Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Northwest England. The city is governed by Liverpool City Council, one of five councils within the Metropolitan county of Merseyside. The population of the borough in 2002 was 441,477, and that of the Merseyside conurbation was 1,362,026. Whilst it has lost most of its manufacturing base, Liverpool is still internationally famous as a port. In sporting terms, it boasts two internationally-known football clubs, Liverpool F.C. and Everton F.C. In the year 2008, Liverpool will hold the European Capital of Culture title. Liverpool is one of England's core cities.
| |
| Geography | |
| Status | Metropolitan borough, City (1880) |
|---|---|
| Region | North West England |
| Ceremonial county | Merseyside |
| Traditional county | Lancashire |
| Area - Total |
Ranked 232nd 111.84 km² |
| Admin HQ | Liverpool |
| ISO 3166-2 | GB-LIV |
| ONS code | 00BY |
| OS grid reference | SJ437905 |
| Coordinates | 53°25N 3°W |
| NUTS 3 | UKD52 |
| Demographics | |
| Population - Total (2004 est.) - Density |
Ranked 5th 444,500 3,951 / km² Ranked 7th |
| Ethnicity | 94.3% White 1.1% S. Asian 1.2% Afro-Caribbean 1.2% Chinese |
| Politics | |
| Liverpool City Council http://www.liverpool.gov.uk/ | |
| Leadership | Leader & Cabinet |
| Control | Liberal Democrats |
| Members of Parliament | |
Geography
Liverpool is situated along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary, with the city centre located about 5 miles inland from the Irish Sea. Liverpool has a varied topography being built across a ridge of hills rising up to a height of around 70 metres above sea-level at Everton Hill.
The city's urban area runs directly into Bootle and Crosby in Sefton, Huyton and Prescot in Knowsley. It faces Wallasey and Birkenhead across the River Mersey.
History
In 1190 the place was known as 'Liuerpul', meaning a pool or creek with muddy water. Other origins of the name have been suggested, including 'elverpool', a reference to the large number of eels in the Mersey.
The origins of the city are usually dated from August 1207 when letters patent were issued by King John advertising the establishment of a new borough at Liverpool, and inviting settlers to come and take up holdings there. It is thought that the king wanted a port in the district that was free from the control of the earl of Chester. Initially it served as a dispatch point for troops sent to Ireland, soon after Liverpool Castle was built, which was removed in 1726. For four centuries, Liverpool was relatively unimportant. In the middle of the 16th century the population of Liverpool was only around 500, and the port was regarded as subordinate to Chester until the 1650s. A number of battles for the town were waged during the English Civil War, including an eighteen-day siege in 1644.
In the year 1571 the inhabitants of Liverpool sent a memorial to Queen Elizabeth, praying relief from a subsidy which they thought themselves unable to bear, wherein they styled themselves "her majesty's poor decayed town of Liverpool." Some time towards the close of this reign, Henry Stanley, 4th Earl of Derby, on his way to the Isle of Man, stayed at his house at Liverpool called the Tower; at which the corporation erected a handsome hall or seat for him in the church, where he honoured them several times with his presence.
From this time until the end of the next century, Liverpool made but a slow progress in the extent of its trade and in the number of its inhabitants. Neither is there any remarkable occurrence recorded of it except the siege of it by Prince Rupert, in the English Civil Wars in 1644, some traces of which were discovered when the foundation of the Liverpool Infirmary was sunk, particularly the marks of the trenches thrown up by the prince, and some cartouches, etc., left behind by the besiegers.
In 1699 Liverpool was made a parish on its own by Act of Parliament, separate from that of Walton-on-the-Hill, with two parish churches. From that time may be traced the rapid progress of population and commerce, until Liverpool had become the second metropolis of Great Britain.
In the 18th century, as trade from the West Indies was added to that of Ireland and Europe, Liverpool began to grow. The first wet dock in Britain was built in Liverpool in 1715. Substantial profits from the slave trade helped the town grow and prosper. Liverpool's black community dates from this period and grew rapidly, reaching a population of 10,000 within five years. By the beginning of the 19th century, 40% of the world's trade was passing through the docks at Liverpool. During the 1840's, the Irish began arriving by the thousands due to the Great Famine 1845-1849. By 1851, approximately 25% of the city was Irish-born.
