slavery walking tour liverpool

Slavery History Trail

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SLAVERY HISTORY TRAIL: All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)

• (0.02 mi) Hollywood Apartments & Barges - The Joker Boat
• (0.10 mi) Holiday Inn Express Liverpool - Royal Albert Dock, an IHG Hotel
• (0.07 mi) Premier Inn Liverpool City Centre (Albert Dock) hotel
• (0.06 mi) The Joker Boat
• (0.17 mi) Staybridge Suites Liverpool, an IHG Hotel
• (0.00 mi) Quayside Cafe
• (0.02 mi) Rough Hand Made
• (0.02 mi) The Floating Grace
• (0.02 mi) Madre
• (0.02 mi) Revolution Liverpool - Albert Dock

The Eric Lynch Memorial Slavery Walking Tour

The Eric Lynch Memorial Slavery Walking Tour, following in the footsteps of Eric Scott Lynch’s pioneering work, will continue to serve as an important educational tool to showcase the history of slavery in Liverpool.

This tour offers participants the opportunity to walk through the city and witness first-hand the historical sites and buildings that are tied to the slave trade. By retracing this painful history, it will help participants gain a deeper understanding of the city’s role in the transatlantic slave trade.

Eric Scott Lynch was a Liverpool-born historian and activist who spent decades educating people about the city’s links to the slave trade. He began conducting slavery tours in the 1980s, taking school children, adults, students, and visitors around the city to show them the many buildings and institutions that were paid for from the money made from the slave economy.

Eric passed away in 2021 at the age of 89. He leaves behind the legacy of a hugely admired and respected pioneering figure in the fight for the recognition of Black history and of the contribution of black people and black culture in Liverpool, and in all aspects of society in the UK and internationally.

The Walking Tour is also part of a series of events we having to launch The Eric Lynch Memorial Writing Prize for children and young people. Andrew Lynch, Eric’s son, is actively involved in this initiative, and the tour will serve as a poignant and meaningful way to kickstart this memorial competition during Black History Month in October 2023. We are also organising a walking tour with primary school children, where we will officially launch competition. The aim of the Memorial Writing Competition and prize is to ensure that young people are educated about the history of slavery and the slave trade, and how this shaped and formed Liverpool.

Eric Scott Lynch’s commitment to educating people about Liverpool’s historical ties to the slave trade through his slavery tours, which began in the 1980s, served as a powerful educational tool, allowing individuals of all ages and backgrounds to gain a first-hand understanding of the city’s history.

By taking school children, adults, students, and visitors on these tours, Eric provided a unique and immersive experience. Showing them the buildings and institutions that were funded by the profits from the slave economy helped to bring this dark chapter of history to life and make it tangible for those who participated. It allowed people to see how deeply ingrained the legacy of slavery was in the city’s architecture and institutions.

Event Date: Sunday 22nd October 2023

Categories: Black History Month | Community Event | Festival | Heritage | Liverpool | Liverpool Against Racism | Participate | Ticketed | Walking

Contact Details: Writing on the Wall, Tel: 0151 703 0020

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Slavery History Trail

Top ways to experience nearby attractions

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Also popular with travellers

Slavery History Trail - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

• (0.03 km) Hollywood Apartments & Barges - The Joker Boat
• (0.16 km) Holiday Inn Express Liverpool - Royal Albert Dock, an IHG Hotel
• (0.11 km) Premier Inn Liverpool City Centre (Albert Dock) hotel
• (0.09 km) The Joker Boat
• (0.27 km) Staybridge Suites Liverpool, an IHG Hotel
• (0.00 km) Quayside Cafe
• (0.03 km) Rough Hand Made
• (0.03 km) The Floating Grace
• (0.04 km) Madre
• (0.04 km) Revolution Liverpool - Albert Dock

