Merseyside's 'secret' streets tucked away from view you may never have noticed

There are many streets across Merseyside which feel 'secret' and feel like they are almost hidden away. Among them are back alleys in the city centre, charming terraced streets or grand gated housing estates with views across the River Mersey.

Whether places of historic interest, or streets which simply have a certain charm, they are all worthy of being in the spotlight. Many are home to attractive houses and historic buildings like churches, while some boast a number of thriving businesses.

Here, we take you around the 'secret streets' and hidden gems of Merseyside. These are just a few of the hidden treasures dotted around our region which you can take a walk down.

Let us know in the comments of any others 'secret streets' that you can think of.

Queen Avenue, Liverpool city centre

Found off Castle Street, Queen Avenue is a true hidden gem. It runs between Rudy's Pizza and the Tune Hotel, before it snakes around to Dale Street. A number of independent businesses are found nestled on it, including French bistro Queens, Hair Transform, R&H Fine Wines, dot-art and the Mowgli head office.

Despite its city centre location, people who have lived in Liverpool for years may not know of Queen Avenue, but they will be very pleased when they find it. Earlier this month, the ECHO spoke to people who work on Queen Avenue about the street and what makes it so special.

Cressington Park, South Liverpool

This gated riverside estate was built for wealthy merchants in the mid-19th century. Its diverse mix of houses includes grand detached homes, Victorian villas, and some interestingly-designed new-build properties.

The entrance to Cressington is found on Aigburth Road, next to St Mary's Church. Salisbury Road and Knowsley Road and joined by Grosvenor Road, which leads onto Eaton Road. All are lined with attractive homes, leading down to the River Mersey.

Cressington Esplanade then runs along the river, giving the park its own mini promenade, where there are benches to enjoy the view. The park has a tennis club and is served by Cressington Train Station, which is on Merseyrail's northern line.

Temple Street, Liverpool city centre

Although in the city centre, it is easy for people to overlook this developed street which boasts an attractive courtyard. It is home to a number of offices and residential buildings and it leads onto Mansion nightclub.

Situated between Dale Street and Victoria Street it has musical claims to fame – not least as the one-time home of The Iron Door Club (1960-1964), which saw countless performances from Merseybeat bands. It hosted The Beatles' only-known appearance as The Silver Beetles and also provided one of the five homes across the city for the 1980s club Planet X.

Leather Lane, Liverpool city centre

You could be forgiven for thinking that Leather Lane leads to Thomas Rigby's beer garden. The lane, which connects Dale Street with Quakers Alley - towards Tithebarn Street - runs right next to the Dale Street pub.

The lane took its name from the former leather market, Leather Hall, which was on this site until 1833 before moving across the city to Gill Street, off Brownlow Hill. Now, it is home to a small collection of businesses.

Hackins Hey, Liverpool city centre

Like Leather Lane, this tiny lane runs off Dale Street. Hackins Hey’s name derived from John Hacking, through whose croft, enclosed by hedges, the narrow street was laid out.

It was the home of the city’s first Quakers’ meeting house which opened in 1709. It was also, from 1949 until the late 1970s, the first home of famous Liverpool solicitors E. Rex Makin & Co.

Nowadays, you will find The Denbigh Castle - a great pub which has become a city centre base for Evertonians and serves a fine selection of beers. There's also fantastic sandwich shop Castro's, No. 1 Barbers and Ye Hole in the Wall, which is the city's oldest pub.

Duke’s Terrace, off Duke Street, Liverpool city centre

Grade II-listed, this is said to be the last remaining example of back-to-back housing in Liverpool. Now apartments, its merchants’ houses were reconstructed using salvaged original materials. The area includes two landscaped courtyards which feature a statue of William Huskisson.

Rows upon rows of identical terraced houses like Duke's Terrace were built across the country in the 18th and 19th centuries to provide cheap housing for workers from mills and factories.

