Oglet is a small area of Liverpool, England, and the city's most southernly point.[1] The area is entirely rural and virtually unpopulated, save for a couple of farms.[2] For most of its known history, Oglet was classed as a hamlet in the township of Speke.[3] Nowadays however, "Oglet" or "The Oglet" is typically used in reference to the entire area of land (which includes the remainder of said hamlet) located sandwiched between Liverpool John Lennon Airport in Speke to the north and the River Mersey in all other directions, except for a short land border with Hale to its east.[2]
It has been described as "Liverpool's last piece of countryside";[4][5] it is situated on low-lying, flat, mostly arable land featuring field ponds, hedge rows and tree belts, falling sharply to densely vegetated cliffs at the shoreline.[2][6] Oglet is noted for supporting diverse habitats home to locally rare wildlife, flora, bats, and particularly birds, be it farmland birds, or wading birds which use its saltmarshes for roosting and feeding.[2][4][7] Officially, it is designated as an "Undeveloped Coastal Zone" and part of the city's green belt by Liverpool City Council.[5]
Etymology
Oglet is believed to come from the Old English"ac" (oak) and "hlot" (share/portion), or possibly "lece" (watercourse),[6] and hence is often interpreted as a variant of "oak by the water".[8] It emerged from numerous variations in early documents including Ogelot, Oggelot, Ogelote, Oglot, Ogloth, Okelot and Hogolete.[3][9]
History
An aerial view of Oglet (land to the left of Liverpool Airport runway).
Based on the etymology of Oglet, it's believed that the area was oak woodland late into the Anglo-Saxon period.[2] Unlike neighbouring Speke, Oglet is not mentioned in the Domesday Book; it first appears by name in written records of the late 1200s.[2][6][10] It is thought to be a case of a shrunken medieval village.[2][8] An abundance of archaeological finds, particularly pottery, as well as evidence of medieval strip fields in the wider proximity of the hamlet, suggests that it was originally a larger settlement during the later Middle Ages that shrunk during the post-medieval period,[6] ending up concentrated on just a single no through road, Oglet Lane.[8] Records from the 14th century through to the 16th century chronicle areas of Oglet being regularly transferred between different local aristocrats of the time, frequently involving the Norris, Molyneux and Ireland families;[3][11] in 1334, they came together in making Oglet/Speke's eastern boundary official, going by a medieval feature known as the "Ditch of Spek".[6][10][11] Many years of agricultural developments have destroyed any evidence of earthworks from those times, however.[2][6]
Oglet's woodland sections had been partly cleared by the mid 1600s; between 1710 and 1719 it underwent a more intensive period of felling to make way for more areas of farming.[10] By the late 18th century, Oglet had been all but cleared of its woodland.[6] By this time, the hamlet consisted of mostly enclosed pasture fields (many in use since medieval times) and ~10 properties fronting Oglet Lane.[2][6] The entire township was minute at the start of the 19th century; a mere 37 properties comprised Speke and Oglet in 1811.[12] During this century, the only holdings to survive until the modern day, Yew Tree Farm and Oglet Farm, were established,[2] but Oglet continued to shrink overall; the amount of fields and buildings present in the hamlet had halved by the close of the 1800s.[6]
Aside from agriculture, fishing, especially shrimping, was another key industry in Oglet's past.[8][12] After the closure of the Dungeon Salt Refinery in the 1840s, fishermen took up permanent residence in the cottages that the refinery workers made vacant.[13] However by the latter half of the 19th century, fishermen at Oglet were a dying breed.[14] Regardless, shrimp remained plentiful,[14][15] and thus the industry endured on into the early 20th century;[16] it was a common sight to see shrimpers hauling baskets of fish to local markets, such as Garston and Hale.[12][17]
Both Speke and Oglet remained small settlements at the turn of the century; the population of the entire township was just 381 in the 1901 Census.[3] In 1932, the township was absorbed by the City of Liverpool.[9] Inner-city slum clearance was a priority for the City Council; in 1937, a massive housing project commenced at Speke, vastly expanding it to a town-sized settlement by its completion in the late 1950s.[9] Its architect, Sir Lancelot Keay, purposely avoided including Oglet and the rest of the township's south in the project to ensure some of its historical and geographical character was preserved.[12]
By this time, the pollution of the Mersey had made it uninhabitable for aquatic life,[18] and shrimping at Oglet was described as long over.[17][19] But with thousands now living just a mile away, the beach at Oglet's shoreline (Oglet Shore, or locally, Oggy Shore), became popular with many locals during the 1950s; as children, future Beatles members and Speke residents, Paul McCartney and George Harrison, frequently played down on the shore and in Oglet's fields.[20][21][22][23]
