The name Everton is derived from the Saxon word eofor, meaning wild boar that lives in forests.
Description
Everton is an inner-city area located just north of Liverpool city centre, with Vauxhall to the west, Kirkdale to the north, and Anfield to the north-east. The Liverpool entrance to the Kingsway Tunnel is located near the boundaries of this area. Everton consists generally of more modern terraced homes, and is statistically one of the most deprived areas of the city.
History
Everton is an ancient settlement and, like Liverpool, was one of the six unnamed s of West Derby. Until the late 18th century Everton was a small rural parish of Walton-on-the-Hill, but the rise in wealth of nearby Liverpool pushed its wealthier merchants towards Everton and further afield to live. By the early 19th century Liverpool's demand for housing saw Everton begin to be built up; Everton became part of Liverpool in 1835. Much of the land in Everton was once owned by the local Hodson family. Along with neighbouring Vauxhall, Everton housed a very large Irish population. Sectarianism was one negative consequence of religious differences with tensions between Catholics and Protestants existing well into the 20th century. St Domingo Road in Everton was the intended site for the building of the Metropolitan Cathedral, but this was abandoned owing to financial constraints. The cathedral was eventually located in the city centre near to the southern edge of Everton. Urban clearance during the 1960s and 1970s, followed by the creation of Everton Park, changed the face of the area and some parts have never recovered. The population has plummeted by over 100,000 since the 1960s; Everton Park has replaced the densely packed streets with fields and trees. The landscape of Everton is now mainly non-urban with the loss of so many people and many hundreds of buildings. 'Project Jennifer' is a scheme to breathe new life into rundown parts of Everton centred on Great Homer Street including a revamped 'Greaty' market. However the project has suffered numerous delays and setbacks. The NSPCC Hargreaves Centre was opened in May 2007 on the site of the former indoor market.
The football club Everton F.C. is named after the area. The district is also the location of a building on the club's crest, Everton Lock-Up, known locally as Prince Rupert's Tower. Barker and Dobson, a local sweet manufacturer, introduced 'Everton Mints' to honour Everton Football Club. Ironically, Everton F.C. has never actually played in the area. Its first three homes were located in Anfield, including Stanley Park; the club has played at Goodison Park in the area of Walton since 1892. In addition, Everton Cemetery is also not located in Everton, it lies further north-east in the district of Fazakerley.
Liverpool F.C. connection
The football club Liverpool F.C. was originally founded as 'Everton Football Club and Athletic Ground Company, Ltd', or 'Everton Athletic', on 26 January 1892, as a consequence of the Everton F.C. split that resulted in Everton F.C.'s move to Goodison Park in 1892. The former Evertonians who founded 'Everton Athletic' to play at Anfield renamed the club 'Liverpool F.C.' on 3 June 1892.
