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Liverpool Landscapes is the sister site to Historic Liverpool.

QR code for Liverpool Landscapes

QR code for Liverpool Landscapes

The blog covers news about Liverpool’s ever-changing landscape, the heritage of the city (with a landscape archaeology slant) as well as updates to the main Historic Liverpool site.

As the Internet becomes ever more important as a historical resource, I also cover the online resources that are springing up all over the place which I think you’ll find useful. There is even the odd book review, if I think it’ll interest you.

Historic Liverpool is a map-based site covering the history and archaeology of the city’s landscape, from the last Ice Age to the present day. It deals with the natural landscape of hills, coast and valleys which make up Merseyside, and the buildings, roads and other infrastructure which make up the city which Scousers call home.

It even occasionally extends to the people themselves, as everyone from the poorest working classes to the most powerful aldermen, councillors and mayors through the years have all had their effect on Merseyside’s landscape.

The Man Behind the Words

Both sites are written by me, Martin Greaney. I was born and grew up in Liverpool, and have always been fascinated by its history and architecture. I left to do a BA and MA in Archaeology and Landscape Archaeology respectively in Sheffield, before spending a bit of time as a field archaeologist.

Both sites are still works in progress (and will always be, I expect); I hope you enjoy both Historic Liverpool and Liverpool Landscapes.

Martin

You should follow me

On Twitter:

@histliverpool – headlines and discussion of Liverpool and its history

On Facebook:

http://facebook.com/historicliverpool/ – more detailed posts on Liverpool news and analysis

On Diigo.com, where many links are bookmarked:

https://www.diigo.com/outliner/bg4ynf/Historic-Liverpool?key=oclplozyb3

22 Comments
  1. Thanks for the mention of my blog. I remember scouring through the photo archives at RCHME when at Saville Road – and there were some amazing records of lost Liverpool buildings – including thorough surveys of warehouses including Duke’s Warehouse. I have kept meaning to follow up my initial research and hopefully my blog will give added motivation.

    February 12, 2010
  2. Hi Colin,
    Yes, Fortress House is rather appropriately another lost gem. My fiancée worked there just before it was demolished. I hope you manage to carry on your Liverpool research. As a quite shameless plug, the ViewFinder site is good for a large number of old photos of Liverpool, including Duke’s warehouse (http://viewfinder.english-heritage.org.uk/search/results.aspx?index=48&form=advanced&county=MERSEYSIDE&district=LIVERPOOL)

    February 15, 2010
  3. colin dyas #

    Good site. Keep up the hard work

    June 6, 2010
    • Hi Colin,
      Thanks very much! It’s good to know my efforts are appreciated!
      Martin

      June 10, 2010
  4. Craig Evans #

    Hi Martin,
    Enjoyed your post regarding the Old Hutt. A branch of our family is supposedly related the the Irelands of Hutt & Hale. A corner stone of the Hutt structure is sitting at a family house in Cleveland Ohio. A Manor record book is in the rare books collection of Princeton University – of interest because it contains early versions of the Tales of Arthur.
    I would be interested to get scans of the old maps you mentioned which identified the location of the manor.
    Thanks,
    Craig

    September 14, 2010
  5. Hi Craig,
    Thanks for your comment about the Old Hutt post. It’s really interesting to find that a piece of it has travelled so far!

    If you’d like maps of the area up to about 1930, the two best sources are http://www.old-maps.co.uk or the Godfrey Editions. Both sell hard-copy versions, but Old Maps also sells scans (in PDF format), and has wider coverage in terms of years. Godfrey editions are available at http://www.alangodfreymaps.co.uk, though I get them via eBay.

    If you want more modern ones (from about 1940 to 1960) I can scan my own copies in for you.

    Hope this is of help to you.

    Regards,
    Martin

    September 18, 2010
  6. John Hughes #

    Try this FB group regarding Liverpool`s history and links.

    https://www.facebook.com/groups/123226627759769/

    November 26, 2011
  7. Hi John,

    Thanks for your comment. That Facebook group looks really interesting! And they’ve already got a lot of members which is really impressive.

