ABERCROMBY SQUARE 7
Commemorates General Sir Ralph Abercromby (1734-1801), Commander of the
British Army in Egypt who was killed in the battle of Alexandra in
1801
ACKERS HALL AVENUE 14
Ackers Hall was the dower house of Lady Molyneaux, the widow of Sir
Patrick Molyneaux who died in 1568. Afterwards, she married William
Moore of Bankhall
ADDISON STREET 3
Formerly Sickman's Lane or Deadman's Lane Named after Joseph Addison
(1672-1719) poet, essayist and statesman. The former name was given to
the country lane where, in times of plague, sufferers were isolated
in cabins. If they died, the poor were buried in the vicinity.
AIGBURTH HALL ROAD AND AIGBURTH HALL AVENUE 19
The original Aigburth Hall was a medieval building which came into the
possession of the Tarleton family of Fazakerley through marriage. It
was demolished and a modern building bearing the name was built on the
site. That, too, has been demolished.
ALBERT PARADE 3
It is a riverside walk adjacent to Albert Dock, which was opened by Prince
Albert in 1846.
ALLERTON BEECHES 18
The name derives from a mansion built by Sir Henry Tate, to the design of
Norman Shaw, called Allerton Beeches.
ALMA ROAD 7
Commemorates the Battle of Alma, in the Crimean War, when the Russians were
totally defeated in 1854.
ANFIELD ROAD 4
Derived from Hangfield, the original name of Breckfield Road North.
ARCHERFIELD ROAD 18
The name was inspired by the so-called Archer's Stone in nearby Booker
Avenue.
ARGYLE STREET 1
Called after John, Duke of Argyll, celebrated by Scott in "The heart
of Mid-Lothian".
ASHFIELD 15
The house which gave the road this name was built by James Clemens, Mayor
of Liverpool in 1775 when the seamen's riots took place and the Town
Hall was attackedwith cannon brought from their ships.
ASHTON STREET 13 AND ASHTON SQUARE 25
They commemorate Nicholas Ashton, owner of the Dungeon Salt Works, Hale,
and a ship-owner.
ATHOL STREET 5
Named after the Duke of Athol, on whom an Honourary Freedom was conferred
by the Town Council
BALTIMORE STREET 1
One of the streets laid out by Mr Hunter, who was engaged in the Virginia
tobacco trade and lived in Mount Pleasant.
BANASTRE STREET 3
Named in compliment to General Sir Banastre Tarleton, MP. Son of John
Tarleton, he was born in a house on the corner of Fenwick Street and
Water Street. He fought in the American Civil War.
BANKHALL STREET 20
Bankhall was the second home of the Moore family. It's site was about the
junction of Juniper street and Bankhall Lane but about twenty feet above
the present ground level. It was demolished in 1770
BARKHILL ROAD 17
Named after a mansion called `Barkhill' on Mossley Hill, first occupied by
Thomas Adison who was succeeded by James Howell, a cotton broker. In 1845,
Howell's daughter named a ship `Barkhill' from the Baffin Street yard of
Thomas Royden.
BASNETT STREET 1
Laid out between 1770 and 1780 by the Basnett family of which Christopher
was the founder. He was the first minister of Key Street Chapel (licensed
in 1707), the meeting place of the Protestant Dissenters.
BATH STREET 3
The name derives from the sea-water baths erected about 1765. They were
demolished in 1817 to make way for Princes Dock.
BEACONSFIELD ROAD 25
Derives from Beaconsfield House, a mansion built by Ambrose Lee, a
solicitor and property owner, who laid out the road. He is thought to have
named it in allusion to the beacon on Woolton Hill.
BEAUFORT STREET 8
Named after the Duke of Beaufort, formerly the Marquis of Worcester, who
was the guardian of Charles William, 8th Viscount Molyneux and 1st Earl of
Sefton, who was orphaned when eight years of age.
Beauclair Drive 15
Named after the Duke of St Alban's family, the Beauclerks, who inherited
the Speke Estate of the Norris's
BEECHWOOD ROAD 19
The name derives from the mansion called Beechwood House, one of a group of
Grade Two listed buildings.
BELOE STREET 8
Named in compliment to Charles Henry Beloe, a civil engineer, who sat as a
Liberal for Abercromby Ward on Liverpool City Council from 1892 to 1902.
BENSON STREET 1
Called after John Benson, the refractory juryman referred to in one of the
Letters of Junius addressed to Lord Mansfield, the Lord Chief Justice of
the King's Bench.
BENTLEY ROAD 8
It was named after a thatched cottage in Lodge Lane which was William
Roscoe's last home and where he died in 1831.
BERRY STREET 1
Originally Colquitt Street. Henry Berry, Liverpool's second dock engineer,
lived in a house on the north-east corner of Duke Street.
BEVINGTON BUSH 3
It was the name of a thickly wooded valley between Bevington Hill and
Everton Hill. An inn on Bevington Hill was called `The Bush'.
BIRCHFIELD STREET 3
It was laid out through a field called Birchfield on which three houses
were built, one of them owned by William Roscoe, who also owned the field.
BIXTETH STREET 3
Alderman Thomas Bixteth, Mayor of Liverpool in 1701, was complimented by
the Corporation for having paved the street in front of his house with his
own hands.
BLACKBURN PLACE 8
John Blackburn, Mayor of Liverpool in 1760, lived in Blackburn House
between 1785 and 1790.
BLACK HORSE LANE 13
Formerly Black Moss Lane
The former name referred to one of the bogs, or mosses by which Liverpool
was surrounded for centuries. The present name derives from the original
inn of that name at the Prescot Road corner of the lane.
BLACKROD AVENUE 24
The name of an estate near Bolton was granted to Hugh le Norris of Speke by
John, Count of Mortain in the 12th century.
BLACKWOOD AVENUE 25
It takes it's name from the Black Wood, which appears on an enclosure map
of 1813, when it was owned by Bamber Gasgoyne of Childwall Hill.
BLAKE STREET 3
Named after Admiral Robert Blake (1599-1657), who became commander of
Parliamentary forces during the Civil War but, in 1649, was appointed
General-at-Sea and won several victories against Prince Rupert, the Dutch
and the Spaniards.
BOLD STREET 1
Named after Jonas Bold, who leased land from the Corporation on which St
Luke's Church and a ropery owned by James and Jonathon Brookes were built.
BOLTON STREET 3
Perpetuates the memory of John Bolton who, 1803, raised and equipped 800
men at his own expense. They became known as Bolton's Invincibles. On
December 20th, 1805, Bolton fought and won the last duel to take place in
the town.
BOOKER AVENUE 18
Josias Booker was a West India merchant who lived in Poplar Grove,
Allerton. He was one of the founders of St Anne's Church, Aigburth.
BOTANIC ROAD 7
It was here that the second Botanic Gardens were established.
BOUNDARY STREET 5
It marks the aincient boundary between Liverpool and Kirkdale.
BOWRING PARK AVENUE 16
Sir William Benjamin Bowring gave to the city Ropy Hall and Park which was
renamed Bowring Park.
BRECK ROAD 4
Breck is an Old English word meaning uncultivated land.
BRECKFIELD ROAD NORTH 5
Formely Hangfield Lane.
Hangfield or hongfield means an ancient division of land.
BRIDGEWATER STREET 1
Commemorates the completion of the Bridgewater canal in 1773.
BRIDPORT STREET 3
Named after Admiral Lord Bridport (1726-1814), a brother of Lord Hood who
was second in command of the "Glorious First of June", 1794, when
the French were defeated in a battle fought 400 miles west of Ushant.
BRODIE AVENUE 18 & 19
John Alexander Brodie, Liverpool's City Engineer (1898-1925). In 1891, he
invented and patented football nets and, in 1901, he patented the idea of
prefabricating houses from reinforced concrete slabs. He also introduced
the idea of using central reservations for tramcars. The first reserved
track, Edge Lane to Broad Green, was completed in 1914.
BROOKS ALLEY 1
Joseph Brooke, a merchant and a ropemaker, lived in a house in Hanover
Street which had an ornamental garden through which the alley was laid.
