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Liverpool
| Liverpool | |||
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| — Metropolitan borough & City — | |||
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| Nickname(s): The Pool, The World In One City[1] | |||
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| Coordinates: 53°24′N 2°59′W / 53.4°N 2.983°W | |||
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom | ||
| Constituent country | England | ||
| Region | North West England | ||
| Ceremonial county | Merseyside | ||
| Admin HQ | Liverpool City Centre | ||
| Founded | 1207 | ||
| City Status | 1880 | ||
| Government | |||
| - Type | Metropolitan borough, City | ||
| - Governing body | Liverpool City Council | ||
| - Leadership: | Leader & Cabinet | ||
| - Executive: | Labour | ||
| - Leader of the City Council | Cllr Joe Anderson (Lab) | ||
| - MPs: | Steve Rotherham (Lab), Stephen Twigg (Lab), Louise Ellman (Lab), Luciana Berger (Lab), Maria Eagle (Lab) |
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| Area | |||
| - Metropolitan borough & City | 43.2 sq mi (111.84 km2) | ||
| Elevation | 230 ft (70 m) | ||
| Population (2007 est / Urban=2006) | |||
| - Metropolitan borough & City | 434,900 (Ranked 9th) | ||
| - Density | 12,952.5/sq mi (5,001/km2) | ||
| - Urban | 816,900 | ||
| - Metro | 1,103,089 | ||
| - Ethnicity (June 2007 estimates)[2] |
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| Time zone | Greenwich Mean Time (UTC+0) | ||
| - Summer (DST) | British Summer Time (UTC+1) | ||
| Postal Code | L postcode area | ||
| Area code(s) | 0151 | ||
| ISO 3166-2 | GB-LIV | ||
| ONS code | 00BY | ||
| OS grid reference | SJ3490 | ||
| NUTS 3 | UKD52 | ||
| Demonym | Scouser/Liverpudlian | ||
| Website | http://www.liverpool.gov.uk/ | ||
Liverpool (pronounced /ˈlɪvɚpuːl/) is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880. Liverpool is the fourth largest city in the United Kingdom (third largest in England) and has a population of 435,500, and lies at the centre of the wider Liverpool Urban Area, which has a population of 816,216.[3]
Historically a part of Lancashire, the urbanisation and expansion of Liverpool were both largely brought about by the city's status as a major port. By the 18th century, trade from the West Indies, Ireland and mainland Europe coupled with close links with the Atlantic Slave Trade furthered the economic expansion of Liverpool. By the early 19th century, 40% of the world's trade passed through Liverpool's docks, contributing to Liverpool's rise as a major city.
Inhabitants of Liverpool are referred to as Liverpudlians but are also colloquially known as "Scousers", in reference to the local dish known as "scouse", a form of stew. The word "Scouse" has also become synonymous with the Liverpool accent and dialect.[4] Liverpool's status as a port city has contributed to its diverse population, which, historically, were drawn from a wide range of peoples, cultures, and religions, particularly those from Ireland. The city is also home to the oldest Black African community in the country and the oldest Chinese community in Europe.
The popularity of The Beatles and the other groups from the Merseybeat era contributes to Liverpool's status as a tourist destination; tourism forms a significant part of the city's modern economy. The city celebrated its 800th anniversary in 2007, and it held the European Capital of Culture title together with Stavanger, Norway, in 2008.[5]
Several areas of the city centre were granted World Heritage Site status by UNESCO in 2004. Referred to as the Liverpool Maritime Mercantile City, the site comprises six separate locations in the city including the Pier Head, Albert Dock and William Brown Street and includes many of the city's most famous landmarks.[6]
History
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King John's letters patent of 1207 announced the foundation of the borough of Liverpool, but by the middle of the 16th century the population was still only around 500. The original street plan of Liverpool is said to have been designed by King John near the same time it was granted a royal charter, making it a borough. The original seven streets were laid out in a H shape:
- Bank Street (now Water Street)
- Castle Street
- Chapel Street
- Dale Street
- Juggler Street (now High Street)
- Moor Street (now Tithebarn Street)
- Whiteacre Street (now Old Hall Street)
In the 17th century there was slow progress in trade and population growth. Battles for the town were waged during the English Civil War, including an eighteen-day siege in 1644. In 1699 Liverpool was made a parish by Act of Parliament, that same year its first slave ship, Liverpool Merchant, set sail for Africa. As trade from the West Indies surpassed that of Ireland and Europe, and as the River Dee silted up, Liverpool began to grow. The first commercial wet dock was built in Liverpool in 1715.[7][8] Substantial profits from the slave trade helped the town to prosper and rapidly grow. By the close of the century Liverpool controlled over 41% of Europe's and 80% of Britain's slave commerce.
