STREETS OF LIVERPOOL (Ian Allan)

The city of Liverpool is renowned across the globe for a variety of very different reasons. For some it is known for its two famous football teams whilst many others think of Liverpool as the home of the Beatles. The city has been one of Britains foremost ports since the eighteenth century. Infamously associated with the Slave Trade until its abolition in the 1830s, Liverpool was the focus of the trans-Atlantic trade for several centuries and this great maritime tradition and the wealth it generated brought fortunes to many Liverpool magnates. The city was also famous or infamous as the home of the White Star Line and the terminus of the first recognisable main line railway in the world, the Liverpool & Manchester.

The wealth of the city in the Victorian era led to the construction of many handsome public and commercial buildings and as the city expanded, municipal transport began to develop following the traditional pattern of starting with horse power, which was replaced by electric trams which were ultimately abandoned in the 1950s for the all conquering diesel bus. The area around the Pier Head was the focus for the city's tramways initially and later for the replacement diesel buses; the former were serviced by a series of complex loops that ensured the smooth operation of the system turning inbound tramcars ready for the outward journey.

As with towns and cities across the British Isles, the streetscape of Liverpool has radically altered over the last 50 years. Ian Allan Publishing's successful Streets of series has reflected these changes and each volume brings together the interest which many have in the local history of the area in which they live with nostalgia for lost forms of transport. The books colour photographs cover aspects of the city, its buildings, streetscapes and public transport, from the 1950s through to relatively recent times. The appeal of these books is therefore much wider than if the pictures and their captions had just focused on the public transport scene alone. Each of the previous volumes has been well-received by both transport enthusiasts and local residents and historians and this latest addition to the series will be no exception.

Author: Martin Jenkins and Charles Roberts
Format: HB 80 pages
Publisher: Ian Allan Ltd
Pub date: Sept 2007
ISBN 13: 9780711031982

List Price: £14.99