Croxteth and Croxteth Hall - Leaving a Nightmare
As opposed to Living the Dream. Known locally as 'Crocky', Croxteth - believed to be a Viking name - is a suburb of Liverpool with relatively modern but already derelict housing estate around a haunted Stately Home. It was after the war when re-housing was implemented, clearing out the city centre 'slums' and relocating its residents.
Together with Norris Green, it is supposedly one of the largest residential estates in Europe. It was built with very few local amenities such as shops or even proper roads and very few are yet to be seen around.
The area had suffered a bad reputation with increased anti-social behaviour, gangs and violence. In this rather tough conditions, a young Everton player, later starship of Manchester United, Wayne Rooney, was born and brought up here, as well as his wife, Coleen. So, there we go.
Croxteth used to be a hunting ground to the Croxteth Hall and its owners, the Molyneux family. Their aristocratic title - Earls of Sefton, who lived here over centuries. The family arrived in England with the Norman Conquest from a region near Rouen in Normandy. They lived in Château de Robert-le-Diable also known as Château de Moulineaux.
In 2009 a strange phenomenon was caught on CCTV and in 2017 Most Haunted programme returned there to investigate further. (More about haunted Croxteth Hall in Haunted Liverpool.)
The origins of the Croxteth house go back to the 16th century, but most of the building was redeveloped in the 18th and 19th centuries. Queen Victoria, with Prince Albert, and children were guest of the Molyneuxes in some autumn day in 1851 with 700 people of local gentry attending.
The last member of the Molyneux family to reside in the hall was Josephine, Countess of Sefton, died in 1980. She was a widow of the last Earls of Sefton who died in 1972. They have no children and a worldwide search was launched to find anybody from further family branches, claiming a title of ownership. Nobody turned up so from then on the Croxteth estate is managed by the City of Liverpool, for the benefits of all us, the commoners.
Admission to Croxteth Hall is with tickets, there are guided tours to see how an aristocratic family lived in Victorian and Edwardian times with the 'downstairs - upstairs' rule. There are 210 rooms.
Some parts have featured in the Titanic movie. There are many events and activities organized throughout the year such as concerts, art exhibitions, open markets, murder-mystery tours.
The place had gained a reputation as haunted after a popular ghost-hunting TV show recorded strange anomalies, based on earlier claims by people who work here. That's by night; during the day, and especially weekends the rooms are hired for weddings and other functions. The costs of running the estate effectively are high, one can only imagine.
Within the estate, apart from the manor, there is Home Farm, the Victorian Walled Garden, playground, Riding Pony Club, and a country park and nature reserve with a wildflower meadow.
In the Garden, open between April and September, for which admission is a few quid, apart from vegetables, there is a collection of tropical plants in glasshouses such as Dracaenas, Codiaeum, Pelargoniums, Solenostemon and Bromeliads but probably the most interesting are wild orchids for which Liverpool was once world-famous.
Home Farm is real working farmland with the aim to preserve some rare breeds of cows and calves, pigs and piglets, sheep and lambs, hens and chicks. The large animals are usually grazing in the park fields. The farm also includes special events throughout the year, apart from the feeding time experience, at 3.45pm each day.
The cafe does cheap but hearty meals though the outdoor seating, the cafe itself and toilets are rather scruffy. The Hall and parkland would need more investment but it is understandable it is hard to maintain huge historic space under pristine condition. It is well worth visiting though. A lot of effort by many people.
Together with Norris Green, it is supposedly one of the largest residential estates in Europe. It was built with very few local amenities such as shops or even proper roads and very few are yet to be seen around.
The area had suffered a bad reputation with increased anti-social behaviour, gangs and violence. In this rather tough conditions, a young Everton player, later starship of Manchester United, Wayne Rooney, was born and brought up here, as well as his wife, Coleen. So, there we go.
Croxteth used to be a hunting ground to the Croxteth Hall and its owners, the Molyneux family. Their aristocratic title - Earls of Sefton, who lived here over centuries. The family arrived in England with the Norman Conquest from a region near Rouen in Normandy. They lived in Château de Robert-le-Diable also known as Château de Moulineaux.
In 2009 a strange phenomenon was caught on CCTV and in 2017 Most Haunted programme returned there to investigate further. (More about haunted Croxteth Hall in Haunted Liverpool.)
The origins of the Croxteth house go back to the 16th century, but most of the building was redeveloped in the 18th and 19th centuries. Queen Victoria, with Prince Albert, and children were guest of the Molyneuxes in some autumn day in 1851 with 700 people of local gentry attending.
The last member of the Molyneux family to reside in the hall was Josephine, Countess of Sefton, died in 1980. She was a widow of the last Earls of Sefton who died in 1972. They have no children and a worldwide search was launched to find anybody from further family branches, claiming a title of ownership. Nobody turned up so from then on the Croxteth estate is managed by the City of Liverpool, for the benefits of all us, the commoners.
Admission to Croxteth Hall is with tickets, there are guided tours to see how an aristocratic family lived in Victorian and Edwardian times with the 'downstairs - upstairs' rule. There are 210 rooms.
Some parts have featured in the Titanic movie. There are many events and activities organized throughout the year such as concerts, art exhibitions, open markets, murder-mystery tours.
The place had gained a reputation as haunted after a popular ghost-hunting TV show recorded strange anomalies, based on earlier claims by people who work here. That's by night; during the day, and especially weekends the rooms are hired for weddings and other functions. The costs of running the estate effectively are high, one can only imagine.
Within the estate, apart from the manor, there is Home Farm, the Victorian Walled Garden, playground, Riding Pony Club, and a country park and nature reserve with a wildflower meadow.
In the Garden, open between April and September, for which admission is a few quid, apart from vegetables, there is a collection of tropical plants in glasshouses such as Dracaenas, Codiaeum, Pelargoniums, Solenostemon and Bromeliads but probably the most interesting are wild orchids for which Liverpool was once world-famous.
Home Farm is real working farmland with the aim to preserve some rare breeds of cows and calves, pigs and piglets, sheep and lambs, hens and chicks. The large animals are usually grazing in the park fields. The farm also includes special events throughout the year, apart from the feeding time experience, at 3.45pm each day.
The cafe does cheap but hearty meals though the outdoor seating, the cafe itself and toilets are rather scruffy. The Hall and parkland would need more investment but it is understandable it is hard to maintain huge historic space under pristine condition. It is well worth visiting though. A lot of effort by many people.