By the start of the 19th century, 40% of the world's trade was passing through Liverpool and the construction of major buildings reflected this wealth. In 1830, Liverpool and Manchester became the first cities to have an intercity rail link, through the Liverpool and Manchester Railway. The population continued to rise rapidly, especially during the 1840s when Irish migrants began arriving by the hundreds of thousands as a result of the Great Famine. By 1851, approximately 25% of the city's population was Irish-born. During the first part of the 20th century, Liverpool was drawing immigrants from across Europe.
20th century
The Housing Act 1919 resulted in mass council housing building across Liverpool during the 1920s and 1930s. Thousands of families were rehoused from the inner-city to new suburban housing estates, based on the pretext that this would improve their standard of living, though this is largely subjective. A large number of private homes were also built during this era. The process continued after the Second World War, with many more new housing estates being built in suburban areas, while some of the older inner city areas were also redeveloped for new homes.
During the Second World War there were 80 air-raids on Merseyside, killing 2,500 people and causing damage to almost half the homes in the metropolitan area. Significant rebuilding followed the war, including massive housing estates and the Seaforth Dock, the largest dock project in Britain. Much of the immediate reconstruction of the city centre has been deeply unpopular, and was as flawed as much town planning renewal in the 1950s and 1960s – the portions of the city's heritage that survived German bombing could not withstand the efforts of urban renewal. Since 1952 Liverpool has been twinned with Cologne, Germany, a city which also experienced aerial bombing during the war.
In the 1960s Liverpool was the centre of the "Merseybeat" sound which became synonymous with The Beatles and fellow Liverpudlian rock bands.
From the mid-1970s onwards Liverpool's docks and traditional manufacturing industries went into sharp decline. The advent of containerisation meant that the city's docks became largely obsolete. In the early 1980s unemployment rates in Liverpool were among the highest in the UK. In recent years, Liverpool's economy has recovered and has experienced growth rates higher than the national average since the mid-nineties.
Previously part of Lancashire, and a county borough from 1889, Liverpool became in 1974 a metropolitan borough within the newly created metropolitan county of Merseyside.
At the end of the 20th century Liverpool was concentrating on regeneration, a process which still continues today.
21st century
To celebrate the Golden Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II in 2002, the conservation charity Plantlife organised a competition to choose county flowers; the sea-holly was Liverpool's final choice.
Capitalising on the popularity of 1960s rock groups, such as The Beatles, as well as the city's world-class art galleries, museums and landmarks, tourism has also become a significant factor in Liverpool's economy.
In 2004, property developer Grosvenor started the Paradise Project, a £920 m development centered on Paradise Street, which involved the most significant changes to Liverpool's city centre since the post-war reconstruction. Renamed 'Liverpool 1', the centre opened in May 2008.
In 2007 the city celebrated the 800th anniversary of the foundation of the borough of Liverpool, for which a number of events were planned. Liverpool is a joint European Capital of Culture for 2008. The main celebrations, in September 2008, included La Princesse, a large mechanical spider which is 20 metres high and weighs 37 tonnes, and represents the "eight legs" of Liverpool: honour, history, music, the Mersey, the ports, governance, sunshine and culture. La Princesse roamed the streets of the city during the festivities, and concluded by entering the Queensway Tunnel.
