Hyde Park Corner in the south to Marble Arch in the north. It separates Hyde Park to the west from ...
").
[ Chapter 2.] Jeffrey Hatcher
Jeffrey Hatcher is an American playwright and screenwriter. He wrote the stage play ''Compleat Female Stage Beauty'', which he later adapted into a screenplay, shortened to just ''Stage Beauty'' (2004). He also co-wrote the stage adaptation of ' ...
's play ''Scotland Road'' refers to that corridor of the ''Titanic''.
External links
Scottie Press
References
Citations
Sources
*
*
{{coord, 53.42281, N, 2.98207, W, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title
Streets in Liverpool