The trail has been produced by Liverpool ONE. We pride ourselves on being more than just a retail and leisure destination, and this free, self-guided audio Heritage Trail is part of our commitment to bring the fascinating history of the city centre to life.
We hope that everyone – from local school children to international tourists – will find something of interest on the trail.
The Heritage Trail visits the site of the world’s first commercial, enclosed wet dock where you can hear how it revolutionised Liverpool’s fortunes. If you want to actually see the dock close up – it is hidden beneath Liverpool ONE – why not book a place on our Old Dock Tour? Book your free place here.
We touch on Liverpool’s role in the Transatlantic Slave Trade – the people who profited from this brutal trade and those who opposed it. We explore some of the landmark buildings built through Victorian philanthropy, highlight the port’s history of immigration, and revisit the devastation inflicted on this city by Second World War bombing.
The trail introduces the stories of confectioners and sugar barons, rich merchants and poor sailors, anatomists and artists, balloonists and businesswomen, and gives an insight into what life was like for ordinary people who lived and worked in the area.
And finally, the tale of this remarkable area of the city comes right up to date, and we explain how Liverpool ONE was developed and how we have become one of the most popular shopping and leisure destinations in Europe.