Hidden History Archives • Historic Liverpool

Cobbles and cottages on Fisher Street

In early 2020 a Twitter user by the name of PhoenixME (@Phoenix1270) got in touch to ask about the ‘Forgotten Street’ (as they put it). This led to a very... read more

Photograph of the lumberjack statue on top of the former Dominion pub, Liverpool

Lumberjack on the former Dominion pub, Kirkdale

Credit for this goes to Phil Nash, who posted a couple of photos to the Liverpool Hidden History Facebook group. The former Dominion pub (or Dominion Hotel) at the junction... read more

Photo of the front of Tate Liverpool, an art gallery

“My future” – a grid outside Tate Liverpool

A photo of this grid popped up on Facebook in early 2019. I had no idea what it really was, but was intrigued. It looked like something from the William... read more

Mystery: Unique photos of the John Bibby Sons and Co. copper rolling mills, formerly in Window Lane, Garston

This is another guest article, this time from John Owens. John got in touch hoping that I or you, dear readers, could help identify the source of some photos of... read more

Rail remains of Liverpool Riverside Station

Following the curve of Princes Parade, on the north west side of Princes Dock, are a set of rails which are one of the few clues left to the presence... read more

Photograph of South Parkside Drive, Liverpool

Parkside Drive – a West Derby bypass?

Plans were once put together to make West Derby a more peaceful village. Only a few clues now remain to those plans. Martin’s Note: I’m indebted to the West Derby... read more

Teagle (crane) at 11 Dale Street

In the Victorian period Liverpool was Britain’s second greatest port. So there are hundreds of remnants of Liverpool’s trading golden age dotted around the landscape. We’re all familiar with the... read more

Springfield Park, Prescot Road entrance

Knotty Ash Village, and Springfield Park, are part of a historic area. They’re on the edge of West Derby and also on the main route between Liverpool and Prescot, and... read more

Photo of the dock railway at Hartley Quay

Hartley Quay Dock Railway

The dock railway was built in Liverpool to solve a challenge which other cities did not face. With dock expansion, ships were docking further and further from the central business... read more

Blessig’s Style: A hidden West Derby path

Liverpool is (like so many other places) full of the remains of hidden paths and landscape clues. Blessig’s Style is one such path in West Derby, once the home of... read more

Sanctuary Stone, Castle Street

All sorts of stories are associated with the Sanctuary Stone. Its name conjures up anything from slave-related scenes to cheeky apple snatching medieval urchins. You might never see the same... read more

Road sign labelled George's Dock Gates

George’s Dock Gates road sign

Liverpool, as a city, is master of reinventing itself. It re-uses parts of its landscape when priorities (and economics) change. The Pier Head area in general has seen many, many... read more

Detail of Church Street Cross, Church Street, Liverpool

Church Street Cross

There is a brass Maltese cross embedded in the pedestrianised pavement of Church Street. It once lay in front of HMV before the building was converted into a passage through... read more

Mr. John Dewsnap and the teaching of history

On the morning of 14th February 2013, the funeral of Mr. John Dewsnap took place. He was my teacher in year 6 of primary school at Blackmoor Park in West... read more

Photograph of the Blue Plaque dedicated to Jesse Hartley

Liverpool Heroes 4: Jesse Hartley

Continuing our look at the men and women who have had the greatest impact on the Liverpool landscape, this time we examine the work of Jesse Hartley, dock engineer. Jesse... read more

Extract from a 1950s Ordnance Survey map of Liverpool, with the location of Williamson's Tunnels outlined

Joseph Williamson’s Tunnels

Joseph Williamson’s Tunnels are the maze-like remains of excavations under Edge Hill. They are the work of Joseph Williamson under the streets of east central Liverpool, constructed in the early... read more

Photograph of a Viking longboat, taking during the 600th anniversary of the foundation of Liverpool

Liverpool Heroes 3: Vikings in Liverpool

OK, so perhaps the Norse are aren’t the first people to come to mind when we think of ‘Liverpool Heroes’. They’re distant in time, left little visible trace in our... read more

Liverpool Heroes 2: Kitty Wilkinson

This article was originally inspired by International Womens’ Day, which takes places on March 8th each year) Kitty Wilkinson’s story is classic Victorian Liverpool: born in Londonderry in 1786, Wilkinson... read more

Black and white photo looking along the length of the East Lancashire Road as it was being built

Liverpool Heroes 1: John Alexander Brodie, City Engineer

In writing about the historic landscape of Liverpool, it’s often the case that the people get mislaid, or hidden from the narrative. This post is the first in a series... read more

Mapping the history of Liverpool

Old maps of Liverpool, articles and interactive maps of the historic landscapes of Merseyside.

Buy maps

Many of the maps on this site can be bought as high quality prints, either as paper or ready-framed.

You can also buy notebooks, postcards, greetings cards and other map-printed items!

Go to the shop to find out more

The book

Liverpool: a landscape history is a book about Liverpool and Merseyside from the very earliest days to the 21st century.

You’ll learn about everything from the Calderstones to the Capital of Culture.

Signed copies are available direct from me, the author, in the shop.

Get old maps from Cassini