Thornton Hough

Thornton Hough Village, Merseyside

A quiet Victorian-era village on the Wirral in Merseyside, United Kingdom, Thornton Hough passes through each successive year with very little changing. Located near Neston, Merseyside, it is roughly five miles from Liverpool and ten miles from Chester, Cheshire.

History

Picturesque and beautiful, the village was built in the 1880s by the third Lord Leverhulme, of the then Lever Brothers soap company, now the Unilver corporation). His aim was to create as a clean and safe environment for his workers to live in. A similar village was built in nearby Port Sunlight, next to the Lever soapworks.

The Green

The central feature of the village is the village 'green', a patch of common ground that includes a cricket green and pavillion, tennis courts, a play area... and a bunch of trees and random woods down the back end where you can go and hide from your parents and have a smoke when you're growing up. Unless you get spotted by someone from the badminton club...

The Two Churches

Also interesting about such a small vilage is that fact that it has two churches - All Saint's and St George's.

Thornton Hough Primary School

There is also a village school, which used to be a bit rubbish but is now quite good apparently. It has a weird miniature stage in the playground these days too, although why is hard to say. If you go up the back of the school there are a few farm buildings, and some horses in a little field.

Badminton Club

The village has a very active badminton club, which meets in the (New) Village Hall every Thursday. The club also acts as a covert intelligence agency for the village's parents, grandparents and other interested parties to swap a bit of gossip about the local youth.

The Post Office

Open very briefly in the day, but full of colourful and exciting things. And ciggies and newspapers as well. Used to be owned by a man called Mr Carter, but now by some other people. The best thing this shop used to sell was Nobbly Bobbly's ice cream lollies in about 1990. The counter used to run across the length of the shop, like a proper old school corner shop.

The Village Stores

These used to be the business, but now they only sell weird stuff like antiques and frilly table cloths. There is a tea room upstairs that I assume never gets used, although it must because it hasn't closed down yet. But where do you go for your Cornflakes and Spam now?

The Parish Hall

Small and very Victorian from the outside. It used to be very Victorian on the inside too, cold and a bit smelly - and very scary on dark winter nights for little kiddies. The interior was recently redesigned, and is now less spooky.

The Village Hall

Also referred to as the 'New' Village Hall to set it apart from the Parish Hall, the Village Hall was in fact built ages ago and is used for all sorts of local events, and by all sorts of local groups - including the Cubs and Scouts, the local Badminton club, and for a playschool.

The British Legion

Next door to the Post Office and full of Pool tables.

The Seven Stars Pub

The local pub, where everyone who can't or doesn't want to get into the British Legion can go for a pint, and the occasional pub quiz. For some reason the pub is always believed to have come under new managemet, where in fact it hasn't changed hands in several years.

Scarecrow Festival

Annual festival where all of the village's residents make scarecrows of varying designs for a competition, and itinerants from all over the Wirral and Cheshire come to park in front of people's drives and walk around looking at the entries. This is generally used as a cover to have a look through people's windows too.

The festival also includes a féte on the village green, with hot dogs and other traditionally English fare.

The Pig

There is a pig in a little run behind some houses in the village.

Lovely

Thornton Hough is a bit quiet, but lovely. Come and see it. And the pig.