Old Maps of Liverpool
As a large city, Liverpool has seen a great many maps and plans made of it. Some of these maps show the wider area around the city, and may include areas as far afield as North Wales or Manchester, Lancaster or Chester.
Many of these old maps of Liverpool can be bought as high quality prints from the Liverpool History Bookshop.
Ackermann’s Panoramic View of Liverpool (1847)
This astonishing map is possibly unique for its age. It depicts Liverpool as if seen from a hot air balloon, looking down upon the city. This old map has a huge amount of detail on it. Buildings are shown with all their features. The Leeds-Liverpool Canal and the River Mersey are shown complete with tiny boats, and even tinier dock hands stroll around the quays.
Hilliar’s Guide for Strangers and Visitors through Liverpool (1858)
This foldable pocket map was issued in the middle of the Victorian people. It would have been sold to business men and tourists to Merseyside. There is a great deal of detail in this map, and its age means it is perfect for exploring how Liverpool quickly expanded into its rural surroundings. There is a good amount of detail for the Wirral too.
Weekly Dispatch Atlas (1860)
The Weekly Dispatch was a newspaper which began publishing in 1801. This map was probably given away to its readers. It used the same base maps as the later Plans of Liverpool (1890), and is an excellent tool for monitoring the expansion of the city. Streets are labelled, parks are drawn in detail and docks are named.
Globe Encyclopedia of Universal Information (1878)
This map covers not only Liverpool and its outskirts, but also Birkenhead and other parts of the Wirral. Public buildings, stations and individual houses are labelled. It can be compared to the Royal Atlas of England and Wales from 20 years later (see below), and shows that Liverpool gradually expanded from the middle of the century until it approached the end.
Bacon’s Map of Liverpool (1885)
This map of Liverpool by G. W. Bacon (called “The Environs of Liverpool”) was published in around 1885. It shows street-level detail, although only the names of the major roads are marked. The map covers the Wirral and the Mersey in the west, stretching across Liverpool from the Mersey in the west to St. Helens in the east.
Plan of Liverpool – North Sheet (1890)
This is the north half of a detailed plan of Liverpool published in 1890. It is incredibly detailed, showing every road name, paths within the parks, and even individual buildings in some streets (where those buildings were big enough). There’s also an index to road names down two sides, making it easy to look up a place of interest.
Plan of Liverpool – South Sheet (1890)
This is the south half of a detailed plan of Liverpool published in 1890, and it’s a partner to the North Sheet (above). As well as an index to streets down either side, there are concentric circles showing distances from the Town Hall, each one quarter of a mile apart. The version available on Historic Liverpool is an adapted version of the original, with the parliamentary wards colour-coded.
Plan of Liverpool – Royal Atlas of England and Wales (1898)
This is a more detailed map to accompany the smaller-scale Environs of Liverpool map (below) from the Royal Atlas of England and Wales, published in 1898. Although not covering nearly as great an area as the other map, this plan includes the names of individual roads, docks, railway stations, parks and the grounds of the two biggest football teams on Merseyside.
Environs of Liverpool – Royal Atlas of England and Wales (1898)
This historic map covers a wide area – in fact there is a second frame attached which shows the Environs of Manchester from the same volume, the Royal Atlas of England and Wales. Because of its size and coverage, details are harder to see compared to the two old Plans of Liverpool, the North Sheet and the South Sheet (above) of 1890.
Old maps from the National Library of Scotland
The National Library of Scotland has scanned in a fantastic selection of old Ordnance Survey maps, and made them available for re-use on your own website. There are two sets of maps available here, part of the Free set, which I can use without charge. They are lower detail, but can still be very useful for those of you interested in the history of Liverpool.
It is hard to believe that there is only 4 years between the top and bottom maps. It looks like several decades of development around Edge Hill. The whole shape of Sefton Park was undefined in 1895, but by 1898, the familiar kidney shape is there, and all the rows of housing are in place down Smithdown Road. Which is strange, as I know my road was not built until 1903, yet it appears to be on the 1898 map. I have a 1765 map, and one that appears to even older, as it has the Castle on it.
Hi Paul,
Thanks for your comments. Yes, the ingenuity, not to mention the work rate, of the Victorians never ceases to amaze me. I think the fact that Edge Hill is around a station just spurred them on even more at the height of the Industrial Revolution, when Liverpool wanted to be the transport hub of Britain.
As to the discrepancy between the date when your road was built, this could either be because my publication date is slightly out, or that the mapmaker knew what was being built in that area, and/or that the record for when your road was built counts the date at which all buildings were complete, increasing the chances that the mapmaker could see the new road plans several years before, perhaps when they’re being laid out.
I’ve seen some history books from the period which take great pleasure in detailing all the soon-to-be-built roads, and mapmakers were keen to be at the cutting edge, sometimes risking looking foolish if building projects didn’t come to fruition.
Hope you enjoy the site!
Regards,
Martin
Hi Martin
I have been looking at your site and trying to find out when the street ( Reading St Liverpool 5 ) was first built we left there in the late 1950,s as the street was being demolished many friends and neighbours were moved out to kirkby skelmersdale speke and some stayed local i have saw maps of the area 1885 but would like to know when it was built it was infamous for some trouble makers and the police so it was said walked down the street in twos i am now in my late 60,s but to us growing up there it was the best around
regards
jim byrne
Hi Jim,
The map you have of 1885 is one of the first maps which shows the road in existence. On the OS map of 1882 the area is still fields (brick fields) but a couple of roads nearby have been built, south of Lambeth Road, so it’s easy to say that the area was being built up at that time. So Reading Street was built between 1882 and 1885.
Martin
Jim do you remember the Simpson family who lived next to the post office in commercial road.
Paul and Annie Simpson where my grand ma and grandad.
My grandad and his family lived at and ran the reading pub (reading hotel I think it was called) as far as I know they were there for many years until it was demolished in the 70s. Unfortunately, I don’t have any photos of the place. I’ve been told they had a parrot at the bar that knew a few choice words and would shout “ma!” If anyone came in and there was nobody behind the bar. Just hoping it jogs someone’s memory. I’d love to see what it looked like.