BROOKLAND ROAD 13
Named after the Venerable Archdeacon Brooks (1775-1855), Rector of
Liverpool, who owned land in the vicinity.
BROUGHAM TERRACE 6
Henry Peter, 1st Baron Brougham and Vaux, was a lawyer, Whig politician and
Lord Chancellor of England. He was a friend of the Rev. William Shepherd,
minister of Gateacre Unitarian Chapel, and it was Brougham who composed
Shepherd's memorial tablet in that chapel.
BROWNLOW HILL & STREET 3
One of the meanings of the word "low" is hill and so Brownlow
Hill means simply "brown hill"
BRUNSWICK ROAD 6
Formerly Folly Lane.
It is said that while a painter engaged in repainting street signs was
temporarily absent, a lady sympathetic to Caroline, the ill-used consort of
George IV, boldly chalked "Brunswick Place" on the original sign.
The painter on returning and seeing the alteration, assumed it had been
made by someone in authority and so he copied it. Later Brunswick Place
became Brunswick Road. Islington was originally called Folly Lane but it
was extended to include Brunswick Road. The Folly was a tall tower built by
a man named Gibson on the site now occupied by Wellington Column. At the
foot of the tower were pleasure gardens.
BUTTON STREET 2
John Button was granted a lease on the land through which the street was
cut in 1722. He recorded his vote in 1784, having lived through the reigns
of six monarchs of England.
BYROM STREET 3
Formerly Towns End Lane or Dog Kennel Lane.
It was named after George Byrom, a pavior and builder, who had a yard
nearby. The former names derived from Towns End, the name for the end
of Dale Street and from the neighbouring kennels of the Corporation
supported pack of hounds.
CAMDEN STREET 3
Sir Charles Pratt, 1 st Earl of Camden (1713-1794) was called to the Bar in
1738. He was Lord Chancellor (1766-1770), President of the Council
(1782-1794) and was created Earl of Camden in 1786.CAMPBELL STREET
1
Formerly Pot House I.ane. George Campbell, a West India merchant and sugar
boiler, was Mayor of Liverpool in 1763. The name Pot House Lane
derived from a pottery.
CANNING PLACE 1
By a resolution of the Council in May, 1832, `it was named out of respect
to the memory of the late Right Honourable George Canning to whose
exertions the Council are so mainly indebted in the assistance afforded
them in carrying into effect the plan for erecting a new Custom House and
other Revenue Buildings on the abovementioned site.'
CARLTON STREET 3
Carlton was the name of a leading member of the board of the City of Dublin
Packet Company whose premises were nearby.
CARNATIC ROAD 18
The first Carnatic Hall was built by Baker and Dawson, owners of the
privateer `Mentor', out of part of the proceeds of the sale resulting from
the capture of the French EastIndiaman `Carnatic' in 1799.
CARPENTERS ROW 1
Commemorates the shipwrights of the neighbouring shipyards.
CARYL STREET 8
The Molyneux family owned most of Toxteth Park and it was after Caryl, 3rd
Viscount Molyneux that this street and Lord Street were named.
CARVER STREET 3
Mr Carver, Steward to the Earl of Derby had a house there.
CASES STREET 1
Named after Thomas Case, a brother-in-law of Sarah Clayton.
CASTLE HILL 2
It took its name from the hill which ran down from Castle Street to the
river. Daniel Defoe was entertained in the house of Sam Done on Castle Hill
in 1705. It is now only 13 yards long.
CATHERINE STREET 8
Called after his mother by William Jones (1788-1876), who built houses in
the city's Bloomsbury area. He built his own house, 35 Catherine Street,
where he lived until his death.
CAVENDISH GARDENS 8
It is on the fringe of Princes Park, which was laid out by Joseph Paxton,
then head gardener to the Duke of Devonshire at Chatsworth. The name
perpetuates the association of the Cavendish's with this enterprise.
CAZNEAU STREET 3
Joseph Cazneau, a merchant, built the first house in the street in 1796.
CHADWICK STREET 3
Called after the proprietor of a limekiln in the neighbourhood.
CHAPEL STREET 3
It led to the ancient chapel of St Mary-del-Quay on the water's edge.
Chapel Street was one of the original seven streets.
CHATHAM STREET 7
Called after William Pitt (1708-1778), Ist Earl of Chatham, the "Great
Commoner" and one of the Britain's greatest statesmen.
CHILDWALL ABBEY ROAD 16
There never was an abbey in Childwall, The name derives from that of a
hotel called Childwall Abbey.
CHILDWALL PRIORY ROAD 16
A farm called Childwall Priory gave its name to the road.
CHRISTIAN STREET 3
A potter named Philip Christian built a house on the corner of the street
with material salvaged from the demolition of Gibson's Folly.
CHURCH STREET 1
So called from St Peter's Church Liverpool's first Corporation Church and
the first church to be built in England since the Reformation. It was built
(1700-1704), on the site now occupied by the Burton Group, to the design of
mason-architect John Moffat, a Lowland Scot. From 1880 to 1922, when it was
demolished, it was the pro-cathedral.
CLARENCE STREET 3
Named after the Duke of Clarence, later William IV. He visited Liverpool in
1790 when Clarence Street was laid. The Duke was very popular in Liverpool
because he spoke in the House of Lords in favour of the slave trade. In
1799, in recognition of his services, the Freedom of the Borough was
conferred on him.
CLAYTON SQUARE 1
Sarah Clayton, who laid out the square and neighbouring streets between
1745 and 1750, was the daughter of William Clayton, MP.
CLEVELAND SQUARE 1
The name commemorates John Cleveland, Mayor in 1703 and Member of
Parliament for the Borough (1710-1713).
CLEVELY ROAD 18
The name derives from the mansion called Clevely built by Joseph Leather, a
cotton merchant, to the design of Sir Gilbert Scott. It was demolished in
1965.
CLINT ROAD 7
Named after Councillor Francis Anderson Clint, who was a former Chairman of
the Watch Committee.
COAL STREET 1
There was once a market for Prescot coal on the corner of Pudsey Street and
a weighing machine in connection with it was established in Coal Street.
COCKSPUR STREET 3
The name is a reminder that there was once a cockpit in the street. On its
site was built a Dissenter's chapel.
COLLEGE STREETS NORTH, SOUTH & EAST 6
They are all streets adjacent to the Liverpool Collegiate Street.
COLQUITT STREET 1
John Colquitt was Collector of Customs and lived in Hanover Street. His
land extended to the present Berry Street.
COMBERMERE STREET 8
Named after Lieutenant-General (later Field Marshal) Stapledon Cotton, 1st
Viscount Combermere, upon whom the Council conferred the Freedom of the
Borough in 1821.
COMMUTATION ROW 1
So named about the time the Commutation Act was passed to prevent the
evasion of window tax by making windows unusually large.
CONCERT STREET 2
In 1840 a concert hall was built on the corner of the street to
replace another destroyed by fire. It is now a bookshop.
COOPER AVENUE NORTH 18 & COOPER AVENUE SOUTH
19
Named after Alderman Joseph Cooper, an ironmonger, of Oak House, Aigburth
Hall Avenue.
COPPERAS HILL 3
It got its name from a Copperas Works on the hill which became the
subject of controversy because of the foul smells it emitted. It was
owned by Richard Hughes, Mayor in 1756, who was prosecuted by the Council
and ordered to move the workselsewhere.
CORNWALLIS STREET 1
Named after Charles, lst Marquis Cornwallis (1738-1805), Governor General
of India (1786-1793) and Governor of Ireland. He negotiated the Peace of
Amiens in 1802 and was appointed Governor of India in 1804.
COURT HEY ROAD 16
The name derives from a mansion called Court Hey, once the home of a branch
of the Gladstone family.
CRESSWELL ST'REET 6
Mr Justice Cresswell represented Liverpool in Parliament from 1837 to 1842.
CROMPTONS LANE 18
It takes its name from Dr Peter Crompton who owned Eton Lodge (now Bishop
Eton).
CROPPER STREET 1
Named after James Cropper, a Quaker and philanthropist. He bought the
Dingle Bank Estate on which he built three houses for occupation by himself
and his two sons. He was a merchant and a ship owner but his ships only
carried dummy guns. He was a staunch supporter of the campaign to abolish
slavery.