Second city of Empire
Liverpool was described as such by Benjamin Disraeli, the Prime Minister associated with the height of Britain's Imperial ambition.[citation needed] For periods during the 19th century the wealth of Liverpool exceeded that of London itself,[9] and Liverpool's Custom House was the single largest contributor to the British Exchequer.[10] Liverpool's status can be judged from the fact that it was the only British city ever to have its own Whitehall office.[11]
The first United States consul anywhere in the world, James Maury, was appointed to Liverpool in 1790, and remained in office for 39 years.
As early as 1851 the city was described as "the New York of Europe"[12] and its buildings, constructed on a heroic, even megalomaniacal scale stand witness to the supreme confidence and ambition of the city at the turn of the 20th century.
Liverpool was also the site of the UK's first provincial airport, operating from 1930.
Elgar's Pomp and Circumstance March No.1, often seen as Britain's Imperial anthem, was dedicated by the composer to the Liverpool Orchestral Society and had its premiere in the city in October 1901.
During the Second World War, the critical strategic importance of Liverpool was recognised by both Hitler and Churchill, with the city suffering a blitz second only to London's,[13] and the pivotal Battle of the Atlantic being planned, fought and won from Liverpool.[14]
Inventions and innovations
Ferries, railways, transatlantic steamships, municipal trams,[15] electric trains[16] and the helicopter[17] were all pioneered in Liverpool as modes of mass transit.
The first School for the Blind,[18] High School for Girls,[19][20] council house[21] and Juvenile Court[22] were all founded in Liverpool. The RSPCA,[23] NSPCC,[24] Age Concern,[25] Relate, Citizen's Advice Bureau[26] and Legal Aid all evolved from work in the city.
In the field of public health, the first lifeboat station, public baths and wash-houses,[27] sanitary act,[28] medical officer for health, district nurse, slum clearance,[29] purpose-built ambulance,[30] X-ray medical diagnosis,[31] school of tropical medicine, motorised municipal fire-engine,[32] free school milk and school meals,[33] cancer research centre,[34] and zoonosis research centre[35] all originated in Liverpool. The first British Nobel Prize was awarded in 1902 to Ronald Ross, professor at the School of Tropical Medicine, the first school of its kind in the world.[36] Orthopaedic surgery was pioneered in Liverpool by Hugh Owen Thomas,[37] and modern medical anaesthetics by Thomas Cecil Gray.
In finance, Liverpool founded the UK's first Underwriters' Association[38] and the first Institute of Accountants. The Western world's first financial derivatives (cotton futures) were traded on the Liverpool Cotton Exchange in the late 1700s.[39]
In the arts, Liverpool was home to the first lending library, athenaeum society, arts centre[40] and public art conservation centre.[41] Liverpool is also home to the UK's oldest surviving classical orchestra, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra.[42]
In 1864, Peter Ellis built the world's first iron-framed, curtain-walled office building, Oriel Chambers, the prototype of the skyscraper.
Between 1862 and 1867, Liverpool held an annual Grand Olympic Festival. Devised by John Hulley and Charles Melly, these games were the first to be wholly amateur in nature and international in outlook.[43][44] The programme of the first modern Olympiad in Athens in 1896 was almost identical to that of the Liverpool Olympics.[45] In 1865 Hulley co-founded the National Olympian Association in Liverpool, a forerunner of the British Olympic Association. Its articles of foundation provided the framework for the International Olympic Charter.
Shipowner Sir Alfred Lewis Jones introduced the banana to Great Britain in 1884.[46]
In 1897, the Lumière brothers filmed Liverpool,[47] including what is believed to be the world's first tracking shot,[48] taken from the Liverpool Overhead Railway – the world's first elevated electrified railway.
Liverpool inventor Frank Hornby was a visionary in toy development and manufacture and produced three of the most popular lines of toys in the twentieth century: Meccano, Hornby Model Railways and Dinky Toys.
In 1999, Liverpool was the first city outside the capital to be awarded blue plaques by English Heritage in recognition of the "significant contribution made by its sons and daughters in all walks of life."[49]
Governance
Liverpool has three tiers of governance; the Local Council, the National Government and the European Parliament. Liverpool is officially governed by a Unitary Authority, as when Merseyside County Council was disbanded civic functions were returned to a district borough level. However several services such as the Police and Fire and Rescue Service, continue to be run at a county-wide level.
