Liverpool's Heritage celebrated in new books

Steven Gerrard Urges Liverpudlians To "Look Again At Our Heritage"

 Six new books have been published celebrating Liverpool's historic buildings and landscapes and marking the city's year as European Capital of Culture. The English Heritage books explore how trade, commerce, charity, religion and recreation as well as football have all shaped this World Heritage city.

Launching the series Dr Simon Thurley, English Heritage's Chief Executive, said: "The story of Liverpool is written in its buildings and parks, both great and small, in the city centre and in the suburbs. Over the years these special places have sometimes been overlooked or obscured but in the period of radical change which the city is living through today, it is important to remember the vital role which Liverpool's heritage plays in its success. This series opens our eyes to Liverpool's rich history and will help ensure that it remains part of the city's future."

 Ordinary Landscapes, Special Places, the sixth and final book in the series, traces the growth of the Anfield and Breckfield suburbs through their cottages and streets, their terraces of two-up and two-down houses, plus the Victorian schools and pubs as well as the Liverpool Football Club stadium. Many of the places featured will be familiar to local residents as well as the thousands of football fans who throng the streets on match days. As huge changes are planned for Anfield and Breckfield, Ordinary Landscapes, Special Places is a salutary reminder of the valuable role these historic buildings and streets can play in the future regeneration of the suburbs.

Liverpool Football Club has provided generous financial support for Ordinary Landscapes, Special Places. The Liverpool Football Team captain Steven Gerrard said: "I've lived, worked and played in Liverpool for years so I thought I knew this city like the back of my hand. Yet this book was full of great surprises and reminded me to stop and look again at our heritage." 

The six books exploring Liverpool's historic environment are:

Storehouses of Empire: Liverpool's historic warehouses
During the 19th century Liverpool's warehouses handled the cargoes of Britain's maritime empire and provide a fascinating insight into the development of the nation's foremost provincial seaport. 

Building a Better Society: Liverpool's historic institutional buildings 
How the city responded to the needs of its poor and vulnerable during the 18th and 19th centuries is told via the buildings erected to help sailors and their families, to provide better health for the poor, and to ensure better education and higher morals.   

Places of Health and Amusement: Liverpool's historic parks and gardens
Liverpool's rich legacy of parks is explored, from the early private 18th century walks of the growing town, through the period of municipal expansion and two World Wars, to the post-war period of decline, and today's revival.

Built on Commerce: Liverpool's central business district
As Liverpool developed into one of the country's great 19th century ports, towering offices, banks and warehouses packed the streets of the city's commercial district, all built to help oil the wheels of trade.

Religion and Place: Liverpool's historic places of worship
Religious faith dominates the skyline of Liverpool and the cathedrals, chapels and churches, mosques, synagogues and temples are constant reminders of the part played by religion in the city's history.  

Ordinary Landscapes, Special Places: Anfield, Breckfield and the growth of Liverpool's suburbs
As Liverpool's suburbs enter a new period of change, their historic value becomes more and more important. Anfield and Breckfield are two such suburbs whose history can be deciphered in the stones of their streets, houses and stadium.       

 These books are part of the Historic Environment of Liverpool Project (HELP). The project was created by English Heritage to ensure that the historic characteristics which define today's city - the buildings, streets, open spaces and archaeology - play a key role in its future. Dr Thurley said: "HELP has contributed significantly to the ways in which Liverpool's heritage is perceived, and it has also demonstrated that, with good management and the collaboration of many partners, creative solutions can be found which keep the historic character in a dynamic and fast-moving city.  There are huge challenges ahead - we are not saying that the historic environment is safe for all time, there are still real issues in the city - but we are now in a much better position to identify and retain what is special about Liverpool."

The books will be launched on the afternoon of 1 October at the Bluecoat in Liverpool. An already booked-out free public forum at 7pm will offer the chance to discuss with the authors the importance of the city's architectural and landscape legacy.