Liverpool Slavery Walking Tour - Commercial Side

• All Fees and Taxes
• Entry/Admission - Our Lady and Saint Nicholas Church and Garden
• Entry/Admission - Tithebarn Street
• Entry/Admission - Exchange Flags
• Entry/Admission - Memorial to Sir Alfred Lewis Jones
• Entry/Admission - Dale Street
• Entry/Admission - Graving Dock
• Entry/Admission - Salthouse Dock
• Entry/Admission - Liverpool Water Street
• Entry/Admission - Liverpool Town Hall
• Royal Liver Building, George's Dock Gates, Liverpool L3 1HU, UK On the river side of the Liver Buildings at the Pier Head in Liverpool. Your guide will have signage indicating the meeting point.
• 2 Custom House Pl, Liverpool L1 8LZ, UK At the site of Liverpool's Old Dock, Thomas Steers Way, in the L1 shopping centre.
• Wheelchair accessible
• Pushchair accessible
• Service animals allowed
• Near public transportation
• Transportation is wheelchair accessible
• Confirmation will be received at time of booking
• No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
• Most travellers can participate
• This experience requires good weather. If it’s cancelled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund
• This experience requires a minimum number of travellers. If it’s cancelled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund
• This tour/activity will have a maximum of 12 travellers
• For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start date of the experience.
• Our Lady and Saint Nicholas Church and Garden
• Memorial to Sir Alfred Lewis Jones
• Dale Street
• Salthouse Dock
• Exchange Flags

Similar experiences

• You'll start at Royal Liver Building Royal Liver Building, George's Dock Gates, Liverpool L3 1HU, UK On the river side of the Liver Buildings at the Pier Head in Liverpool. Your guide will have signage indicating the meeting point. See address & details
• 1 Our Lady and Saint Nicholas Church and Garden Stop: 10 minutes - Admission included See details
• 2 Hargreaves Building Stop: 10 minutes See details
• 3 Tithebarn Street Stop: 10 minutes - Admission included See details
• 4 Cotton Exchange Building Stop: 10 minutes See details
• 5 Memorial to Sir Alfred Lewis Jones Stop: 10 minutes - Admission included See details
• 6 Liverpool Water Street Stop: 10 minutes - Admission excluded See details
• 7 Dale Street Stop: 10 minutes - Admission included See details
• 8 Castle Street Stop: 10 minutes See details
• 9 Queen Victoria Monument Stop: 5 minutes See details
• 10 Liverpool Town Hall Stop: 10 minutes - Admission excluded See details

• Pwoywodt 0 contributions 5.0 of 5 bubbles Super Really enjoyed this - full of fascinating detail! We know Liverpool a little bit and also the Georgian area but learned so much. Read more Written 20 August 2023
• Julian S 0 contributions 5.0 of 5 bubbles Super walking tour adapted to our requests Super walking tour adapted to our requests. Edward setup this tour just for the two of us and prepared and adapted routes as we went, listening to what we wanted to learn more about. We had been to both Cathedrals in the morning and had enough background information on the Beatles, so Edward focussed on history of the city and architecture, stopping at some interesting spots to point out things which we would surely have missed without his guidance. He had excellent knowledge and a wealth of stories, as well as some interesting old pictures and artifacts in his bag. His comments on Liverpool today, property development and assessment and portrayal of the city's past role in slavery and international trade were both progressive and interesting. Many thanks to Edward. Heartily recommended. Read more Written 18 February 2022
• D9549MLjanep 0 contributions 5.0 of 5 bubbles Great would recomened Great trip. Started our trip to liverpool with a trip with Edward. Great knowledge and answered all our question about the city. Read more Written 12 October 2021

More to explore in Liverpool

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

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Liverpool Slavery Walking Tour - Commercial Side provided by LiverpoolGO

• History Tours

Liverpool Slavery Walking Tour - Commercial Side

Your product, select participants, you can select a total maximum of: 12, about this experience.

• Free Cancellation For a full refund cancel at least before the start of your booking

Admission Included

• Suitable for 1-12 Participants
• Small Group Tour
• Guided Experience
• Explore the streets where slavers walked and traded
• Learn about Liverpool's major turning point in history
• Visit places where slaves were sold in Liverpool
• See the building that housed the Bank of England's only branch outside of London
• Discover Liverpool's dominance in the transatlantic slave trade
• All fees and taxes

Not included

Popular hotels closeby, more about this experience, introduction, what to expect, who is this for, why book this, good to know, about this product, how long before the event do i need to book.

• You can book at any time before the event

Vouchers accepted in the following formats

Is an adult required for the booking.

