Welcome to Old Swan
The neighbourhood of Old Swan derives it’s name from the first pub situated in the area.
It was once common practice for inns to take as their sign the crest of the local aristocratic family, in this case the Waltons, whose coat of arms was three white swans on a blue shield.
So, inevitably the first pub was called the three swans.
Shortly afterwards came two more Swan Inns, so the locals referred to them as the Old Swan, the Middle Swan and the Lower Swan. More recently the Old Swan Vaults and the Old Swan Hotel have been called the Red House and the White House.
The Original coaching inn stood where the Red House is today. The Red House was built in 1892.
The block of shops once known as Hoult’s Corner, stood in the middle of St. Oswald’s street, they were built on arches above Acresfield Quarry owned by Richard and Paul Barker.
Hoult's Corner Shops were built in the 1840’s, on arches above Acresfield Quarry.
The Quarry was dug out by Huyton Builders Richard and Paul Barker, two of the first people to see the potential of Old Swan.
They erected Knotty Ash Church, which was built in 1835, West Derby Parish Church and Old Swan Police Station in 1850 and the Old Swan water tower, which once stood near to the tram shed in Green Lane.
The Quarry was left as a large cellar beneath the shops and Joseph Jones’s brewery of Knotty Ash used them for a number of years.
This was situated behind the Wheatsheaf pub on Prescot road.
Hoult's Corner shops were demolished in 1939 and some of the shops transferred to the new shops below the newly built flats St. Oswald’s House.
These flats have since been demolished and a new Tesco's supermarket stands in their place.
St. Oswald’s Church was opened in 1842, built from a design by Welby Pugin. The land it was built on was a gift from Mr Edward Chaloner of Oak Hill House.
This site will take you on a journey through Old Swan and the surrounding areas with pictures and local history for you to enjoy !
