1910: Bacon’s New Plan of Liverpool

If you’ve browsed this website much before, you’ll be familiar with the name Bacon. He produced the 1885 Plan of Liverpool which is a low-detail overview of much of Merseyside. From that other map you get a general impression of rail links and built up area. But this map, produced 20 years later, is something else altogether.

It’s much more detailed, divided into quarter-mile squares and showing huge amounts of detail. The water in the river, docks and canal is wonderfully rendered with concentric outlines, and the main routes into town are highlighted in a yellow-orange tint.

Landmarks of 1900s Liverpool

The higher level of detail on this map brings out some interesting features making their first appearance on a map. We can see ‘Huskisson’s Monument’ next to the Customs House. William Huskisson’s wife Emily was devastated by his death on the opening day of the Liverpool-Manchester Railway, and erected a number of monuments to him. I’m not sure whether this one survives somewhere else in the city – the monument in St. James cemetery was already in existence in 1910, as this map shows.

At the other end of the social scale are the (at least at the time) steadfastly working class monuments to football: Anfield and Goodison Park. Goodison falls outside the previous detailed map, the 1890 Plan of Liverpool (North Sheet), and was in any case only opened in 1892. Anfield (opened 1884) looks like a blank spot.

In other parts of the city the detail level on this map shows individual houses where they are large enough. The main two examples are in Bootle (shown in the inset map) and around Newsham Park.

In contrast are the dense tangle of streets and buildings in Everton Village. Here, as across north Liverpool, terraces are depicted in long blocks, but it’s still possible to see when houses have space behind them, or are arranged around a central courtyard, such as arund Mackenzie Street.

Edwardian industry and life in Liverpool

Liverpool in 1910 was perhaps at the height of its wealth, population and industry. This is reflected on this map at the docks: the railways around Bramley More and Sandon docks tightly interweave. See also the huge timber yard near Canada Branch Dock, influencing an interesting detail on an old pub nearby.

There are two final interesting developments since the last detailed map was published. Firstly, the Royal Infirmiary has expanded massively, and now extends from Dover Street all the way north to Pembroke Place. Secondly, St John’s Gardens is no longer the churchyard of St Johns: it’s been laid out as a public garden (though with a design that has changed a lot since then).

12 Comments on “1910: Bacon’s New Plan of Liverpool”

  • Eileen Rasmussen

    says:

    Hi
    I was born I in Kirkdale Liverpool but now live in California.
    We talk and face time the family in Liverpool regularly andI talking to one of my brothers about old street names
    I mentioned a street off Stanley Rd.name of Flinders St.and mentioned the tenements that were on one side of the street
    Brother says there were no tenement/ flats on that street. Anyone have any info on this I would love to prove my younger brother wrong !!!!!! Many thanks for any info. Eileen Rasmussen (Murray)

    Reply

    • Mike Bailey

      says:

      Hi Eileen. Looking at the records for 1939 for Flinders St all the properties are numbered (1 – 124). This probably indicates that they were houses rather than tenements or flats.
      I’ll leave it to you whether you tell your brother!
      Cheers, Mike

      Reply

    • Karen White

      says:

      I now live in Australia, emigrated here as a child in 1965.
      I lived in Flinders street in 1956 as a baby of Frances Ellis née Carroll after the death of her mother Susie Carroll.
      My mum lived in Flinders street with her mother, siblings and her sisters family after the war from 1945/6 or so.
      Your family may have known mine?

      Reply

  • John edward marney

    says:

    iam hoping you can help me ive a photo of my great aunt stood outside tp chamberlains at 34 newlands street but i cant find the street dose it exist any more thank you j marney

    Reply

  • Anonymous

    says:

    Very cool, I was looking for a church which had a grave in with my name on it, I have quite a rare name so was interested. Anyway, the church was on Upper Stanhope St. Near Parliament St but was demolished in the 70s and this was the closest I could get to that date, a useful internet deep dive nonetheless :D.

    Reply

    • Hilary

      says:

      St James Church is on the corner of Upper Stanhope street and Upper Parliament Street. It was built in 1774 and decommissioned in 1976. It’s still here and reopened in recent years

      Reply

  • DAVID GREGGS

    says:

    Hi …….I live in Norfolk but was born and brought up in Liverpool.
    I have a marriage certificate of my grandmother who remarried in 1938.
    On the address it says Admiral Place. I remember from my youth being an Admiral Street and Admiral Grove off High Park Street famous as the birthplace of Ringo.
    Id appreciate your knowledge of Toxteth if there was an Admiral Place.
    My brother has traced much of my family to Toxteth post 1800 but recently past away and Im fascinated by the information he has left.
    Thank you

    Reply

  • Chris Tomlinson

    says:

    My Grandparents Walter & Mary Ann Robinson lived at 17 Flinders Street in 1931-32 with three children.

    Reply

  • Karla Chimick

    says:

    I am looking for 26 Snowden Street where my maternal grandmother, Mary Brady was born here on August 20, 1904. My great grand parents, Michael and Marie Brady (nee. Cooke) other cjildren, Patrick, Michael, Catherine(?) Cornelius ( died at his tender age of 1 year old). I am trying to locate any BRADY family members of mjne.

    Reply

  • Jemma Redpath

    says:

    this map was great at showing e where fontenoy street is, however, it has no numbers etc on. My family had a residence at 121 fontenoy street in 1901. When I googled it came up with ab building that either 1) was a workhouse or 2) a hospital for the mentally ill. Please can anyone help with this address from 1901 121 fontenoy street, Liverpool so I can find out whether they were residentially living or living in “social housing” under organisational control.

    Reply

  • Phil

    says:

    Hi Jemma, I have tried to show on a map where 121 Fontenoy Street was but it no longer seems to let me copy pictures in this reply column. If you go on National library Scotland (NLS) maps. choose 1982-1914 map. When u zoom in on Fontenoy Street it is between Milton Street and Cavendish Street. ( the 2nd house up from Milton Street) .

    Reply

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