    Martin

    November 26, 2011
  8. Iain Taylor #

    Hi Colin, thanks for this new geographical site! I have mentioned the other History site several times on the Liobian site (Lpool Institute High School for Boys) and it has got lots of attention.

    I am collecting info. for a history of the school from 1935 to 1985 (closure) and will be pleased to receive any info readers may have about the place.

    At the moment we are searching for a Mount St entrance photo – preferably of the 1940s or 1950s before it was cleaned! Please let me know if you know of one.

    I will send stuff as I come across it. Speaking of which, does anyone know why the Toxteth site disappeared? It was a model of its kind but I imagine took a great deal of time to maintain.

    Regards,

    Iain Taylor
    Halifax, Nova Scotia

    mapman@hfx.andara.com

    December 31, 2011
    • Hi Iain,

      Just thought I’d point out that this isn’t another of Colin’s sites – it’s one of mine! I’m a big fan of Colin’s Streets of Liverpool though, and I think there’s a lot of common interest in them. I hope you like it, sitting alongside http://historic-liverpool.co.uk.

      There’s an old photo of the Institute’s Mount Street entrance at http://www.mersey-gateway.org/pastliverpool/galleries/schools/gallery/buildings/pages/b33.htm. According to the Mersey Gateway site it probably comes from the Liverpool Record Office. I’m sure the site will be happy to give you details should you want to use the photo yourself.

      I agree it’s a shame about the Toxteth.net site. It was an excellent model of a mapping site. The reason given was related to copyright, but that’s a problem we have to live with on the internet. If no money was being lost (I don’t think the site generated income) then I can’t see the problem, but it’s a personal choice. Maybe we’ll see it again in another form some day.

      Regards,
      Martin Greaney

      January 12, 2012
  9. Iain Taylor #

    Many apologies, Martin, I was thinking of Colin’s site as I wrote this and inadvertently used his name. I am glad you are co-operating.

    May I suggest you scan the 19th century OS Geology map to get the details for your landscapes underpinning?

    Incidentally, I am working on 19th century Liverpool health and housing – the subject of my U Lp. PhD in geography and articles on slums and housing.

    Regards and keep up the good work.

    Iain Taylor
    Halifax, NS

    January 12, 2012
    • Thanks, Iain,

      I think the Geology map would be a great idea – definitely one I would like to try. My only barrier is that accurately laying a large map over the current one is quite a technical feat if you want to avoid people having to download the whole thing every time they view the page. However, such a skill would come in useful repeatedly, so it’s something I’m keen to learn.

      Thanks for your comments.

      Regards,
      Martin

      January 19, 2012
  10. Celia #

    HI

    I’m Celia, a researcher for Evans Woolfe Media. I am hoping that you can help me …. 

    We are working with BBC Learning on a program about what it was like to be a child during WW2. It will be a resource used in primary schools to teach students about the war and connecting with others. The idea is for an elderly person to share their experiences of WW2 childhood with their own (great) grandchild in the program, we will visit the places in their memories and more. The stories would cover things from the mundane everyday detail to the more dramatic events they lived through. 

    As such, we are looking to find elderly people who would be willing to share their experiences with us. We are also keen to tell different stories, ones which haven’t been told before or aren’t usually part of the mainstream history of the war.

    I was wondering whether you knew of anybody who might be able to help me.

    If you could help us that would be great. 
    Please get in touch if you have any questions. 