Local Council
The City of Liverpool is governed by Liverpool City Council, and is one of five metropolitan boroughs that combine to make up the metropolitan county of Merseyside. The council consists of 90 elected councillors who represent local communities throughout the city,[50] as well as a five man executive management team who are responsible for the day to day running of the council.[51] Part of the responsibility of the councillors is the election of a council leader and Lord Mayor. The council leader's responsibility is to provide directionality for the council as well as acting as medium between the local council, central government and private & public partners.[52] The Lord Mayor acts as the 'first citizen' of the city and is responsible for promoting the city, supporting local charities & community groups as well as representing the city at civic events[53] The current council leader is Joe Anderson, and current Lord Mayor is Councillor Mike Storey.[54]
For local elections the city is split into 30 local council wards,[55] which in alphabetical order are:
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During the most recent local elections, held in May 2010, the Labour Party regained control of Liverpool City Council for the first time in 12 years.[56] Led by Joe Anderson, the Labour Party gained nine seats during the election, taking their total to 48 seats, compared with the 37 held by the Liberal Democrats. Of the remaining seats the Liberal Party won three and the Green Party claimed two. The Conservative Party, one of the three major political parties in the UK had no representation on Liverpool City Council.[57]
In February 2008, Liverpool City Council was revealed to be the worst-performing council in the country, receiving just a one star rating (classified as inadequate). The main cause of the poor rating was attributed to the council's poor handling of tax-payer money, including the accumulation of a £20m shortfall on Capital of Culture funding.[58]
Parliamentary constituencies and MPs
Liverpool has four parliamentary constituencies entirely within the city, through which Members of Parliament (MPs) are elected to represent the city in Westminster: Liverpool Riverside, Liverpool Walton, Liverpool Wavertree and Liverpool West Derby.[59] At the last general election, all were won by Labour with representation being from Louise Ellman, Steve Rotheram, Luciana Berger and Stephen Twigg respectively. Due to boundary changes prior to the 2010 election, the Liverpool Garston constituency was merged with most of Knowsley South to form the Garston and Halewood cross-boundary seat. At the most recent election this seat was won by Maria Eagle of the Labour Party.[60]
Geography
Liverpool has been described as having "the most splendid setting of any English city."[61] At 53°24′0″N 2°59′0″W / 53.4°N 2.983333°W (53.4, −2.98), 176 miles (283 km) northwest of London, the city of Liverpool is built across a ridge of sandstone hills rising up to a height of around 230 feet (70 metres) above sea-level at Everton Hill, which represents the southern boundary of the West Lancashire Coastal Plain. Liverpool Urban Area runs directly into Bootle, Crosby and Maghull in south Sefton to the north, and Kirkby, Huyton, Prescot and Halewood in Knowsley to the east. It faces Wallasey and Birkenhead across the River Mersey to the west.
Climate
Liverpool experiences a temperate maritime climate, like much of the British Isles, with relatively cool summers and mild winters.
