Traditional date of first settlement and simple chapel
870 A.D.
Domesday Survey - Kirkby cited as 'Cherchebi' - part of the 'West Derby Hundred' - population around 70
1086
Little change to the rural farming community but frequent changes of land ownership
11th-16th Century
The Molyneux family complete the purchase of the entire Kirkby manor lands
1596
Whitefield House and nearby dovecote (pigeon house) erected
c.1703
New chapel built on the site of former ancient building
1766
Charles William Molyneux created 1st Earl of Sefton
1771
Kirkby School built
1806
Kirkby Tithe Map and Apportionment Schedule completed
1839
• New vicarage built in Old Hall Lane
• Kirkby Railway Station opens as part of the Liverpool, Bolton and Bury line
• Kirkby Waterworks, built by St Helens Corporation completed
Birth of Robert Atherton (Robin o' Bob's), ploughboy poet: known as the Lancashire 'Burns'
1861
New parish church of St. Chad consecrated. Ceremony performed by the Lord Bishop of Chester
1871
Old Kirkby Chapel taken down
1872
First sod cut by Alderman McBride, J.P., Mayor, on the site of the new Kirkby waterworks pumping station - 11th June 1886
1886
Foundation stone for the St. Helens Waterworks pumping station at Kirkby laid by Alderman McKechnie, Mayor, 31st July
1888
Strike by agricultural workers for better pay and shorter hours
1913
Robert Atherton (Robin o' Bob's) buried at St. Chad's churchyard
1930
East Lancashire Road (A580) built: dual carriageway linking Liverpool with Manchester officially opened by King George V - 18th July 1934
1934
Royal Ordnance Factory built: employing 20,000 workers at its peak
1939-41
ROF site bought by Liverpool Corporation with a view to develop a trading estate
1946
Kirkby land bought by Liverpool Corporation from Earl of Sefton for housing development
1947
Former Royal Ordnance Factory hostel site at Kirkby Fields becomes Kirkby Training College, a facility to provide emergency training to teaching staff following the war, officially opened 5th July 1948
1948
Liverpool City and Lancashire County officials meet to discuss Kirkby 'New Town'
1949
Development of new housing in Southdene, Westvale and Northwood. The Kirkby Industrial Estate expands to become one of the largest in the country
1950s
First batch of students arrive at the new Federation of Malaya Teachers' Training College, Kirkby Fields - 2nd January 1952
1952
Kirkby Urban District Council created
1958
Kirkby Market opened
1960
• Kirkby’s population 52,207 (Census)
• Opening of Westvale Community Centre
• Opening of Webster Park
• Opening of Kirkby College of Further Education
• Opening of Kirkby Police Headquarters
Closure of the Malayan Teachers' Training College at Kirkby Fields after 1,300 teachers are trained in a period of ten years
1962
• Kirkby Library, Newtown Gardens opened - 18th March 1964
• Kirkby Stadium opened by the Rt. Hon. Harold Wilson, M.P. - 20th June 1964
Building work begins on new Kirkby Civic Centre
1966
• Kirkby's landmark waterworks building and tower demolished
• Phase I of the Tower Hill Estate completed, Phase II begun
• Kirkby Town Football Club, Simonswood Lane, opened by J. Harold Wilson - 7th April 1967
Opening of the "Civic Buildings" by Prime Minister Rt. Hon. J. Harold Wilson, O.B.E., M.P. - 19th April 1969
1969
• Local government re-organisation - Kirkby becomes part of the new Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley
• Kirkby Sports Centre opened by Wilfred Byron, Clerk of the Council - 29th March 1974
Opening of Kirkby's ASDA store - 30th September 1975
1975
J & A Cinema, Kirkby, shows its first film: Paint Your Wagon - 4th January 1976
1976
Queen Elizabeth II visits Kirkby as part of a tour of Merseyside
1978
Kirkby's ASDA store closes - 24th August 1979
1979
Kirkby's J & A Cinema closes - 1st August 1982
1982
Regeneration of Kirkby Town Centre including Kirkby Library. Two new installations erected in Newton Gardens: a multi-coloured clock tower and a bandstand for community events
mid-1990s
• QVC opens a call centre and warehouse in South Boundary Road and becomes a major local employer
• The Academy, Liverpool F.C.'s training ground and youth academy opens in Kirkby
Appraisal completed of the following Kirkby Conservation Areas:
• Old Hall Lane
• Ingoe Lane
• Ribblers Lane
Re-dedication of Kirkby's war memorial outside St Chad's Church following restoration work - 22 July 2007
2007
Brookfield High School merges with Ruffwood School to form Kirkby Sports College, Centre for Learning, on the site of Brookfield. Officially opening - 2nd October 2009
2009
Kirkby Sports College, Centre for Learning, converts to academy status and becomes known as Kirkby High School - September 2013
2013
• The newly refurbished covered Kirkby Market opens - 26th April 2014
• The Kirkby Centre opened (in the regenerated Kirkby Suite building) Norwich Way, bringing together key services including: Kirkby Library, ARK (Archive Resource for Knowsley), Gallery, One Stop Shop and Adult Disability Day Service
Two out of three public artworks installed in Kirkby town centre: the 'Tree of Life' and 'Edward's Elephant' at Newtown Gardens
2015
• Official opening of Kirkby's new bus station after refurbishment - 14th October 2016
• The final piece of three commissioned public artworks is installed in Civic Square, outside The Kirkby Centre. The artwork consists of three colourful winged thrones, each with its own distinctive features
• Council-owned Volair Limited takes over running of all KMBC’s Leisure Centres including the Kirkby site
Information board commemorating the Malayan Teachers’ Training College at Kirkby Fields unveiled at Granborne Chase on 60th anniversary of the declaration of Malaya’s independence - 31st August 2017
2017
• Former Kirkby Library building in Newtown Gardens demolished March 2018. A new cinema is to be constructed on the site
• Appraisal completed of the following Kirkby Conservation Areas:
North Park Road
South Park Road
• Confirmation that Knowsley Council becomes the official owner of Kirkby Town Centre, following negotiations with St Modwen. Total cost of the deal is £43.8 million - November 2019
• Construction begins on the new retail development: Morrisons supermarket and petrol station, Home Bargains and KFC. Also, a new car park situated on the site of the former Golden Eagle Hotel, Cherryfield Drive, is begun - December 2019
• Opening of The Maples in Northwood, a state-of-the-art facility of 100 apartments for people aged 55 and over, provided under the Extra Care scheme - February 2020
• Further investment announced to build a railway station development at Headbolt Lane - July 2020
• Liverpool F.C.'s first team train at newly opened AXA Training Centre, Kirkby, for the first time - 17th November 2020
• Mexican food chain Taco Bell to open a restaurant in Kirkby's new retail development - December 2020
• The whole year 2020 was dominated by the Coronavirus COVID-19. Working from home or being on furlough became the new normal, together with social distancing measures and the wearing of face coverings
