David Allan

Cricket Returns to Torr Park

Eastham v Frodsham in 2017, one of the last games played at Eastham

After a gap of five years cricket Torr Park will once again echo to the sound of leather on willow. Without cricket (and bowls) Torr Park was simply reverting to a field, but now it will be a field with a purpose – a cricket field.

The rapidly expanding South Liverpool Cricket Club were looking for an extra facility to acomodate all their teams. They entered into discussions with Wirral Council, came to an agreement, and hope to resume cricket in Torr Park from April this year (2025).

We should like to welcome the club to Eastham, not only from Eastham Village Preservation Association, but from all residents of Eastham. We will do all that we can to help you thrive in a village atmosphere.

The club are running a ‘go fund me’ appeal to help raise the £15000 necessary to get the cricket pitch and the facilities up to standard. Please give whatever you can afford. This is the link, please donate via go fund me – gofund.me/a7c821cf

It is interesting to note that Eastham is becoming quite a sporting hub. It already acomodates a first class golf club (Eastham Lodge), an excellent rugby club (Anselmians) and now a cricket team! Anyone out there want to revive the excellent crown green that still lurks under the mini, seldom-used, football field? And how about quoits and croquet? Eastham had a quoits team and croquet was certainly very popular too.

EVPA member Darren Thompson donates an 8-bladed vintage wicket mower to the new club

On an historical note cricket was first played in Eastham in 1854, with the cricket pitch being laid out by Mr John Torr, some three years before he built his family home of Carlett House. He certainly had his priorities right! However the first recorded mention of the cricket team was in a surviving hand-written diary by village resident, John Worthington. John records a brief mention of a scratch game held on Saturday May 17th 1884 when a cricket match was played on the club ground in Carlett Park between the United Bachelors and the Consolidated Benedicts.

View more about the history of Eastham cricket.

Tulip Time in Eastham!

Eastham Village is set to burst into a spectacular display of colour this spring, thanks to the dedicated efforts of the Eastham Village Preservation Association team. Over the past weeks, our volunteers have worked tirelessly to plant an incredible 3,000 tulip bulbs across key locations in the village.

Volunteers planting tulip bulbs in Torr Park

The planting sites include the War Memorial, the historic Churchyard, Torr Park (next to The Sanctuary), the Stanley Lane triangle, the Montgomery, and even several local front gardens. These mixed Triumph tulips are expected to bloom in May, promising a vibrant and uplifting scene for residents and visitors alike.

Our volunteers have done their part—now it’s up to Mother Nature to bring the finishing touch! Why not pay Eastham Village a visit this Spring and enjoy the tulips? Keep an eye on our website (www.easthamvillage.org) and social media for further updates and other events.

Please join Eastham Village Preservation Association and help to make Eastham Village a place to cherish this spring and beyond! Click here for full joining details.

Back to work

Following a long, wet, winter Eastham’s Graveyard team are now out in force. The grass between the headstones has been mown, and summer bedding is being planted.

Get Involved

Might you have an hour or two to spare? We need your help to keep Eastham’s ancient graveyeard, its headstones and its history trim and tidy. If you can help please get in touch via the contact form.

Allan with the mower in the churchyard — Allan on the mower

Ann planting summer bedding in the War Memorial site — Ann with bedding plants on the War Memorial

A wheelbarrow crossing Eastham Village Road — Crossing Eastham Village Road with the wheelbarrow

Volunteers Day

Children’s Play Equipment in Torr Park, Eastham

The second Friends of Torr Park “volunteer day” will take place on Saturday 27th April. The aim again is to clear brambles and other intrusive species from the Rhodedendron bushes in the centre of the park. Also, depending on numbers etc., there will be litter picking equipment that could be utilised or there may be opportunity to cut back some of the ivy growing on the trees.

The intention is to start at 9.00 am and the day will conclude around 3.00 pm. We would welcome any volunteers willing to assist and it is understood this may be for a shorter period, an hour for example would be fine and much appreciated. You are of course very welcome to come for the whole period.

Torr Park Pavilion

The former cricket pavilion in Torr Park has been ‘lent’ to the Friends of Torr Park as a place to store their equipment and rest after their labours in the Park.

Umpires coats hanging where they were left in 2018

The graffiti-covered building has been an eyesore ever since the cricketers left pre covid.

When the door was opened, it looked like a time warp. The interior had remained untouched since the last game; the umpire’s coats were left hanging, ready for the next game, and photos and trophies still adorned the walls.

Cricket has been played in Eastham for over 150 years – it’s time to resume the tradition.

148 Eastham Village Road

Planning permission has been refused to build a bungalow on this site. The stated grounds for the refusal are

The Local Planning Authority considers that the proposal would be detrimental to the character and openness of the Green Belt by eroding the undeveloped nature of the application site.

The proposal is considered to be an inappropriate
form of development within the Green Belt and is therefore contrary to the objectives of Policy GB2 of the adopted Wirral Unitary Development Plan, and the National Planning Policy Framework.

Working Party in Torr Park

Steve Bailey’s Friends of Torr Park held their first working party just before Easter. Seven enthusiastic Friends turned out to begin the task of de-weeding the Rhodo beds, which are a feature of the Park in the spring. These have become overgrown with brambles, elders, and other material that shouldn’t be there (the definition of a weed is ‘a plant in the wrong place’).

Two one-tonne polybags and several brown bins were filled and removed from the site. The larger branches were left for the council’s chipper the following day. The chippings will be recycled on the beds to act as mulch and prevent further regrowth.

Branches awaiting the council's chipper — Branches awaiting the chipper

Annual General Meeting

Our Annual General Meeting will be held at Eastham Lodge Golf Club in Ferry Road on the 24th April starting at 6.30 pm for 7.00 pm start. There will be a brief report on the year’s activities, an update on the accounts and the election of committee members. This will be followed by a talk on Eastham’s famous Victorian Pleasure Gardens by Dr David Mottram. David conducts guided monthly tours of the gardens and his talk will include the efforts being made to preserve their remains including the fountains, the bear pit and the wall of the boating lake.

Everyone is welcome.

Bear Piut in Eastham Gardens. Part of the talk by Dr David Mottram at the EVPA's AGM on 24th April 2024 — The Bear Pit in Eastham Gardens

Meeting with local Parks manager

The Friends of Torr Park and The Graveyard Team will meet with Carl Davies, the Council’s Parks manager for the Eastham area, on the 25th January. It is hoped the Graveyard Team will be able to organise the co-ordination between the Council’s workforce and the Graveyard volunteers to manage everyone’s time and input more effectively. The Torr Park contingent will be seeking to understand how the Council will be operating and what the priorities are for the Friends Group

Eastham’s St Mary’s Church. The graveyard seen through the lych-gate

Making Eastham’s Roads safer

A small band of volunteers have given up their free time through out the year to alert drivers to the 20 mph speed limit that is in force in the village streets. It seems to be having some affect as the traffic usually seems to be noticeably slower. So thanks to everyone who has taken part.