CROSSHALL STREET 1
Crosse Hall was the Liverpool home of the Crosse family. It stood on the
site now occupied by the Municipal Buildings.
CROXTETH ROAD 8
A reminder that the land on which Princes Park and Sefton Park were laid
out was bought from the Earl of Sefton, whose home was Croxteth Hall.
CUMBERLAND STREET 1
During the 1745 Scottish rebellion, Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, the
`Butcher of Culloden', was supported by a Liverpool regiment which did duty
in the defence of Carlisle.
CUNLIFFE STREET 2
Named after Foster Cunliffe, an enterprising and successful merchant and
slave trader who was Mayor in 1716, 1729 and 1735. Inscribed on his
monument in St Peter's Church were the words: `a merchant whose sagacity,
honesty and diligence procurred wealth and credit to himself and his
country; a magistrate who administered justice with discernment, candour
and impartiality, a Christian devout and exemplary.'
CUSTOMHOUSE LANE 1
This narrow lane led to Liverpool's third Custom House on the quayside of
the Old Dock.
DALE STREET 2
So called because it led to the dale through which flowed the stream from
Moss Lake to the Pool of Liverpool. It was one of the original seven
streets.
DAMWOOD ROAD 24
Named after one of the woods on the Speke Estate which for centuries
provided the oak from which so many of the Royal Navy's ships were built in
Liverpool shipyards.
DAWSON STREET 1
Named after Pudsey Dawson, Mayor in 1799. He lived in 35 Rodney
Street and was especially concerned with the
welfare of the blind.
DAULBY STREET 3
Daniel Daulby of Rydal Mount, Westmoreland, owned the
land through which the street was cut. He married
Margaret, William Roscoe's only sister, and they took
up residence in the street they named Daulby
street.
DEANE STREET 1
So called after Richard Deane who lived in Ranelagh Street but owned a
ropery on the site on which the street was laid. It has shortened
considerably in recent years.
DENISON STREET 3
William Denison was the part-owner of the privateer `Enterprise' and he
shared in the £7000 profit from the first three voyages.
DEVONSHIRE ROAD 8
The name serves as a reminder of the association of the Duke of Devonshire
with the creation of Princes Park (see Cavendish Gardens).
DEYSBROOK LANE 12
The Deys Brook was a very ancient stream running through West Derby.
DERBY SQUARE 2
Named after Lord Derby who obtained a small grant to enable a small square
to be formed for a market on the site of Liverpool Castle.
DINGLE VALE 8
Derives from the dingle or valley through which a stream ran
from High Park, along what is now Park Road to the
Mersey. William Roscoe wrote a poem about it when
it eventually dried up.
DORANS LANE 2
Felix Doran was an Irish merchant who lived in Lord Street. He
was part-owner of the slave ship `Bloom' and he
shared in the profit of £28123 from the sale of 307 slaves on
one voyage alone.
DOVECOTE AVENUE and DOVECOTE PLACE 14
Dovecote was a mansion built in 1829 by John Torbock.
DRUIDS CROSS GARDENS and DRUIDS CROSS ROAD 18
The name Druids Cross was given to a house built by Joseph
Hornby, a merchant.
DRURY LANE 2
Originally Entwhistle Street. It was in this street that Thomas
Steers built a theatre.
DUBLIN STREET 3
So called after the City of Dublin Steam Packet whose berth was close by.
DUKE STREET 1
Originally `the road to the quary'. Named in compliment to the Duke of
Cumberland. Its original name referred to the quarry which became St James'
Cemetery and is now called Cathedral Gardens.
DUNBABIN ROAD 15
Named after John Dunbabin, who was a local farmer.
DUNCAN STREET 1
Originally Hotham Street. Named after Admiral Adam, Viscount Duncan
(1731-1804), best remembered for his victory over the Dutch Admiral de
Winter off Camperdown. He was conferred with the Freedom of the Borough as
a token of the Council's respect.
DUNDONALD STREET 17
Thomas Cochrane, l0th Earl of Dundonald, served with distinction in the
South African War.
DUNGEON LANE 24
It leads to Dungeon Point, Hale, where there was once a salt works owned by
the Ashton family.
DURNING ROAD 7
Originally Rake Lane. It was called after William Durning, an owner of a
considerable amount of land in the area, who built himself a house in the
road.
EARLE ROAD 7
It was laid through the Spekelands Estate of the Earle family.EBERLE
STREET 2
Philip Eberle owned two hotels in Dale Street and he acted as caterer for
the Town Hall for sixteeen years. When he retired, William Street was
renamed Eberle Street in compliment to him.
EDGE LANE 7 & 13
It is an ancient highway so called for its position along the edge of the
township of West Derby, parallel with the dividing line between West Derby
and Wavertree.
EDMUND STREET 3
Originally Mill House Lane. It was laid out on land belonging to Sir Cleave
Moore. When he married, it was named in honour of his bride, Ann Edmund.
EGERTON STREET 15
Commemorates Francis Egerton, Duke of Bridgewater (of canal fame).
ELDON STREET 3
Named after Lord Chancellor John Scott, lst Earl of Eldon, who held office
from 1801 to 1827.
ELLIOT STREET 1
Commemorates Sir George Augustus Elliot, who defended Gibraltar from June,
1799 to 1783.
ERSKINE STREET 6
Named after Thomas Erskine, a lawyer, who sat in Parliament as a Whig and,
in 1806, was made Lord Chancellor.
EXCHANGE FLAGS 2
This was the name given to the area adjacent to the Town Hall on which,
until commodity exchanges were built, merchants gathered to transact their
business.
EXCHANGE STREET EAST 2
Formerly Juggler Street and High Street. The Exchange was the present Town
Hall.
FAIRFIELD STREET 7
The name derives from Fairfield Hall (nicknamed Tea Caddy Hall) built by
Thomas Tarleton.
FALKNER SQUARE 8
Laid out by Edward Falkner, who intended to name it Wellington Square but
it was nicknamed `Falkner's Folly' because it was too far out of town!
FALKNER STREET 8
Formerly Crabtree Lane. Named after Edward Falkner who, in 1797, enrolled
1000 men in an hour for the defence of Liverpool when a French invasion was
threatened.
FARNWORTH STREET 3
Named after John Farnworth, Mayor in 1865.
FAZAKERLEYSTREET 2
Originally Rosemary Lane. The Fazakerley's of Walton were owners of land
through which the street was laid.
FENWICK STREET 2
Named after Edward Moore's inlaws. His wife was the daughter of William
Fenwick of Meldon Hall, Northumberland. The street was sometimes referred
to as Phoenix Street or Phenwych Street.
FINCH LANE l4
Formerly Mockbeggar Lane. The name derives from Finch
House, which was built in 1776 by Richard Gildart, who represented
Liverpool in Parliament from 1734 to 1754 and was three times
Mayor. Mackbeggar Hall was a name usually applied to a grand, ostentatious
house where no hospitality was afforded nor any charity given.
FITZCLARENCE STREET 6
Formerly Clarence Street. As Liverpool absorbed neighbouring townships,
street names were often duplicated. As a result, names, usually in the
district taken over, were sometimes changed. In this way, Clarence Street,
Everton, became Fitzclarence Street, the name given to the Duke of
Clarence's children by Mrs Jordan.
FONTENOY STREET 3
Although the street was not laid until 1790, its name was intended to
commemorate the Battle of Fontenoy (1745). It is the only street in
Liverpool commemorating a British defeat.
FOX STREET 2
Named after Charles Fox (1749-1806), a Whig politician who was Foreign
Secretary in the `Ministry of all Talents'.
FREDERICK STREET 1
Named after Frederick Louis, Duke of Edinburgh, the father of
George III.
GAMBIER TERRACE 1
Named after James, Admiral Gambier (1756-1833). He
distinguished himself on the `Glorious First of June' ( 1794) and he was
commander of the British fleet at Copenhagen (1807), after which
encounter he was elevated to the peerage.
GARDNERS DRIVE 6
Richard Cardwell Gardner was Mayor in 1862.
GEORGE STREET 3
Named after Prince George of Denmark (1653-1708), the consort of Queen
Anne.
