Bordered by Hanover Street to the north-west, Lydia Ann Street to the west, Roscoe Street to the east and Back Bold Street to the north-east, Ropewalks is one of Liverpool city centre’s most characterful districts. Its name traces directly to the rope-making trade that dominated the area until the 19th century, when manufacturers needed long, straight strips of land to lay out rope during production. Those thin plots were sold off individually over time, which is why the district today has its distinctive pattern of long parallel streets with few interconnections – the streets themselves came after the roperies, not before.
Streets and Squares
The district takes in some of the most visited streets in Liverpool city centre, including Bold Street, Wood Street, Seel Street, Duke Street, Slater Street, Fleet Street, Wolstenholme Square and Liverpool’s Chinatown. Together they form a concentration of independent shops, cafes, restaurants and nightlife that draws visitors from across the city and beyond. The historic warehouse buildings that line many of these streets are a physical reminder of the area’s industrial past.
Bold Street and Its History
Bold Street began as a ropewalk in the 17th and early 18th centuries, used specifically to measure and cut rope to the standard length required for sailing ships. The street was later renamed after Jonas Bold, a slave merchant, sugar trader and banker who became Lord Mayor of Liverpool in 1802. At its lower end, The Lyceum Building – constructed that same year – originally housed a news room and what is considered England’s first subscription library. During renovations in 2001, a 17th-century well shaft was uncovered beneath a property on the street; archaeologists dated it to the period when the area was still open field, and it is now visible inside the vintage boutique Soho’s. Today Bold Street is known for buskers, independent retailers and restaurants representing many different cultures.
St Luke’s Church
St Luke’s Church, known locally as the bombed-out church, occupies the corner of Leece Street and Berry Street at the top of Bold Street. It opened in 1832 and was left a roofless shell after the May Blitz of 1941. Liverpool was among the most heavily bombed places outside London during the Second World War, targeted because of its position as the largest port on Britain’s west coast and its role as a naval base and industrial centre. The ruined church has been preserved as a permanent reminder of that period.