Liverpool expanded significantly in the 19th century and a number of major buildings were constructed (St. George's Hall, Lime Street Station etc.). When the American Civil War broke out Liverpool became a hot bed of intrigue. The last Confederate ship, the CSS Alabama, was built at Birkenhead on the Mersey and the CSS Shenandoah surrendered there. Liverpool was granted city status in 1880.
During the first part of the 20th century Liverpool continued to expand, pulling in emigrants from Europe.
Adolf Hitler's half-brother Alois and his Irish sister-in-law Bridget Dowling are known to have lived in Upper Stanhope Street in the 1910s. Bridget's alleged memoirs, which surfaced in the 1970s, said that Adolf stayed with them in 1912-1913, though this is much disputed and many believe the memoirs to be a forgery.[1] [2]
The maiden voyage of Titanic was originally planned for Liverpool, but relocated to Southampton — this is often a point of confusion — no part of Titanic was actually constructed in Liverpool.
Aside from the large Irish community in Liverpool, there were other pockets of cultural diversity. The area of Gerard, Hunter, Lionel and Whale streets, off Scotland Road, was referred to as Little Italy. Inspired by an old Venetian custom, Liverpool was 'married to the sea' in September 1928. Liverpool was also home to a large Welsh population and was sometimes referred to as the Capital of North Wales. In 1884, 1900 and 1929, Eisteddfod were held in Liverpool. The population of the city exceeded 850,000 in 1930.
During World War II there were eighty air-raids on Merseyside, with an especially concentrated series of raids in May 1941 which interrupted operations at the docks for almost a week. Although 'only' 2,500 people were killed, almost half the homes in the metropolitan area sustained some damage and 11,000 were totally destroyed. John Lennon, one of the founding members of The Beatles, was born in Liverpool during an air-raid on October 9, 1940.
Significant rebuilding followed the war, including massive housing estates and the Seaforth Dock, the largest dock project in Britain. However, the city has been suffering since the 1950s with the loss of numerous employers. By 1985 the population had fallen to 460,000. Declines in manufacturing and dock activity struck the city particularly hard.
In the 1960s Liverpool became a centre of youth culture. The city produced the distinctive Merseybeat sound, and, most famously, The Beatles.
From the 1970s onwards Liverpool's docks and traditional manufacturing industries went into sharp decline. The advent of containerization meant that Liverpool's docks became largely obsolete.
Historically Liverpool was part of Lancashire, it became a county borough in 1888. In 1974, it became a metropolitan district within the newly created metropolitan county of Merseyside.
The 1980s saw Liverpool's fortunes sink to their lowest point. In the early 1980s unemployment rates in Liverpool were amongst the highest in the UK. In 1981 the infamous Toxteth Riots took place, during which, for the first time in the UK outside Northern Ireland, tear gas was used by police against civilians.
Liverpool City Council was taken over by the far-left wing Militant group during the 1980s, under the de facto leadership of Derek Hatton (although Hatton was formally only Deputy Leader). The city council sank heavily into debt, as the City Council fought a campaign to prevent central government from reducing funding for local services. Ultimately this led to 49 of the City's Councillors being removed from office by the unelected District Auditor, for refusing to make staff redundant or remove council services to reduce their spending.
In 1989, 96 Liverpool fans died and many more were severely injured in the Hillsborough disaster at a football game in Sheffield. This had a traumatic effect on people in both cities, and resulted in legally imposed changes in the way in which football fans have since been accommodated. In particular this led to strong feeling in Liverpool because it was widely reported in the media that the Liverpool fans were at fault. It has since become clear that South Yorkshire Police made a range of mistakes at the game, though the senior officer in charge of the event retired soon after.
A similar outpouring of grief and shock occurred in 1993 when two year-old James Bulger was killed by two ten year-old boys, Jon Venables and Robert Thompson. And again over the murders of Kenneth Bigley in 2004 and Anthony Walker in 2005.
In recent years, the city has emphasised its cultural attractions, winning the accolade of European City of Culture for 2008. Capitalising on the popularity of the 1960s pop group The Beatles and other groups of the Merseybeat era, tourism has also become a significant factor in Liverpool's economy.