GIBRALTAR ROW 3
Commemorates the Siege of Gibraltar (1779-1783).
GILDART STREET 3
Richard Gildart, Mayor in 173 1 and 1736, owned land through which the
street was cut. He was one of Liverpool's Members of Parliament
(1734-1754).
GILLMOSS LANE 11
This name is another reminder of the many mosses and bogs which
isolated Liverpool for centuries.
GORE STREET 8
Commemorates John Gore, bookseller and stationer, who was the publisher of
Liverpool's first directory and of the newspaper, Gore's Liverpool
Advertiser.
GOREE 2
Goree was a bare basalt rock off Cape Verde where slaves were gathered
together for shipment to the plantations.
GOWER STREET 3
Named after Sir John Gower, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster when the
castle site was secured for the town. It is one of only two named streets
on the dock estate.
GRAFTON STREET 8
Called after the Duke of Grafton, Whig Prime Minister (1766-1770).
GRAYSON STREET 1
Named after Edward Grayson, a shipwright, who was killed in one of
the last duels to be fought in Liverpool (1804).
GRASSENDALE PARK 19
The name derives from the ancient place name of Gresyndale or Grese
Londale, meaning long, grassy valley.
GREAT CHARLOTTE STREET 1
Charlotte was the name of King George III's consort.
GREAT GEORGE SQUARE 1
A statue of George III was to have been erected in the square and the
foundation stone was laid on his golden jubilee. The response to the
mayor's appeal for funds to complete the project was tardy and years passed
before the sculptor could be paid. Eventually, the statue was raised in
London Road at its junction with Pembroke Place, now called Monument Place.
GREATHOWARDSTREET 3 & 5
It perpetuates the name of the great reformer and philanthropist, John
Howard. He took a great interest in the planning of the Borough Gaol, ,which
was built in this street in 1786.
GREAT NEWTON STREET 3
Named after John Newton, once the master of a ship engaged in the slave
trade who became a Church of England clergyman. In cooperation with the
poet William Cowper, he wrote the Olney hymns, of which the best known is
`Amazing Grace'.
GREENBANK LANE 17
In 1787, William Rathbone IV bought Green Bank, a farm in Toxteth, for a
summer residence and the lane took its name from the farm.
GREENHILL ROAD I 8
The name derives from a mansion called Greenhill built for Sir Henry Tate
to the design of Norman Shaw.
GREENLAND STREET 1
Liverpool's whaling industry was based nearby.
GREENWOOD ROAD 18
A name inspired by the so-called Archers' Stone in nearby Booker Avenue.
GRENVILLE STREET SOUTH 1
Originally Leveson Street. Named after Lord Grenville (1759-1834), Foreign
Secretary under Pitt after whose death he succeeded as Prime Minister. It
was Grenville who, in 1807, introduced the Bill for the abolition of the
slave trade. The name of the street was changed because of its notoriety
after the murder there of the wife of a ship's captain, his two children
and a maid in 1849.
GREYHOUND FARM ROAD 19
Named after one of the many farms on the Speke Estate.
HACKINS HEY 2
Called after a tenant of Sir Edward Moore, John Hacking, through whose
croft the narrow street was laid. A hey is land enclosed by hedges.
HALL LANE 7
Formerly Mount Vernon. The name refers to Mount Vernon Hall which became a
school and, it is said, was attended by Gladstone for a while.
HANOVER STREET 1
Originally King Street. It was called after the reigning family.
HARDMAN STREET 1
Named after Mrs Hardman, the widow of John Hardman of Allerton, who owned
land through which the street was laid.
HARDY STREET 1
Named after Thomas Masterman Hardy (1769-1839), Nelson's Flag Captain who
was with him at Trafalgar when Nelson was killed by a sniper's bullet.
HARRINGTON STREET 2
Originally Castle Hey. The Harringtons of Aigburth owned the land.
HARTHILL AVENUE 18
Harthill House was built about 1829. In 1848, it was bought by John Bibby,
an iron and copper merchant, whose wife was a daughter of Jesse
Hartley, the celebrated Dock Engineer.
HATFIELD STREET 7
The street was laid out on land belonging to the Marquis of
Salisbury, whose ancestral home is Hatfield.
HATTON GARDEN 2
Called after Hatton, near Warrington, the native village of the Johnson
brothers who owned the land.
HAWKE STREET 3
Named after Admiral Edward Hawke, 1st Baron Hawke (1705-1781 ). His most
spectacular exploit was the destruction of the French fleet at Quiberon
Bay, which brought to an end plans for the invasion of England. According
to Smollett, he was `the Father of the English Navy.'
HEATH ROAD 19
It was laid out on what was once Garston Heath.
HEYWORTH STREET 3
Originally Church Street. James Heyworth owned considerable land in the
neighbourhood and built a villa in the street named after him.
HIGH PARK STREET, PARKHILL ROAD and SOUTH HILL
ROAD 8
High Park was the highest point in Toxteth Park and, in the
l8th century, because of its salubrity, became a popular summer
resort for Liverpool folk. The area was often referred to as
`the Richmond of the Mersey'. Parkhill and South Hill are names
relating to High Park.
HIGHFIELD ROAD 13 The name derives from
Highfield House, Old Swan. Built in 1763, it
became the home of the Dower Duchess of Athol in 1775. She sold the house
and estate to her son, the Duke of Athol.
HILLFOOT ROAD 25
Presumably so named in allusion to Camp Hill.
HOCKENHALL ALLEY 2
Originally Molyneux Weint. The Hockenhalls were a Cheshire family related
to the Moores and Sir Edward Moore refers to the house in Dale Street he
bought from his cousin, Henry Hockenhall of Tranmere.
HODSON PLACE 6
The Hodsons were an Everton family who owned much of the land hereabout.
HOLMFIELD ROAD 19
The name derives from a mansion called Holmfield, once the residence of Sir
Thomas Bland Royden and the birthplace of his distinguished daughter Maud
Royden, preacher and social worker.
HOLT LANE 25
It led to Holt Hall Farm, which belonged to the Brettargh family.
HOLT ROAD 7
When Durning Road was continued through Mr Durning's land, he named it Holt
Road after his son-inlaw, George Holt.
HOPE STREET 1
William Hope, a merchant, built the first house in the street on the corner
of Hardman Street. The site is now occupied by the Philharmonic Hotel.
HORROCKS AVENUE 19
Named to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the observation of the
transit of Venus over the disc of the sun by Jeremiah Horrocks, `the
founder of English astronomy' (Newton). Horrocks was born in the Lower
Lodge of Toxteth Park, at Otterspool, c.1619.
HOOD STREET 1
Named after Rear Admiral Samuel, Lord Hood (1724-1816), who was made an
Honorary Freeman of Liverpool `in testimony of the high respect this
Corporation has for him on account of the very eminent and signal services
rendered by him to this country in the late war'.
HOTHAM STREET 3
Named after Admiral William Hotham, lst Baron Hotham (17361813), who was in
action with Rodney, Howe and Hood.
HUNTER STREET 3
Named after Rowland Hunter, a retired tradesman and tax collector from
Cable Street, who built a house on the corner of Byrom Street.
HURST STREET 1
Called after Thomas Hurst, a shipwright, who was granted a lease of part
of The Strand in 1710.
HUSKISSON STREET 1
Commemorates William Huskisson, MP who was killed at the official opening
of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway in 1830.
JAMES STREET 1
Originally Saint James Street. A shipwright named Roger James
lived in a house on Moor Street and it is thought by some
historians that it was from him that the street derived its name.
However, there is no evidence to support this (James died in 1694). After
St James Church, Toxteth was built in 1774, the south end of Park Lane was
called St James Street and the original St James Street became
James Street.
JERICHO LANE and JERICHO FARM CLOSE 17
Their name derives from Jericho Farm, one of those created by the
Puritans who settled in Toxteth Park in the l7th century.
JOHNSON STREET 3
The Johnson brothers, bricklayers and builders, owned the land through
which Hatton Gardens and Johnson Street were laid.
JUBILEE DRIVE 7
It was laid out during the Jubilee of George III.