My mistake, 14 years, but still, hard to imagine the engineering project to transform Edge Hill in that Time.
hi are you the brother of Christy o’donnell re: the feather’s
please contact 07407358633
this is along shot as I see the old place is gone
Hi Martin,
I am researching my family history. I was wondering if you may be able to help me. My Great Grandparents, Samuel and Mary Anne Dickinson, lived at 109 Medlock Street, Kirkdale. They lived there for a number of years before moving to Wallasey.
can you tell me anything about Medlock Street?
Any information that you may be able to provide will be greatly appreciated.
Kind Regards, Gaye
Hi Gaye,
Medlock Street is just a tiny stump of road now, leading north west from Westminster Road, but it once ran right through to Rumsey Street before the park was created.
There are two really good pictures looking down the road on the Kirkdale Online website. You can see in the second picture the curved building which still sits on the corner with Westminster Road. The Kirkdale Gaol was the biggest landmark in the area, sitting on land between Garnet Avenue and North Dingle.
The houses on Medlock were slightly bigger than many of the tiny terraces which characterised Kirkdale and Everton in the 19th and early 20th centuries, having bay windows for example. It’s quite a shame these were demolished, as they were not at all slum housing, but large areas were given over to the wrecking ball in this part of town without much selectivity on the part of the council.
Do you know what kind of jobs your great grandparents did? These houses were often inhabited by those who worked in city centre offices, or the docks, but were slightly higher than the bottom rung of casual labourers – such as clerks, messengers and the like.
Here’s an old map of Kirkdale showing Medlock Street and the Gaol.
Hi Martin, thank you for taking the time to reply 🙂 my great grandfather Samuel Dickinson was a ship’s steward, he was married to Mary Anne Bryant who would have been at home caring for their children. Thanks also for the link to Kirkdale Online and the Map, thankfully there are still a couple of photos remaining so that we can see what it once looked like. Strange that so many good homes were demolished, the house that my grandparents lived in, 40 Grosvenor Road, New Brighton, is still standing. My grandmother was Eveline Dickinson, from what I have been able to find out so far, she lived in Medlock Street during the 1901 Census, but has moved to New Brighton some time between 1901 and the next Census in 1911. She married my grandfather William Charles Hunt in 1919. He was also a ships steward and from what I can ascertain, he came from Liverpool. Interestingly, I remember my late mother telling me that my grandfather was a steward on the Lancastria when it was torpedoed off the coast of France… having difficulty confirming that though..
Great to hear from you, and I really appreciate the time that you have taken.
Kind regards, Gaye
No problem, glad I could help. It seems like a lot of families have a story passed down from previous generations. Sometimes they’re hard to verify, sometimes they turn out to be true. Good luck with your research.
Regards,
Martin
Hi Martin,
I am in the process of researching my family history and have discovered that my maternal great grandparents lived for several generations in Liverpool. Based on the 1881 and 1891 census they lived on Jackson Street and Vaughan Street. I can’t seem to find either on the maps. Can you point me in the right direction?
Many thanks!
Jennifer
Hi Jennifer,
I’ve not been able to find the exact place, but the censuses suggest that Vaughan Street is in south west Toxteth. I’ll have a look though my maps of the area, but even if I can’t find the street at least maybe you have a general idea of the place they were in!
I’ll post here if I find anything.
Regards,
Martin
Hi Jennifer, Vaughan Street was in Toxteth. It was next to Tamworth St which was off Park Street. Park Street runs down to the docks from Park Road. I now this because I discovered that my great grandparents lived in number 28 n the 1911 census. Good luck with your research.
There is (or was) a Jackson Street running between Mill Street and Hyslop Street (formerly Heath Street), pretty much exactly here: 53.390969, -2.973213 (use Googlemaps). I found it on the 1823 map in Liverpool Library. My Maylor relatives lived on the adjacent parallel Dover Street.
Hi Jennifer,
Vaughan St was between Grafton St and Beaufort St and Jackson St was between Upper Warwick St and Upper Hill St. You can view both streets in these cropped images of a 1906 map and I’ve included the link to the full size map in the “Website” box. Great site Martin.
http://liverpoolpictorial.co.uk/jackson_street.gif
http://liverpoolpictorial.co.uk/jackson_street.gif
Sorry. In my previous post, I posted Jackson St twice. The Vaughan St image is at http://liverpoolpictorial.co.uk/vaughan_street.gif
Thanks Dave, and thanks for adding those images!
Martin
Hi Martin
Do you know the name of the pub which used to be on the corner of Netherfield rd and Kirkdale road in the war times?This would solve a longstanding search for my uncle who`s asked everybody already.
Thanks
Carol.
Hi Carol,
I did a bit of research and replied to your previous comment here: http://historic-liverpool.co.uk/kirkdale/#comment-11917. Hope one of the two pubs I mentioned is the one you’re looking for, but if not it might start you in the right direction!
Martin
My father and his wife in the 1911 census had a (fish bar)in penton street .His father had lived in the sandhills hotel.I wonder if there are any pictures of either ,it would be great to see them.
There’s a picture of a Sandhills Hotel on the Liverpool Picturebook website’s North page. The photo’s from 1966 – is this the one you’re thinking of?
Martin
Hi wondering if you can tell me anything about the houses in 5 Pleasant street liverpool I’ve traced my family tree back as far as 1860 and they lived in pleasant street up to at least 1891 I’ve also traced the family to 19 Cubbin Street in 1911 Liverpool do you know anything about this strret
Hi Chris,
Pleasant Street was very much exactly that on the first Ordnance Survey map (1850). Although there was a large timber yard at the western end (on the northern side) the rest of the street was residential. There were two chapels and a school, but the rest were houses with large gardens. The largest houses were actually on Clarence Street, with their side (and back garden) running along Pleasant Street. Some of the gardens are shown in great detail on the map, with paths and flower beds in dotted lines.
The houses that actually fronted onto Pleasant Street were smaller, with yards behind. Your own knowledge of your ancestors’ lives may shed more light on what the houses actually looked like.
