Growing up in Woolton

My family from many generations back have liven in Woolton and Gateacre. I grew up in a house opposite the English Rose pub and went to Out Lane primary school. We spent our summer days playing in the orchard by Watergate Lane, in Quarry St swing park, Woolton Woods and Camp Hill and School Lane swing park. We learned to swim at the tiny Woolton Baths and I think I read every book in the childrens dept of the tiny library. Saturdays we went to the tiny cinema for the matinee, and galloped home down Out Lane slapping our sides to encourage our imaginary horses, or tying our coats around our necks superhero style. After swimming at the baths, we could buy chips from the village chippie and a carton of milk from the milk machine at Salisbury farm dairy on the top of Kings Drive.
Going back to Woolton now it saddens me to see how run-down everywhere seems. The village centre has been upgraded, but the Kings Drive, Hunts X Avenue and Mackets Lane area are all very shabby. Every scrap of vacant land has been built on so that the semi rural nature of Woolton has been obliterated. Many of the wide grass verges have been concreted over for residents parking, the orchard has gone under a housing estate, and so have the fields opposite the English Rose. Sadly it is no longer the lovely place it used to be.