Walton, Liverpool

Walton is an area of Liverpool, in Merseyside, England, north of Anfield and east of Bootle and Orrell Park. Historically in Lancashire, it is largely residential, with a diverse population.

The name may derive from the same origin as Wales. The incoming Saxons called the earlier native inhabitants (the Celtic Britons) Walas or Wealas, meaning "foreigner". Another possible etymology is Wald tun, Old English for "Forest Town".

Walton's recorded history starts with the death of Edward the Confessor, when Winestan held the manor of Walton. After the Norman conquest of 1066, Roger of Poitou included Walton in the lands he gave to his sheriff, Godfrey.

In 1200, King John gave Walton to Richard de Meath, who left it to his brother, Henry de Walton. Henry's son William inherited the land, but died before his son Richard was of age, so Richard was made a ward of Nicholas de la Hose by the Earl of Derby and the estate was managed by nobles outside the family for a time.

Walton was then held by the de Walton family until Roger de Walton's death in the 15th century, when it was split through marriage between the Crosse, Chorley and Fazakerley families. Walton Manor later passed through the Breres and Atherton families until it was sold in 1804 to Liverpool banker Thomas Leyland. Some of the Walton land also passed to the Earl of Derby and the Sefton family.

From 1894 to 1895 Walton on the Hill was an urban district, Walton then became part of Liverpool Borough Council. In 1921, the civil parish named Walton on the Hill had a population of 83,290. On 1 April 1922, the parish was abolished and merged with Liverpool. Hartley's Village was built in the 19th century to house workers from the Hartley's Jam Factory.

Moulded plastics company Dunlop had its UK head office and manufacturing plant on what is now the Cavendish Retail Park (off Rice Lane and opposite the former Walton Hospital) until the mid-1990s. In September 1980, a few no severe fire at the plant closed Rice Lane and residents were told to stay indoors due to hazardous atmospheric pollution. The fire caused so much damage that the plant had to be demolished, and only part of the site remained until its closure. The building used as the main headquarters was left abandoned for many years until a Chinese restaurant was opened in the late 1990s on the site. The last remaining plant, on Cavendish Drive, was demolished in 2004 to make way for a housing estate.^{[citation needed]}

On August 3, 2024, Walton was affected by the 2024 United Kingdom riots: 300 people gathered near County Road Mosque and the Spellow Lane Library Hub and a local shop were set on fire.