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| Liverpool in 1875 - Atkinson Grimshaw |
At the turn of the century the building blocks had been laid and the population was now over 70,000. The Castle had been demolished in 1726 and the Town Hall built in 1754, two new docks, the Salthouse and George's Docks had opened, and Lime Street and Scotland Road had been laid out. The Liverpool Blue Coat School was founded in 1708 as a charitable school, The Liverpool Royal Infirmary was founded in 1749 and in 1778 a dispensary, where the poor could obtain free medicines, was opened. Also in 1799 a private company began providing piped water to those households who could afford it.
It was during the Industrial Revolution that the city rose to prominence. With a growing population and thriving industries, it was time to make sure that Liverpool could be swiftly connected with the rest of the country’s powerful metropolises. Firstly, in 1721, developers had linked Liverpool to Manchester by canal, adding links to Leeds and St. Helens in the following years. The first overseas consulate of the United States was opened in Liverpool in 1790 demonstrating how trade had expanded globally. Liverpool was seeing a massive growth and prosperity, in the main, paid for by the dubious infamous triangular trade of sugar, tobacco and slaves between the West Indies, Africa and the Americas. Being strategically placed to exploit such transatlantic trade, Liverpool would soon become the fastest growing city in the world. Throughout the industrial revolution, Liverpool became the world’s leading city for cotton production, as well as continuing to experience a boom in its other industries, sadly including slavery. Along with its shipbuilding industry there were thriving manufacturers in many of the ancillary production areas that supported the ships, from sail and ropemakers to ship engine and nautical instrument manufacturers.
The Industrial Revolution in Liverpool marks an important facet of industrial development in the city. In the early periods of the 19th century, Liverpool became the chief importer of textile items, defeating London that was one of the chief contenders in the trading business.The usage of steam instead of water as the chief source of power for running factories and mills was critical at this time. It enabled not only steam trains, but also steam-powered pumps and machines, which increased the productivity of labour. In 1825 George Stephenson had built the Locomotion for the Stockton and Darlington Railway, the first public steam railway in the world, and then in 1829, built The Rocket which was entered in, and won, the Rainhill Trials thus gaining him the contract to design locomotives for the Manchester-Liverpool railways. The world's first Intercity railway was then built in 1830 between Liverpool and Manchester enabling more freight to be transported cheaply and quickly. Making exclusive use of steam power for both passenger and freight trains was a milestone in the history of British industrial revolution. In 1700, it had taken four days to travel from London to Manchester, by 1870, it took four hours.
By mid-century there were miles of
newly constructed docks and wharves for handling every kind of cargo,
and huge landing stages for passengers. Liverpool’s growing wealth was reflected in the many impressive
public buildings and structures that appeared throughout and stately homes
and buildings now graced the city. The area had become wealthy and a number of major buildings were constructed to reflect this. These
included the Philharmonic Hall built in 1849, the Central Library
(1852), St George’s Hall (1854), William Brown Library (1860), Stanley
Hospital (1867) and Walker Art Gallery (1877), to name but a few.
Stanley Park opened in 1870 and Sefton Park followed in 1872. Lime Street Station was finally opened to the travelling public in August l836, although it was still not completed and work continued on various parts of the building over the following years, including the iron gates and the palisade, which were erected in 1837. The structure was extremely elegant, with many features which were soon copied all over the country. The spires of dozens of churches added to the constantly changing skyline. Hotels and elegant shops thrived in these prosperous times.
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| The Strand, Liverpool c1865. |
In 1846 came architectural triumph when the Albert Dock complex was constructed, consisting of a number of wet and dry docks. Liverpool was a hive of cargo from all over the world and by the late 19th century, 40% of the world’s trade was passing through. Large warehouses were erected and the dock area eventually spread for 7 miles (11.3 km) along the Mersey Estuary. In the census of 1851, Liverpool’s population had risen to a staggering 376,000. Ten years later it had added another 68,000, and by the end of the century it leaped to 685,000. This was due in part in the early 19th Century of many Irish immigrants entering the city to escape the Irish potato famine. Indeed by the mid-nineteenth century, the Irish, Welsh and Scots accounted for around a third of Liverpool’s population.Years of building on its structures, industries and communities led to Liverpool being granted official city status in 1880.
However all was not sweetness and light, by any means.
In this period, the city saw the extremes of both prosperity and decline, shown by the contrasts of grand accomodation and overcrowding Courts. In the early 1800s, around 40% of the population lived in cellar dwellings and by 1840, around 86,000 people lived in court housing, believed to be the largest area in England of purpose-built housing for the working-class. Dr.William Duncan argued that the rapid growth of the city caused considerable problems for the working classes with the streets stagnating in sewage and the Courts having no recognisable drains. With drinking water available to only those who could afford it, more and more people turned to achohol. The reputation of the city hit a new low with mortality rates substantially higher than the national average. On 28 August 1866, The Times newspaper reported that, "Liverpool has been pronounced the most drunken, the most criminal, the most pauper-oppressed, and the most death-stricken town in England." Victorian drinking 'problems' were often working-class public order offences, identifiable because they were easily visible, however middle-class drinking, behind closed doors, largely escaped official scrutiny.
By the 1880s, Liverpool's dock network was virtually complete but there was now heavy congestion along the Dock Road. An elevated railway was proposed as early as 1852 but it was only in 1888 when a prominent group of businessmen formed the Liverpool Overhead Railway Company and obtained the Dock Board’s powers by an Act of Transfer that saw work commence in October 1889. Work was completed in January, 1893, and the line was formally opened on February 4th of that year by the Marquis of Salisbury. Public transport commenced on March 6th.
The Overhead, affectionately known as 'The Dockers Umbrella', was the world’s first electric elevated railway and the
first to be protected by electric automatic signals. The line stretched
from the Seaforth Carriage Shed to Herculaneum Dock, with public
services beginning and terminating at Alexandra Dock in the north. A short extension to Seaforth sands was opened on April 30th, 1894, followed by another to Dingle on December 21, 1896 in order to increase revenue by tapping into residential areas.
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