Metropolitan district · England
Liverpool
Explore Liverpool’s port engineering, the history of the transatlantic slave trade and the former venues and record shops on its music heritage trail.
Quick facts
- Type of place
- Metropolitan district
- Nation
- England
- Official identifier
- gss:E08000012
- Part of
- Merseyside (Metropolitan county)
Overview
Liverpool’s maritime history includes eighteenth-century dock engineering and a dominant role in the transatlantic slave trade. The Old Dock and the International Slavery Museum’s collections offer ways to examine these parts of its past. A music heritage trail follows a different strand of the city’s history through former venues and record shops.
Liverpool is a metropolitan district in England.
Population and demographics
- Land area
- 111.84 km²
-
Figures for . ONS EW MYE25 workbook geography: Notes April 2024; landing edition 2023 boundaries.
Office for National Statistics · ons-mid-2025 · MYE5!D60 (binary spreadsheet decimal rounded to 6 dp). Released 29 July 2026.
Open Government Licence v3.0 · Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v.3.0
- Population
- 507,915 people
-
Figures for . ONS EW MYE25 workbook geography: Notes April 2024; landing edition 2023 boundaries.
Office for National Statistics · ons-mid-2025 · MYE2 - Persons!D60. Released 29 July 2026.
Open Government Licence v3.0 · Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v.3.0
Population density: 4,541.4 people per km²
Calculated from the population and land area for 30 June 2025, using figures from the same release and covering the same boundaries.
The Old Dock and the transatlantic slave trade
Constructed in 1715 at the mouth of the Pool, Liverpool's Old Dock was designed by Thomas Steers for the Liverpool Corporation. His design added quaysides and a river gate, allowing ships to load and unload cargo without depending on the tide. Archaeologists later uncovered the dock structure in 2001 during the development of the site now occupied by Liverpool ONE, and National Museums Liverpool interprets the surviving remains. While the port expanded, its ships and merchants dominated the transatlantic slave trade during the second half of the eighteenth century. This trade generated wealth for the town and individuals that contributed to later port growth, a prosperity that came at a profound human cost. The International Slavery Museum examines this history through collections that detail plantation life and the instruments used to enslave and punish people.
Liverpool’s music heritage trail
The Liverpool Music Heritage Trail explores music from 1957 to 2016 through twelve former music locations. It highlights venues such as The Cavern, Eric’s, Cream and The Kaz, alongside record shops including NEMS and Probe. The trail is part of an initiative by the Beatles Legacy Group, funded by The Beatles Story and the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, and developed alongside the Liverpool Business Improvement District. Its online tour uses films and playlists to explore these places and their musical history.