Lying close to Liverpool, the area was settled by Maella's family in the 6th century[citation needed].

During surveys undertaken as part of the construction of the M57 motorway, a number of anomalies were found which were concluded as being the remains of a Stone Age settlement based around Melling Rock.

It is also noted that the local Wood House Farm was the location of a very minor battle during the English Civil War which was concluded from a number of cannonballs dating from the era along with Melling House, which is shown to have been seriously damaged as a result of such action, evidence of which can be found at ground level where remains of a now-destroyed defensive wall can be seen.

The village has changed dramatically since the late 1990s with the demolition of the cable factory and the recent construction of a modern housing estate which is located in Waddicar, backing onto the Leeds-Liverpool canal.

The parish church is a grade II listed building built in 1834 to replace an earlier chapel, and is dedicated to St Thomas and the Holy Rood.