Liverpool . . . Echoes of the 1940’s and ‘50’s

What was Liverpool like after the bombing? Did you live through it? This video programme shows you through archive film how a vibrant city suddenly suffers immense destruction after heavy bombing raids in the early 1940s. Large parts of the shopping centre are destroyed. Lewis's and Blacklers are gutted by fire. Some city landmarks survive but the old Custom House disappears forever and many houses are destroyed. After the war life gradually returns to normal. Building work continues on the Cathedral. In 1951 the city celebrates during Festival of Britain year. 1952 sees the Liverpool Cotton Exchange reopen for business. In 1953 the city is decorated for the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth. Gladstone Dock is busy in 1954. The Overhead Railway operates until the end of 1956 and in 1957 Liverpool's trams run in the city for the last time. The Mersey Ferries are very busy in the 1950s. As the '50s come to an end there are thriving industries some of which will disappear in later years. These are just some of the contents of this video presentation.

Narrator: Monty Lister of Radio Merseyside