A general economic and civic revival has been underway since the mid-nineties. For all of this period Liverpool's economy has grown faster than the national average and crime levels have remained lower than most other metropolitan areas in England and Wales, with recorded crime per head in Merseyside comparable to the national average — unusually low for an urban area.
Culture
Inhabitants of Liverpool are referred to as "Liverpudlians" and nicknamed "Scousers", though this term is often (erroneously) used to cover other Merseysiders. They are noted for their distinctive accent and dialect, called Scouse.
Liverpool has a vibrant artistic life. Several pre-Raphaelites are among the important paintings in the Walker Art Gallery. Sudley House contains another major collection of pre 20th century art. [3] The Tate Liverpool gallery houses the modern art collection of the Tate in the north of England. The Liverpool Biennial is a festival of arts held (as the name implies) every two years. The festival generally runs from mid September to late November and comprises three main sections; the International, The Independents and New Contemporaries although many fringe events are timed to coincide.[4]
A flourishing orchestra, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra performs in its own hall, the Philharmonic Hall. The city also became well known for the Liverpool poets, of whom Adrian Henri and Roger McGough are among the best known. The city is also home to several successful theatre companies — The Everyman & Playhouse [5] as well as The Unity Theatre [6].
In 2003, Liverpool became European Capital of Culture for 2008 and started a £750 million regeneration of the city centre. In addition to the money being invested in the city centre, the Merseytram tram system is being developed, which will hopefully complement the city's train and bus services.
Liverpool has two Premier League football clubs — Everton F.C. at Goodison Park and Liverpool F.C.aka scousers at Anfield which is a stadium. Over the water at Tranmere are Tranmere Rovers F.C..
Important landmarks and buildings
The built environment of Liverpool contains over 2,500 listed buildings (26 Grade I and 85 Grade II*) it is the inheritance of high-minded public spirit since the later 18th century, largely with Dissenter impetus, that has resulted in more public sculpture than in any UK city aside from Westminster, more listed buildings than any city apart from London and, surprisingly, more Georgian houses than the City of Bath.
In 2004 Liverpool's waterfront was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage site, the justification is Liverpool's importance in the development of world trading system and dock technology.
Amongst its superlatives: Liverpool has the largest panel of stained glass in the world (in Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral), the largest brick building in the world, and the first enclosed integrated dock system in the world. The Anglican Cathedral has the longest nave, largest organ and heaviest and highest peal of bells in the world. Architects well represented in Liverpool: Giles Gilbert Scott, Peter Ellis, Harvey Lonsdale Elmes, and John Foster. Sir Edwin Lutyens is represented by the completed crypt of his projected Metropolitan Cathedral, which was built to a simpler design by Frederick Gibberd.
- Albert Dock
- Bluecoat Arts Centre
- Cast Iron Shore
- Cunard Building
- Lime Street Station
- Royal Liver Building
- Liverpool John Moores University
- Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine
- Liverpool University
- Merseyside Maritime Museum
- Museum of Liverpool Life
- Oriel Chambers design by Peter Ellis.
- The Philharmonic Dining Rooms
- Pier Head
- Port of Liverpool Building
- Quiggins
- St George’s Hall
- Stanley Dock Tobacco Warehouse
- The Beatles Story
- Town-Hall
- Walker Art Gallery
- Wellington's Column
- William Brown Library
- Williamson's tunnels
Theatres
Ritual sites
- Greek Orthodox Church of St Nicholas
- Gustav Adolfus Kyrka The Swedish Seamen's Church.
- Liverpool Cathedral (Anglican)
- Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King (Roman Catholic),
- Princes Road Synagogue
- Church of St Luke, Liverpool
- Church of Our Lady and Saint Nicholas the seafarers church and Liverpool parish church.
Education
In Liverpool primary education is available in various forms supported by the state include secular, Church of England, Islamic, Jewish and Roman Catholic. Currently no specific Islamic secondary education is provided.
One of Liverpool important early schools was The Liverpool Blue Coat School was founded in 1708 as a charitable school, it continues today. Liverpool College[7] is the leading private school. Another of Liverpool's notable senior schools is St._Edward's_College a former private high school located in West Derby.
