Hesketh Bank

Hesketh Bank is a small agricultural village in Lancashire, England. It lies to the north-east of the town of Southport on the Irish Sea estuary of the River Ribble. The area falls under West Lancashire Borough Council for administrative purposes, and Hesketh-with-Becconsall Parish Council for parochial matters. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 census was 4,041.[1] It is in the South Ribble parliamentary constituency.

Hesketh Bank

All Saints Church
Hesketh Bank
Location in West Lancashire
Hesketh Bank
Location within Lancashire
Population4,041 (2011)
OS grid referenceSD439238
Civil parish
  • Hesketh with Becconsall
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townPRESTON
Postcode districtPR4
Dialling code01772
PoliceLancashire
FireLancashire
AmbulanceNorth West
UK Parliament

Etymology

Hesketh was first recorded in 1288 as Heschath.[2] The name is derived either from Old Norse hest shei meaning "race course",[2][3] or from a plural of the Welsh hesg, meaning "sedges".[3]

History

Due to its geographical location, close to the cities of Preston and Liverpool, the village suffered during the Second World War. Stray bombs hit the old church in 1943, and landed along Becconsall Lane, causing extensive damage to the housing there.

Landmarks
Becconsall Old Church in April 2010
Becconsall Pub derelict in April 2010

The village has some architectural gems such as Becconsall Old Church which was hit by bomb shrapnel during World War II, All Saints Church on Station Road replaced the old church and is of some architectural significance as is the Becconsall Public House, which shut in June 2009. It has now been redeveloped as housing keeping the name alive as Becconsall Gardens.

The West Lancashire Light Railway is a narrow gauge railway that is located in Hesketh Bank.

Geography

Hesketh Bank lies just to the north of the larger village of Tarleton and the village of Banks (North Meols).

Economy
Booths store under construction April 2010 on the railway station site

Due to the village's position on the West Lancashire Coastal Plain it has a rich soil, suitable for the farming of flowers and vegetables - this is still the main economic activity in the area.

A Booths supermarket opened on 11 November 2010.

Transport

The village is located just off the A59 Preston to Liverpool road and the A565 Southport Road has meant it has also developed as a commuter town.

Hesketh Bank railway station was once a stop on the West Lancashire Railway, which ran between Preston and Southport. The railway opened in 1878[4] was closed almost a century later, in 1964. The station site is now occupied by a housing estate.

A new SPAR supermarket is being developed on the former site of The Village Stor [Co-Operative Food] which was closed on 30 December 2011.

Leisure
Hesketh Bank Football Club in April 2010

The village is home to football, cricket, badminton and crown green bowls clubs, the Hesketh Bank Silver Band and the West Lancashire Light Railway.

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See also

References
  1. "Civil Parish population 2011". Retrieved 17 January 2016.
  2. Ekwall, Eilert (1922). The Place Names Of Lancashire. Manchester University Press. p. 87.
  3. "The place-names of England and Wales". Retrieved 17 July 2017.
  4. Fairhurst, Graham J. "A Short History of Brick Making at Hesketh Bank".
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