Cubbin Street is no longer with us, but the name lives on in Cubbin Crescent, which sits on the same site in Kirkdale. The street wasn’t built by the time of the first few OS maps, and only appears in 1890. The houses on this street were small terraced houses, slightly smaller than those on Pleasant Street. There are some pictures of Cubbin Street rooms on Liverpool Pictorial. Those photos were taken in 1957, and show the rooms in a shocking state. However, a lot can change in 40 years, so I wouldn’t go assuming those are the conditions your ancestors lived in. However, you do get a very rough impression of the room size.
H I Martin thanks for your help
just seen your address 19 cubbin st dated at time of cencus in 1911,my ancsestors lived at 17 cubbin st at the time of that 1911 cencus,they were called the langgards
Hi Mike
My dads family where called Moore lived in Cubbin Streeet there was a gang of them ha ha my dad was the youngest they must of known your ancestors ,as they liuved next door to each other .
Hi Martin
I’m researching my family who lived in the Toxteth area of Liverpool. I am told that my Mother and I lived in a pub called the Alhambra in that area during the war. The landlady, Bessie Hatfield, was my Aunt. I actually remember going to this pub in about 1946/47. Although I have been looking for it via the internet for several years I can now find no trace of it at all. Can you help please?
Many thanks.
Gloria
Hi Gloria,
I’ve found information about the Royal Alhambra pub on the corner of Esk Street and Derby Road, which is in Kirkdale rather than Toxteth (though similarly near the river). Unfortunately it’s no longer there, but was on the vacant plot here at the end of Esk Street. The old 1:2500 maps show it marked ‘PH’ (public house).
Regards,
Martin
Hi Gloria, I have also been trying to find details and photos of this pub and was lucky to receive a scanned copy of a photo taken in the 70’s. The building was no longer a pub but it gives a fair idea about the size of the building etc. would be happy to email you a copy.
I would like some guidance as the name of pub house on the corner of Compton Street Everton. My grandfather ran the pub we beieve in the late 1920s we have a picture of him outisde. the only thing that is written on the pub is Robinsons Liverpool Mild and Burton Bitter Ales (this brand I believe is now owned by Marstons) The pub I believe was demolished many years ago. Is there a register of pub landlords that I can browse for that time? Your help would be much appreciated. My Mother and her family came from Liverpool and I find it such a fascinating place, but shocked at the amount of deprivation my own Grandmothers family went throughat the beginning of the 1900’s.
Hi Patricia,
The 1891 Ordnance Survey map shows a Victoria Hotel at the top of Compton Road, at the junction with Whitefield Road. It could have changed names before the 1920s, especially if your grandfather took it over from someone else, but that’s the most certain evidence about the pub I can find. Hope this helps!
Ad you’re right – the amount of deprivation in this part of Liverpool was shocking. Some of the conditions right into the 1960s and beyond still surprise me. Makes me appreciative of how a lot of us live today!
Regards,
Martin
Hi my great grandad owned a timber yard on the dock road in the 50s and 60s called edwards can you please let me know if there any websites were i may find any pictures.
Please
Thank you
Hi John,
I’ve not been able to find any photos yet, but if you know any more details about where the timber yard was I might be able to have another search.
Martin
Hi Martin, I was wondering if you could point me intend righ direction to discover more of my local area, Tuebrook/Clubmoor area. In particular the history of Lakhill Gardens? Any help would be greatly appreciated
Hi Martin,
I wonder if you could help-I’m trying to find old maps of the Halewood area.
Do you know where I could obtain a copy of Lancashire Sheet 114 1890-1 and also 1849 printing. They are on display at the Rangers Hut at Pickerings Pasture but a request for a copy fell on deaf ears!
I have some old tythe maps of the area but they are very poor-copied from worn out maps at Central Library.Do you know of any maps that might be better? I was told that one can go to the Lancashire Record Office but that you have to actually photograph them.
Any help would be appreciated!
Lindsay.
June 22, 2013
Lindsay.
Hi Lindsay,
A great source for old maps is (appropriately) Old-Maps.co.uk. You can search for Halewood on their home page, and it then gives a selection of old editions on the right. You can see a fair bit on the site, but to get big high quality copies it costs about £16. They have the 1849 edition at 1:10,560 and 1893 at 1:2500 (very high detail, but small areas covered per sheet).
When you ask whether I know of any maps which would be ‘better’ than the tithe maps, what is it you’d like to find out? Or are you just after some better copies of the same thing? Lancashire is probably the closest place, as the main other one will be the National Archives in London!
Hope this helps a bit, but do let me know more detail if you have some specific queries and I’ll see what I can do.
Regards,
Martin
Hi Martin,
I used to attend Liverpool City Institute of Further Education 1967. It may have been an annexe but the GCE courses were taught in a pale blue building on the corner of Duke St facing the Anglican Cathedral. This building has now been demolished along with the road and replaced by the Cathedral Gate development. Have you any maps that show the name of this now extinct road?
With no photos and no as yet found record of this building that literally changed my life, I feel a part of me has been amputated. I can feel the ghost limb twitching.
Cheers,
Mike.
CAN ANYONE PLEASE HELP AS I AM LOOKING FOR THE BIRTHPLACE OF MY FATHER, IT IS 13 LEITH TERRACE KIRKDALE LIVERPOOL
Hello hilda
I was born in 9 leith terrace in 1951 and lived there until the compulsory purchase slum clearance in I think 1969 when they were demolished. They were a row of Seven two up two down terraced houses which do not appear to show up on any early maps I have seen it was situated off forth st situated between Clyde st an Esk st. These last two streets named led on. to a main rd called Dearby rd which was the next main rd up from the Dock Road at Canada Dock
Hello Hilda
I was born in 1951 in Leith terrace and lived there until the compulsory purchase slum clearance in I think 1969 . It was a row of seven , -two up -two down terraced houses with a dead end.. It does not appear to show up on any early maps I have seen.It was off forth st and situated between Clyde st and Esk st both of the last named streets led onto a main rd called Dearby rd which was the next main rd up by about 200 yards parallel to the dock rd at Canada Dock.
hope this helps Tom
Hi,
Can any one help please?
