The area is predominantly Victorian in character and architecture, being built mainly for workers and managers of the Bootle docks during rapid expansion from 1850 onwards with the Industrial Revolution and growth of maritime trade from the British Empire.

The area's main link to Liverpool City Centre is Orrell Park railway station, part of the Merseyrail metro system.

A number of bus routes run directly to the city centre from nearby Walton Vale which is around a 10-minute walk from the Orrell Park area.

A popular nightclub and concert venue, The Orrell Park Bar (formerly a ballroom built in 1927 and still known locally as the "OPB"), is located in the district.

[2] Orrell Park is also home to Devonfield Gardens, a Green Flag Award winner,[3] and the smallest of such in England, which regularly hosts community events.