The area has ‘everything’ you need
06:30, 03 May 2025Updated 11:33, 04 May 2025
Steve Barry, 55, originally from Harrogate, moved onto Marine Crescent four years ago(Image: Liverpool Echo)
It has been a scorching week with record breaking temperatures. With the sunshine, many of us will have headed to Merseyside’s stunning parks and beaches to enjoy the glorious weather.
Whenever there’s a slight ray of sunshine, Crosby beach is just one location that’s heaving with people who have come to bask in the weather. But what’s life like for those who live a stone’s throw away?
Marine Crescent, which is arguably one of the prettiest streets in the area, sits opposite Crosby Coastal Park and the Boating Lake in Waterloo. With its gorgeous views, the area is home to dozens of families who live in minutes walking distance to the infamous Crosby beach.
Many of its residents have lived there for decades and told the ECHO how they wouldn’t dream of moving away. Newcomers explained how they moved in after immediately falling in love with the idyllic street – and it’s not hard to see why.
One of its newer residents, Steve Barry, 55, originally from Harrogate, moved onto Marine Crescent four years ago after visiting the area. He said: “I’d recently got divorced and had been visiting the area. We’d got the train up to Hightown and were cycling back along into Liverpool.
“We came onto this street and I just thought ‘oh my word this street is amazing, I’d love to live on a street like this’ and then we saw this house was for sale.
The row of houses sit parallel to the stunning boating lake(Image: Liverpool Echo)
“I’d always wanted to live by the sea and as soon as I saw this I said ‘I’d love to live here.’ We went to visit it and I picked it up before anyone else could.
“I remember coming down this road and thinking ‘oh my word.’ At first I thought because it was a terraced house it would be like two bins and a bike with a little back yard, but when we went in I just went ‘oh my word, I love it.’ I’ve got inside, outside living which is something I’ve always wanted. I love this house.”
Steve says life on Marine Crescent is like being on a permanent holiday, with its stunning views from the south facing garden. He said: “Life is, well it’s like being on holiday. On a day like today it’s beautiful.
“The house is south facing and the sunsets are brilliant, just amazing. I do a lot of work in Oxford so I go away and when I come back I feel like I’m on holiday but I’m at home, it’s amazing.
“And, you have everything you need. There is South Road just there [pointing a mere street away] with loads of great restaurants, then to go to town it’s 15 minutes on the train. It’s brilliant.
“The only downside is you can’t park outside your own house on a day like today and if I could wave my magic wand and we were to be able to have a straight cycle path into town that would be amazing, but the docks are in the way.”
Mike Esby and his partner, who also moved into the area recently, agree that it has “everything” you could possibly need. Mike said: “We moved here one year ago from Kirkby, we love it.
“You have everything you need on your doorstep, the beach, South Road where all the bars and restaurants are, it has stuff for all ages. We used to live in Kirkby but as soon as we saw this house up for sale we moved.”
People enjoy the hot weather on Crosby beach(Image: Liverpool Echo)
For others, such as John Osbourne, Waterloo has been home for almost two decades. John has lived on Marine Crescent with his partner for 18 years and says he would never move away.
He told the ECHO: “It’s a lovely area. I think it’s great. We moved here because it’s close to the South Road, we like going out for a drink and to eat, it’s dead good. Some people say it’s going downhill but I’ve lived around here all my life and it’s always been the same, I like it.
“You’re close to that [South Road] and 50 yards away you’re in this peaceful area, then if you want to go out you’ve got all that.
“And, the views are amazing. Every morning I take my dog out onto the beach which is great before it gets busy because it gets absolutely choker on a weekend. Walking down there with him every morning is a lovely start to the day.”
John says he’d never think about moving away, he said: “I love it around here, I’ve lived around Waterloo and Crosby all my life. To me it’s still one of the best places to live, I think it’s great. It’s different to other areas, we often go to Lark Lane on the other side of town because my kids live near there but it’s far more polished whereas the people here are more genuine, they don’t have the sophistication but it’s great, it’s a different vibe but I love it.”