Spread across the Toxteth district of Liverpool, the Welsh Streets are a cluster of late Victorian terraced rows whose names – Madryn Street, Voelas Street, Rhiwlas Street, Kinmel Street, Gwydir Street, Pengwern Street, Treborth Street, Powis Street and Wynnstay Street – all reference Welsh towns, valleys and villages. The streets were designed by Welsh architect Richard Owens and built by Welsh workers in the late 19th century to house migrants who had come to Liverpool seeking employment in the dock industries. Street widths were laid out generously from the start, allowing trees to be planted in the early 20th century at well-spaced intervals. Princes Park, designed by Joseph Paxton in 1840, lies immediately beside the streets, and Liverpool Cathedral is clearly visible from throughout the area – roughly 15 minutes on foot.
Ringo Starr and Wartime Loss
The most widely noted connection to the Welsh Streets is that Beatles drummer Ringo Starr was born at Madryn Street in 1940. World War II bombing destroyed several of the original houses, though the majority of the terraced properties survived and most remain standing around 150 years after construction. Some streets that once extended to the west side of High Park Street – including Vronhill Street and Pimhill Street – have since been lost to later housing regeneration, but the core configuration of the Welsh Streets remains largely intact.
Demolition Plans, Funding Cuts and Renovation
From the early 2000s, Liverpool City Council pursued plans under the Housing Market Renewal Initiative to clear the estate and replace it with a smaller number of new homes. Residents were moved out and properties prepared for demolition at a cost to the council of nearly £22 million, but the project collapsed in 2011 when central government withdrew funding following a change of administration and public spending cuts. Later proposals put forward by the council alongside housing group Plus Dane were rejected by the government over concerns about harm to the city’s cultural heritage. A housing renewal company, Placefirst, subsequently took ownership of a number of properties, beginning with a pilot scheme, and carried out extensive renovations to bring them back into use as rentals. The first new tenants moved into Voelas Street around September 2017, and in November 2018 Placefirst won an award for the quality of the refurbishments. Nearly 90% of properties in the area fall within Council Tax Band A, the lowest band, and median house prices remain below the Liverpool-wide average. The Welsh Streets fall within the Princes Park ward for local council representation.