JUDGES DRIVE 6
It leads to the Judges Lodging in Newsham Park.
KENT STREET 1
Named after Richard Kent, a merchant and ship-owner, who, in 1768, built
himself a handsome house on the corner of Kent Street and Duke Street.
KILSHAW STREET 6
Laid out by Councillor Kilshaw about 1845.
KING EDWARD STREET 3
It dates from 1903 and was named in compliment to Edward VII.
KINGSWAY 2
The name given to the second Mersey tunnel by Elizabeth II when she
declared it open on June 24th, 1971.
KNIGHT STREET 1
Laid out by brothers John and James Knight about 1785.
LANCE LANE I5
Named after Thomas Lance (1769-1829), an insurance broker and
merchant, who was a member of the Wavertree Local Board. Portraits of
him, his wife and three children are in Sudley Art Gallery.
LARKHILL LANE 13
The name derives from a mansion called Larkhill built, in 1760, by Jonathon
Blundell of the Ince family of that name. It had a cockpit.
LATHBURY LANE 17
John Lathbury was the Earl of Sefton's agent and he lived in Toxteth
Farm to where the lane led.
LAWRENCE ROAD 15
It perpetuates the memory of Charles Lawrence, a West India merchant, who
was Mayor in 1823 and Chairman of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway at
its inaugration.
LEATHER LANE 2
The name derives from the Leather Hall, a market for leather, which stood
there until 1833, when it was moved to Gill Street.
LEE HALL PARK 25
Lee Hall was built in 1773 for the Okill family.
LEECE STREET 1
William Leece, a merchant after whom the street is named, lived in Water
Street.
LEEDS STREET 3
Originally Maiden's Green. It was the terminus of the Leeds and Liverpool
Canal.
LEIGH STREET 1
Elizabeth Leigh was the maiden name of Sarah Clayton's mother.
LIME STREET 1
Originally Limekiln Lane. Where the railway station now stands, there were
limekilns in the l8th century. They were dismantled after complaints by the
doctors of the Infirmary across the street about the injurious effect of
the fumes emitted on their patients.
LISTER DRIVE 13
It was originated by Thomas Lister, a retired cotton broker, who became
Chairman of the West Derby Local Board.
LIVINGSTON DRIVE NORTH and SOUTH 17
In order to get a good approach to Sefton Park, the Corporation bought
twelve acres of land from Joseph Livingston for £12000.
LODGE LANE 8
1t led to the Higher Lodge of Toxteth Park.
LORD STREET 2
Originally Molyneux Lane or Lord Molyneux Street. Molyneux had a house on
the north side of Lord Street. After it was demolished, a commercial
building called Commerce Court was built on the site and it bore the Molyneux
arms carved in stone. The building was destroyed during the last war and
the carved arms were lost.
LORD NELSON STREET 3
Named after Admiral Horatio Nelson (17S8-1805), England's greatest naval
hero. He was a great favourite with Liverpudlians because, in
addition to his professional success, he supported the slave
trade. In 1798, he was conferred with the Freedom of the Borough. In
acknowledging the honour, he wrote from the `Victory': `I was taught
to appreciate the value of our West India possessions, nor
shall their interests be infringed while I have an arm to fight in their
defence.'
LOW HILL 6
Low means hill as in Brownlow and Spellow.
LUGARD ROAD 17
Lord Lugard was Nigeria's famous Governor and Commander-in-Chief.
LYDIA ANNE STREET 1
Called after the wife of George Perry, manager of the Phoenix Foundry to
which the street led.
LYNDHURST ROAD 18
John Singleton Copley, Baron Lyndhurst (1772-1863), was three time Lord
Chancellor.
McGREGOR STREET 5
Alexander McGregor was a merchant who was subsequently manager of the Bank
of England branch in Manchester. He owned a house in the street.
MADDOCKS STREET 13
It is believed to be the only street in the city named after a Roman
Catholic priest.
MAJOR STREET 5
Canon Major Lester, Vicar of Kirkdale, founded the Major Street Ragged
School.
MANCHESTER STREET 1
Before it opened, in 1821, coaches for London, Warrington and Manchester
left Liverpool via London Road but they to proceed along Dale
Street and the steep hill called Shaw's Brow (now William Brown Street).
The creation of Manchester Street enabled them to reach London Road
via a widened St John's Lane, which presented a much
easier gradient.
MANESTY'S LANE 1
Joseph Manesty was a merchant and ship-owner who lived on the corner
of the street and whose garden was famous for its lavender.
MANN ISLAND 3
Originally Mersey Island. It was an artificial island between
George's Dock and Canning Dock on three sides and the Mersey on the
west. It lost its water on the north and east sides with the
conversion of George's Dock into the building site for the Pier Head
buildings. It gets its name from John Mann, an oil-stone dealer, who died
there in 1784.
MARINERS PARADE 1
It led to the Old Dock and was an approach regularly used by seamen.
MARYBONE 3
A name given at the request of some Catholic inhabitants of the
neighbourhood.
MARYLAND STREET 1
Named in compliment to his trade by Mr Hunter, a Virginia tobacco merchant,
who lived in Mount Pleasant and whose gardens extended to the street.
MASON STREET 7
Edward Mason, a timber merchant, built a house near the north end of the
street about 1800. His gardens and grounds extended the whole length of
Paddington as far as Smithdown Lane. He built St Mary's, Edge Lane, at his
own expense.
MATHER AVENUE 18 & 19
Commemorates Arthur Stanley Mather, a solicitor, who was Mayor in 1915-16.
MENLOVE AVENUE 18 & 25
Called after Alderman Thomas Menlove (1840-1913), a draper and Chairman of
the Health Committee.
MERE LANE 5
Domingo Mere extended from Mere Lane to Beacon Lane, Everton. In winter, it
was very popular with skaters and members of the local curling club. lt was
known locally as St Domingo Pit.
MELWOOD DRIVE 12
A hybrid name given to the playing field of St Francis Xavier School, made
up from the first syllables of the names of the two priests who founded it,
Melling and Woodlock.
MILE END 5
So called because it is exactly one mile from the Exchange, now the Town Hall.
MILL STREET 8
Formerly Bedford Street. The name derives from a windmill, which
stood on the spot that is now the junction of Hill
Street and Mill Street. It was one of many in the area, which became known
as `Little Holland'.
MONUMENT PLACE 3
The site of an equestrian statue of George III (see Great George Square).
MOOR STREET 2
It was laid out by Sir Edward Moore about 1665. Originally, it ran from
Castle Street down to the shore.
MOORFIELDS 2
Originally Moor Croft. It was the site of a portion of the Moore family
estate, first mentioned in 1697.
MOSS STREET 6
Thomas Moss of Whiston, father of John Moss of Otterspool, bought land on
the road to Low Hill through which the street was laid.
MOUNT STREET 1
It led to a pleasure garden called Mount Zion, or St James Mount. It was on
this site that the Anglican Cathedral was built.
MOUNT VERNON STREET 7
It led to Vernon's Hall and it was so named about 1804.
MUIRHEAD AVENUE 13
Commemorates William Muirhead, Chairman oE the Health Committee.
NETHERFIELD ROAD NORTH and SOUTH 5
The name derives from an ancient field name meaning `the higher or upper
field'.
NEW BIRD STREET 1
Named after Alderman Joseph Bird. a slave trader, who was Mayor in 1746. A
street between James Street and Redcross Street had been named in his
honour but it was abolished in the l8th century and New Bird Street was
named in replacement.
NEW QUAY 3
New Quay was a river wall suggested by Sir Edward Moore to arrest erosion.
NEWLANDS STREET 6
Named after James Newland (1813-1871), Liverpool's first Borough Engineer.
NEWSHAM DRIVE 6
The name derives from the Newsham House Estate bought by the Corporation in
order to create a public park.
NORRIS GREEN ROAD 12
The name derives from `Norris Green' a mansion, erected by the West Derby
branch of the Norris family. The estate was purchased by the Corporation in
1924 and the mansion was demolished in 1931.
NORTH STREET 3
Named after Lord North, Tory Prime Minister, 1770 to 1782.
