Sandstone Wall All Round Churchyard, With One Entrance On County Road, One At The Junction Of County Road And Church Lane, And One On Walton Village.

This list entry was subject to a Minor Amendment on 19/12/2012 and 01/09/2015

SJ 3594 L4 14/319 14.3.75

COUNTY ROAD, Sandstone wall all round churchyard, with one entrance on County Road, one at junction of County Road and Church Lane, and one on Walton Village

(Formerly listed as Sandstone wall all round churchyard, with two entrances on County Road and one on Walton Village)

G.V. II

Wall to churchyard of St. Mary's Church. C19, stone. Extends for 301.5 metres. The section of wall facing County Road is later than the other section, having been taken down and rebuilt on a different alignment sometime during the first quarter of C20. The section of wall to County Road is ashlar, with weathered coping while that to Walton Village is of rubble construction. The 3 entrances have stone piers with 2 tiers of arched panels with weathering between and are gabled on all 4 sides. Iron overthrows with traceried spandrels support Lanterns; that to Walton Village is intact. The wall to Walton Village is interrupted by the Mortuary and Hearse house (q.v.). The wall to County Road incorporates a red granite 'Melly' drinking fountain with an altered backplate (set into wall) and a replacement ashlar pediment inscribed with '1861'. The bronze ornamental head water spout and tap are missing. The drinking fountain was moved 36m north-east from its original position at the turn of C20.

HISTORY: The churchyard wall is C19 in date and displays two phases of construction. The Melly fountain facing County Road was erected in 1861 by the Victorian philanthropist Charles Pierre Melly (1829-1888). Melly erected the first free public drinking fountains in England in Liverpool in 1854. The idea was subsequently copied in towns and cities throughout the country, and in Scotland and Ireland. London's first fountain was not erected until five years later in 1859. He was also a promoter of physical fitness and the early Olympic movement in Britain.

SUMMARY OF IMPORTANCE: The churchyard wall surrounding St Mary's Church is of special historic interest as an important component of the ensemble formed by the grade II listed church (formerly the Parish Church of Liverpool), hearse house and mortuary. The Melly drinking fountain is one of the earliest in England and was erected by the Victorian philanthropist Charles Pierre Melly (1829-1888).

Listing NGR: SJ3582794817