My Gt, Gt, Gt. Grandfather was Living in Gascoigne St (i3 onNorth map) in 1852 and was married from this street. He was married in “St Davids Church” . I have found Gascoigne St on this wonderful map but unable to find a St Davids church in the area! does any one know if their was a Church of that name in the area of Gascoigne St?
Margaret
Hi Margaret
St David’s Church was at the bottom of Brownlow Hill (South Map). My Great Great grandparents were married there. It was known as the Welsh Church I believe. It is the last entry on this web page. http://www.lan-opc.org.uk/Liverpool/Liverpool-Central/home.html
Hi Martin,
I used to attend Liverpool City Institute of Further Education 1967. It may have been an annexe but the GCE courses were taught in a pale blue building on the corner of Duke St facing the Anglican Cathedral. This building has now been demolished along with the road and replaced by the Cathedral Gate development. Have you any maps that show the name of this now extinct road?
With no photos and no as yet found record of this building that literally changed my life, I feel a part of me has been amputated. I can feel the ghost limb twitching.
Cheers,
Mike.
July 31, 2013
Reply
Hi Mike,
Could you be thinking of Rathbone Street (and Back Rathbone Street)? They were on the site of the current Cathedral Gate, east of Great George Street. I’ve found a map of the area from the period you’re talking about, but can’t see the Institute on it. Perhaps you’ll be able to spot it! http://www.old-maps.co.uk/maptiles/m100955_335319_389554.png
Hi Martin,
And thank you. My building was on the corner of Upper Duke St. and St James street (which has now been built over by the cathedral gate development. I found the map really useful because now I have a street name with which to approach Liverpool library/archives – unless I can find something online.
Thanks again
Mike.
i am trying to find an old map of strawberryfields, little woolton. i want to find the layout of the house and grounds
Hi Pauline,
Here’s a map of the Strawberry Fields estate. It’s not a detailed look at the house, but hopefully it’s what you’re after.
Regards,
Martin
my great grandfather was a draper at 3 tillotson st, e. do you think that would have been a place of business and a residence together? his name was samuel carpel..that is the only address i can find for him.
thanks,
nancy
Hi Nancy,
While it’s certainly possible that a residence was in the same building as a small business like a drapers (just like today a grocer’s or newsagent’s might have a flat above or a house behind and above) by the look of the maps of the streets in the area the houses look like standard terraces. It might be that your ancestor worked at home, but there was likely not a shop at that address. If he was not the business owner, then perhaps his place of work address was not associated with his name.
Regards,
Martin
I have been looking for information or early photos of buildings my great grandfather lived and worked in. He was Peter Lynch the Licencee of ‘The Scotland’ public house in 1881 and the ‘Masons’ public house, 22 Richmond Row in 1887 and then a Provisions merchant in 2 Pownall square in 1911 but for many years in between as he is listed in early telephone books.
I have seen photos near these locations but never the actual buildings.
Regards
Paul
interested in history of old custom house in canning place. i know it was built around 1825 when the old dock was filled in and demolished after the war. i would like to know what occupied the site after it was demolished? was coronation gardens built on the site or was site levelled and landscaped?? would like to see any pics of the site prior and during demolition and any Liverpool A-Z street maps showing the site before and after demolition
Hi Neil,
The website Old-Maps.co.uk is your best bet for these maps. They have one from 1955 which marks the Customs House as ‘Ruin’. It also names the streets around that area, although they’re a little hard to see without buying the map. As far as I know, the landscaping of Chevasse Park, which was removed in the last few years to be replaced with Liverpool One, was that landscaping which was put down in place of the Customs House, though if anyone else knows better I’d be glad to hear from them! Coronation Park was further to the East, at the top of Lord Street.
Regards,
Martin
I am currently researching the architecture around Upper Parliament St, and the area surrounding the empty lot opposite the old site of the Racquet Club in particular. Do you know if the previous buildings on this site were also demolished as a result of the riots? Would you also happen to know the approximate dates the buildings around this area were first constructed?
Kind Regards
James
I researching my family tree I am trying to locate Baptist Street, Islington, Liverpool. Can you help?
Thanks
Hello Jess
one of my ancestors was born in 5 Baptist street , and i am too desperate for information but cannot find it .
did you find anything at all .
I lived at 2 Hawthorne Avenue Bootle at my grandmothers home in 1956 before migrating to Australia. It’s no longer listed as a Avenue only Hawthorne Road. Does anyone know if Hawthorne Avenue’s name has been changed or what has happened to it.
Thank you, Paddy Mahon Sydney Australia
I have looked in a book of street names of Bootle and Hawthorne Avenue is not listed , sorry. Are you a relative of Simon and Peter? They were important in political life of Bootle. I will ask on a Bootle forum to see if any one else knows.
Apparently the houses in Hawthorne Avenue were prefabs. They were built just after the was and demolished about 1970, so the avenue appears on very few maps. I will put a link to the site that found the map. Thank you Jan.
http://www.bootlehistory.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=30197&p=384634#p384634
It was off Balliol Road just by its junction with Breeze Hill just opposite where Balliol Secondary school used to be. Hope the link works and that you find this answer.
regards Lynne
I have tried without success to find any information regarding father’s family. He was William George; had and older sister Lily (possible Lillian) and older brother Robert and two younger brothers George Davison and John Davison. The lived in Mann Street and my Nanna was Caherine nee Calderbank. My Father was born in May 1910. I particularlyld like to know about his Father who I believe was a seafarer called Lionel.
Great maps and website!
I am trying to find an image of Cadmus street, Everton. I have tried the Liverpool Records Office but without any success. Any thoughts/help would be most appreciated.
Hi Paul,
Glad you like the site! Have you got access to the original handwritten census return? I’ve found that when having trouble locating streets from census records the original is poorly written or transcribed, or the census writer misheard someone else naming the street. Try looking at this list of Liverpool streets beginning with C, and comparing it to what is written on the form, to see if the error is of this type.
