 Prior to that time, a Benedictine priory was established in the 1170s, and the monks ran a ferry across the River Mersey.By 1811, the priory was in ruins, but a ferry was still in existence, carrying passengers to the growing port of Liverpool.The lord of the manor, with the intention of creating a bathing resort, built a few streets and commissioned the building of St Mary's Church adjacent to the site of the priory.