Garswood is a village in the Metropolitan Borough of St. Helens, Merseyside, England. The village is within the civil parish of Seneley Green. The parish was historically part of Ashton-in-Makerfield until 1974 boundary changes. History Within the boundaries of the historic county of Lancashire, Garswood is from Old English gyr “fir” and wudu "wood", the fir wood. The name was recorded as Gratiswode (undated). Along with extensive farming, Garswood has seen much coal mining activity in its past, due to strata running up to an adjacent fault causing much outcropping of coal seams. Local mines included Garswood Park (which operated 1868–1880), Seneley Green (1869-1880), Birchenheds (1880-1925) and Park (1869-1960). Mining has taken place using (comparatively) shallow shafts and many drifts. The last drift mine in the Garswood area (in neighbouring Golborne), Quaker House Colliery, closed in 1992. Extensive opencast mining has taken place in more recent times and still continues in the area. The village contains the Railway Hotel, the Stag Hotel and the Simms Road Inn public houses. It also has a Labour Club, a Conservative Club, and Garswood United Football Club. Education In 1588 Seneley Green (as it was then known) became the site of Ashton-in-Makerfield Free Grammar School, the area's first free grammar school, founded by Robert Byrchall on land granted for the purpose by Sir Thomas Gerard. Whilst the original building has long since demolished, today the site is used as Garswood Public Library, housed in a grade II listed building. Ashton-in-Makerfield Free Grammar School was attended by Saint Edmund Arrowsmith, one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales. Garswood County Primary School is located in the centre of Garswood and in 2018/19 had 207 pupils on its roll. Governance Before 1974 Garswood fell under the administrative control of Ashton-in-Makerfield Urban District. In 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972, the district was abolished, with the area split administratively. The changes resulted in the creation of the Seneley Green Parish, containing Garswood, Pewfall and Downall Green, which now fell within the Metropolitan Borough of St Helens in the newly created Merseyside. The village is now part of the Billinge and Seneley Green ward of St Helens. Sport Garswood United F.C. were formed in 1967 and joined the Mid-Cheshire League in 1988. They won Division Two in 1990 and Division One in 1996. Garswood Stags ARLFC was founded in 2013, the club are Coached by former