Description
Bootle, a municipal borough, comprising the township of Bootle-cum-Linacre, in Walton-on-the-Hill parish, Lancashire, forming part of the Bootle parliamentary division of SW Lancashire. The borough lies on the Mersey, the Liverpool and Southport railway, and Liverpool and Leeds Canal, 3 1/2 miles N by W of Liverpool; was a much frequented watering-place, but is now occupied on all its river front by Liverpool docks. It has a post, money order, and telegraph office under Liverpool, and four railway stations, and also three large railway goods stations. The trade of the town is almost exclusively connected with shipping-timber, cotton, and provisions being the chief imports; and there are besides some large warehouses, jute works, tanneries, and corn mills. The Liverpool Overhead Railway, which runs the entire length of the docks from Bootle to Liverpool, has two stations within the borough. The immense docks recently constructed here are estimated to have cost more than £4,000,000. New police buildings were erected in 1891, and opened by the mayor. Area of municipal borough, 1595 acres; population, 49,217. The Bootle chapelries are all in the diocese of Liverpool- Christchurch, gross value, £334 with residence, and St Leonards, gross value, £350, both vicarages; St John, gross value, £450 with residence; St Matthew, and St Mary, gross value, £1000, these three being perpetual curacies. The Baptists, Wesleyans, Primitive Methodists, English and Welsh Presbyterians, and Congregationalists have chapels, and there is also a Roman Catholic church. There are two hospitals (one for infectious diseases). Other public buildings are the town-hall, school board offices, free library and museum, public salt-water baths, police court and fire station, also the headquarters of the Reform and Conservative Clubs.
There are tramways in the borough connected with the Liverpool system, two recreation grounds, and a park, the site of which was presented by the late Earl of Derby, to whose memory a marble drinking fountain was erected by the inhabitants. The progress of this borough has been very rapid during recent years.
Bootle Parliamentary Division was formed under the Redistribution of Seats Act of 1885, and returns one member to the House of Commons. Population, 97,552. the division includes the following�The municipal boroughs of Liverpool and Bootle, and the parishes of Childwall, Fazakerley, Walton-on-the Hill, and Wavertree, and so much of the parishes of West Derby and Toxteth Park as is not included in the municipal borough of Liverpool.
