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"The Steps" Borders

The Site

  
On Old Greasby Road, opposite the junction with Saughall Massie Lane, was the old St Mary's Church, this was built in 1814 to replace the old Norman Church. The church closed in 1868, when the present St Mary's Church was built at the other end of the village. The building was demolished in 1887, but the burial ground remained

In the late 1960s, the burial ground was cleared and an undertakers office was built on the site. Many of the original sandstone boundary walls remain.

Where we Started

  
On this part of one of the main routes into Upton, the area between the carriageway and footpath was overgrown and unclaimed, there were many unmanaged and self-seeded trees and brambles that hindered passers-by on the footpath and were also posing a risk to the stability of the historic sandstone wall.

In front of the wall was a narrow and sloping boarder.
 

Our aim

  
Our aim was to cut back and remove as much of the self seeded Sycamores and brambles as possible and to clean up and refresh the soil in order to plant low maintenance shrubs and perennials, so as to improve the appearance of the 'entrance to the village' for the benefit of the community. We wanted to save the historic wall from collapsing; to provide continuous seasonal colour; and to create a pollinator friendly area.

In a second stage we aimed to add to the impact by working on an adjacent sloping area of unloved grass and weeds. We hoped to encourage local schools to partner us by planting bulbs in the grass verges and open spaces.

What we did

  
Work on the project was started at the end of July 2019 by Pat Percival and the team provided by Sainsbury's as part of their 150th anniversary celebrations.
   
They cut back branches and dug out roots, it was heavy work and hot weather. There were a few tree stumps which were proving difficult to get out. At the time there was a mini digger working on replacing the traffic lights, so Pat asked the chap on the digger if he could help. He dug out one of the stumps but the other was too close to the wall.
   
There was also a lot of sandstone to be moved from the border, this had probably come from the old churchyard boundary wall were it had been cut through for the footpath. It took a few weeks to completely overhaul the area.