Parbold

The Parish of Parbold, to the East of Ormskirk, is a charming residential township which is both hilly and picturesque. It rises from the River Douglas to a height of 400 feet above sea level. Parbold Hill gives magnificent views across the surrounding countryside and is always popular with visitors. A little below its summit stands a rough-hewn monument in the shape of a bottle. Known locally as Parbold Bottle, it was originally erected to commemorate the great Reform Bill 1832.

Parbold became part of the Barony of Manchester after the Norman conquest, as did Dalton and Wrightington, and was held by a branch of the Lathom family as early as the 13th century. Parbold was acquired by John Crisp in 1680 and his son Thomas Crisp, Member of Parliament for Ilchester, reconstructed Parbold Hall in the Palladian style. In 1802 the hall became for a time the home of the dispossessed Benedictine Community of Dieulward in France.

A familiar local scene is the old windmill near the canal in the centre of the village. It replaced the water cornmill which once stood near the Douglas bridge in Alder Lane. The windmill in its turn was superseded in the middle on the 18th century by the present mill which was originally worked by a steam engine and produced compound cattle foods until its closure in 1985.

Visitors and residents can enjoy some lovely scenic walks in the area along a network of well-marked and maintained footpaths. The canal is popular with anglers and ramblers and the village has a number of pubs, tea rooms and shops including a Post Office.