    All the best,
    Celia Watson
    Researcher
    celia@evanswoolfe.com
    07886571661

    March 1, 2012
  11. Jim #

    Hi,
    I found the article on Knott’s Hole really interesting as I used to play in this area as a child in the 70s. I have been trying to map out in my head the places we used to play from Otterspool to Dingle.
    I have written my first blog just for a hobby about the Priory Woods site, mainly to share images I found of The Priory and The Grange.
    The images are from the late nineteenth century when the Priory was up for sale and were in University of Liverpool’s Special Archive so perhaps they have not been shown before.
    http://theprioryandthecastironshore.wordpress.com

    December 18, 2012
    • Hi Jim,

      That’s a great site! It’s such an interesting area of the city historically, so it’s great to see someone give it the research treatment it deserves. I’ve only had time to read the first couple of sections, but I’ll be back for more!

      Regards,
      Martin

      December 25, 2012
  12. Hello Martin,

    First of all congratulations on your book, I really enjoyed it.

    Also, I am trying to add a bit more detail to some of the people and places Robert Griffiths mentions in his history of Toxteth Park in a series of posts. I thought I would share a website I came across looking for old maps of Liverpool.

    I’m not sure how well known this resource is, but the ‘National Library of Scotland’ has really high resolution 19th Century Ordnance Survey Maps of Britain and they allow you to zoom in really close and take a screen grab. The staff were really helpful too when I asked for permission to reproduce the maps on my posts.

    Navigation is a bit tricky so here are 2 links to give a taster:

    Toxteth Park/South Liverpool:
    http://maps.nls.uk/view/102344123

    Central and North Liverpool:
    http://maps.nls.uk/view/102344096

    October 15, 2014
    • Hi Jim,

      Thanks, I’m so glad you enjoyed the book!

      I have come across that site before, but I’ve never seen those maps (there’s so many on that site 🙂 and as you say the navigation is tricky) so thanks for sharing them with us! It’s very hard to get hold of such detailed maps without getting to the archives themselves, so I’m so pleased NLS are putting them online.

      I’ll also have a look at your Cast Iron Shore blog – always on the lookout for fresh reading!

      Thanks,
      Martin

      October 22, 2014
  13. I was researching the net, looking for a 1935 or so map of Bromborough Pool and its docks for Port Sunlight when I came across two images I have had on my site for some time, from Google, which appear on this site. They appear to be cropped versions of yours. 1. Are these images actually ‘yours’, if so it appears I may, belatedly, have to ask persmission to use them. They did not originally come from this site.

    Sunlight 1914 and 1938 they are labelled.

    I can give you a nice link in return of you wish.

    October 8, 2015
    • Hi Mike,

      Are you talking about the the maps of Port Sunlight? I scanned them in from the official Port Sunlight guide book. They come from a variety of places originally, from older ‘official’ guides to the place. The modern guidebook, available here, or from the Port Sunlight Museum shop, gives all the sources.

      So no need to feel compelled to give me a link unless you think your visitors might find this website interesting! I’m going to add a list of Links to my ‘proper’ site, Historic Liverpool, so I’ll put your site on there.

      October 11, 2015
      • yes mate, will add a link shortly for you.

        October 11, 2015
  14. JANE BLACKIE #

    Re : BLESSIG’S STYLE ~ I had no idea of the name until I joined the West Derby Society last year, but this was my route to school, Blackmoor Park Primary, from home in Alder Road, every day from the age of 8. It was always a busy footpath with dozens of other kids
    walking / running to or from school. I remember running races down it, and sometimes snowball fights. Why is it closed ?

    After leaving primary school I attended Holly Lodge; everyone is horrified at the determination of Redrow Builders and the City planning department to demolish this lovely building, starting the demolition work now, in January 2016. There are so many historical associations with the various C19 families who lived there it seems criminal to destroy it. Can anything be done at this late stage ?

    January 4, 2016
    • Hi Jane,

      Yes, it’s such a shame that Holly Lodge will be demolished. It’s such a characteristic building for this area from that period, and will also be missed by the many people who used it over the years.

      It’s hard to tell how much will be demolished, and how much of the house has been damaged through modernisation over the decades, but there’ll always be pressure for new housing, and more profit in building from scratch.

      Martin

      January 5, 2016