Regards,
Martin
Martin,
Thank you for your speedy reply and helpful comments/suggestions.
I do not have access to the original census return but have seen the name Cadmus Street (adjacent to Dido Street) in an old (~1900) map of the area.
I looked at the Liverpool Streets site but without success.
Many thanks again and may the site go from strength to strength.
Paul
I am trying to find out when the housing in Gascoyne St Liverpool was demolished. My mother and grandmother were there on 1911 census and were moved to Rushmere Rd, but I do not know when. Any help or photos please.
Getting closer to when they were compulsorily purchased. My mum got married from there in 1935.
I HAVE BEEN RESEARCHING MY MOTHER’S FAMILY (WILKINSON / FORSYTH WHO HAD SEVERAL PUBS AND A BREWERY IN THE VICINITY OF GREAT NEWTON STREET/DANSIE STREET AND EDGE HILL. I WOULD BE PLEASED IF ANY ONE HAS INFORMATION ABOUT THESE BUSINESSES. THE DATES WOULD BE UP TO APPROXIMATELY 1901 (THE SUN INN IN BIRKENHEAD)
Hi Martin
I’ve worked at Buckels garden centre in Fazakerley for 20 years it’s on the corner of Field lane and Copplehouse lane. We know it’s been there a while but we are curious what was there before it or when then Buckels family moved there. Its not owned by the Buckels family now so any information would be appreciated. My boss says they got land off the Molyneux family. Great website and maps by the way.
Hi Peter,
Glad you like the site! The site of the garden centre seems to have had nothing on it until a number of glasshouses were erected in about 1900, behind the house (belonging to the Buckles?) which stands on the corner of the two roads. So it looks like Buckles Nurseries has a long pedigree! It’s definitely possible that they bought land for the house off the Molyneux family, who were the major landowners in the Sefton area for a long time.
Here’s another map for you, showing the road junction in 1927, as well as the house and a couple of the glasshouses (with the cross-hatching):
Hi, for your information George Buckel is alive and well, and runs/ works at Tal Coed nurseries, in Glan Conwy, North Wales.
Love this site, it is addictive.
Thank you.
Hi Martin,
I recently read your wonderful book about Liverpool’s landscape history. Absolutely fascinating!
Can you help me locate an old street? By the way, your links to old maps don’t appear to work – I’m getting the dreaded Error 404 messages. I’m looking for Bennett Street. In my Edwardian A-Z, it’s in the index but despite searching I can’t find it on the accompanying map.
Any ideas?
Karen in Ontario
Hi Karen,
Thanks so much! So glad you liked it. And thanks for pointing out the 404 error – should be fixed now! Teething problems from an exciting new angle for Historic Liverpool!
Bennett Street, if I’ve got the right one, is in Garston, just off St. Mary’s Road. You can see it on the 1907 map below, and it is still there, visible on Google Maps. Let me know if this is the right one, and if you can spot it in your Edwardian A-Z.
Can you help me I’m am looking for information on building that existed in Luton grove off walton road at present there stands a retirement home called walton manor, my parents live in the next street to this and work had been done to rebuild the supporting wall and when it was stripped back to to original wall the was lower ground window shown bricked up we are trying to find out was stood there before it was all filled in Any info? Thanks
Hi Phyl,
Looking at the old maps shows that there was a dairy yard in the area. I’ve put a map here so hopefully you can see whether this is the area where the lower window was. If it’s one of those windows which is half buried then that would match with an industrial use, where perhaps cellars were used (e.g. for keeping dairy products cool).
The map is from 1953, at 1:1250 scale.
Martin,
Can you please tell me where i could get a copy of the 1953 map showing Kirkdale / Walton. Is it available from the Liverpool Central Library ?
Regards
Phil D
It’s definitely worth while getting in touch with the Central Library to see which maps they have, because they do have a lot. Another source is the National Archives, though of course they’re in London and so would cost money either to travel there or order copies to be sent to you. You can get a lot of maps online at http://old-maps.co.uk. It’s a tricky site to navigate sometimes, but a great resource, and makes it easy to view all old OS maps. You need to pay a subscription to zoom right in, but many are perfectly easy to read without zooming in much.
Martin
I am researching the family of my maternal grandmother (Duggan). They lived in the Everton/West Derby area throughout the 19th century – showing Compton Street in 1911. My great grandfather, John Duggan, was born in Liverpool in 1853 and died in Liverpool in 1913.One of his daughters, Catherine, married a French chef (Andre Dutertre) in Leeds, where my mother and I were born. If anyone has any information on the Duggan family I would be very grateful. I recall a family story about a Tommy Duggan who was a professional footballer. The only thing I can find on this is a brief Wikipedia entry which says that he was born in Liverpool in 1897 and emigrated to the USA where he played football. I am not sure whether her was part of the same family, but again, I would be very interested to learn of any information that anyone may have on this. Thank you…David
Hi Martin,
I wonder if you have any info on the origins of Shaw’s alley L1, my nan’s great grandfather was brought up there around 1900’s
Hi Jo,
Looking at the old maps of the time, Shaws Alley (then called Shaw Alley) looks mostly to be large buildings, probably warehouses. There are some smaller buildings at the town end of the street, so presumably that’s where your great grandfather was brought up. It may be that the name Shaw comes from Samuel Shaw, an industrial potter who had his works on the aptly name Shaw’s Brow, which is now William Brown Street (where the Museum and Library are). Shaw (whether Samuel or another Shaw) may have owned the land that the street was built on, or had his home, office or warehouse here.
Best wishes,
Martin
Hi,
Can you tell me where exactly Atterbury Terrace was/ is off Grafton Street, Toxteth ? I try to visit where my ancestors lived but can’t find this one.
Kind regards.
We lived in Tillotson Terrace which was one of 3 Terraces (courts) on Grafton Street near to the corner of Park St. Atterbury Terrace may have been one of these but I cant remember. There were also other courts along Grafton St. All have now long gone. I’ve never been able to find our old court on any maps, its possible they were never included on street maps because they were not “streets”.
