Liverpool - Merseyside

About Liverpool - Merseyside

Liverpool History & Facts.

King John founded the port of Liverpool in 1207.
In the 16th century Ireland was Liverpool's main trading partner.
Liverpool's population in 1600 was only 2000.
In 1699 Liverpool was finally made a parish.
The first parish church was St Peters, which was built in 1704.
In 1660-78 parts of the castle were demolished. The rest was demolished early in the 18th century.
In 1708 the Bluecoat School for 50 poor boys was built.
The Royal Infirmary was founded in 1749.
In 1754 a New Town Hall was built.
In 1750 the population of Liverpool had reached 20,000 and by 1801 77,000.
The first dock in Liverpool was built in 1715.
From about 1730 the merchants of Liverpool made huge profits from the slave trade.
In the 18th century rivers were deepened to make it easier for ships to sail on them.
The Mersey and Irwell were deepened in 1720 and the Sankey Brook in 1755.
From 1748 night watchmen patrolled the streets of Liverpool at night.
In 1778 a dispensary was opened in John Street were the poor could obtain free medicines.
In 1801 the population of Liverpool was about 77,000.
In 1821 the population had reached 118,000.
In 1835 the boundaries of Liverpool were extended to include Kirkdale and parts of Toxteth and West Derby.
By 1851 the population of Liverpool had reached 376,000. There were many Irish immigrants in the early 19th century. Their numbers reached a peak during the potato famine in the 1840s.
In 1799 and 1802 private companies began to supply piped water to the town. But it was expensive and poor people could not afford it.
The Philharmonic hall was built in 1849. It burned in 1933 and was rebuilt.
The Central Library was built in 1852.
St George's Hall was built in 1854.
William Brown library was built in 1860.
Picton Reading Room was built in 1879.
The Royal Southern Hospital opened in 1814.
An eye hospital opened in 1820.
The Northern Hospital followed in 1834.
Stanley Hospital opened in 1867.
The Walker Art Gallery opened in 1877.
Stanley park was laid out in 1870 Sefton Park was opened in 1872.
The Palm House was built in 1896.
From 1830 horse drawn buses ran in Liverpool and from 1865 horse drawn trams. The trams were converted to electricity in 1898-1901.
Liverpool officially became a city in 1880.
By 1881 its population had reached 611,00.
In 1895 the boundaries of the city were extended to include Wavertree, Walton and parts of Toxteth and West Derby.
By 1901 the population of Liverpool had reached 685,000.
In 1904 the boundaries of the city were extended again to include Fazakerly.
The Tower Building was built in 1908.
In the 1910s three of Liverpool's most famous buildings were erected on the site of St George's dock, which had been filled in. The Liver Building was built in 1911. The Cunard Building was built in 1916. The Port of Liverpool building was also built at that time. The Lady Lever art gallery opened in 1922.
More than 13,000 Liverpudlians died in World War I.
In 1921 a memorial was erected outside the Cunard building to all the Cunard employees who died in the war.
In 1928 a survey showed 14% of the city's population were living in poverty.
In 1934 the Queensway road tunnel was built.
The Kingsway Road Tunnel followed in 1971.
During World War II Liverpool was a target as it was, obviously, an important port. Some 3,875 people died in Merseyside and more than 10,000 houses were destroyed.
Merseyside Maritime Museum opened in 1980.
The Tate Gallery of Modern Art opened in 1988.
The Museum of Liverpool Life opened in 1993.
A Custom and Excise Museum opened in 1994.
A Conservation Centre opened in Queens Square in 1996.
Also in 1996 the Institute For Performing Arts opened
The National Wild Flower Centre opened in 2001.

Today the population of Liverpool is 439,000.

In 2003 Liverpool won the race to be European Capital of Culture in 2008.

Liverpool will host 15th MTV Europe Music Awards on Thursday 6th November 2008.
For further information about Liverpool visit http://www.bbc.co.uk/liverpool/localhistory/