TOP 10 LIVERPOOL

Once regarded as the second city of the British Empire, today this maritime city is a thriving cultural centre

- CHRIS FAUTLEY

In 1886, the Illustrated London News proclaimed, “It is the New York of Europe, a world-city”. The city in question was Liverpool – the place that, according to Disraeli, was the “second city of the Empire”. Yet he was referring to somewhere that in the early 17th century hardly existed at all, doing little more than living up to its old English meaning of ‘creek of muddy water’. But over the next 400 years, that creek evolved to become a surging torrent of a city. A city that was to be the beating heart of transatlantic trade; a city that has given us some of Britain's most jaw-dropping architecture; and memorable music – the Mersey Sound.

Liverpool's ascendency began in the 1640s with the arrival of the first cargoes of sugar, rum, cotton and tobacco from the Americas. In 1715, the first dock was completed; by 1840, Liverpool had become the principal port for transatlantic liners. In 1900, it was estimated that almost 15 per cent of the world's shipping was registered to Liverpool-based companies.

Changes in the pattern of trade inevitably led to the decline of both dock and warehouses. However, they are far from redundant: these days the Albert Dock area is a thriving cultural quarter, home to world-class museums and galleries.

Culture, history, heritage... Liverpool is justifiably bursting with pride. Yet the city has been hit hard by the coronavirus crisis, and is under heavy restrictions at the time of writing. But with its signature confidence and optimism, the city will rise again, as it has throughout its long history.www.britain-magazine.com

1 Royal Liver Building