Editing Toxteth (section)

===Toxteth Park===
[[File:Toxteth Town Hall 2017-1.jpg|thumb|[[Toxteth Town Hall]]]]
The ancient township of Toxteth contains the village of ''Smeedon'' or ''Smithdown''. It stretches over an area of three miles along the [[River Mersey]] and two miles inland, the highest point being on the corner of Smithdown Lane and Lodge Lane. A brook ran from the northern end of the area, near the boundary of Parliament Street, where it was used to power a [[water wheel]] before it ran into the river. Along the river are two creeks; the one near the middle is known as Knot's Hole, and another further south, called Dickinson's Dingle, received a brook which ran past the east end of [[St Michael's Church, Aigburth]].<ref name="toxteth"/>

At some time in history the creeks were filled in. The [[Dingle, Liverpool|Dingle]] is now in the area where the old northern creek was situated, and [[St Michael's Hamlet]] is situated around the southern creek. Outside the southern boundary of the area lies the creek known as Otterspool, which formed the boundary between Wavertree and West Derby. The major road through the area was Park Lane, now Park Place and Park Road. The road ran from the Coffee House, which stood near Fairview Place, down towards the Dingle, and the "Ancient Chapel of Toxteth".<ref name="toxteth"/>

Toward the end of the 16th century, the royal park ceased to be and [[Puritan]] farmers from [[Bolton]] settled in the area. Setting up 25 farms on land outside [[Church of England]] control, which became Toxteth Village, these [[English Dissenters|Dissenters]] worshipped at the "Ancient Chapel" on Park Road, now known as the [[Toxteth Unitarian Chapel]] (not to be confused with [[Ullet Road Unitarian Church]], in Toxteth, south Liverpool). In 1611, they built a school at the Dingle, appointing [[Richard Mather]] as schoolmaster. Some years later, he began preaching to the local farmers in the chapel.<ref>{{citation|url=http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~mather/Mather/Liverpool/Liverpolitan1948.jpg|title=The Ancient Chapel of Toxteth|publisher=The Liverpolitan|date=August 1948|access-date=29 October 2006}}</ref> [[Toxteth Town Hall]], which as "Toxteth Park Public Offices" was the municipal centre of Toxteth Park, was completed in 1866.<ref>{{NHLE|desc= Public Offices (now Health and Social Security)|num=1075218|access-date=24 February 2022}}</ref>

In 1796, the [[Herculaneum Pottery]] was established on the site of an old copper works. The site later became [[Herculaneum Dock]], which was filled in during the 1980s.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Herculaneum_Dock,_Liverpool | title=Herculaneum Dock, Liverpool - Graces Guide }}</ref>

The Pavilion Theatre opened on Lodge Lane in 1908, and hosted a Beatles concert in 1962. It later became a bingo hall and then a supermarket.<ref>{{cite web |title=Historic theatre and bingo hall to become supermarket |url=https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/whats-on/food-drink-news/historic-theatre-bingo-hall-become-27474301 |website=Liverpool Echo |access-date=7 August 2023}}</ref>