The village has its own botanic gardens, restaurants, and is only a 10 minute drive from the beachChurchtown village(Image: Colin Lane/Liverpool Echo)If you’re looking for your next adventure away from home, you need not look much further then a small village less than an hour away from Liverpool city centre. A small village on the outskirts of Southport, that may often be overlooked by the seaside town, is the perfect place to stretch your legs and explore at a more calm pace.Churchtown, an ancient village at the core of the North Meols parish, actually predates Southport by centuries and is mentioned as a Viking settlement in the Domesday Book. Although it was historically part of Lancashire, the village is now deemed as being in Merseyside.In fact, the village is home to red rose stickers showing the historic pride of Lancashire DNA running through the area.The picturesque town is a conservation area, and is known for its thatched cottages, stunning church and dozens of listed buildings. One woman, who was visiting the area when hosting a pop-up calligraphy workshop, showed off the ‘glorious’ village on her TikTok page.The video was shared on the Mellor & Rose account, which is ran by Beverley, Polly & Lucy Mellor, a family of women lettering artists.Discovering Churchtown: Things to do in the historic Merseyside villageThey said: “Here’s how to spend the day in Churchtown. Churchtown is a picturesque village just outside Southport, known for its gorgeous thatched cottages.”It’s truly like stepping back in time. Our first great stop is to head around the Victorian Botanic Gardens, which has its very own fernary, which is a huge greenhouse in this insanely cool Victorian building, which displays a great collection of plants.”Then we’re going to head back into the main high street on Botanic Road for a little mooch around the shops.”Content cannot be displayed without consentThe woman showed some of the products inside Angels of Churchtown, a shop that sells everything from cards and homeware to candles and jewellery.She said: “A great little shop is the Angels of Churchtown, brilliant for loads of nice trinkety bits. After all that exploring, I popped into the beautiful Hesketh Arms pub for a little coffee and for some work.”Then it’s time for the main event today, hosting one of our modern calligraphy workshops. Today’s venue is the very creative and crafty Crafty Badger, which is a great spot for pottery painting and was also the venue of today’s workshop.”Why visitors are calling this hidden gem near Southport a best-kept secretPeople commented under the video to thank the woman for sharing her daytrip to the village, while some wanted her to keep the destination a secret.One person said: “Can we keep it secret please.”A second said: “It’s so pretty, my Auntie lived a few years ago and we all loved to visit.”A third added: “My beautiful home town.”Visit Southport said: “Churchtown is a tranquil, historic village on the northern fringe of Southport and dates back to the Domesday Book. It’s a designated conservation area with pretty thatched roof cottages that you’ll notice as soon as you arrive.”Once here, you can browse through the village’s specialist shops and stop for a bite in its charming cafes and pubs. Join one of the Churchtown and Botanic Garden Walks to learn all about the village in times gone by.”Don’t miss a chance to visit Churchtown’s beautiful Botanic Gardens, fernery, aviary and children’s play areas.”
‘Stunning’ village 1 hour from Liverpool feels like you’re stepping back in time
