What it Was Like in Georgian Liverpool?

Anyone who spends any time in Liverpool will no doubt have a sense of the incredible history of the city. There are signs that point to glories gone by almost wherever you look, whether it by at the statue of Queen Victoria that stands outside the courts, the majesty of the Three Graces on the waterfront or the beauty of St George’s Hall.

Even the likes of the Kingsway Tunnel is steeped in history, being the longest underwater tunnel in the world when it opened. A lot of Liverpool was formed during the Georgian era, but what was life like then?

A Period of Rapid Development

Liverpool was formed around an old ‘pool’ of water, which originally stretched across the town centre. By 1720, this was mostly filled in, allowing for the rapid expansion of the area from a town into a city.

In 1700, just 5,000 people were registered as living in the Liverpool area, yet 100 years later this had expanded to 80,000. As the shipping industry grew, so too did the need for people to work in it and more and more houses were built as a result. Many of these were large mansions, built to house the new ‘middle class’ associated with the shopping trade.

Many of the people in Liverpool gained access to food and drink that their ancestors could only have dreamed of, whilst the poorest struggled to survive. It probably tells its own story that many, including children, died from drinking gin, which they did because it was cleaner than the water that was available to them.

It was also a time that saw the influx of sugar into the city grow exponentially, with 760 tons imported in 1704 growing to around 46,000 tons by the end of the century. Little wonder a Liverpool doctor discovered the link between sugar and diabetes.

A Place for Firsts

Georgian Liverpool was not just about the expansion of the city, but also about doing many things for the first time. In 1715, for example, the world’s first wet dock was built, allowing ships to come off the River Mersey and unload their goods directly onto land.

Great Howard Street in the city centre saw the first purpose-built prison being built, whilst 1791 witnessed the country’s first school especially aimed at blind people being built. A little under 30 years later, the first school for deaf people anywhere in the world was opened here too.

Georgian Quarter Liverpool pic.twitter.com/OTuFv6tbSD

— The Way I See Liverpool (@ICareAboutLpool) April 27, 2021

The slave trade first began in the city in 1699 when the Liverpool Merchant departed these shores. Whilst the abhorrent practice of slavery will forever taint the legacy of the city, it is also true that much of the money brought into the city came thanks to the practice of privateers, who were essentially legalised pirates.

They boasted large industrial sailing ships that boasted as many as 30 cannons, with more than 100 men having to sail them. It is a perfect example of how Liverpool as a city was forced to grow in the Georgian era.