• At least one adult or senior required per booking

Your Itinerary

Our Lady and Saint Nicholas Church and Garden

Many Slave Traders worshipped at this church and were buried in the church yard. Find out about the lives of these traders.

Hargreaves Building

Learn about the Cotton Broker and Banker William Brown who founded the Bank of Liverpool and Brown & Shipley Merchant Bankers.

Tithebarn Street

Visit Rumford Place and the Confederate Embassy of the American Civil War. Learn how Bulloch set up his network of spies in Liverpool and how the Confederate armies were supplied with weapons and ships.

Cotton Exchange Building

Discover how Liverpool was the world leader in cotton trading and how the "Liverpool Rules" still exist today. Learn how cotton trading build the wealth of Liverpool and its merchants.

Exchange Flags

The original "Exchange" where traders carried out their business and where slaves were sold. See the Nelson Monument and hear about its history and meaning.

Memorial to Sir Alfred Lewis Jones

Learn how Sir Alfred Jones obtained his vast wealth and the monopoly of the Elder Dempster Shipping Line. Learn about his philanthropy and how he funded the setting up of the School of Tropical Medicine.

Liverpool Water Street

Visit the Business and Banking sector of 18th and 19th Century Liverpool and learn how the bankers became wealthy on the back of the American trade that enabled them to build such richly designed buildings for their banking houses. See the Martins Bank Building, the old Bank of Liverpool Building.

Admission Not Included

Dale Street

See some of Liverpool's 18th Century Streets that still exist and escaped the demolition during the widening of Dale Street in Victorian times. Visit a public house that existed (and was probably visited) by Liverpool's early slave traders in 1726 (and maybe enjoy a drink there). Walk some narrow streets and passageways from Old Liverpool.

Castle Street

Learn about the buildings on Castle Street - how they were connected to merchants and slavery and see the building that housed the first branch of the Bank of England outside of London.

Queen Victoria Monument

Visit the place where Liverpool Castle once stood before being demolished in 1726. Learn about St George's Church that was built on the site and was the place of worship for Liverpool mayors and town councillors.

Liverpool Town Hall

The Mansion House of Liverpool's Lord Mayor. Learn how the building was funded and what it was used for. See the fabulous architecture and decoration. See depictions of African people on the frieze.

Graving Dock

After a slave ship had completed the arduous and terrible journey from Liverpool to Africa then to America and back to Liverpool, the ship would be in poor shape and require refitting. This was done in what are called Graving Docks. The original graving docks from mid 1700's remain in Liverpool and are visited on this tour.

Merseyside Maritime Museum

Pass by Merseyside Maritime Museum that houses the International Slavery Museum. This can be visited free of charge at the end of your tour.

Salthouse Dock

See the Salthouse and Canning Docks that were built in swift succession to Liverpool's Old dock in order to accommodate the rapidly increasing trade with America. Some parts of these docks were constructed using the massive stones from Liverpool Castle. You will be treading on the cobbles and stones that slave traders and merchants trod when attending to their ship's cargo.

Thomas Steers Way

See the place where Liverpool's Old Dock was built by Thomas Steers in 1715. It was the building of this dock that enabled Liverpool to exploit it's position on the map and develop the African and Transatlantic trade that brought incredible wealth. It is possible to see part of the old dock through an observation window set in the ground and by prior arrangement have a guided tour of the actual dock.

James Street

Walk through some of the back streets of Victorian Liverpool and take in the classic architecture of the old banking houses and visit a modern sculpture that enigmatically evokes the slave house on Goree Island.

Additional information

• Wheelchair accessible
• Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
• Service animals allowed
• Public transportation options are available nearby
• Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
• Not recommended for participants with poor cardiovascular health
• Suitable for all physical fitness levels

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• GUIDED TOURS IN LIVERPOOL

Slavery Trail

"The Commercial Side of the Slave Trade"

This tour explores:

The commercial side of the slave trade, and takes place around the original seven streets of liverpool..

We have another tour exploring The homes, estates and residences of the merchants which can be found at this link

Introduction

(Same for both tours)

By the 1750s Liverpool had overtaken Bristol and London as the slave-trading capital of Britain.

The principle was simple, export cheap glass beads and brass bracelets called manila (and sometimes arms and gunpowder) to countries on the East Coast of Africa. These goods were exchanged for human cargo.

