The authors
William Farrer and J. Brownbill writing about Toxteth, described it as follows:
This township,
stretched for 3 miles along to the River Mersey, and stretches inland for 2
miles. The ground in the northerly half rises somewhat steeply from the river;
inland there are several undulations, the highest point, at the corner of
Smithdown Lane and Lodge Lane, being about 190 ft. The total area is 3,598
acres of which about half, 1,737 acres, was taken within the borough of
Liverpool in 1835, and with the exception of Prince's Park is now quite covered
with streets of dwelling houses; the outer half, with the exception of Sefton
Park, containing 387 acres, has, within recent years, fallen largely into the
hands of the builder. This portion also was included within the borough of
Liverpool in 1895.
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Map of Toxteth Park showing relation to Liverpool, (Greenwood) 1818. |
Toxteth was
known by different names over a period of time,
Tokestat, 1207; Toxstake, 1228; Tokstad, 1257; Toxstath, 1297; Toxsteth,
1447. The northern half of Toxteth was for many years densely populated with
docks and quays along the river front with the numerous factories and
industrial sites. However in the southern half the character of the district
changed dramatically, with green fields and trees sloping down to the water's edge
instead of stone quays and dock gates, and the neighbourhood becomes an
important residential suburb, with larger houses set in private grounds.
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Knott's Hole, Dingle, Toxteth, |
A brook once
rose in the eastern side of Parliament Fields, at the north end of Toxteth, and
ran down to the river near the boundary in Parliament Street, being used to
turn a water-mill just before it fell into the river. Around about the middle
of the river frontage was a creek called Knott's Hole. Another creek once received
a brook which rose near the centre of the township, the Dingle lies around the
former creek, and around the district named St. Michael's in the Hamlet. Just
beyond the southern boundary was the creek called Otterspool, receiving a
brook, known as the Jordan, which rose near Fairfield, formed the boundary
between Wavertree and West Derby, and then flowed south to the Mersey; it was
joined by another brook, rising in Wavertree and flowing south and west past
Green Bank.
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St Michaels in the Hamlet -1904 |
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The church of St Thomas |
The principal
roads into Toxteth were, Park Lane, Park Place, Park Road, and beyond the
former municipal boundary Aigburth Road. The elegant church of St Thomas once
stood on park lane and was sadly demolished in
1905. Park Road descends into the Dingle and near the bottom on the left
is the old Toxteth Chapel. The foot of the hill was in 1835 the municipal
boundary; Ullet Road goes eastward to the old lodge of the Park, situated
almost at the centre of Toxteth, where the principal entrance to Sefton Park is
situated. The main road, Aigburth Road,
continues on its way to Otterspool, with the Dingle and St. Michael's on the
right and Sefton Park on the left.
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Toxteth Park Workhouse, Smithdown Road. It later became Sefton General Hospital. Asda stands on the site now. |
Smithdown Road,
formerly Smithdown Lane, forms on the east or inland side for some distance the
boundary where Toxteth cemetery is situated and the site of the former
workhouse which later became Sefton General Hospital. It is joined at its
northern and southern ends respectively by two ancient roads, called Lodge Lane
from the old Lodge, and Ullet Road.
The development
of early housing meant that Toxteth had a vast number of streets and terraced
housing. In particular around the Dingle and Parliament Street areas. Housing
was a necessity to provide homes for the thousands who worked on the docks and
other industries in the area. Parliament Street follows the northern boundary
line from the river to Upper Parliament Street and Prince's Road runs from
there to the entrance to Prince's Park.
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An aerial view from the 1920s or 30s. Toxteth and the South Docks showing the vast number of houses in the area. Note also the bridge leading to the Dingle tunnel (top right) |
The Liverpool
Overhead Railway had a terminus at the Dingle, and ran from there along the
docks, with southern stations including Harrington and Herculaneum. The Cheshire
Lines Committee's Railway from Liverpool to Manchester originally built
stations at St. James's, St. Michael's, and Otterspool, with a goods station,
formerly the passenger terminus also, at Brunswick Dock.
![]() |
Overhead Railway at the entrance to the Dingle tunnel - 1950s |
The following
docks of the Liverpool system were in the township: Queen's, formed 1796,
Coburg, Brunswick, 1811, formerly the seat of the timber trade, Toxteth, Harrington,
and Herculaneum. To the south there were graving docks, and then the petroleum
stores. The Mersey forge stood near the Toxteth dock. The flour mills are
further inland. The Herculaneum dock takes its name from a pottery established
there in 1796 on the site of a former copper works; it was given up in 1841. On
the river side of the Queen's dock were formerly considerable shipbuilding
yards. Near them a ferry was in operation for some years.
Sefton Park, was
formed by the corporation of Liverpool in 1872; a palm house and aviary were
added and a statue of William Rathbone, was unveiled in 1877. Prince's Park,
was purchased about 1840 by Richard Vaughan Yates, with the intention of
preserving it as an open space.
Sefton Park Palm House |
The Royal
Southern Hospital was founded in 1841; the first building was in Parliament
Street, close to the docks and the building in Grafton Street was opened in
1872.
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Southern Hospital 1906 |

July 1981 saw
riots in which dozens of young males caused a great deal of damage and many
injuries. Poverty, unemployment, racial tension, racism and hostility towards
the police were largely blamed for the disturbances, which were among the worst
scenes of unrest seen during peacetime in Britain at that time. Hundreds of
people were injured, one man was killed by a police Land Rover, and countless buildings
and vehicles were damaged. A second, less serious riot occurred in Toxteth on 1
October 1985. Further rioting broke out in Toxteth on the evening of 8 August
2011 - almost exactly 30 years after the most imfamous riot - at a time when
riots flared across England. Vehicles and wheelie bins were set alight in the
district, as well as in nearby Dingle and Wavertree, and a number of shops were
looted too. Two police officers suffered minor injuries as a result of the
rioting. It was brought under control in the early hours of the following
morning.
Extensive
regeneration has taken place in Toxteth over the last few years, including
demolition of many of the Victorian terraces in the area. This has created much
new development but also scarred the area with cleared sites and derelict
streets. Clearance has proved highly contentious, with some taking the view
that the houses are beyond rescue, while others believe they are fundamentally
sound. Campaigning charities led by Merseyside Civic Society and SAVE Britain's
Heritage have asserted that renovation would be preferable and cheaper. By 2009
over 100 residents had been rehoused together into a neighbourhood nearby which
they had helped to design. Others had left the area altogether. In 2011 the
Secretary of State quashed planning permission for demolition and required an
Environmental Impact Assessment. In summer 2012 new proposals for demolition of
250 houses were endorsed by Liverpool Mayor Joe Anderson and Housing Minister
Grant Shapps, who visited the area to announce retention of 9 Madryn Street and
15 adjacent homes. Local residents in the Welsh Streets Home Group have
consulted on alternative renovation proposals that retain the majority of the
houses, remodelled as environmentally friendly eco-homes.
Sources
British History
On Line
Liverpool
Central Library
Liverpool
Records Office
The National
Archives
By Robert F
Edwards