[5] Kirk-by derives from the Northern dialect of Old English word Kirk ('church') and by (settlement or village; cognate with Old Norse byr).

The first direct evidence of a settlement dates from 1086 and the Domesday Book, with a reference to "Cherchebi" (population 70).

After a brief loss of patronage in 1737 (when the head of the family took holy orders), in 1771, Charles Molyneux became the 1st Earl of Sefton and regained the land.

[7] Although it remained largely farmland until the mid-20th century, transport links to the region began in 1848 with the building of the Liverpool and Bury Railway through Kirkby.

[10] Liverpool had received much damage by the end of the war, and much of the remaining housing stock were slums.

[11] The Liverpool Corporation began a policy of buying land in surrounding areas and moving industry (and people) to newly developed "overspill" estates.

This process culminated with the purchase of 4,070 acres (16.5 km2) of land, including Kirkby, from the Earl of Sefton in 1947 for £375,000 (£18.5 million adjusted for inflation[12]).

[13] Large-scale development began in February 1950 with the construction of the Southdene neighbourhood; the first houses were finished in 1952, the 5,000th in 1956, and the 10,000th in 1961.

Although occupation of Southdene's council estates had begun in 1952, its first shops were not completed until 1955 and its first pub did not open until 1959.

Its electoral wards, which do not coincide with the districts, are Cherryfield, Kirkby Central, Northwood, Park, Shevington and Whitefield.

The River Alt flows through the town's extreme south-west, with the Kirkby Brook tributary passing through its centre.

[19] This was just over a quarter of the total population of the borough of Knowsley and was down from its peak of 52,207 in the 1961 census, largely due to a falling birth rate and the slow decline of the industrial estate.

Part of the demand may be attributed to a need for replacement housing stock due to the demolition of high-rise flats and maisonettes, built during the 1960s and now in disrepair.

Kirkby's population was on a gradual downward trend from 1861 to 1931 before it rose when the Liverpool Corporation began to develop the region.

Major employers include QVC and Barclaycard, and several call centre companies are based in Kirkby.

St Modwen announced their plans for the regeneration of the town centre, including a cinema, a supermarket, parking, and leisure development.

St. Modwen planned a multi-million-pound retail-led regeneration in partnership with Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council.

[33] In June 2018, St. Modwen reported that Home Bargains and fast food restaurant KFC would open in the town centre.

When the promised development was delayed, Knowsley council leader Graham Morgan said: "Despite our best efforts, the redevelopment of the town centre still hasn't happened and it's quite clear that we need to find a different model.

We have worked closely to encourage St. Modwen to push on with their plans but, despite major names already being signed up, they remain extremely cautious and have still not confirmed a start date.

Alongside road connections, Kirkby also has a few rail links, with Kirkby railway station and Headbolt Lane railway station offering frequent trains to Liverpool, and Headbolt Lane offering an hourly service to Wigan.

[39] After the shake-up, All Saints Catholic High School and the Kirkby Sports College Center for Learning emerged.

[40] Higher education is provided by Knowsley Community College, with its main campus in Kirkby Town Centre.

's full training ground to the same location were announced in 2018 and the move was completed during the international break in November 2020.

Work started on the slope in 1973 and it was intended to open in 1975, however, the project was abandoned in autumn 1975 over fears it was not safe.

[46] Investigations by the Liverpool Free Press revealed a considerable degree of corruption in the sourcing of materials and building of the slope.

Law enforcement is provided by Merseyside Police, whose basic command unit in the borough of Knowsley has a Kirkby station on St Chad's Drive.

Kirkby's distribution network operator for electricity is United Utilities; there are no power stations in the town.

SUEZ Recycling & Recovery UK process Merseyside and Halton's waste at a rail loading transfer station in Kirkby.

[49] Virgin Media services are also available to the town, providing television, telephone and cable Internet access.