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Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
National
Aaliyah Rugg

Merseyside's narrowest street that people walk by every day

A town in Merseyside is home to one of England's narrowest streets that can only fit one person at a time.

Dating back to the 16th century, Stone Street in Prescot can be hard to miss if you are passing by and didn't know it was there. It measures just 28 inches wide but it holds great historical value for the area.

The street is only just wide enough for people to walk down in single file, holding no hope for two people passing or vehicles. There used to be many streets like this in Prescot, but this is the only one to have survived.

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Sat between 25-35 Eccleston Street, a red plaque marks' its significance as it states Stone Street is the "second narrowest street in England" and originally led to a windmill following the curved boundary of a medieval burgage plot. It just misses out on the number one slot as the narrowest in England to Parliament Street in Exeter which measures 25 inches.

The red plaque is one of 12 creating a heritage trail revealing the history of the town and one people living in the area are keen to celebrate. Fiona, 35, told the ECHO: "My mum used to point it out to me as a little girl and I used to love running up and down it.

"Me and my friends used to try and pass each other and play all kinds of games. I didn't really realise its significance until I got older and it's a fun part of Prescot's history. I hold special memories of that street."

One man, who wished to not be named, told the ECHO: "It's fascinating. It's a great part of our history and I think it's amazing that there is a heritage trial to keep that history alive.

Stone Street is the "second narrowest street in England" (Liverpool ECHO)

"It's such a tiny street, I'm always quick to tell people about it. My grandkids didn't believe me at first until they came to see it for themselves."

Another woman, Sarah, added: "I'm not originally from Prescot but moved here a while back. I'm ashamed to admit I actually walked past and didn't even pay any attention. I didn't even know it was a street but it's a part of history and I think that's a great thing to celebrate."

A third said: "It's all about preserving our history and keeping it alive. It shouldn't be forgotten."

Stone Street in Prescot (Liverpool ECHO)

Former curator of Prescot Museum, Rosemary Tyler, previously told the ECHO that the street was built as a boundary between two properties in the 16th century and is that narrow, two people cannot pass. She said the street gives a "snapshot of history" as there were once many such tiny streets running throughout Prescot.

Rosemary added: "You can still see a black-and-white, timber-framed wall behind the hairdressers from the top of the street. That's a remaining part of the original house it delineated, belonging to a local coal mine owner."

She went on to say it was one street that shows the "small cut throughs that were all across Prescot".

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