From 1964 to 1966, a new runway for Liverpool Airport was built on a strip of land directly south of the new Speke estate and north of Oglet.[2][24] Since its completion, Oglet has been almost completely cut off from Speke,[12] as the runway spans nearly the entire length between the western and eastern shorelines of Oglet's "peninsula". Adding to its isolation, the historic no through road to and from Speke, Oglet Lane, was bisected during this process.[12] A new but circuitous accessway to the hamlet was established via joining Dungeon Lane on the eastern edge of Oglet with the long-time dead end of Oglet Lane;[6][25] a 17th century cottage situated at the then dead end, "Poverty Nook", was demolished by the Council, leaving just the two current farms left in the area.[25] A new effluent relief system along Oglet Lane was also installed;[26] by 1970, Oglet Shore had become seriously polluted by untreated sewage outfalls and flytipping and thus was no longer a local hotspot.[27][28] It would take over 30 years for the beach to make a significant recovery, thanks to the efforts of volunteers and improved environmental regulations.[27]
Oglet's 21st century history has been defined by its inclusion in proposals to expand Liverpool Airport which, as adjudged by critics, would effectively see it wiped off the map.[4][5] In 2002, a new control tower for the airport was constructed in the centre of The Oglet.[2] In 2007, a new expansion masterplan proposed concreting the vast majority of Oglet, transforming it into an airport facility dubbed the "Oglet World Cargo Centre".[2] This plan was superseded in 2017 which dropped the cargo centre concept but maintained the desire to remove green belt status from The Oglet and develop most of its land for new hangars, maintenance services, cargo facilities and warehouses by 2050.[29] The plans were met by fierce backlash from local residents, threatened by the loss of treasured countryside and who rebut the justifications for expansion.[4][5][30] In 2019, Dungeon Lane, used as the accessway to Oglet since the late 1960s, was mostly destroyed as part of the creation of a runway end safety area adhering to new CAA regulations.[4][23] A new route to Oglet's farms was created via Hale;[23] more devious than the last, now involving crossing county borders, this has detached Oglet further still from civilisation.
Dungeon
The former territory of "Dungeon" (later, "Hale Cliff") is often mentioned in the same context as Oglet[2][6] (despite actually being in Hale).[13] Now an extinct homestead-sized industrial site, it once straddled where the border between Oglet and Hale meets the Mersey and was served by a single no through road from Speke, Dungeon Lane.[6] Likely originating from the Old English Dunge or Denge, meaning land of, or next to, the marsh,[13] it's known that the site featured a wharf and was being used for salt refining by the late 17th century, whilst salthouses and warehouses were funded for construction in 1733.[2][13]
The salt refinery at Dungeon continued to operate until the 1840s,[13] by which point the homestead also featured a mill[2] and a handful of cottages for its workers on Dungeon Lane.[13] By the 1890s, the refinery site had been repurposed as a stone works, but this was ultimately short-lived. Before the century was out, the wharf was commandeered as a ship-breakers yard, but this too was short-lived, owing to the silting up of the Mersey, and it closed in 1912. By 1925, the buildings had been demolished, save for the cottages.[13] The lack of development since compared to other former salt refinery sites of that era has led to suggestions the place may be of national importance.[13] By ~1990, the old cottages fronting Dungeon Lane were dilapidated and finally knocked down.[13][25]
Oglet is part of the Garston and Halewood constituency and is represented in the House of Commons by Maria Eagle (Labour Party; as of 2021).[34] Eagle visited Oglet Shore in 2018 in her capacity as an MP and endorsed the local campaign to protect its green belt status.[35]
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in North West England. With a population of 486,100 in 2021, it is located within the county of Merseyside and is the principal city of the wider Liverpool City Region. Its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.24 million.
Liverpool John Lennon Airport is an international airport in Liverpool, England, on the estuary of the River Mersey 6.5 nautical miles south-east of Liverpool city centre. Scheduled domestic, European, North African and Middle Eastern services are operated from the airport. The airport comprises a single passenger terminal, three general use hangars, a FedEx Express courier service centre as well as a single runway measuring 7,500 ft (2,286 m) in length, with the control tower south of the runway.
The River Mersey is a major river in North West England. Its name derives from Old English and means "boundary river", possibly referring to its having been a border between the ancient kingdoms of Mercia and Northumbria. For centuries it has formed part of the boundary between the historic counties of Lancashire and Cheshire.