Hi Tony,
Courts were usually included on maps, though their small size meant that many weren’t named except on the most detailed maps, and perhaps wouldn’t be included in indexes. The less detailed maps might not have had them on at all, or marked them in a way which is not recognisable as a court.
Martin
I have found a map I have of old Liverpool and can confirm that Atterbury Terrace was next to Leighton Terrace which was next to where we lived in Tillotson Terrace. As I said it was in the area of the corner of Grafton Street and Park Street and would be on the right ad you look back towards Nothumberland Street.
Hi there
Has anyone got any information about the Graves family? We think they lived at 122 St. James Street just before the first world war. Any photos/maps of the area would be brilliant
An ancestor of mine was listed as being born in the 1870’s, at Stanley Bridge Liverpool, is or was there any such place, if so where might it have been? Thank you for any help on the matter.
Hi Keith,
I wonder whether this could be a bridge over the Stanley Dock branch of the Leeds Liverpool Canal? There would have been people living in that area at the time, so if there’s any evidence that your ancestor was born in north central Liverpool then that might be the case.
Martin
Hi
Would you know where Oldham Court, Back Renshaw a Street was please? My great grandmother lived there when she was a child. Thank you.
Hi Caroline,
If you look at this map of Liverpool in 1898 you’ll see Oldham Street in the middle. The road which is un-named but goes across it is Back Renshaw Street. There are several courts in that arrangement of streets, and Oldham Court would have been one of them.
Martin
Hello
As a total Novice could anybody point me in the right direction? I’m looking at my mother’s Irish ancestry and as par of this I’m trying to find her birthplace which was Paton Street Kirkdale. The 1901 A-Z does not list Paton Street…any help would be gratefully received Thank you
Hi,
I’ve not been able to find Paton Street. Could it be Parton Street? There’s one in Kensington, which isn’t really what I think of as Kirkdale, but the houses are the right age, and it might have fallen in the Kirkdale boundary at one point.
Martin
Paton street kirkdale Liverpool 20.It was off Brasenose road.It was demolished in approximately in 1969.Reason I know this is my husband lived there,he left in 1967 and Mum/Dad in law left due to the demolition in 1969.
Hi,
I’ve been sent some great aerial photos of Paton Street by Phil D. I’m including a couple here, while everything’s on a separate page at Paton Street, Kirkdale, in aerial photos and maps.
Best wishes,
Martin
Hi Martin. My Grandmother who is long dead, used to live in Broom Street, off Denbigh Street, off Great Howard Street circa 1920 but I can,t find it on any map. Please help
Hi Sandra,
Broom Street was one of the tiny streets between Denbigh and Athol Street. You can see it on this map here: https://www.old-maps.co.uk/#/Map/333972/392366/13/100765 (zoom out to see the map). Hope this helps!
Also, Phil D has sent this map:
Best wishes,
Martin
Hi Martin
My grandfather Walter James Lake is said to have been born in Liverpool between 1868-1872. Depends of which document you look at. He joined the Royal Warwickshire regiment in 1891 and listed his next of kin as his mother Mary Lake, living at 302 Everton Road, Liverpool.
Does/did 302 Everton Road exist. I had been told that the numbers did not go up that high.
Regards
Vivien Ferris
Hi Vivien,
You’re right, by the looks of things the numbers only go up to about 150 on Everton Road, before it becomes Heyworth Street. Could it be a mis-transcription of 32? Or something else like that?
Martin
Is the Plan of Liverpool – South Sheet (1890) available to buy anywhere – can’t see it in the shop or ebay listing.
Thanks.
Colin
Hi Colin,
The maps will be for sale very soon. I’m currently moving from my previous print supplier to a new one, so when that is completed in the next week or so they will be available on this site, and perhaps from eBay too.
Regards,
Martin
Dos anyone remember or are related to the Farley family who lived in Denbigh Street and New Hedley Street Livepool, 2 brothers of the family Richard and Patrick Farley where killed in action in WW1.
Joe F
07798 715432
hi can anyone help
i was born in63 cockerell street kirkdale 1946
is there ant way i can get photos or info please
i was broughht up by my gran alice ellis ended up in cottage homes fazakerley w
anyone have any info please
Hi Jack,
I’ve got a bit of info on this website about the Fazakerley Cottage Homes on the History of Fazakerley page. Hopefully you’ll find something interesting there.
Also, a regular correspondent Phil D has passed on a photo of 61-63 Cockerell Street, which I’ve pasted below.
Martin
Hi,
I am trying to find William Terrace Ann Street in 1911, Could anyone offer any pointers.
Many Thanks
Hi Wayne,
The only Ann Street I can think of is St Anne’s Street, which is a major road north into Everton. William Terrace was probably a row of terraced houses on a longer street.
Martin
Hello,
We are trying to find old maps of Harthill & Calderstones Park, preferably showing Harthill as being part of Calderstones Park.
Can you help.
Thank you
Hi Christine,
Old-Maps.co.uk is your best source for this. Go here and zoom out a couple of times: https://www.old-maps.co.uk/#/Map/340417/387707/10/101393
Martin
Hi
In doing some family research for my husband’s family I have found that his great grandmother lived at 53 Denbigh street in bootle. When I went on Google maps it appears that there are no homes there. Are there any pictures around that might show what the houses looked like. It looks like a very short street. Was it at one time longer?
Hi,
This spot on the Old Maps website shows that there were once a lot of residences on that street, including court housing: https://www.old-maps.co.uk/#/Map/333975/392342/13/100871
Martin
There is actually one (derelict) house still standing on Denbigh Street. Sitting next to the old church. If you use street view it give a clear picture of the type of property.
Wow these maps are great! Im trying to locate Swan Street, which used to be one of the courts off Falkner Street (according to the census description), probably next to/close to Corlett St, but it’s not listed on any of the maps I’ve found until now.. Does anyone know which one of the little streets/courts it was?
