Book reviews
October 10, 2023 / March 10, 2024 by Martin Greaney | 2 Comments on Liverpool Shipping: a short history, by George Chandler
An illustrated volumne covering the industry of shipping, explaining how it worked up to the mid-20th century.
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Tourism
April 14, 2023 / July 23, 2023 by Martin Greaney | 3 Comments on An aerial point of view: St John’s Beacon 360
St John’s beacon has been a landmark of the Liverpool skyline since it opened in 1969. Originally designed as the ventilation tower for the new St John’s Market, the architects... read more
Landscapes
October 26, 2022 / May 8, 2025 by Martin Greaney | 2 Comments on Parkgate, Wirral
Parkgate is a small town on the western coast of Wirral, facing across the Dee to Wales, and downstream from Chester. It’s popular with people from the region for days... read more
Buildings
April 4, 2022 / April 4, 2022 by Martin Greaney | 1 Comment on Hartley Huts, Albert Dock
The Hartley huts are three squat buildings at the entrance to Canning Dock. They were built in 1844 for the ‘gatemen’, those charged with operating the gates to allow ships... read more
Landmarks
February 6, 2022 / February 19, 2024 by Martin Greaney | Leave a Comment
Halewood was rather rural in character, before the landscape transformed it in the 20th century. Being on the edge of Liverpool contributed to the preservation of some interesting features. Two... read more
Hidden History
January 23, 2022 / January 23, 2022 by Martin Greaney | 4 Comments on 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
January 14, 2022 / July 25, 2023 by Martin Greaney | 5 Comments on Five postcards from Georgian Liverpool
A good friend of mine recently sent me a handful of postcards he’d found, showing photos of Liverpool in the first quarter of the 20th century. He’d house-sat for me... read more
August 29, 2021 / March 12, 2025 by Martin Greaney | 1 Comment on Film Review: Almost Liverpool 8, a portrait of Toxteth in the 21st century
Who owns the truth about 'Toxtheth' - the place, the name, the people? This film tries to find out.
General
July 21, 2021 / March 10, 2024 by Martin Greaney | 8 Comments on Liverpool Loses its World Heritage Status
Why did Liverpool lose its World Heritage Site designation? Where the seeds sown early, and does the loss matter?
January 4, 2021 / October 28, 2024 by Martin Greaney | Leave a Comment
Smart reproductions of two 18th century encyclopedias of notorious criminals. There's more to these women and men than you'd expect, though!
September 11, 2020 / March 12, 2025 by Martin Greaney
The area coming to be known as Liverpool’s Knowledge Quarter (how many quarters can one city have?) has distinct landscape characteristics. The university is just one resident in a neighbourhood... read more
August 5, 2020 / January 18, 2023 by Martin Greaney | 1 Comment on Liverpool Castle
Liverpool Castle is one of Liverpool’s greatest lost landmarks, alongside the Customs House and the Sailors’ Home. This page collects aspects of the castle’s history as I find it, updated... read more
July 31, 2020 / July 15, 2024 by Martin Greaney | 6 Comments on Courts and Alleys by Elizabeth J. Stewart
A colourful illustrated book about Liverpool's worst housing, from someone researching the last remaining one.
June 20, 2020 / November 15, 2022 by Martin Greaney | 3 Comments on Woolton Hall
When William Brettagh (of Holt) died, he left a cottage that would later become Woolton Hall. It was bought by the Broughton family, who began to extend it, and bring... read more
June 17, 2020 / December 8, 2022 by Martin Greaney | 1 Comment on Woolton Old School
Woolton Old School has a date stone showing 1610. There has been a suggestion that the last figure is the result of later restoration, but this can’t change the supposed... read more
May 19, 2020 / December 8, 2022 by Martin Greaney | 1 Comment on West Derby Castle
Edward the Confessor chose West Derby for his hunting lodge, and after the conquest West Derby was given to Roger of Poitou. The castle was probably built around 1100 by... read more
May 19, 2020 / December 8, 2022 by Martin Greaney | 5 Comments on West Derby Mill
Mill Lane (Mylngate in documents of 1444 and 1492) is aptly named as the site of the king’s windmill, first mentioned in 1461, along with a horse mill. This stood... read more
May 19, 2020 / December 8, 2022 by Martin Greaney | Leave a Comment
The court house was, amongst other things, the place where local copyholders deposited a copy of their freehold lease in a secure chest, and had to renew it once a... read more
West Derby Chapel was situated in the centre of the village, a space now occupied by a monument. It was first mentioned in the mid-14th Century, and mentioned again in... read more
May 19, 2020 / November 22, 2022 by Martin Greaney | 2 Comments on Fountain and Lamp Post, West Derby Village
West Derby’s lamp post / drinking fountain is one of those interesting features of the landscape that dozens of people must pass every day, but never take a second glance... read more
March 20, 2020 / March 12, 2025 by Martin Greaney | Leave a Comment
Well-written memoir from a man rediscovering the landscapes of his youth, including critiques of the changes therein.
March 1, 2020 / November 15, 2022 by Martin Greaney | Leave a Comment
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
February 23, 2020 / November 15, 2022 by Martin Greaney | Leave a Comment
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
February 4, 2020 / March 13, 2025 by Martin Greaney | Leave a Comment
Recently, I was contacted by Monica Lewis who had found a collection of postcards belonging to her grandfather. He was in the Navy in the First World War, and Monica... read more
