Waterloo, Merseyside

Waterloo is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton, in Merseyside, England. Together with Seaforth, the two settlements make up the borough's Church ward. The area is bordered by Crosby to the north, Seaforth to the south, the Rimrose Valley country park to the east, and Crosby Beach and Crosby Coastal Park to the west.

Crosby Beach begins in Waterloo at the Crosby Marine Park and stretches up to Hightown. The beach is the location of Antony Gormley's Another Place sculpture.

The town is connected to Liverpool in the south and Southport to the north by Merseyrail's Northern line at Waterloo station.

History

Waterloo was historically part of Lancashire and originally an area of Crosby, named Crosby Seabank. At that time it consisted mostly of cottages, the beachfront, sand-hills and fields. The area grew in popularity with wealthy visitors from Liverpool, prompting the planning and construction of a large hotel in the Georgian style to be named the Crosby Seabank Hotel.

Governance

On 31 December 1894 Waterloo became a civil parish, formed from the part of Great Crosby parish in Waterloo with Seaforth Urban District, and subsequently became part of the municipal borough of Crosby in 1937. In 1951 the parish had a population of 16,997. On 1 April 1974 the parish was abolished and the Municipal Borough of Crosby became part of the newly created Metropolitan Borough of Sefton.

From 1918 until 1950 Waterloo was within the Parliamentary seat known as the Waterloo constituency, a safe seat for the Conservative Party. From 1950 until 2010 Waterloo was within the boundaries of the Crosby constituency. From 1997 to 2010 the Member of Parliament (MP) was Claire Curtis-Thomas, a member of the Labour Party; prior to her election the Crosby seat was generally considered to be a safe Conservative Party stronghold, like its predecessor seat, with Tory MPs elected at every election barring the 1981 Crosby by-election where Shirley Williams of the Social Democratic Party was elected to represent the constituency. As a result of boundary revisions for the 2010 general election, the Crosby constituency was abolished and Waterloo was included in the expanded Bootle constituency. The town has been represented by Labour MP Peter Dowd since 2015.

For elections to Sefton Council, the southern part of Waterloo is within the electoral ward of Church and is represented by three councillors. The northern part from St John's Rd to Queensway is in Victoria ward and is represented by another three councillors.

Landmarks

thumb|right|Waterloo from the Marina

thumb|right|[[Another Place (sculpture)|Another Place sculpture by Antony Gormley]]

Waterloo is made up of predominately Georgian, Edwardian and Victorian villas, mews and terraces, facing the sea. The South Road offers shops and restaurants. A series of public gardens – built as a job creation scheme during the 1930s Great Depression – run adjacent to the esplanade that abuts the marina leading to the coast and beach.

Chaffers Running Track

Chaffers Running Track was established in the early 1960s. Southport Waterloo Running Club used the cinder track as their base for about 15 years until the Litherland Park Sports Centre was built in 2007. Chaffers fell into disuse until plans were announced in 2020 to restore it. It is now the home of the Marsh Lane Harriers running club.

Rimrose Valley Wildflower Meadow

In 2019, a 3 acre wildflower meadow was established instigated by local resident Linda Gaskell with help from Sefton Councillor Michael Roche. The meadow is located within the former athletic track At Chafer's Fields. The varieties were selected by Richard Scott of the Eden Project and include Cornflower, sunflower, field marigold, camomile and poppies. It is planned to extend the meadow each year along the Valley.

The Marina

The Marina is a stretch of fields and protected natural wildlife area near the Marina Lake. The area begins adjacent to the Royal Seaforth Dock. A path runs through the Marina toward the sand dunes of Crosby Beach, it is the main route taken by foot to get to the beach, beginning at the top of South Road, Waterloo. The Marina has a café (Waterloo Place opened in 2015) and the Crosby Lakeside Adventure Centre (opened in early 2010).

Antony Gormley's "Another Place"

The beach at Waterloo is the permanent home of Antony Gormley's Another Place. The permanent art installation consists of figures of cast iron facing out to sea, spread over a 2 mile (3.2 km) stretch of the beach between Waterloo and Blundellsands.

The Plaza Community Cinema

The Plaza Cinema has been a part of the fabric of Waterloo since 1939. The opening coincided with the outbreak of World War II forcing it to immediately close its doors under wartime restrictions until the public order was rescinded by the government. Originally named The Plaza, it has changed hands numerous times during its life, becoming known as The Odeon in the 1950s, The Classic in the 1970s and The Apollo in the 1990s. Since then The Plaza has been a focal community point in Waterloo, offering Autism friendly screenings, Kids clubs and social clubs. In September 2009 the Plaza celebrated its 70th anniversary.

In July 2011 the cinema completed an £80,000 refurbishment that saw Sir Sydney Samuelson attend its reopening ceremony.

In 2016 the Plaza was awarded a Queen's Award for Voluntary Service.

J. Bruce Ismay
Charles Alfred Bartlett, captain of HMHS Britannic when she sank
Edward Smith (sea captain), captain of RMS Titanic when she sank
Josh Kirby
Frank McLardy, member of the British Union of Fascists and Waffen-SS British Free Corps
Nicholas Murray, locally born author
Ward Muir, photographer and author
Jean Davies, British Royal Navy Officer

Links with Sierra Leone

A local charity, the Waterloo Partnership, fundraises for Waterloo, a city in the Western Area of Sierra Leone and the capital of that country's Western Area Rural District.