Lanes and Roads
Although there has been a settlement at Greasby since 8,500BC, the earliest known map showing roads is not until 1784. That map shows lanes linking the village with Irby, West Kirby, Meols, Saughall Massie and Woodside.
The route out of the village towards Woodside (now called Arrowe Road) became a turnpike (toll) road in 1826. The government had passed the Turnpike Acts because the condition of the roads around England had deteriorated. Individuals or groups ("Trusts") could obtain permission to rebuild existing roads or create new ones; they could then charge tolls for use of those roads for a limited period, typically twenty years. The limited period was usually renewed many times.
Bryant map 1831
Wood Lane appears on the Bryant map dated 1831, and there is a footpath ("foot road") to Upton but that was not for carts. They do not appear on the tithe map of 1849 (link). A journey to Upton with a cart would probably be made via the road towards Woodchurch (now Arrowe Road) to join the Barnston - Upton road (at Arrowe House Farm, the site which became known as the Champion Spark Plugs factory).
Between 1854 and 1868 a road was built on the footpath from Greasby to Upton. The section from Greasby brickworks (link) to Upton was a turnpike road. Thomas Royden (link) of Frankby Hall (the grounds of the Hall are now Frankby cemetery) financed some or all of this route to Upton. A document, dated 4th April 1854, shows an estimate of the cost of the building work as £434.7.00 (£434.35p) though whether this was for all the work or just a portion of it, is not known.
1936 Newspaper
These houses moved from Greasby Road to Frankby Road
Roadsigns at the junction
In 1937 work started on the by-pass. Frankby Road which previously finished at Greasby Brook (near the church of St John the Divine) was extended to a new roundabout at Pump Lane. From that roundabout, Frankby Road was continued to join the dogleg of Greasby Road. A small section of Greasby Road, the western end (between the nurseries and the car showroom), became Frankby Road and the properties on that section became 301 to 315 Frankby Road, Mill Croft became Millcroft Park and The Thorns Farm became 70 Thorns Drive.
The new junction of Frankby Road and Greasby Road was seamless, the only noticeable indication being the presence of the two adjacent roadsigns 'Frankby Road' and 'Greasby Road' opposite the east end of the village green. Vehicles leaving Greasby centre on Greasby Road had to wait at this junction in order to turn right .... onto Greasby Road. However, the volume of traffic increased until this became a difficult junction and in April 2006 work to install traffic lights began.
There were major road changes in 1962 at the centre of the village, involving the demolition of Teapot Row terraced cottages, to straighten the line of Greasby Road.
The second phase of these works, in 1967, involved the demolition of the smithy which had been next to the Coach & Horses. This was in order to widen the junction of Mill Lane and Greasby Road.
The route to Saughall Massie exists only as a footpath now. It starts at Greasby Road between the Manor restaurant car park and the Red Cat public house. The next section is directly in line with that first part, but its entrance on Frankby Road is hidden by bushes. This path then runs behind the houses between Chidden Close and Chippenham Avenue, past Greasby ponds, through the fields to Saughall Massie.