The historic villages of Liverpool – built to a template?
Despite the variety of suburbs and old villages in Liverpool, a pattern can be seen in their shape.
Posts by Martin
Sep 8
Jul 25
Croxteth Park from the air
Having written about Liverpool history for a while now, I’m lucky enough to be copied in to a lot of interesting tid-bits of the city’s past. This happened recently when the Croxteth Park Twitter account posted several aerial shots from the middle of the last century. I’d like to share them with you here.
The first photo is from November 1954, and is taken from the north west. West Derby village is right at the top of the shot. There are a lot of puddles around the grounds, and as one Tweeter put it, it looks like the ground is very waterlogged.
The other features of these photos which interests us historians is the lack of houses. The housing estates around that area were being constructed from the 1930s. As you can see, even by the middle of the 1950s they were only just starting to encroach upon the Croxteth estate. The second tweet shows the same scene from the opposite direction – with the photographer flying over West Derby village and looking north east. From this angle, the lack of houses is extremely easy to see!
The final aerial photo is taken from the north west again, looking from the walled garden across towards Melwood Drive, although the number of houses and roads is much fewer than in the present day. You can also see Croxteth Hall Lane, Home Farm, and many of the paths through Croxteth Park.
These photos are all from Croxteth Park’s own archive. It’s great to see how interested people got. Just look at the discussion which got going under the aerial shot of Croxteth Hall from the west!
There are a few other tweets I’d like to share in the future, but I’ll leave it there for now. I hope I’ve shown how Twitter is a great forum for historiphiles to get together and discuss this kind of things. If you’re on Twitter, or thinking of jumping on that particular bandwagon, have a look at the following people:
- Historic Liverpool (@histliverpool): Me! Sharing articles of interest on Liverpool history and updates to Liverpool Landscapes and the Historic Liverpool website;
- Croxteth Park (@CroxtethPark): The photos you’ve seen here are from Croxteth Hall and the estate. They often share photos and maps;
- Liverpool1207 (@Liverpool1207): A tweeter who has an accompanying blog at http://liverpool1207blog.wordpress.com;
- LiverpoolPast (@LiverpoolPast): This is a recent addition to the Twitter / Liverpool history pantheon, but is already looking good with a regular supply of old photos;
- Museum of Liverpool (@MuseumLiverpool): The obvious source of Liverpool heritage news! The museum’s been on Twitter since before the place opened in 2011, and will keep you up to date on their exhibitions and other events in the city.
I hope I’ve given you a little overview of the benefits of Twitter, through some of the things which have been shared through the service. If you’re on Twitter, do follow the people above, and say hi!
The Ancient Crosses of Lancashire
A catalogue of religious crosses around Merseyside, with a decent description of the landscape as a whole.
Dec 6
The Liverpool History Geek’s Gift Guide
A round-up of the best books, society membership and other gifts for the history buff in your life.
Nov 22
Liverpool from above and around
This week (fortnight?) I’m looking at the historic city of Liverpool from above, and from raised perspectives both literal and metaphorical. Read more
Nov 8
Lost Liverpool, photos and maps
This week I’m exploring the hidden side of Liverpool history, as well as passing on some maps which may change the way you look at the world.
Oct 25
Museums, World Heritage and Woolton in Bloom
In the news this week, English Heritage are continuing efforts to protect the historic environment, while a local resident of Woolton is playing her own role. David Fleming talks about Liverpool’s World Heritage Site status, and the Maritime Museum (of which he is ultimately responsible, amongst other things) appears on a new set of stamps.
Oct 11
The Changing Liverpool Landscape
This week’s round-up looks at a project to rediscover Liverpool’s royal past, a couple of articles worried about Liverpool’s planning future, and an old building goes back to its roots. First off, a recently-started project investigates a place very close to my heart.
Sep 30
Top Liverpool Links, 30th September 2013
It’s time for another round-up of interesting Liverpool history sites and pages I’ve come across recently. I’ve also a few news stories to share, but first of all, some old photos and videos.
Sep 16
Liverpool and other city landscapes
This blog, as well as Historic Liverpool (and *ahem* the book!) is all about the historic landscape. It’s about the shape of the city, its growth, and what it’s like to live, work and play in it. So, this round-up of links starts with a bunch not directly linked to Liverpool, but takes a wider view of cities in general, and the people who look deeper into them. It might not be what you think of when you think of Liverpool history, but hopefully it’ll be interesting! Read more