NORTH JOHN STREET 2
Formerly Saint John Street. So called from lands belonging to
the chantry of Saint John in the Church of Our Lady and Saint Nicholas.
NORTH SUDLEY ROAD 17
The name derives from a mansion called `Sudley' on Mossley Hill. Built by
Nicholas Robinson, a corn merchant and Mayor in 1828, it is now
an art gallery housing a collection of paintings and furniture
bequeathed to the city by Miss Emma Holt.
OAK HILL PARK 13
So called from Oak Hill House, built by Richard Wyatt in 1773. When the
Ladies' Walk at the north end of Liverpool was doomed, Wyatt acquired
the oak trees which lined it and had them transplanted in the grounds of
his mansion.
OAKLAND ROAD 19
It derives from `Oaklands', the home of Sir Alfred Lewis Jones (1846-1909),
ship-owner and philanthropist and founder of the Liverpool
School of Tropical Medicine.
OIL STREET 3
There was once an oil crushing works in this street owned by a firm called
Earles and Carter.
OLD CHURCHYARD 2
The name refers to the churchyard of Liverpool's parish church,
Our Lady and Saint Nicholas.
OLD HALL STREET 3
Formerly White Acres Street or Peppard Street. The mansion
house and seat of the Moores was originally called More Hall. When they
moved to Bank Hall, the family referred to More Hall as the `Old Hal1', and
so the street leading to it became known as Old Hall Street.
OLD HAYMARKET 1
A haymarket was held there up to 1841.
OLD POST OFFICE PLACE 1
In 1800, the Post Office was moved from Lord Street to Post Office Place.
In 1839, business having increased substantially, it was moved to Revenue
Buildings, better remembered as the Custom House, Canning Place.
OLD ROPERY 2
William Bushell, a tenant of Sir Edward Moore, lived in Castle Street and
had a long garden which he converted into a ropery. This
provoked Moore and there was a long argument between them over the
enterprise.
OLDHAM STREET 1
It was named after Captain James Oldham, who built the first house in the
street. He was engaged in the Middle Passage, the Africa to
West Indies section of the triangular route followed by the slave traders.
Oldham died at sea in 1825.
ORFORD STREET 1
Named after Orford Hall, Warrington, the seat of John Blackburne.
ORFORD STREET 15
Called after his sister-in-law, Miss Orford, by Dr Kenyon, who laid out
land adjoining his house in High Street, Wavertree. Orford Street was part
of the development.
ORMOND STREET 3
James, Duke of Ormond, was a statesman during the reign of Queen Anne when
the street was laid out.
OTTERSPOOL DRIVE 17
The name given to the carriageway between the bottom of Mersey Road and
Jericho Lane when Otterspool Promenade was completed. An attempt to apply
the name to Jericho Lane was frustrated.
PARK LANE 1
Originally `the road to the park'. The park was Toxteth Park.PARK ROAD
and PARK STREET 8
These too derive from Toxteth Park.
PARKFIELD ROAD 17
`Parkfield' was the former residence of Robert Gladstone, Snr.
PARLIAMENT STREET 8
Originally Townsend Lane. So called after the Act of Parliament of 1773
created the new town of Harrington. It was the boundary between Liverpool
and Toxteth Park.
PARADISE STREET 1
Originally Common Shore. Thomas Steers, the engineer who built the first
Liverpool Dock, owned land on Common Shore which he named Paradise Street
after the street of that name in Rotherhithe, London, where he once lived.
PARR STREET 1
Commemorates Thomas Parr, the banker, who built the house in Colquitt Street
which became the Royal Institution. He boasted that he had the handsomest
house, wife and horse in Liverpool.
PETER'S LANE 1
Originally Peter Street. The name derives from St Peter's Church in Church
Street.
PHYTHIAN STREET 6
So called after the publican who built houses in the street.
PICKOP STREET 3
The name derives from a firm of brewers (Pickop and Miles) who once had a
brewery in the street.
PIER HEAD 3
A stone pier, built in the 1760's known as the North Pier, jutted out into
the river from a site opposite St Nicholas's Church.
PILGRIM STREET 1
Originally Jamieson Street. Named after a privateer called `The Pilgrim',
which brought into Barbados a prize which, along with her cargo, sold for
£190,000.
PITT STREET 1
Named after William Pitt the Elder, 1st Earl of Chatham and Prime Minister,
1756.
PLUMPTON STREET 6
It was laid out by Sam Plumpton, a landowner and a member of
the Town Council from 1842-1845.
PORTER STREET 3
Named after Thomas Colley Porter, Mayor in 1827, who won one of the most
corrupt elections in Liverpool's history.
PORTLAND STREET 5
Called after Henry CavendishBentinck, 3rd Duke of Portland (1738-1809),
twice Prime Minister in 1783 and 1807-09.
POWNALL SQUARE 3
William Pownall, a merchant and Mayor in 1767, died of a chill caught while
quelling a riot on Devil's Acre, near Salthouse Dock, during his year in
office. The square is named after him.
PRESCOT ROAD 7 & 13
In the l7th and early l8th centuries, Liverpool's coal was brought from
Prescot by pack horses and an occasional wagon. In wet weather, the road
became impassable for wheeled vehicles and, due to the increased demand
created by the town's expanding population and industries, the Council
obtained Parliamentary permission to turnpike the road (1726). In 1759, the
road from Prescot to Warrington was turnpiked, thus enabling coaches and
wagons from Liverpool to join the north/south road connecting with London
and the main provincial centres.
PRICE STREET 1
The Prices were Lords of the Manor of Birkenhead and they were connected
with the Clevelands who laid out this street.
PRINCE ALFRED ROAD 15
Originally Cow Lane. It was renamed when Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh,
visited Liverpool in 1866 as the guest of S R Graves, MP, at the Grange,
Wavertree.
PRINCE WILLIAM STREET 8
Commemorates King William of Orange.
PRINCES BOULEVARD and PRINCES ROAD 8
Opened in 1846 and so
called because they led to Princes Park.
PRINCES PARADE 3
It leads from St Nicholas Place to Princess Dock. It was to have been
called Royal Parade.
PRUSSIA STREET 3
So called after the allegiance between England and Frederick the Great in
the mid-l8th century. George Stubbs, the painter, lived in a house on the
corner of Prussia Street.
PUDSEY STREET 1
Named after Pudsey Dawson, a merchant and shipowner. Mayor in
1799, he was colonel of a regiment of volunteers raised in 1798.
QUEENSWAY 1
The first Mersey Road Tunnel opened and named by George V on July l8th,
1934.
QUAKERS ALLEY 2
A Friends Meeting House was erected in Hackins Hey, in 1706, and attached
to it was a burial ground. The Quakers left for Hunter Street about 1796,
after when the premises became a school.
QUEEN STREET 3
It was started during the reign of Queen Anne. It was once the centre of
Liverpool's Welsh community.
RAINFORD GARDENS and RAINFORD SQUARE 2
Peter Rainford, Mayor in 1740, bought a piece of land on the bank of the
Pool of Liverpool and he laid it out as a market garden.RAMSBROOK ROAD
and RAMSBROOKE CLOSE 24
They were named after one of the many streams which threaded their way
through the Speke Estate to the Mersey.
RANELAGH DRIVE 19
It was laid out on what had been Lewis's staff sports ground.
RANELAGH STREET 1 and RANELAGH PLACE 3
The Ranelagh 'Tea Gardens stood on the site now occupied by the Adelphi
Hotel. T'he name derives from the elite l8th century Ranelagh Gardens in
Chelsea, London.
RATHBONE STREET 1
So called after the Rathbone family who owned the land.
RENSHAW STREET 1
The brothers John and Edward Renshaw owned a ropery on the
site of which the street was laid, hence its
straightness.
RICHMOND STREET 9
Named after Dr Sylvester Richmond, a celebrated physician, philanthropist
and Mayor in 1672.
RIGBY STREET 3
Gilbert Rigby, a merchant, lived on the corner of Old Hall
Street when Rigby Street was laid out.
ROCK STREET 13
Recalls a quarry which provided much of the stone used in the construction
of Liverpool's docks and buildings.
