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.

CHURCH OF ST MARY, COUNTY ROAD, WALTON

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Overview

Heritage Category:
Listed Building
Grade:
II
List Entry Number:
1206254
Date first listed:
14-Mar-1975
List Entry Name:
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.
Statutory Address:
CHURCH OF ST MARY, COUNTY ROAD, WALTON

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Date:
2007-07-16
Reference:
IOE01/16643/19
Rights:
© Mr Ronald May. Source: Historic England Archive

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Official list entry

Heritage Category:
Listed Building
Grade:
II
List Entry Number:
1206254
Date first listed:
14-Mar-1975
List Entry Name:
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.
Statutory Address 1:
CHURCH OF ST MARY, COUNTY ROAD, WALTON

The scope of legal protection for listed buildings

This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.

Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.

For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.

Understanding list entries

Corrections and minor amendments

The scope of legal protection for listed buildings

This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.

Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.

For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.

Understanding list entries

Corrections and minor amendments

Location

Statutory Address:
CHURCH OF ST MARY, COUNTY ROAD, WALTON

The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.

District:
Liverpool (Metropolitan Authority)
Parish:
Non Civil Parish
National Grid Reference:
SJ 35828 94823

Details

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

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:
213948
Legacy System:
LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Physick, R, Played in Liverpool: Charting the heritage of a city at play, (2007)

Websites
, accessed from http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/55914

Legal

This building is listed under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest.

Ordnance survey map of 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.

Map

This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale. This copy shows the entry on 02-Jul-2026 at 01:11:30.

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© Crown copyright [and database rights] 2026. OS AC0000815036. Use of this mapping is subject to Terms and Conditions.

End of official list entry

All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.

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