The beginnings of Skelmersdale have been subject to a lot of debate and there are up to now three ideas on the origin of the name SKELMERSDALE
A brief history of Skemersdale
The beginnings of Skelmersdale have been subject to a lot of debate and there are up to now three ideas on the origin of the name SKELMERSDALE, one of which is that it means “Devils Dale” which makes you wonder has it had a history of Witchcraft! Another is that it is derived from the Old Scandanavian language “The Valley of a man named Skjalmar or Skjaldmarr (meaning ‘Shield Horse’)”, and a third is from its broken down form of “SKEL” from the Hills, “MERS” from mere (water as in Martin Mere) and of course “DALE” meaning Valley – so this sounds the nicest version with Ashurst Beacon, the River Tawd and the valley it flows through, I bet it was really beautiful if you could see it as it was 500 or so. Not much is known about the origins of Skelmersdale and is subject to hearsay but an idea what it was like can be gleaned from historical records and from events like the plague, the Reformation of the Churches and the Civil War (the Siege of Lathom House is well covered). There is no evidence of Roman occupation apart from the findings of some Roman coins near Ottersheads Farm by some children on July 18th 1949 which could indicate the possibility of them passing through or even occupation but who knows. By the 7th century the West Lancashire area was under Anglo-Saxon rule King Edwin and in the 8th century came under King Offah of Mercia. During the 10th century hordes of Scandanavians settled in West Lancashire (whether after Conquest or peaceful integration is not known). The first mention of Skelmersdale in historical records appears in the Domesday Book in 1066 under the rule of Uctred as part of the West Derby Wapentake or Hundred. Its annual tax assessment amounted to 32 (old) pence and there was one carucate of land which is thought to be a measure of around 100 acres. Since then different areas of Skelmersdale and related Manors have been sold to various owners including the Gernet family and the Travers family (1200’s), the Dacre family, the Huyton family of Billinge, the Holand family of Upholland, the Lovel family, the Gerard family, the Eccleston family, the Earl of Derby in the 1600’s, the Ashurst family of Dalton, then to Sir Thomas Bootle the Earl of Lathom (whose Great Grandfather on elevation to the Peerage had taken his title from it as Lord Skelmersdale), and since the land has descended with Lathom, the Earl of Lathom is now Lord of the Manor.
Skelmersdale really started growing with the coming of the Industrial Revolution and from the early 1800’s we see coal mines springing up around the area.
Skelmersdale got its own railway running from Ormskirk through to Rainford and St Helens.
The Skelmersdale Arms, High Street.
More and more public houses were springing up, various churches of different denominations, all due to the influx population seeking work in the local mines. Other industries also started to take form (more so with the later demise of the coal industry and the closure of the pits by about 1937) including a cotton mill, a shoe factory, a straw rope works and the brickworks.
Skelmersdale Shoe Co.
The Orme cotton mill
Conditions in Skelmersdale were probably as poor as most other country villages but as the town grew towards the 1900s conditions must have deteriorated considerably as conditions in Skelmersdale must have been unimaginable compared to anything you might criticise nowadays! This was all to change in the next century by way of improved sanitation, water supplies and general improvements in living standards.
The 1900s brought about the replacement of St Paul’s Church due to the old one being condemned as unsafe, the new one being built near to the old one.
Other changes during the 1900s were mainly the start of the Skelmersdale Fire Service, the demise of the coal mines, the building of Stanley Coronation Park, the development of new industries as mentioned earlier, and of course the changes brought about by new technologies – gas and later, electricity being fed into homes. The town gained bus services and leisure facilities including cinemas and in the 1950s and early 1960s was a popular destination for trips out from Liverpool. Sandy Lane was the central hub of the town with the town hall, housing Skelmersdale Rural District Council, managing its affairs, and a wide variety of shops lining both sides of the lane. Older residents still boast that you could get anything in Sandy Lane but sadly most of those shops have now disappeared.
Looking down, Sandy Lane.
The Town Hall, Sandy Lane.
The most famous remaining shop is T&W Garner, a traditional ironmonger still functioning on Witham Road at the bottom of Sandy Lane.
The biggest change to come to Skelmersdale was probably the decision to develop it into a New Town which would change the little country town forever. As well as completely changing the structure of the town it resulted in the loss of many ancient farmhouses and the complete disappearance of Stormy Corner, which had been a sort of mini-village within the Skelmersdale boundary. All that remains of this is a small stretch of Berry Street, the rest of it is now the site of the Stanley industrial estate.
Summer Street, Stormy Corner,
Tarlswood on the New Church Farm Estate
Since before WW2, questions had been raised about the future development of Skelmersdale in the government plans for the West Lancashire region. Recognising the industrial decline and the lack of employment in the area, together with the need to do something about the housing conditions in the town, Skelmersdale seemed an ideal candidate for designation to new town status. The government new towns policy was based on the post-war ideal of clearing the inner-city slums and rehousing their inhabitants out in the fresh air with new modern homes and well planned facilities. New towns were built throughout the 1950s, mostly ringing London and Skelmersdale was to be the first of the second wave, commonly named the Mark2 new towns. Designation finally took place in 1961 with the blessing of the Skelmersdale councillors. The population had mixed feelings; while some welcomed the Liverpool immigrants and wanted to help them, others were devastated by the destruction of their traditional environment that took place.
The new town was planned for a future population of 80,000 although this was never attained. The biggest change was that the town centre was moved to the middle of the new town with Sandy Lane becoming a small shopping centre to one side of the town. Many old streets were demolished and new buildings put up alongside those that remained.
On the plus side small and large companies flocked into the town to begin production in the brand-new purpose-built factories. The first factories began operation in the summer of 1964 and the first family moved into the Tamneys in November 1964. Press interest all over the world followed the progress of the town and although the early years were difficult with few shopping facilities, muddy estates and building going on everywhere, by about 1970 the town was beginning to settle down and with the opening of the Concourse shopping mall, gained a town centre of sorts. The building of the town was to be split into four five-year phases, to be administered by a Development Corporation under central government control.
Unfortunately, economic downturn in the early 1970s meant that execution of the plans faltered and in 1975, the five major employers in the town all left. This has been attributed to various causes: international market changes, worker militancy or the end of the subisidies they had received in return for coming to the new town. Whatever the cause it created a complete economic collapse of the new town ideal. Businesses closed down and houses emptied as people left to find work elsewhere. Shortly after this the Development Corporation and its successor the Commission for New Towns wound up the town’s assets and the uncompleted town became part of West Lancashire Borough Council and no longer had any independent control of its assets.
Through to the end of the 20th century, Skelmersdale struggled to recover and it is only perhaps in the last 20 years that investment in the town is picking up with new private residential building and the attracting of more retail providers and leisure facilities. 2022 brings promise of further developments with major schemes planned for the Concourse and studies being undertaken into the possibility of reinstating our long-lost railway. Who knows even the elusive hospital may one day become a reality.