Toxtheth, Liverpool

Location on map

Part on inner Liverpool (1.5km South of city centre)

• Occupies undulating land rising up from banks (River Mersey)
• Stream flows Northeast, dividing into two before discharge into river
• The mersey - fast flowing past Toxteth as narrow channels before passing into Liverpool Bay, little foreshore at Toxteth

Past Charcteristics

• Saxons - settlement Domesday times 1086 records, coastal villages along banks of Mersey
• After Norman conquest - given to knight, Roger of Pictou
• Early 13th century - King John took control as large hunting forest, remained fenced off for 300 years
• End of 16th century - Farming
• 17th century - small scale industries, use of water power from dammed stream
• Industrial Revolution - major port for industries
  • Urban and industrial nature e.g. copper works 1772 and ceramics factory
  • Flour milling and brewing developed for growing population
• River bank lined with docks, ship building yards (specialise handling timber imported from Scandinavia

• Toxteth had housing scheme with wide streets and villas
• Attractive greenfield site for property developers who built for middle class ( escape congestion and declined environmental quality index)
• Growing service sector and managerial jobs in manufacturing
• 19th century - demand for housing and space meant area behind large villas use for cheap poorly constructured houses
  • Epidemics such as thypoid and cholera erupted in unhygenic conditions
  • Terraced houses dominated near docks for industry workers
• Exodus of middle class, disposable income increased and urban transport improved), relocation to greenfiels sites on edge of city
• 150 years change - from small rural community to inner city suburb in large metropolitan area
• Rural fields replaced by built environment 
• Increasing connections nationally and internationally
• Goods passing through docks traded over country and UK

• Toxteth had few elderly residents, majority between 16 and 64 and few children
• Ethnic diversity in Liverpool
• Attracting migrants with large influx of Irish in 19th century
• 2nd World War - employment and housing for migrants increased rapidly
  • Port links with many countries e.g. Asia, Hong Kong, West Africa, Caribbean 

Socio-economic profile

• Average houshold size 1.9 people, England 2.4 people
• Car avaiablilty 54.4%, England 25.6%
• Bad or very bad health 9.4%, England 5.6%
• Aged 16 or over no formal qualifications 27.2%, England 22.5%

Cultural face

• Marks a lot of festivals - Eid, Ramadan, Friday prayers of Muslim community
• Black African community- distinct foms of Christian worship
• Diversity - 19th century whe Green Orthodox Church was built and synagogue (Jewish)

Political Charcteristics 

• Toxteth part of Riverside Ward, 1 of 30 wards making up Liverpool City Council
• Each ward returns 3 councillors
• Council has responisiblites of education, children's services, regeneartion, housing and sustainability. 
• Part of Liverpool Riverside parlimentary constituency, electorate of 73 000
• Also have local groups influenced on place profile and focusing on place heritage 

Built Environment

• Migrant communities influence - mosques, ethnic retailers and new buildings have been constructed changing places

• Experience of loss of employment in docks and manufacturing jobs
• Much of economy dominated by docks and industries such as processing of goods imported, e.g. sugar refining and glour milling
• Containerisation and migration of docks further North at Seaford led to unemployment
• Susequent poverty was significant to riots 1981 - civil disturbance
• Since early 1980s, initiatives to remake Toxteth
  • Meryside Development Cooperation regenrate former dock areas
  • 1988 - major art gallery, Tate Liverpool, opened
  • 2008 - European Capital of Culture, boost tertiary employment cultural tourism
  • Waterfront recognised by UNESCO World Heritage Sites, offering employment
  • 2003 - Liverpool science Park, development in knowledge economy 
  • EU funding - structural and investment funds strategy - regenerate liverpool profile
  • City's Low Carbon sector expand offshore wind technology - Europe's largest offshore wind farm
• However, survey oflocal businesses in Liverpool - applicant have lack of skills and technical knowledge - no skills or qualifications
• Multiplier effect - provides inward flow of investement -change socio-economic factors