About Liverpool

Country: England
Region: North West England
Established: 1207
Area: 43.2 sq mi (111.8 km2)
Population: 500,500

Liverpool was made a borough in 1207, and made a city in 1880. The name comes from the Old English lifer, meaning thick or muddy water, and pōl, meaning a pool or creek, and is first recorded around 1190 as Liuerpul.

A historic port city, Liverpool lies on the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary adjacent to the Irish Sea. The city was an important part of the Industrial Revolution in Great Britain and a vital hub for trade of cargo, freight, and raw materials such as coal and cotton.

Early history
King John's letters of 1207 announced the foundation of the borough of Liverpool. By the middle of the 16th century, the population was around 500. The original street plan of Liverpool was designed by King John and it was granted a royal charter, making it a borough. The original seven streets were built in an H shape. Bank Street (now Water Street), Castle Street, Chapel Street, Dale Street, Juggler Street (now High Street), Moor Street (now Tithebarn Street) and Whiteacre Street (now Old Hall Street).

In the 17th century there was slow progress in trade and population growth since Roman times when the nearby city of Chester had been the region's principal port on the Irish Sea. As the river Dee began to silt up, sea trade from Chester became difficult and moved to Liverpool on the River Mersey. As trade from the West Indies, including sugar, surpassed that of Ireland and Europe, Liverpool began to grow rapidly.

In 1830 the first ever commercial railway line ran between Liverpool and Manchester. During the 19th century the wealth of Liverpool exceeded that of London.

Peter Ellis built the world's first iron-framed, curtain-walled office building, Oriel Chambers, which was a prototype of the skyscraper. The UK's first purpose-built department store was Compton House, completed in 1867 for the retailer J.R. Jeffrey. It was the largest store in the world at the time.

From the mid-1970s onwards, Liverpool's docks and traditional manufacturing industries declined due to restructuring of shipping and heavy industry, causing massive job losses. The city's docks became largely obsolete. By the early 1980s Liverpool unemployment rates were amongt the highest in the UK.

In the later 20th century the city’s economy began to recover as Liverpool was concentrating on regeneration and capitalising on the popularity of sports and the arts. In sports, the city is best known as the home of Premier League football teams Liverpool FC and Everton FC. The significance of Liverpool to pop music is linked to the popularity and success of The Beatles, widely regarded as the most influential band of all time. As well as the city's world class art galleries, museums and landmarks.

Liverpool's history has left a considerable variety of architectural styles within the city, ranging from 16th century Tudor buildings to modern-day contemporary architecture.

The majority of buildings in the city date from the late-18th century onwards. There are over 2,500 listed buildings in Liverpool, of which 27 are Grade I listed and 85 are Grade II listed. The city also has a greater number of public sculptures than any other location in the United Kingdom aside from Westminster and more Georgian houses than the city of Bath. This richness of architecture has subsequently seen Liverpool described by English Heritage, as England's finest Victorian city.