Many of these houses were back-to-backs, which as their name suggests, were literally built 'back to back' on either side of a spine wall running down the terrace. This meant the houses had no rear windows or back gardens.

By the 1930s this type of housing was condemned for its cramped design which didn't allow for sufficient ventilation or sanitation. This led to the demolition of many back-to-back houses across the country during so-called slum clearances. However, Duke's Terrace was spared demolition because the tenants were happy to stay in their tight-knit community.

Last year, the ECHO spoke to Stephen Yip, who has fond memories of his childhood growing up in Duke's Terrace with his family. You can read that piece here.

South View / Manor Place, near Bromborough Pool

The village of 142 houses with a church, school, institute, shop and library inspired William Lever to build his own model village at nearby Port Sunlight. The first houses to be built were on York Street, which welcomed its first resident in 1854. Manor Place with 16 houses was built in 1856. A second phase of building started in 1872 including a new road, South View, with six houses – and six more added in 1877.

Hartleys Village, Aintree

This area, the historic former home of the Hartley’s Jam empire, has been called Liverpool’s Port Sunlight. It includes the street named Hartleys Village.

William Pickles Hartley founded the complex in 1886. He was a staunch Methodist and strongly believed in improving the living and working conditions of his workers. Since the factory closed in the mid-1960s elements of the village have been lost, including factory roofs – and Mr Hartley’s own villa on Long Lane.

Little Bongs, Knotty Ash

Boasting one of the greatest street names around, Little Bongs is a quaint little street of terraced homes and is thought to have been built in the 18th century. Little Bongs can only be accessed via an archway on the road which leads you to the beautiful, preserved row of nineteenth century houses and lush gardens.

Built in 1888 according to an engraving, the houses were once inhabited by the workers at the nearby Joseph Jones brewery, where the street's name is believed to have come from. Rumour has it that the houses, situated off East Prescot Road, may have been the inspiration for Sir Ken Dodd referring to his beloved Knotty Ash as the home of the Diddy Men.

Fulwood Park, Aigburth

Fulwood Park, which is found just off Aigburth Road, is an enclave of large 19th century homes. Built on the site of fields belonging to White House Farm in the 1840s, it was a residence for wealthy merchants.

Starting just beyond the Fulwood Arms pub, the road runs for around half a mile from a gatepost down to Riverside Drive. Houses stocked with sculptures, portraits and marble fireplaces were once home to wealthy merchants and cultural figures including Charles Groves, the musical director of Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, and Quentin Hughes, an architect who campaigned to save many of Liverpool's historic buildings and helped the city achieve world heritage site status. Properties also served as a children's hospital, an old people's home, and the French consulate.

Sandfield Road, Gateacre Village

According to the gatsoc.atwebpages.com website, this area, while then unnamed, first appeared on Jonathan Bennison’s Map of Liverpool of 1835. The intention to make a road here, leading off from Gateacre Brow, was stated in a deed of 1818. There is a further reference in a deed way back in 1753.

The Sandhole was the name given to Sandfield Road in the 1841 census - this referred to a plot owned by a builder which was described as Land and Sandpit. There is an unusual black-and-white former bank building (once also housing a telephone exchange) on the corner of Sandfield Road. It is an early work of Walter Aubrey Thomas who went on to design the Royal Liver Building.

The majority of the road is now taken up by charming terraced cottages.

Towerlands Street, Edge Hill

This attractive street, which includes the Grade II-listed St Mary’s Church, represents the historic centre of Edge Hill and seems a world away from the hustle and bustle of university life and the busy Edge Lane thoroughfare which are so close by.

The church stands on the corner of Towerlands Street and Irvine Street. The rest of the street is home to attractive Georgian-style terraces.

Derwent Square, Old Swan

This is one of Liverpool’s 36 conservation areas which cover about 9% of the city and protect around 19,000 properties. Much of this area was farmland in the first half of the 19th century.

Derwent Square, itself, is thought to date back to the early 1860s. This attractive part of the city became a conservation area in 1981.