The human cargo then embarked on the horrific middle passage where they were transported to the Americas and West Indies and became slaves on the plantations growing sugar cane, cotton and tobacco. It was said that a man had more room in his coffin than a slave had onboard the ship during this dreadful voyage.

The ship captains were instructed to use the money obtained from the sale of the slaves to purchase these goods and transport them back to Liverpool. The ships were refitted in the Graving Docks on Liverpool’s waterfront and the process started again.

The goods brought back from America were sold throughout Britain. Sugar was very much in demand by those who could afford it and cotton was moved to the mills in Manchester to be woven into cloth.

Incredible amounts of money were made by the merchants who dealt in these goods and progressively the Town of Liverpool became unbelievably wealthy - sometimes exceeding London in prosperity.

After the abolition of the slave trade, the merchants still benefited from the sale of goods that continued to be produced on the plantations of America and the West Indies. At the pinnacle of its trade Liverpool bristled with imposing civic monuments, gleaming office blocks and a seven mile swathe of docks.

The monuments, buildings and homes of the slave traders and merchants still exist today and we have two tours available that will bring you up close and personal with the legacy of the 18th and 19th century slave traders and merchants.

The commercial side of the slave trade: This tour will take you round the original seven streets of Liverpool and explore the banks, offices and very streets that the slavers walked and conducted their everyday business. Visit places where slaves were traded on the streets of Liverpool and even visit a pub that existed in the days of the early slave traders.

The whole of Liverpool was mortgaged for £10,000 to fund the construction of the world’s first commercial tidal dock. Learn how this was a major turning point for Liverpool.

Liverpool has some magnificent architecture. Discover what vast sums of money were spent and how the trade coming into Liverpool funded these buildings and the merchants they were built for.

Does the Nelson Monument in Exchange Flags by Liverpool Town Hall really show chained slaves around the base? See some of the places where slaves were sold in Liverpool and newspaper adverts announcing the sale.

Take a walk along Castle Street (one of the original streets of Old Liverpool) and see the building where the only branch of the Bank of England existed outside of London. At one time, Liverpool was wealthier than London on the back of fortunes generated by the slave trade and even issued its own bank notes. There was also a Bank of Liverpool and the building can still be seen in Water Street.

Such was Liverpool’s dominance of the transatlantic slave trade that one in five African captives crossing the ocean was carried in a Liverpool slave ship.

Come to Liverpool and Discover.

Historic Steps

Tread the same streets as Liverpool's slave traders and privateers did in the 18th Century.

Incredible Architecture

The slavers, merchants and privateers expressed their wealth by investing in the construction of lavish buildings to improve the town.

Public House

Visit a public house that existed in the early days of the slave trade - how many slavers drank at this very bar.

Graving Docks

After the harrowing middle passage and return to Liverpool with goods, the slave ships needed to be refitted. See the graving docks where this took place.

Further Information (For day of tour)

The tour will take place rain or shine so please ensure that you have appropriate clothing. In extreme weather conditions it could be cancelled. A reasonable level of fitness is required as there is a considerable amount of walking - sometime uphill. Please ensure that you have comfortable shoes to walk in. A bottle of water is advisable during hot weather.

Meeting Point

The meeting point for the tour is at the Pier Head in front of the Port of Liverpool Building (on the mersey side of the building).

Guided Tour

Tour begins of Slavery - the commercial side and lasts for approximately two hours.

Fabulous (Based on 34 reviews)

Feedback for individual guides is obtained from a variety of sources, including social media. We'd be delighted if you could take the time and let us know how you enjoyed your tour.

Leave a Review

Get directions, by train/tube.

Trains on the National Rail Network arrive at Liverpool Lime Street Station. There is also a local train network called Merseyrail that travels to / from Central Station. You would then be able to obtain detailed directions using the search facility above.

There are two main bus terminals in Liverpool. There is the Central Bus Station at Canning Place, Liverpool 1. There is also another terminus at Queens Square by St George's Hall. There is an extensive bus network throughout Liverpool and the 82 bus from the Central Bus Station will travel through the city centre.

By Taxi/cabs

Black cabs are available all over the city and can be flagged at the roadside. You can tell the taxi driver the name of your destination and they will be able to take you there. Their knowledge of streets and venues (especially in the city centre) is extensive and you should not have any difficulty.

