Kirkby

Kirkby ( KUR-bee) is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley, Merseyside, England. The town, historically in Lancashire, has a size of 4,070 acres (16.5 km2) is 5 miles (8 km) north of Huyton and 6 miles (10 km) north-east of Liverpool. The population in 2016 was 41,495 making it the largest in Knowsley and the 9th biggest settlement in Merseyside. Evidence of Bronze Age activity has been noted though the first direct evidence of a settlement dates to 1086 via the Domesday Book. The town was mainly farmland until the mid-20th century until the construction of ROF Kirkby, the largest Royal Ordnance Factory filling munitions, during the Second World War; Kirkby's urban development happened in the post-war period. In November 2020, Liverpool F.C. relocated its training facilities from the Melwood site in West Derby, to the town following the completion of the new training centre.