| [hide]Climate data for Liverpool | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 13 (57) |
15 (59) |
17 (64) |
26 (79) |
27 (82) |
32 (90) |
32 (91) |
33 (93) |
27 (82) |
23 (75) |
16 (61) |
15 (59) |
33 (93) |
| Average high °C (°F) | 6.6 (43.9) |
6.6 (43.9) |
9.4 (48.9) |
11.6 (52.9) |
15.5 (59.9) |
17.7 (63.9) |
20 (68) |
19.4 (66.9) |
16.6 (61.9) |
12.7 (54.9) |
9.4 (48.9) |
7.7 (45.9) |
12.7 (54.9) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 2.2 (36) |
2.2 (36) |
3.3 (37.9) |
4.4 (39.9) |
7.2 (45) |
10.5 (50.9) |
12.7 (54.9) |
12.2 (54) |
10 (50) |
7.2 (45) |
4.4 (39.9) |
3.3 (37.9) |
6.6 (43.9) |
| Record low °C (°F) | -10 (14) |
-7 (19) |
-6 (21) |
-2 (27) |
0 (32) |
0 (32) |
7 (45) |
5 (41) |
0 (32) |
-2 (27) |
-5 (23) |
-12 (9) |
-12 (9) |
| Source: [62] | |||||||||||||
Demography
As with other major British cities, Liverpool has a large and diverse population. At the 2001 UK Census the recorded population of Liverpool was 441,900,[63] while a mid-2008 estimate by the Office for National Statistics had the city's population as 434,900.[64] Liverpool's population peaked in 1930s with 846,101 recorded in the 1931 census.[65] Since then the city has experienced negative population growth every decade, with at its peak over 100,000 people leaving the city between 1971 and 1981.[66] Between 2001 and 2006 it experienced the ninth largest percentage population loss of any UK unitary authority.[67] The "Liverpool city region", as defined by the Mersey Partnership, includes Wirral, Warrington, Flintshire, Chester and other areas, and has a population of around 2 million.[68]
In common with many cities, Liverpool's population is younger than that of England as a whole, with 42.3 per cent of its population under the age of 30, compared to an English average of 37.4 per cent.[69] 65.1 per cent of the population is of working age.[69]
Ethnicity
As of June 2007, an estimated 91.5 per cent of Liverpool's population was White, 2.3 per cent Asian or Asian British, 1.9 per cent Black or Black British, 2.0 per cent mixed-race and 2.3 per cent Chinese and other.[2]
Liverpool is home to Britain's oldest Black community, dating to at least the 1730s, and some Black Liverpudlians are able to trace their ancestors in the city back ten generations.[70] Early Black settlers in the city included seamen, the children of traders sent to be educated, and freed slaves, since slaves entering the country after 1722 were deemed free men.[71]
The city is also home to the oldest Chinese community in Europe; the first residents of the city's Chinatown arrived as seamen in the nineteenth century.[72] The gateway in Chinatown, Liverpool is also the largest gateway outside of China. The city is also known for its large Irish and Welsh populations.[73] In 1813, 10 per cent of Liverpool's population was Welsh, leading to the city becoming known as "the capital of North Wales".[73] Following the start of the Great Irish Famine, two million Irish people migrated to Liverpool in the space of one decade, many of them subsequently departing for the United States.[74] By 1851, more than 20 per cent of the population of Liverpool was Irish.[75] At the 2001 Census, 1.17 per cent of the population were Welsh-born and 0.75 per cent were born in the Republic of Ireland, while 0.54 per cent were born in Northern Ireland,[76] but many more Liverpudlians are of Welsh or Irish ancestry.
Religion
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The thousands of migrants and sailors passing through Liverpool resulted in a religious diversity that is still apparent today. This is reflected in the equally diverse collection of religious buildings,[77] and two Christian cathedrals.
Christ Church, in Buckingham Road, Tuebrook, is a conservative evangelical congregation and is affiliated with the Evangelical Connexion.[78] They worship using the 1785 Prayer Book, and regard the Bible as the sole rule of faith and practice.
The parish church of Liverpool is the Anglican Our Lady and St Nicholas, colloquially known as "the sailors church", which has existed near the waterfront since 1257. It regularly plays host to Catholic masses. Other notable churches include the Greek Orthodox Church of St Nicholas (built in the Neo-Byzantine architecture style), and the Gustav Adolfus Kyrka (the Swedish Seamen's Church, reminiscent of Nordic styles).
