The Parish of Prescot in the County of -- Lancashire --

The town of PRESCOT OS grid ref SJ 465928 Lat 53’25N Lon 2’48W About 8 miles (13km) east of Liverpool Exchange, and 10 miles (16km) west of Warrington. The name Prescot comes from the Anglo-Saxon Prestecote which means priest’s cottage. Prescot is an old market town and was famous throughout the world for its clocks and watches. By 1800 the town had become the principle centre for the production of watch movements, watch and clock components, horological and precision tools, mainly a home based industry with workshops attached to houses. Coal mining and the production of pottery also featured strongly in Prescot’s history, to be followed in their demise by the giant British Insulated Callenders Cables empire which now is not as extensive as in the past.

	St. Mary the Virgin, Market Place/Church Street

It is possible that there has been a church on this site from pre-Norman times. The church is first mentioned in records of 1140. At least two buildings are known to have been on this site. Most of the building that stands here today dates from 1610. Two of the main benefactors of the rebuild, John Ogle and Sir John Bold, are commemorated on the beams of the black oak collar and hammer beam roof of the nave. John Ogle also donated a fine black oak chair and has the only tomb effigy to remain in the church. The XIV century tower that had been built in 1393, with a bequest of £10 from the rector John Fairfax, was in such poor condition in 1727 that it was replaced by a tower and spire at a cost of £455. The new tower and spire had problems with both severe storms and structural stresses. The spire was rebuilt in 1798 and the tower and spire strengthened and restored in 1992. The only part of the medieval building to remain is the small north vestry. This church is the only Grade One listed building in the Borough of Knowsley.

Notes source : Knowsley Museum Service.

PRESCOT Roman Catholic Church : Our Lady Immaculate and St. Joseph,
Vicarage Place OS grid ref SJ 464927 Lat 53’25N Lon 2’47W.

This church was designed by Joseph Aloysius Hansom, a famous architect in his time, now better known as the inventor of the “Hansom cab”. The church was built in 1856-57. It stands at the end of Vicarage Place opposite the Vicarage beside the entrance to the one of the original medieval lanes.

Notes source : Knowsley Museum Service

Notice also to the left of the image above is the Prescot War Memorial honouring the casualties of the first world war. Details of this and the fallen may be found on the Prescot Roll of Honour site.