Much Woolton (Liverpool ward)

Much Woolton
Much Woolton
Suburban Area
	Much Woolton Location within Merseyside
OS grid reference	SJ412889
• London	179 mi (288 km) South
Metropolitan borough	City of Liverpool;
Metropolitan county	Merseyside;
Region	North West;
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	LIVERPOOL
Postcode district	L25
Dialling code	0151
Police	Merseyside
Fire	Merseyside
Ambulance	North West
UK Parliament	Liverpool Wavertree;
	List of places UK England Merseyside 53°23′48″N 2°53′20″W / 53.3967°N 2.8888°W

Much Woolton is a historic area in Liverpool, located in Merseyside, England, and part of the Liverpool Wavertree parliamentary constituency. Much Woolton is bordered by the suburbs of Allerton to the south, Hunt's Cross to the southeast, and Childwall to the north. It has a rich history, dating back to the medieval period, and was historically part of Lancashire before the creation of Merseyside. The area is known for its picturesque village, beautiful parks, and notable landmarks such as the Church of St Peter and St Paul.

Overview

Much Woolton ward was an electoral division of Liverpool City Council covering the Woolton Village area, created in 1918 and abolished in the 1953 boundary review to merge into the expanded Woolton ward. Initially represented by a single councillor, its representation grew to two seats by 1920 and three seats by 1929, reflecting local population growth.^[1] Elections were suspended during World War II from 1939 to 1944 due to the conflict . Notable councillors included John Hinshaw, Robert Gladstone and Caroline Whiteley—the first woman to represent the ward . After abolition, Much Woolton’s territory formed part of Woolton ward (1953–2023) and, since 2023, falls within the new Much Woolton & Hunts Cross ward.^[2]

Elections

1919

No. 35 Much Woolton
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Conservative	John Buchanan Hinshaw	unopposed
Registered electors
	Conservative win (new seat)

^[3]^[4]

1920

No. 36 Much Woolton
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Conservative	Thomas Harrison	756	63%
	Labour	Charles Jabez Edwards	438	37%
Majority			318
Registered electors			1,585
Turnout			1,194	75%
	Conservative hold		Swing

1921

No. 36 Much Woolton
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	National Liberal	Robert Gladstone	776	62%
	Labour	Charles Jabez Edwards	475	38%
Majority			301
Registered electors			1,600
Turnout			1,251	78%
	National Liberal hold		Swing

1923

No. 36 Much Woolton
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Conservative	John Francis Roskell Reynolds	unopposed
Registered electors
	Conservative hold		Swing

1924

No. 36 Much Woolton
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Independent	Robert Gladstone *	785	69%
	Labour	Charles Jabez Edwards	346	31%
Majority			439
Registered electors			1,691
Turnout			1,131	67%
	Independent gain from National Liberal		Swing

1926

No. 36 Much Woolton
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Conservative	John Francis Roskell Reynolds *	600	69%
	Labour	William Henry Paulson	271	31%
Majority			329
Registered electors			1,735
Turnout			871	50%
	Conservative hold		Swing

1927

No. 36 Much Woolton
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Conservative	William Edward Stirling Napier	683	72%
	Labour	Frederick Stapleton	262	28%
Majority			421
Registered electors			1,801
Turnout			945	52%
	Conservative gain from Independent		Swing

1929

No. 36 Much Woolton
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Conservative	Charles Stuart Pethick *	773	55%
	Conservative	John Francis Roskell Reynolds *	736	53%
	Labour	John Reginald Bevins	513	37%
	Labour	Robert Edward Cottier	495	36%
	Liberal	Edward Alexander Ferguson	108	8%
Majority			260
Registered electors			2,046
Turnout			1,394	68%
	Conservative hold		Swing
	Conservative hold		Swing

1930

No. 36 Much Woolton
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Conservative	William Edward Stirling Napier *	753	74%
	Labour	William Robert Snell	258	26%
Majority			495
Registered electors			2,136
Turnout			1,011	47%
	Conservative hold		Swing

1931

No. 36 Much Woolton
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Conservative	Herbert Neville Bewley	885	52%
	Independent	Ernest Whiteley	821	48%
Majority			64	4%
Registered electors			2,299
Turnout			1,706	74%
	Conservative hold		Swing

1932

No. 36 Much Woolton
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Independent	Mrs. Caroline Whiteley	850	52%
	Conservative	Edwin Phillips Thompson	740	45%
	Labour	Arthur Lumb	52	3.2%
	Independent Democratic Labour	Patrick O'Brien Hendley	7	3.2%
Majority			110
Registered electors			2,371
Turnout			1,649	70%
	Independent gain from Conservative		Swing

1933

No. 36 Much Woolton
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Conservative	Joseph Butterfield	759	46%
	Independent	Ernest Whiteley	745	45%
	Labour	John Reginald Bevins	163	10%
Majority			14
Registered electors			2,558
Turnout			1,667	65%
	Conservative hold		Swing