RODNEY STREET 1
Named after Admiral George Brydges, 1st Baron Rodney (1718-1792) after his
victory over the French, under Count de Grasse, off St Lucia in
the West lndies (1782). He was rewarded with a peerage and a pension
of £2000 a year.
ROE STREET I
William Roe, a merchant, lived in Queen Square in a house which became the
Stork Hotel.
ROSCOE STREET 1
William Roscoe, Liverpool's `greatest son', was born in the Bowling Green
Inn at the top of Mount Pleasant but some confusion
has arisen because there was another Bowling Green Inn lower
down Mount Pleasant, opposite Roscoe Street, which Roscoe's father
owned later.
ROYAL MAIL STREET 3
Formerly Warren Street. The change of name occurred when the new Post
Office Building in Copperas Hill was opened in 1977.
RUMFORD STREET 2
A soup kitchen established to Count Rumford's plan once stood
on adjacent land.
RUPERT HILL 6 and RUPERT LANE 5
Prince Rupert, the favourite son of Elizabeth, Queen of Bohemia, and a
nephew of Charles I, was a general in the Royalist army
during the Civil War. He took Liverpool, in 1644, and made his
headquarters in a cottage on Everton Brow.
RUSSELL STREET 3
Admiral Edward Russell, Earl of Oxford (1653-1727) is remembered as
the commander of the combined British and Dutch fleets which utterly
defeated the French at the Battle of La Hogue in 1692.
ST ANNE STREET 3
The name derives from St Anne's Church, built in 1772. In the l8th and
early l9th century, it was the most fashionable residential street in
Liverpool.
ST DOMINGO ROAD and ST DOMINGO VALE 5
Named after an estate owned by George Campbell, a West India merchant, who
owned a privateer which captured a prize called St Domingo.
ST JAMES STREET l
The name derives from St James Church, Toxteth. Thereafter, the upper part
of Park Lane was called St James Street.
ST JOHN'S LANE 1
Formerly Fall Well Lane. The name derives from St John's Church, which
stood in what is now called St John's Gardens, at the back of St George's
Hall. Its former name comes from the Fall Well, in Lime Street, for long
the town's principal spurce of water.
ST PAUL'S SQUARE 3
St Paul's Church was built in 1769 on what was then known as `the
Dogfield'. The square and neighbourhood came to be called `the Belgravia of
Liverpool'.
ST VINCENT STREET 3
It was named after Admiral John Jervis, 1st Earl St Vincent
(1735- 1823). He was elevated to the peerage after his great
victory over the French fleet off Cape St Vincent,
in 1797. He was presented with an address of thanks by the
Council.
SANDON STREET 8
Lord Sandon, afterwards the Earl of Harrowby, was a Member of Parliament
for Liverpool from 1835 to 1842.
SANKEY STREET 1
The name suggests an allusion to the Sankey Canal, of which Henry
Berry who lived in a house on the corner of Duke Street and
Berry Street) was the engineer.
SCHOOL LANE 1
Originally Ware Street. The name School Lane was applied when the grammar
school founded by John Crosse took over the premises first
built for the Blue Coat Charity School.
SCORE LANE 16
It is one of the oldest roads in Liverpool's suburbs. Score means `to
pasture'.
SCOTLAND ROAD 3
One of Liverpool's turnpike roads, it led to Preston via
Walton, Burscough and Maghull. Stage coaches from Liverpool
followed this route through Lancaster and Kendal to Scotland.
SEEL STREET l
Thomas Seel, a merchant and property owner, had a house in Hanover Street
with extensive gardens through which the street was laid.
SHAW STREET 6
lt was laid out by John Shaw, a Liverpool Councillor, whose
father had inherited through marriage the extensive Everton estate of the
Halsall family. It was a prestigious residential street in which the
first house was built in 1829.
SHEIL ROAD 6
Named after Alderman Richard Sheil, a merchant, who in his day was the only
Catholic Irishmman on the Town Council. The adjacent park is also called
after him.
SIR THOMAS STREET 1
Originally Sir Thomas's Buildings. It commemorates Sir Thomas Johnson,
Mayor in 1715. He represented Liverpool in ten Parliaments. He died in
penury in London, in 1728.
SLATER STREET 1
Named after Gill Slater, who was the first captain of the Liverpool
Volunteers raised, in 1766, when a French invasion was threatened.
SLEEPERS HILL 4
Parts of the common land in the neighbourhood were called Great and Little
Sleeper. They were first enclosed by a shoemaker and called Cobbler's
Close.
SMITHDOWN LANE 7 and SMITHDOWN ROAD
These two highways are amongst the oldest in Liverpool. They led to
Esmedune, a manor mentioned in the Doomsday Book. Smithdown derives from
Esmedune and means `smooth slope'.
SOUTH JOHN STREET 1
Formerly Trafford's Weint. So called after Henry Trafford, Mayor in 1740.
SPARLING STREET 1
John Sparling, Mayor in 1790, projected Queens Dock, which he proposed to
construct at his own expense but then sold to the Corporation for the same
purpose.
SPARROW HALL LANE 9
A black and white cottage in the valley, known anciently as `the Moss', was
called Sparrow Hall.
SPEKE HALL ROAD 25
It takes its name from Speke Hall, the home of the Norris family.
SPEKELAND ROAD 7
The name derives from `Spekelands', a mansion built by Thomas Earle, Mayor
in 1787.
SPELLOW LANE 4
`Spellow' means `Speech Hill' or mount, usually the centre of
an administrative area called a hundred. The site on which Spellow Mill
stood may have been the original Spellow, for when the mill burnt
down in 1828, it was thought to have been five hundred years
old.
SPENCER STREET 6
Spencer James Steers, a grandson of Thomas Steers, the Dock Engineer, owned
land in Everton through which two streets were laid, one of
which was Spencer Street.
SPOFFORTH ROAD 7
So called after Frederick Robert Spofforth, an Australian
cricketer vf the 1870's nicknamed the `Demon bowler'.
SPRINGWOOD AVENUE 25
The name derives from Springwood House, built by William Shand, an owner of
plantations in the West Indies, who called it after his Antigua home. The
drawing room and library were said to have been copies
of rooms in Windsor castle.
STANHOPE STREET 8
Stanhope was the family name of the Earls of Harrington. The lst Earl of
Sefton married Isabella Stanhope, the daughter of the Earl of Harrington.
STANLEY ROAD 2 & 5
It was laid out by Lord Derby about 1862.
STANLEY STREET 1
Originally New Street. It was laid out in 1740 through land bought by the
Derby family from the Moores of Bankhall.
STEBLE STREET 8
Called after Colonel R F Steble, Mayor in 1874/75 who, in 1879, presented
to the town the fountain at the top of William Brown Street.
STOCKTON WOOD ROAD 19
Named after one of the many woods on the Speke Estate.
STOWELL STREET 7
Named after Rev Hugh Stowell Brown, minister of the Myrtle Street Baptist
Church which stood on the corner of Myrtle Street and Hope Street.
STRAND STREET 1 and THE STRAND 2
Originally the shore between high and low water. In the 1850's,
the block of buildings in Strand Street between Redcross Street
and Crooked Lane had so many sailmakers that it came to be
called `the Sailmaker's Home'.
SWEETING STREET 2
Originally Elbow Lane. Named after Alderman Sweeting, Mayor in
1698.
TABLEY STREET 1
So called by William Pownall, Mayor in 1767, through whose land the street
was laid out. He came from Tabley in Cheshire.
TAGGART AVENUE 16
Alderman Gregory Taggart was an Irishman who, at one time, was a collector
for the Royal Liver Friendly Society. He was nominated for election to the
Council by the Nationalist Society.
TEMPEST HEY 2
The Plumbes of Plumbe Hall, Wavertree, who had acquired a good deal of land
from the Moores, succeeded by marriage to the estate of Sir
George Tempest of Tong Hall, Yorkshire. They took the name Plumbe Tempest,
hence Tempest Hey.
TEMPLE COURT, TEMPLE LANE and TEMPLE STREET 2
The name Temple derives from an office complex built by Sir
William Brown, to the design of Sir James Picton, called `The
Temple'.
TEWIT HALL ROAD 24
Derived from the name of a farm on the Speke Estate. On early maps, it
appears as Pewit Hall Farm.
