Phillip De Gruchy and his West Kirby Walls
Ask a West Kirby local about De Grouchy Street and there's a strong chance they'll tell you that the street was named after the man who built all the walls in the town. In addition, they might tell you that he had his heart broken by a local woman which resulted in him carving an upside down heart into a stretch of wall on Grange Road.
As is often the way with local legends, there is a mixture of some truth and some inaccuracy, as different stories have been jumbled together down the years. Sifting the facts from the myths is tricky, but by analysis of the walls that survive from the period in which Grovehill (later Abbey Manor) was erected, we can begin to unravel the interesting story of this "foreign" stone mason and his life in West Kirby
Article coming soon...