1934

No. 36 Much Woolton
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Independent	Ernest Whitley	731	40%
	Conservative	Isaac Robinson	724	40%
	Ratepayers	Charles Frederick Hind	227	12%
	Labour	Andre John Holman	140	8%
Majority			7
Registered electors			2,591
Turnout			1,822	70%
	Independent gain from Conservative		Swing

1935

No. 36 Much Woolton
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Conservative	Isaac Robinson	1,013	51%
	Independent	Mrs. Caroline Whiteley *	853	43%
	Liberal	John Richard Jones	123	6%
Majority			160
Registered electors			2,747
Turnout			1,989	72%
	Conservative gain from Independent		Swing

1936

No. 36 Much Woolton
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Conservative	Joseph Butterfield *	1,104	77%
	Labour	William Smith Fraser	331	23%
Majority			773
Registered electors			2,828
Turnout			1,435	51%
	Conservative hold		Swing

1937

No. 36 Much Woolton
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Conservative	Vivian Forsyth Crosthwaite *	1,453	71%
	Labour	Andrew Campbell	586	29%
Majority			867
Registered electors			2,911
Turnout			2,039	70%
	Conservative hold		Swing

1938

No. 36 Much Woolton
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Conservative	Isaac Robinson *	1,144	76%
	Labour	Daniel Whelan	359	24%
Majority			785
Registered electors			2,975
Turnout			1,503	51%
	Conservative hold		Swing

1945

Much Woolton
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Conservative	Reginald Wm. Stewart	1,541	59%
	Labour	Griffith D. Ellis	1,084	41%
Majority			457
Registered electors			5,180
Turnout			2,625	51%

1946

Much Woolton
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Conservative	Vivian Forsyth Crosthwaite	1,886	63%
	Labour	Griffith Daniel Ellis	1,128	37%
Majority			758
Registered electors			5,387
Turnout			3,014	56%

1947

Much Woolton
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Conservative	Isaac Robinson	2,331	74%
	Labour	Noel Arthur Pinches	838	26%
Majority			1,493
Registered electors			5,463
Turnout			3,169	58%
	Conservative hold		Swing

1949

Much Woolton
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Reginald William Stewart *	2,261	78%	+19%
	Labour	Noel Arthur Pinches	646	22%	−19%
Majority			1,615
Registered electors			5,547
Turnout			2,907	52%	−1%
	Conservative hold		Swing	+19%

1950

Much Woolton
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Vivian Forsyth Crosthwaite	2,054	80%	+6%
	Labour	William H. Sefton	509	20%	−6%
Majority			1,545
Registered electors			5,790
Turnout			2,563	43%	−15%
	Conservative hold		Swing

1951

Much Woolton
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Joseph Norton ^(PARTY)	2,399	82%	+8%
	Labour	Alan Frank Skinner	523	18%	−8%
Majority			1,876
Registered electors			6,367
Turnout			2,922	46%	−8%
	Conservative hold		Swing	+8%

1952

Much Woolton
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Reginald William Stewart	2,224	72%	−6%
	Labour	Thomas Keith Williams	846	28%	+6%
Majority			1,378
Registered electors			6,525
Turnout			3,070	47%	−5%
	Labour hold		Swing

1918–1919 (1 seat): John Hinshaw (Conservative) served as the inaugural councillor, elected unopposed in both the 1918 and 1919 elections .

1920–1928 (2 seats): A second seat was added for the 1920 election, with Thomas Harrison (Conservative) joining John Hinshaw. Thereafter, representations included Robert Gladstone (National Liberal/Independent) alongside Harrison or John Reynolds (Conservative) in successive years .

1929 onwards (3 seats): A third councillor position was introduced in 1929; early holders included Charles Pethick (Conservative) alongside William Napier and John Reynolds. By 1932, Caroline Whiteley became the first woman to represent the ward, serving as an Independent councillor.

No elections were held between 1939 and 1944 as a result of the Second World War, with sitting councillors’ terms extended under wartime legislation.

Post‑war representation: After wartime suspension, Reginald Stewart (Conservative) held one of the three seats from 1945 until the ward’s abolition in 1952.

Woolton ward (1953–2023): Covered an expanded area including former Much and Little Woolton, remaining a three‑member ward until 2023.

Historical and Geography

The ward was officially established in 1918 to represent the Woolton Village area in the south‑east of Liverpool . Woolton Village itself stands approximately 2 miles north‑north‑east of Garston railway station and about 5 miles south‑east of Liverpool city centre, historically part of the Much Woolton township in the parish of Childwall, Lancashire.^[5]

In its early years, Much Woolton ward covered the main thoroughfares and residential streets of the village, reflecting its role as a suburban district within the County Borough of Liverpool.^[6] The ward fell within the Liverpool Garston parliamentary constituency throughout its existence.^[7] The 1953 Liverpool City Council election implemented widespread boundary changes under the Local Government Act 1952, resulting in the deletion of several wards, including Much Woolton.^[8] In its place, Little Woolton and Much Woolton wards were combined to form the new Woolton ward, which elected three councillors from 7 May 1953.^[9]^[10]