Hi,
Swan Street was in a position which is now opposite Crown Street Park. You can see a detailed map of the area here: https://www.old-maps.co.uk/#/Map/336567/389640/13/100871. The modern position is roughly here: https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@53.3994786,-2.9550315,18.21z?hl=en
Regards,
Martin
hi Martin
I love the site – really fascinating. Thank you.
I have an ancestor, one Charles Fairclough who died in 1815. I have a newspaper clipping which states that his house in West Derby – Mill House – was up for sale with 10 acres of land. I can’t find any reference to it now, although there us a modern day Mill Lane, and it would have been no surprise to have had a mill or mills in the area. Do you have any record of the Mill House on a map from that time please?
As an Evertonian I have a mild apprehension that it could now be under the Bill Shankly recreation fields – any ideas?!
many thanks
Bob
Hi Bob,
I’m glad you like the site!
Yes, the Mill Lane in West Derby was once the site of a windmill somewhere around the junction with Queens Drive (I think on the opposite side of Mill Lane to the Jolly Miller, but I can’t be certain). The mill house would have been nearby, though again I can’t pinpoint it exactly. The other potential problem is that ‘West Derby’ can refer to a large area of Liverpool, with a lot of mills, so it could refer to another location altogether. Darn those generic placenames!
I think you can rest assured that it wasn’t on the Bill Shankly Playing Fields as it would have been at the top of the (slight) slope where the wind was stronger. 🙂
In all this I’d welcome any comments from people with more details.
Regards,
Martin
Hi Martin,
Do you have any maps of the pre-fab estates at Gatacre from the 1950’s?
I wa born in Whinhurst Road in 1948. I have been trying to find the name of the school that I attended for just a short time before moving to Huyton.
The school was not far from where I lived if my memory is correct.
Hi Dave,
Could you point me to a specific road? There are good maps for the 1950s at https://www.old-maps.co.uk/#/Map/342500/387500/13/101329 (just click on the date in the left hand column). I can look for more specific info if you know the road.
Best wishes,
Martin
sam cottrell
hi martin,did tariff st L5 have a small court or houses in it, my mam was born in that st.but i can’t find no record, can you help.
Hi Sam,
Tariff Street had some courts nearby, but the street itself looks like it was mostly industrial, with a few terraced houses nearby. Those houses, from the maps, look like they fronted onto other streets, only backing on to Tariff. Some of them might have used Tariff Street as the address anyway. Here are two maps, one from 1891 and one from the 1950s:
Excellent site. Interesting comments and your research admirable. I live on borders of north Wales near Vyrnwy nowadays. Until going to university, lived at family home in Circular Road east West Derby. My dad was born in Jasmine Street Everton. His family was rehoused at Liddell Road West Derby, possibly in early 1930s.
Hi Martin
I am trying to find any information about Malta Road, Bootle, where my father’s family lived. Can you help?
Thanks, Sue
Hi Sue,
What kind of information are you looking for? I’ve done a little research and found that the road once sat where North Park now is, directly opposite the entrance to Delaware Road. The houses on the road were terraced, and of a decent if modest size. The area was a victim of the Blitz, and a Welsh chapel and Malta Road were badly damaged.
Regards,
Martin
Hello
I am researching a man who was born in March 1887 in Ballington Street which I believe was in the Toxteth Park area. I can’t see it on the index on your 1890 map. Can you identify where it was please
Jim K
Hi Jim,
I haven’t found a Ballington Street yet. There was a Burlington Street (G4 on the 1890 North Sheet), but that was just north of the city centre, in Kirkdale/Vauxhall, so it doesn’t fall into the Toxteth Park area as far as I can tell.
Martin
Hi, my family used to live in Ballington Street but all I know is it was Liverpool 8, which I understand is definitely Toxteth. Hope this helps!
Hi Jim,
It’s been a while since you asked, but (since someone else was recently on here and asked about Ballington Street) I’ve been able to locate the road you’re after. When looking at my map, Ballington Street is the middle of three unnamed roads north of Harlow Street, and south of Grain Street. Hope this helps you or someone else just visiting this site!
Martin
Hello
I have been researching my family history and found that my Great Grandfather Andrew Lewin was a Grocer in Kirkdale in 1886. He and his wife Mary Lewin (Rossiter) from Ireland lived at 7 Becket St Kirkdale and had 3 children Mary, Mabel and Andrew. I believe Mabel worked in the Grocer store when she was 11 years old. Does anyone have any info to share ?
Jenny
Re: Margaret Burnett query about her fathers birthplace, I was born at 9 Village Grove in 1958, the houses were 2 up 2 down the front door opened straight into the living room, a door opposite the front door led to a tiny kitchen from which a staircase led to 2 bedrooms upstairs. From the kitchen a back door exited to a small white washed yard with an outside loo, a coal bunker, a steel dust bin that slotted into the wall which the bin men would carry down the back entries to the waiting bin lorry, and a tin bath which would be brought into the kitchen on a Friday night, filled with water heated on the stove (no hot running water in those days) and my brother and I would make third use of the bath after my Mum and Dad.
Hi Stuart,
That’s really great info about the place you lived and grew up in! So interesting, and I hope it helps other readers.
Best wishes,
Martin
Just reading the comments re Pluto Street. My mother was born at #21 ( 1916 ) and my great aunt lived at #34.( early 1916 onwards )
I used your maps to locate a street call ‘MARY ANN’. (located in the triangle between
Brownlow Hill, Mont Pleasant and Clarence). I am doing some research on a
watchmaker “J. Bramwell” (or could be Joseph Bramwell, 1826 to 1880).
I have a Pocket watch engraved with his name & City ‘J. Bramwell, Liverpool’.
Records located at the National Museum Liverpool http://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk
Shows a Joseph Bramwell, 16 years old, an Apprentice watchmaker on Mary Ann St.
(who he was an apprentice under, I do not know. The watch I have was made in 1879 (indicated by
the hall mark stamps in the case) 1 year before his death at 54.
A google map of modern Liverpool shows this street (Mary Ann) no longer exists.
