Liverpool History

Maritime Liverpool

When Britain was the world's maritime superpower, Liverpool was at the helm. The city was an enormously important mercantile centre, particularly well placed for trade with the New World. This tragically included human cargoes - slaves - and like Bristol, Southampton, Glasgow, London and other ports, Liverpool is making great efforts to educate today's generation on the trade's wrongs.

Most of the city's docklands structures are now given over to residential, business, entertainment and retail spaces, but there is still a freight shipping industry in Liverpool.
Many an emigrant had their last sight of England from Liverpool's docks, and until aviation took the bulk of transatlantic travel, the city was a major passenger port. Thanks to the resurgence of cruise liners, those days are coming back.

You can find out about this rich history and much more at the Merseyside Maritime Museum on the Albert Dock.
Another legacy of this history is the world-famous Pier Head, with its "Three Graces", The Royal Liver, Cunard and Port of Liverpool Buildings, still fully-functioning with a century of heritage. In the Cunard Building, Underwater Street is a magnificent kids' science and discovery centre.
And no visit to Liverpool is complete without a Ferry Across the Mersey!

Liverpool's maritime history is comprehensively mapped out in the Mersey Maritime Museum, itself part of the former Victorian warehouse complex at the Albert Dock. More information about Martime History

Liverpool's greatest period of economic wealth from the mid-eighteenth to mid-nineteenth century came at a price: the ruthless exploitation of African resources, which not only included raw materials but also humans.

More information about Black Heritage

Liverpool has always been a city that's been proud of its architecture. We have a waterfront that's as recognisable as New York, Hong Kong or Sydney, so get yourself on the Ferry and revel in its splendour. More information about Architectural History

Liverpool grew rapidly through Britain's industrialisation: the Dee silted up and goods were carried to Liverpool up the Mersey, where they were dispatched across the world.

More information about Industrial History