References

^ Greaney, Martin (23 October 2014). "Historic Liverpool - Much Woolton Cross". Historic Liverpool. Retrieved 2 May 2025.
^ GENUKI. "Genuki: St Peter, Much Woolton, Church of England, Lancashire". www.genuki.org.uk. Retrieved 2 May 2025.
^ "Liverpool City Council - Proceedings of the Council 1918-1919 page 1". Retrieved 9 July 2017.
^ "Liverpool City Council - Proceedings of the Council 1918-1919 page 2". Retrieved 9 July 2017.
^ "Genuki: Much Woolton, Lancashire". www.genuki.org.uk. Retrieved 2 May 2025.
^ "Townships: Much Woolton | British History Online". www.british-history.ac.uk. Retrieved 2 May 2025.
^ GENUKI. "Genuki: Much Woolton Census, Lancashire". www.genuki.org.uk. Retrieved 2 May 2025.
^ "A History of the County of Lancaster | British History Online". www.british-history.ac.uk. Retrieved 2 May 2025.
^ GENUKI. "Genuki: Much Woolton, Lancashire". www.genuki.org.uk. Retrieved 2 May 2025.
^ GENUKI. "Genuki: Much Woolton Township Boundaries, Lancashire". www.genuki.org.uk. Retrieved 2 May 2025.

[1] Greaney, Martin (23 October 2014). "Historic Liverpool - Much Woolton Cross". Historic Liverpool. Retrieved 2 May 2025.

[2] GENUKI. "Genuki: St Peter, Much Woolton, Church of England, Lancashire". www.genuki.org.uk. Retrieved 2 May 2025.

[3] "Liverpool City Council - Proceedings of the Council 1918-1919 page 1". Retrieved 9 July 2017.

[4] "Liverpool City Council - Proceedings of the Council 1918-1919 page 2". Retrieved 9 July 2017.

[5] "Genuki: Much Woolton, Lancashire". www.genuki.org.uk. Retrieved 2 May 2025.

[6] "Townships: Much Woolton | British History Online". www.british-history.ac.uk. Retrieved 2 May 2025.

[7] GENUKI. "Genuki: Much Woolton Census, Lancashire". www.genuki.org.uk. Retrieved 2 May 2025.

[8] "A History of the County of Lancaster | British History Online". www.british-history.ac.uk. Retrieved 2 May 2025.

[9] GENUKI. "Genuki: Much Woolton, Lancashire". www.genuki.org.uk. Retrieved 2 May 2025.

[10] GENUKI. "Genuki: Much Woolton Township Boundaries, Lancashire". www.genuki.org.uk. Retrieved 2 May 2025.

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v t e Districts and Wards of the City of Liverpool
Districts	Aigburth Allerton Anfield Belle Vale Broadgreen Canning Childwall Chinatown City Centre Clubmoor Croxteth Dingle Dovecot Edge Hill Everton Fairfield Fazakerley Garston Gateacre Gillmoss Grassendale Hunt's Cross Kensington Kirkdale Knotty Ash Mossley Hill Netherley Norris Green Oglet Old Swan Orrell Park Sefton Park St Michael's Hamlet Speke Stoneycroft Toxteth Tuebrook Vauxhall Walton Wavertree West Derby Woolton
Wards	Aigburth Allerton Anfield Arundel Belle Vale Broadgreen Brownlow Hill Calderstones Canning Childwall Church City Centre North City Centre South Clubmoor East Clubmoor West County Croxteth Croxteth Country Park Dingle Edge Hill Everton East Everton North Everton West Fazakerley East Fazakerley North Fazakerley West Festival Gardens Garston Gateacre Grassendale & Cressington Greenbank Park Kensington and Fairfield Kirkdale East Kirkdale West Knotty Ash & Dovecot Park Mossley Hill Much Woolton & Hunts Cross Norris Green Old Swan East Old Swan West Orrell Park Penny Lane Princes Park Sandfield Park Sefton Park Smithdown Speke Springwood St Michaels Stoneycroft Toxteth Tuebrook Breckside Park Tuebrook Larkhill Vauxhall Walton Waterfront North Waterfront South Wavertree Garden Suburb Wavertree Village West Derby Deysbrook West Derby Leyfield West Derby Muirhead Woolton Village Yew Tree
Defunct wards	Abercromby Allerton and Hunt's Cross Allerton, Childwall and Little Woolton Breckfield Brunswick Castle Street Central Central, Everton, Netherfield Clubmoor Cressington Dovecot Everton Exchange Fairfield Fazakerley Gillmoss Granby Granby, Princes Park Grassendale Great George Greenbank Kensington Kirkdale Knotty Ash Lime Street Little Woolton Low Hill Low Hill, Smithdown Melrose Melrose, Westminster Much Woolton Netherfield Netherley North Scotland North Toxteth North Walton Old Swan Picton Pirrie Pitt Street Riverside Rodney Street St. Anne Street St. Domingo St. James' St. Mary's St. Paul's St. Peter's Sandhills Scotland Sefton Park East Sefton Park West South Scotland South Toxteth South Walton Speke-Garston Tuebrook Tuebrook and Stoneycroft Valley Warbreck Wavertree West Derby Westminster Woolton Woolton East Woolton West