Liverpool's wealth as a port city enabled the construction of two enormous cathedrals, both dating from the 20th century. The Anglican Cathedral, which was designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott and plays host to the annual Liverpool Shakespeare Festival, has one of the longest naves, largest organs and heaviest and highest peals of bells in the world. The Roman Catholic Metropolitan Cathedral, on Mount Pleasant next to Liverpool Science Park was initially planned to be even larger. Of Sir Edwin Lutyens' original design, only the crypt was completed. The cathedral was eventually built to a simpler design by Sir Frederick Gibberd; while this is on a smaller scale than Lutyens' original design, it still manages to incorporate the largest panel of stained glass in the world. The road running between the two cathedrals is called Hope Street, a coincidence which pleases believers. The cathedral is colloquially referred to as "Paddy's Wigwam" due to its shape.[79][80]
Liverpool contains several synagogues, of which the Grade I listed Moorish Revival Princes Road Synagogue is architecturally the most notable. Princes Road is widely considered to be the most magnificent of Britain's Moorish Revival synagogues and one of the finest buildings in Liverpool.[81] Liverpool has a thriving Jewish community with a further two orthodox Synagogues, one in the Allerton district of the city and a second in the Childwall district of the city where a significant Jewish community reside. A third orthodox Synagogue in the Greenbank Park area of L17 has recently closed, and is a listed 1930s structure. There is also a Lubavitch Chabad House and a reform Synagogue. Liverpool has had a Jewish community since the mid-18th century. The current Jewish population of Liverpool is around 3000.[82]
Liverpool also has an increasing Hindu community, with a Mandir on 253 Edge Lane; the Radha Krishna Hindu Temple from the Hindu Cultural Organisation based there. The current Hindu population in Liverpool is about 1147.[citation needed] Liverpool also has the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in L15.
The city had one of the earliest mosques in Britain, founded in 1887 by William Abdullah Quilliam, a lawyer who had converted to Islam. This mosque, which was also the first in England, however no longer exists.[83] Plans have been accepted to re-convert the building where the mosque once stood into a museum.[84] Currently there are three mosques in Liverpool: the largest and main one, Al-Rahma mosque, in the Toxteth area of the city and a mosque recently opened in the Mossley Hill district of the city. The third mosque was also recently opened in Toxteth and is on Granby Street.
Economy
The Economy of Liverpool is one of the largest within the United Kingdom, sitting at the centre of one of the two core economies within the North West of England.[85] In 2006, the city's GVA was £7,626 million, providing a per capita figure of £17,489, which was above the North West average.[86] After several decades of decline, Liverpool's economy has seen somewhat of a revival since the mid-1990s, with its GVA increasing 71.8% between 1995 and 2006 and employment increasing 12% between 1998 and 2006.[86]
In common with much of the rest of the UK today, Liverpool's economy is dominated by service sector industries, both public and private. In 2007, over 60% of all employment in the city was in the public administration, education, health, banking, finance and insurance sectors.[86] Over recent years there has also been significant growth in the knowledge economy of Liverpool in sectors such as media and life sciences.[87] Liverpool's rich architectural base has also helped the city become the second most filmed city in the UK outside of London,[88] including doubling for Chicago, London, Moscow, New York, Paris and Rome.[89][90]
Another important component of Liverpool's economy are the tourism and leisure sectors. Liverpool is the 6th most visited city in the United Kingdom[91] and one of the 100 most visited cities in the world by international tourists.[92] In 2008, during the city's European Capital of Culture celebrations, overnight visitors brought £188m into the local economy,[91] while tourism as a whole is worth approximately £1.3bn a year to Liverpool.[90] The city's new cruise liner terminal, which is situated close to the Pier Head, also makes Liverpool one of the few places in the world where cruise ships are able to berth right in the centre of the city.[93] Other recent developments in Liverpool such as the Echo Arena and Liverpool One have made Liverpool an important leisure centre with the latter helping to lift Liverpool into the top five retail destinations in the UK.[94]
Historically, the economy of Liverpool was centred around the city's port and manufacturing base, although today less than 10% of employment in the city are in these sectors.[86] Nonetheless the city remains one of the most important ports in the United Kingdom, handling over 32.2m tonnes of cargo in 2008.[95] It is also home to the UK headquarters of many shipping lines including Japanese firm NYK and Danish firm Maersk Line.[96][97] Future plans to redevelop the city's northern dock system, in a project known as Liverpool Waters, could see £5.5bn invested in the city over the next 50 years, creating 17,000 new jobs.[98]
Landmarks
Liverpool's history means that there are a considerable variety of architectural styles found within the city, ranging from 16th century Tudor style, right through to modern day contemporary architecture.[99]
