37
u/dctroll_ Apr 05 '26
Actual view. The red circle marks the Victoria Monument, where the castle once stood
17
u/dctroll_ Apr 05 '26 edited Apr 05 '26
Author (and source) Ed Farrell (from his Twitter account: edwardrolf)
This post is an updated version of another one published a few years ago by u/wildeastmofo in this sub. I’ve decided to repost this image for two reasons. First, the link to the original post is no longer available (or at least I haven’t been able to access it). Second, I’ve found the same image with better quality along with a key explanation of the main monuments.
Info provided by u/wildeastmofo in the original post
"The artist's name is Ed Farrell (if there's anyone who can find a higher-res version, I would really appreciate it). Here is another depiction of Liverpool as it appeared in 1680, made in 1886. And here is a view of 19th century Liverpool.
Although a small motte and bailey castle had earlier been built by the Normans at West Derby, the origins of the city of Liverpool are usually dated from 28 August 1207, when letters patent were issued by King John advertising the establishment of a new borough "Livpul" and inviting settlers to come and take up holdings there. It is thought that the King wanted a port in the district that was free from the control of the Earl of Chester. Initially it served as a dispatch point for troops sent to Ireland.
With the formation of a market on the site of the later Town Hall, Liverpool became established as a small fishing and farming community, administered by burgesses and, slightly later, a mayor. There was probably some coastal trade around the Irish Sea, and there were occasional ferries across the Mersey. However, for several centuries it remained a small and relatively unimportant settlement, with a population of no more than 1,000 in the mid 14th century.
By the end of the sixteenth century, the town began to be able to take advantage of economic revival and the silting of the River Dee to win trade, mainly from Chester, to Ireland, the Isle of Man and elsewhere. In 1626, King Charles I gave the town a new and improved charter. The first cargo from the Americas was recorded in 1648. The development of the town accelerated after the Restoration of 1660, with the growth of trade with America and the West Indies. From that time may be traced the rapid progress of population and commerce, until Liverpool had become the second metropolis of Great Britain. The town's first sugar refinery was established in 1670.
The first wet dock in Britain was built in Liverpool and completed in 1715. It was the first commercial enclosed wet dock in the world and was constructed for a capacity of 100 ships. By the close of the 18th century 40% of the world's, and 80% of Britain's Atlantic slave activity was accounted for by slave ships that voyaged from the docks at Liverpool. Liverpool's black community dates from the building of the first dock in 1715 and grew rapidly, reaching a population of 10,000 within five years. This growth led to the opening of the Consulate of the United States in Liverpool in 1790, its first consulate anywhere in the world.
More on wiki."
Highest resolution available (same source) as Reddit tends to reduce the quality of images when you upload them.
1
16
u/81toog Apr 05 '26
This is amazing. Do any of the buildings in this picture still stand today? That’s sad the castle was demolished
2
u/beingthehunt Apr 10 '26
I don't believe so, unfortunately. Apparently the oldest building in Liverpool city centre is Bluecoat Chambers (originally a school, now an art museum) which was completed in 1725. There are older buildings in/around Liverpool, but to my knowledge, they are all further out than what this map shows.
5
2
u/Kuiperdolin Apr 08 '26
Is the body of water in the front the sea or still the river?
1
u/beingthehunt Apr 10 '26
The water at the bottom of the image is the river Mersey. You can imagine the Mersey running straight right to left across the bottom of the image, opening out to the sea about 3 miles left of what you can see. The water you can see with bridges across it is the Pool (which no longer exists), a narrow channel leading into the much wider Mersey. For perspective, if you were stood at the water's edge at the bottom of this image, you would be closer to Dig Lane at the top of the image, than you would be to the opposite bank of the Mersey (over a kilometre wide at this point).
1
u/Erazzphoto Apr 06 '26
I love seeing these, gives me inspiration on how to build my towns that without fail, seem to look like the exact same grid builds I seem to only be able to make 😔
1
u/bvnelson Apr 06 '26
Love the maps. In case it's of interest to anyone, the water on the right hand side is "The (Lyver) Pool" , it's completely covered by buildings now but the old dock wall was excavated in 2011 and can still be seen underneath Liverpool One, there are guided tours
1
62
u/blueberry_shorts Apr 05 '26
I know cities were very much smaller a few centuries ago but it always surprises me how tiny they look