Liverpool has three universities, the University of Liverpool, Liverpool John Moores University and Liverpool Hope University. It also has a university college, Edge Hill College of Higher Education, which has re-located to Ormskirk in South-West Lancashire. Liverpool John Moores University is one of the polytechnics given university status in 1992 and is named after the owner of the Littlewoods retail group. The Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine was founded to address some of the problems created by trade, today it continues as a post graduate school and is one of only 2 institutions on planet Earth that house the de facto standard anti-venom respository.
The Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts which was set up by Sir Paul McCartney in 1996, to train artistes and technicians, in the building which formerly housed the Liverpool Institute for Boys.
Transport
There are three tunnels under the River Mersey: one railway tunnel, the Mersey Railway Tunnel, and two road tunnels, Queensway Tunnel and Kingsway Tunnel. There is also the Mersey Ferry, made famous by the song Ferry Cross the Mersey by Gerry and the Pacemakers. In fact the song is now played on the ferryboats themselves every time they prepare to dock at Liverpool.
In 2001, Speke Airport was renamed Liverpool John Lennon Airport, in honour of the late Beatle John Lennon. The airport's logo consists of a sketch that Lennon had drawn of himself, and the words "Above us only sky", lyrics from his song "Imagine". The airport was the starting point for many Beatles tours in the sixities, and image of the boys boarding planes there were seen throughout the world.In 2002 716,000 passengers used the Port of Liverpool, with the Isle of Man and Ireland being the two most important passenger routes.
Liverpool has a train system called Merseyrail, the sections in the city centre are mostly underground. The lines terminate at Southport, Ormskirk, Kirkby, Hunts Cross, Ellesmere Port, West Kirby, New Brighton and Chester. The inner loop from Edge Hill station to Kirkdale, no longer carries passenger services and Liverpool Overhead Railway has long since disappeared. Liverpool once possessed a very integrated transport system, until the deregulation of bus and rail services, and only now have there been plans to build a light rail system, Merseytram, the first since the city's tram system was dismantled in the 1950s.
Famous Liverpudlians
A great many famous names have been associated with Liverpool; for a list, see List of famous people from Liverpool.
Media
The city has two daily newspapers: the Liverpool Daily Post in the morning and the evening Liverpool Echo, both published by the same company. The Daily Post, especially, serves a wider area, including north Wales. Broadcast media include BBC Radio Merseyside, Juice FM and Radio City as well as Magic 1548. The last two are both based in St. John's Beacon which dominates the Liverpool Skyline. The local television station is ITV Granada, based on the city's waterfront.
Economy
The economy of Liverpool is beginning to recover from its long post WWII decline. Between 1995 and 2001 GVA per head grew at 6.3% annum. This compared with 5.8% for inner London and 5.7% for Bristol. The rate of Jobs growth was 9.2% compared with a national average of 4.9% for the same period, 1998-2002.
Like the rest of the United Kingdom the city has seen a large growth in service industries and has several major call centres. The activities of the port have left the site with a communications infrastructure that had for a long time exceeded requirements. Growth in the areas of New Media has been helped by the existence of a relatively large Computer game development community.
Tourism is a major factor in the economy and will be of increasing importance in the run up to the Liverpool years as European Capital of Culture. This has led to a great increase in the provision of high quality services such as Hotels, restaurants and clubs. The buildings of Liverpool not only attract tourists but also film makers, who regularly use Liverpool to double for many cities around the worlds and making it the second most filmed city in the UK.
Films set in Liverpool
- The Magnet (1950) filmed in New Brighton & Liverpool
- Violent Playground (1958)
- Ferry 'Cross The Mersey (1965) Gerry & The Pacemakers
- Gumshoe (1972) starring Albert Finney
- Letter to Brezhnev (1985).
- Distant Voices, Still Lives (1988)
- Dancin' Thru the Dark (1990)
- The Long Day Closes (1992)
- Three Businessmen (1999)
- Liam (2000)
- Going Off Big Time (2000)
- Revengers Tragedy (2002)
- The 51st State (2002)
Districts of Liverpool
Parliamentary constituencies
See also
External links
- Liverpool City Council
- Liverpool: European Capital of Culture 2008
- UNESCO citation
- Port Cities Liverpool
- Ron's Liverpool
- CSS Alabama
- MultiMap Aerial Photograph
- Liverpool John Moores University History Project
- Liverpool street index