THE VINERIES 25
It got its name from a house and estate once the residence of Thomas
Charles Clarke.
TITHEBARN STREET 1
Originally Moor Street. Lord Molyneux, Lord of the Manor, built his tithe
barn in Moor Street, in 1514.
TRAMWAY ROAD 17
Stables and a carriage shed for the horse trams of the Liverpool
ramway Company were built in this road.
TUNNEL ROAD 7
Derives from the railway tunnel from Edge Hill to Lime Street.
UNION STREET 3
Named in honour of the union of England and Scotland in 1717.
ULLET ROAD 8 & 17
Originally Owlet Road.
UTTING AVENUE 4 and UTTING AVE EAST 11
Sir John Utting, who was Liverpool's first `club doctor', was Lord
Mayor in 1917/18.
VANDRIES STREET 3
A Dutchman named Vandries once occupied an ancient hostelry which was known
by his name.
VAUXHALL ROAD 3 & 5
Originally Pin fold Lane. Vauxhall was the name of a house on the banks of
the Leeds and Liverpool Canal past which the road led. The name derives
from Vauxhall Gardens in Lambeth, London, in the l8th century.
VICTORIA STREET 1 & 2
Named after Queen Victoria. It was laid out in the 1860's to provide a new
approach to Lime Street Station and St George's Hall.
VIRGINIA STREET 3
Derives from the Virginia tobacco trade which flourished in Liverpool in
the l7th century.
WALTON HALL AVENUE 4 & 11
The mansion, after which the road was called, was bought by John Atherton,
a merchant and slave trader, in 1746. His son and grandson sold it to
another slave trader, Thomas Leyland, in 1804.
WARREN STREET 3
Named after Admiral Sir John Borlase Warren (1753-1822). In 1794, he
defeated French squadrons on two occasions and, in 1798, he intercepted and
defeated a French fleet on its way to Ireland. For this last victory, the
Council conferred on him the Freedom of the Borough.
WATER STREET 2
Originally Bank Street or Bonke Street. It was one of the original seven
streets and it was so called because it led to the shore or riverbank.
WATERHOUSE STREET 5
Named after Nicholas Waterhouse, a merchant, who about 1806, bought a house
which William Clarke, the banker, had built there before 1790.
WATERLOO PLACE 1
So called from `The Waterloo', a public house which also gave its name to
the Waterloo Cup for
coursmg.
WELLINGTON ROAD 8
Named after the Duke of Wellington after his famous victory at Waterloo, in
1815.
WHITLEY STREET 3
Named in compliment to Edward Whitley, MP. He was the Ieader of the Tory
Party on the Council before his election to Parliament and his name was a
household word in Liverpool.
WILLIAM BROWN STREET 3
Originally Shaw's Brow. Named in compliment to Sir William Brown, who gave
to the town the Museum and Library.
WILLIAMSON STREET 1
The Williamson family owned a great deal of property in the neighbourhood
and they laid out the street in the third quarter of the 18th century.
WINDOW LANE 19
The name derives from Quindale, which deteriorated to Whindale and thence
to the modern Window Lane.
WOSTENHOLME SQUARE 1
The Wostenholme family owned the land on which it was built. It was the
first enclosed garden constructed in Liverpool.
YEW TREE LANE 12
The name derives from a mansion called Yew Tree House, so named after the
ancient yew which grew in its grounds.YORK STREET 1
Originally George Street. The name was changed when Edward Augustus,
brother of George III, was made Duke of York and Albany.
GROUPS OF NAMES WITH A COMMON THEME
There are many groups of streets with a common theme,
often topographical. Here is a selection of names:BOTANICAL 7
In close proximity to the site of Liverpool's first Botanical gardens,
opened in 1802 (many years before Kew Gardens), are ALMOND,
CHESTNUT, OLIVE and GROVE STREETS.
CUNARD LINERS 7 & 8
LUSITANIA, MAURETANIA, IVERNIA and SAXONIA ROADS.
CUNARD LINERS 19
CAMPANIA, CARONIA and LUCANIA STREETS.
DICKENS 8
COPPERFIELD, DARNLEY, DICKENS, DOMBEY, DORRIT, MICKAWBER, NICKLEBY,
PECKSNIFF, PICKWICK and WELLER STREETS.
ECCLESIASTICAL 6
ABBEY, CATHEDRAL, CHAPEL, MONASTERY, BISHOP, CANON, VICAR, RECTOR and
CURATE STREETS.
ELIAS 1 & 4
A firm of Welsh builders, Owen and William Owen Elias, laid out several
roads in Walton which were given names the initial letters of which spelled
the firm's title:
OXTON WINSLOW, ETON, NESTON, ANDREW, NIMROD,
DANE, WILBURN, ISMAY, LIND, LOWEL, INDEX, ARNOT, MAKIN,
OLNEY, WELDON, EUSTON, NIXON, LISTON, IMRIE, ASTON STREETS
and STUART ROAD.
ELIAS 4
William Owen Elias built houses in the City Road area and the streets were
given the names which spelled the initial letters of his eldest son, E.
Alfred Elias:
ESPIN, ASKEW, LINTON, FRODSHAM, RIPON, EMERY and
DYSON STREETS.
FLOWERS 5
CROCUS, PANSY, DAISY, WOODBINE and HAREBELL STREETS.
GIRLS' NAMES 4
ELSIE, GER'TRUDE, MIRIAM and EDITH STREETS.
HOLY LAND 8
DAVID, ISAAC, JACOB and MOSES STREETS.
RUSSIAN 7
In the absence of the evangelist, Heber Radcliffe of Sun Hall, on a mission
to Russia, his family decided to develop land in Stoneycroft in
which he had an interest . As a surprise for him on his return, they named
the new roads
KREMLIN, MOSCOW and RUSSIAN DRIVES.
SALISBURY FAMILY 7 & 15
CECIL, HARDWICK, MONTAGUE, HYDE STREETS and CRAMBOURNE and SALISBURY ROADS
WALTER SCOTT 17
MANNERING, MARMION, WAVERLEY and IVANHOE ROADS.
SHAKESPEARE 1 & 20
ROMEO, JULIET, MACBETH, OTHELLO, PORTIA, FALSTAFF and SHAKESPEARE STREETS.
SOLOMON 7
A quack called Samuel Solomon sold a concoction he called `Balm of Gilead',
from which he made a fortune out of which he built a mansion, in
Kensington, called Gilead House. When it was demolished, three streets were
laid out on the opposite side of Kensington called
GILEAD, SOLOMON and BALM STREETS.
TENNYSON 8
GWENDOLINE, GERAINT, ENID, ELAINE, CLARIBEL, MAUD,
MADELAINE, SHALLOT and MERLIN STREETS.
LIVERPOOL STREET NAMES BORROWED
FROM LONDON
In the l8th century, it became the fashion to borrow
London street names for Liverpool streets. In a guide published in 1797,
the author W. Moss said; `the stranger will have discovered a tendency here
to ape the London names of places, but which is to be feared of will, on
comparison, tend to lessen in his estimation what he might otherwise have
considered as neat or commodious'.
The London street names which have survived are:
CHEAPSIDE, CORNHILL, COVENT GARDEN, DRURY LANE, FLEET
STREET, KENSINGTON, NEWINGTON, PADDINGTON, PALL MALL, WAPPING and
WHITECHAPEL.
The London street name Cheapside derives from the
`cheapside' of a street market but there is no evidence to suggest that
Liverpool's Cheapside ever had a market nor do its former names Dig Lane,
Duck Lane, Barne Hill or St Patrick's Hill suggest as much.
Pall Mall in London gets its name from a game and the
Italian words palla (a ball) and maglio (a mallet). Soho was an old hunting
cry and it was applied to the London area, now called Soho Square, where a
hunt once met. Although Liverpool Corporation once supported a pack of
hounds, there is nothing to suggest that it was associated with the city's
Soho Square.
Fleet Street in London took its name from a stream but
at the time Liverpool's Fleet Street was named it could bost no stream,
only two breweries and a few houses.
Visit the website at the link below to view a collection
of images by Liverpool Photographer Dave Wood.
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