Knowsley Heritage walks

Cronton, whose Saxon name Crawenton means ‘Settlement of Crows’, is a small village that appears in the Norman document the Testa de Nevill. The conservation area has some outstanding buildings in various architectural styles, ranging from the impressive manor house, Cronton Hall, to the localised architecture of local sandstone and brick.

Arable land surrounds the village, and Pex Hill, an attractive wooded recreational area, stands on the land around and including the site of a 17th-century sandstone quarry.

There was once an important tool-making industry in Cronton, pre-dating the Industrial Revolution. It seems likely that files were made here, probably for use by the clock and watchmakers in Prescot. Later, the tools were used to finish off and re-sharpen the drawing dies used in the Warrington wire works. The last of these small workshops was on Upton Lane, finally closing in 1926.

The Cronton walk will not accommodate wheelchairs or prams. See disability access information

The route:

1. On the village green, you can see the war memorial and the Cronton Stocks. The stocks are believed to date from the Medieval period and are unusual as they have five holes.
2. The Unicorn public house dates from the 18th century and was formerly called the Horns Inn.
3. Follow the footpath sign, adjacent to house number 337, and walk through the open fields towards Penny Lane. You will cross a bridge over Tue Brook, a common name for a small stream, often man-made, that drained farmland.
4. Town End Farm is a Grade II listed building of red sandstone and half-timbered at the rear. Although a stone bears the date 1705, it is thought that part of the building dates from 1560. It suffered neglect in the 1950s when it was used as a lodging house for transient agricultural workers.
5. Where Smithy Lane meets Hall Lane is the Medieval Cronton Cross. Cronton did not have a burial ground, and the cross may have been a stopping place for funeral processions en route to Farnworth Church.
6. Cronton Hall is a fine example of the ‘Queen Anne’ style of architecture and dates from the early 1700s. The gate posts at the front of the hall are Grade II listed, and the two square stone piers have tall, slender urns on the top and wrought iron gates. Cronton Hall itself is surprisingly unlisted.
7. Alongside Cronton Hall is Lyme Tree Court. Here, you can see some renovated 18th and 19th-century brick barns and a stone coachhouse, which is built around a cobbled courtyard.
8. Sunnyside Farm is Grade II listed, built in brick and dates from the early 17th century. It is a rare example of cruck construction, of low proportions, with pig sties to the side. Town End Cottages, opposite, are also worth looking at.
9. Pex Hill is a small hill, 67 metres high. During the plague years, wooden cabins were built there, and plague victims were left to die, then burnt,   cabins and all! Follow the well-trodden paths across the heathland to the top of the hill. From here, on a clear day, you can see the Clwydian Hills of North Wales, Hope Mountain near Wrexham and Liverpool’s two cathedrals.