Liverpool - Maritime Mercantile City (delisted)

country. United Kingdom
year of inscription. 2004; year of delisting. 2021

criteria. Cultural

Liverpool is a port-city in the metropolitan county of Merseyside. Six areas in the historic city centre and docklands of this city were listed as a WHS, showcasing its role as a major trading centre in the 18th and 19th centuries CE. This maritime mercantile hub played a crucial role in the growth of the British Empire and and the mass movement – both voluntary and forced – of people from northern Europe to North America. Its heritage buildings are evidence of this history as well as that of its pioneering role in aspects of industrial development, particularly in the dock, port, and transport industries. Liverpool was also credited as a WHS for being the hometown of one of the most famous pop acts in history, the Beatles, for whom, it was claimed, were influenced by Liverpool’s internationality.

In 2021, the WHS was delisted after massive redevelopment projects were allowed within the site and its buffer zone. These projects were deemed to have adversely impacted the integrity and authenticity of the WHS, and irreparably altered its skyline and profile. This makes it the third WHS to have been delisted.

what. postcard (United Kingdom, 2021)