Merseyrail is a commuter rail network serving the Liverpool City Region and adjacent areas of Cheshire and Lancashire. Merseyrail operates 66 railway stations across two lines – the Northern Line and the Wirral Line, which are dedicated 750 V DC third rail electrified lines converging into rapid transit-style underground sections in the centres of Liverpool and Birkenhead. Merseyrail branding is also applied to stations and ticketing on the City Line, which are within the Liverpool City Region but operated by other train operating companies, predominantly Northern Trains. The City Line services operate on the Liverpool to Manchester Lines and the Liverpool to Wigan Line using a mix of AC electric and diesel trains.
Speke is a suburb of Liverpool. It is 7.7 miles (12.4 km) southeast of the city centre. Located near the widest part of the River Mersey, it is bordered by the suburbs of Garston and Hunts Cross, and nearby to Halewood, Hale Village, and Widnes. The rural area of Oglet borders its south.
Hunt's Cross is a suburb of Liverpool, England. It is located on the southern edge of the city, bordered by the suburbs of Woolton, Allerton, Speke and Halewood and delineated by the West Coast Main Line, Hillfoot Avenue, Merseyrail Northern Line and Mackets Lane.
Mossley Hill is a suburb of Liverpool and a Liverpool City Council ward. Located to the south of the city, it is bordered by Aigburth, Allerton, Childwall, and Wavertree. At the 2001 Census, the population was 12,650, increasing to 13,816 at the 2011 Census.
The Mersey Docks and Harbour Company (MDHC), formerly the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board (MDHB), owns and administers the dock facilities of the Port of Liverpool, on the River Mersey, England. These include the operation of the enclosed northern dock system that runs from Prince's Dock to Seaforth Dock, in the city of Liverpool and the dock facilities built around the Great Float of the Wirral Peninsula, located on the west side of the river.
Garston is a district of Liverpool. Historically in Lancashire, it is bordered by the suburbs of Grassendale, Allerton, and Speke. It lies on the Eastern banks of the River Mersey.
Liverpool Garston was a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election.
The Liverpool City Region is a combined authority region of England, incorporating Liverpool and neighbouring local authority boroughs of Halton, Knowsley, Sefton, St Helens, and Wirral. The region is in the historic counties of Lancashire and Cheshire. The Liverpool City Region has a population of 1.5million. However, the metropolitan reach of the city is much wider with a population of 2.2million.
Liverpool South Parkway station, is a railway station and bus interchange in the Garston district of Liverpool, England. It serves, via a bus link, Liverpool John Lennon Airport in the neighbouring suburb of Speke, as well as providing an interchange between main line services and the Merseyrail rapid transit/commuter rail network.
Garston and Halewood is a constituency created in 2010 represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2010 by Maria Eagle of the Labour Party.
The Garston and Liverpool Railway line ran from the St Helens and Runcorn Gap Railway line at Garston Docks to Brunswick railway station, later to central Liverpool. The company was formed on 17 May 1861 and the line opened on 1 June 1864.
Speke Garston is a Liverpool City Council Ward, within the Garston and Halewood Parliamentary constituency. It was formed for the 2004 Municipal elections from the former St Mary's ward and includes the Garston, Speke and Oglet areas. The population of this ward at the 2011 census was 20,300.
Arriva North West is a major bus operator running services in North West England in the Merseyside area. It is a subsidiary of Arriva UK Bus.
Speke and Garston Coastal Reserve is a park in south Liverpool, Merseyside, England. It was developed on part of the former site of Liverpool John Lennon Airport.
Liverpool in North West England, is a major British city with significant road, rail, and ferry networks, in addition to an international airport and a well-known dock system. As with most other major UK cities, Liverpool's transport infrastructure is centred on its road and rail networks. Public transport services within the city are controlled and run by Merseytravel.
New Mersey Shopping Park is an out of town retail park located in Speke, Liverpool, England. It opened in 1985.
The Liverpool 08 Collection was the Public art collection exhibited by Liverpool John Lennon Airport in conjunction with the Liverpool Culture Company for the duration of 2008, the year when Liverpool was the European Capital of Culture. Exhibits were launched before and during the year by various celebrities including Yoko Ono and Phil Redmond and much of the exhibition remains in place today. As well as the iconic sculptures, The Yellow Submarine (sculpture) and the John Lennon Statue, the different pieces of artwork situated around the public areas of the terminal included; two rare suits worn by John Lennon, photographs by Harry Goodwin and Paul Saltzman, mosaics from Debbie Ryan, graphic designs by John McFaul, a film by Nick Jordan, a performance of Brian Eno's 'Music for Airports' and artwork from 50 schoolchildren at St Ambrose Primary School in Speke
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