‘Otterspool’ is derived from the Old English name Otirpul or Oterpol. Otir was the Old English for otter and the location was so named because of the otters which inhabited the tidal creek and freshwater pools formed where a stream joined the River Mersey. The stream feeding Otterspool was known as Osklesbrok but was later renamed the River Jordan by a community of puritans who leased smallholdings around the stream. In 1743, 44 varieties of fish were noted in the river, including sturgeon, and it was reputed to have been the best salmon fishery in the area.
The stream and pool were fed by two brooks known as the Upper Brook and the Lower Brook. The Lower Brook rose near Edge Lane and flowed through Toxteth Park Cemetery before meeting the Upper Brook in Sefton Park. The Upper Brook rose near Sandown in Wavertree and flowed into Greenbank Park and then into Sefton Park where it was channelled into the boating lake to meet the Lower Brook. From Sefton Park the stream was culverted until it re-emerged in Otterspool Park . Before modifications were made to the flow of the stream, ‘Osklesbrok’ was a vigorous watercourse with good quality fishing and contained a number of cascades along its course as it flowed through woodland before joining the Mersey.
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