If heard of a large and productive watchmaking community in Liverpool in the 1800’s.
are there any pictures or information on this? was there a specific ‘district’ or ‘area’
where the watchmakers took up business?
thank you
Bill (LPFC Fan, here in the States)
Hi Bill,
Great to hear from you. Sounds like you have an interesting ancestor to look into!
Liverpool did have a busy little watchmaking trade at one point, with a few workshops dotted around the town centre and just to the south (so your own apprentice is in the right place). It might be of interest to know that Prescot was actually a bit of a centre for horology. See this page for Watchmaking in Victorian Prescot: https://www.harrison-associates.co.uk/prescot/watchmaking.html.
Were the archives you’ve looked at on this page? http://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/wml/collections/horology/results.aspx?&name=bramwell&startyear=1810&endyear=1900&town=liverpool&trade=&page=0 I see J Bramwell is in the census in Everton.
To answer your question, I don’t think there was a specific district for Liverpool watchmakers, except to say it was central.
There is an interesting article on the Liverpool Echo website, though it might be biased towards the high end of watches that are now deemed collectable: https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/mike-litherland-looks-famous-liverpool-3404486
There’s also a refurbished former watchmakers on Seel Street, which again is central but not that close (by Victorian standards) to the other horologists: https://www.liverpoolexpress.co.uk/timely-completion-of-heritage-initiative/
Best of luck with your research, and come back here if you find out more.
Martin
Looking for any information on my family from Liverpool and North Wales (Eaton/Abbinnett – variations of spelling I.e. Abinet/Abinnett etc – and Davies). Eaton’s were dotted around Liverpool but my father was born in West Derby and Grandfather from Toxteth.
Grandfather, John (known as Jack) owned/managed a dairy in Liverpool but not known where exactly. His first wife was Mary Abinnet (who died relatively young) and then married an Elizabeth Brown who had two sons from a previous marriage. Believe a son was born to them both – Alex Eaton who eventually married and moved to Islington in London.
Hi, My mother lived in Ballington street in Toxteth. We used to go and visit my gran there in the mid sixties. I would love to see what is there now as I understand the houses have all gone.
Hi Richard,
You’re right, the houses have gone from that road, and the road itself too. There are a lot of new houses around there, and new street layouts. The site of Ballington Street now has industrial units, including a gym, on it. See it on Google Maps.
I also responded to another question on Ballington Street here: https://historic-liverpool.co.uk/old-maps-of-liverpool/#comment-207145
Best wishes,
Martin
Hi Martin
I’ve just discovered this wonderful site. My maternal grandmother cam from Liverpool, with ancestors from Ireland, Cumbria and Scotland. The main family I am researching is the Duggan family. I have a record of John Duggan living at 22 Compton Street, West Derby in 1911, and also his father (also John), who emigrated from Ireland. I wondered if you have any information on the Duggans and of Compton Street. My grandmother used to tell us stories, but she is long passed and I would like to rekindle those memories. I seem to recall that there was a family member who played for Liverpool (or possibly Everton), and also I recall something to do with either the Titanic or the Lusitania. Any information would be very gratefully received. Many thanks, David Wardle
Hi David,
I’m not a great source for family history, but maybe someone else on here can help with that. However, if you’re interested in seeing Compton Street around the turn of the century then it can be seen on the Plan of Liverpool (North Sheet) here: https://historic-liverpool.co.uk/old-maps-of-liverpool/plan-of-liverpool-north-sheet-1890/#5/46.529/12.041
Martin
Can anyone help with finding Fedora or Fedora street. I am researching my great Grandfather Malachi Davis who was born in Ireland in 1858 but at some point moved to Liverpool and married Mary Davis nee Ennis.
I would be grateful for any help.
Hi martin been trying to find my husband grandfather we know he was born in Warrington 1897 .he ended up in Liverpool we know he worked as a Barman in the .boundr y public house in edge lane Liverpool but can not find him he died in 1939 some time after falling down the hatch into the cellar
Hi Josie,
I’m not much of a family historian, unfortunately, but I wondered whether you’d found his death certificate? That seems to be the best first move, and might help you find a way into Ancestry (or similar) records. FreeBMD might help: https://www.freebmd.org.uk/
Martin
Hi Neil re the Old Customs House….this was the third customs house on this site the previous two destroyed by fire., the original dated back to the early 18th century. It was hit in the May 1941 blitz it was reduced almost to a shell, however the outer walls were structurally sound.It was massive, larger than the current St Georges Hall. It was in the shape of a letter H from above with two grand entrances via steps through pillars on top of which was a triangular pedant It was demolished commencing 1947 when Liverpool city planners (in their wisdom) decided it was too expensive to re build. The site remained derelict till the early 60s when Merseyside Police headquarters was built and the area to the side was later landscaped and named after George Chevasse the Army medic who received the Victoria Cross for Gallantry in World War 1. The Police headquarters were rebuilt and Chevasse Park was designated as part of the new Liverpool One retail and office development. The actual site now has the Hilton Hotel on it the only reference to the Historic building being the name..it is now Old Customs House Place a pedestrianised area immediately in front of the hotel.
Hi Martin, I’m searching for my father’s parents they had a dairy in Walton in the early 1900s there surname was Raw my fathers name was Arthur Raw he was born in North Yorkshire 1911 but moved to Walton Liverpool when he was a boy still in school, I remember story’s of him delivering milk as a child with a horse and cart but cannot remember his father’s name would love to find out more of their dairy and life at that time in Liverpool, any information would be welcome many thanks Viv James.
Hi Vivienne,
Liverpool had a large number of suburban dairies in the early to mid 20th century. These were embedded in suburban streets which allowed milk to be delivered fresh to the nearby houses. The buildings were known affectionately as ‘cow houses’. Do you think your ancestors would have had one of these? There’s a couple of good pages here: https://asenseofplace.com/2014/05/12/the-cowhouses-of-liverpool/ and here: http://www.mrseelsgarden.org/cowkeeping-in-liverpool/
If you’re not sure this is the type of dairy, then do let me know (especially if you know anything specific about the location) and I can have another look around.
Martin