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Travel Thru History

Historical and cultural travel experiences

Liverpool Black History Walking Tour (part 1)

From st. john’s gardens to liverpool town hall.

Between the end of the seventeenth century and middle of the nineteenth, sail ships from Liverpool forcibly transported more than 1.35 million shackled Africans to slavery in the Americas, practically three times’ the population of today’s city: ghastly arithmetic relayed to tourgoers by Laurence Westgaph, Historian in Residence for National Museums Liverpool. The wealth accrued by those engaged directly (trading in human flesh) and indirectly (trading in slave-produced goods) remains visible – unconsciously commemorated, even – in the urban environment, not least in respect of contemporary street names, over 150 of which were so named because a slave trader/merchant owned the respective land.

With the toppling of slave owner Edward Colston’s statue (Bristol, UK) specifically, and the Black Lives Matter protests sparked by the police killing of George Floyd (Minneapolis, US) more generally, many Liverpudlians as well as those from further afield sought to (re)familiarise themselves with the region’s slavery links to critically assess the merits of HM Government’s “retain and explain” policy on street names and problematic statuary. Yet the demand for places on Laurence’s free walking tours far outstripped supply, supply that was abruptly cut off with the adoption of COVID-19 rule-of-six measures. (Laurence leads eight tours, each of which can be booked via  Eventbrite , while his Facebook group – ‘ Liverpool and Slavery ’ – keeps followers updated on how tour donations are helping to fund Liverpool’s Enslaved Memorial Project.)

Holding the belief that the need for social distance shouldn’t preclude curious souls from getting up close with unsanitised history, this local historian devised a self-guided “dark tourism” trail (linking sites from a number of tours) for locals/visitors to gain a better understanding of how Liverpool capitalised on the murderous exploitation of enslaved Africans and thereby help redress the imbalance of what many of my generation (b.1983) and older were taught at school: more the role of gatekeeper (abolition) and less the poacher (enslaver). (“Dark tourism”, according to Philip Stone, author of 111 Dark Places in England That You Shouldn’t Miss (2021), is ‘the act of travelling to sites of death, disaster, or the seemingly macabre’.)

The connection between charity and brutality is something to ponder over while standing/sitting in St. John’s Gardens, a manicured public space across the road from the entrances to the Central Library and World Museum (the construction of which was partly financed through the slave-accrued wealth of merchant-benefactor William Brown) from where you can admire the west façade of the visually arresting St. George’s Hall in the distance, but where statues of two men associated with slavery loom large in the foreground: Arthur Bower Forwood, a blockade-runner for the Confederacy during the American Civil War, and William Gladstone (Images 2, 3 & 4), the iconic status of whom is increasingly contested as the former prime minister is deemed no longer immune to revision.

Financed by the town’s slave-trading elites, such as the Blundell, Cunliffe, Earle and Heywood families, it was built in 1754 by a firm owned by Joseph Brooks, uncle to namesake Joseph Brooks Jnr. and co-owner of a ship the Brooks (or Brookes ), which was immortalised in the 1787/8 cross-sectional sketch of (c.480) slaves tightly packed below decks in the pestilential hold; Brooks Alley, named after the landowning Brooks family, is one of the twenty streets identified by Liverpool City Council in 2020 as needing a reinterpretation notice. In 1781, the same year of its construction, a massacre occurred aboard the Zong , another infamous slaver co-owned by a Liverpudlian. William Gregson (after which Gregson Street is named, but which doesn’t feature in the aforementioned top 20) headed a syndicate of merchants, one investor being his son John, who would – following in his father’s footsteps – be elected Mayor of Liverpool in 1784, only months after the court case(s, the second being the insurer’s appeal against the initial judgement in favour of the Gregsons) provided the starkest illumination that captives became insurable cargo akin to livestock.

It’s no exaggeration to say that the mercantile community dominated the town’s governance, and concomitantly influenced its burgeoning development as an urban centre, since each of its 20 Mayors between 1787 and 1807 were involved in the slave trade, either as a ship owner or an investor, as were all the borough’s MPs until William Roscoe in 1806. This leads Laurence to claim that the Town Hall is the ‘single greatest architectural monument to Liverpool’s involvement’. It’s arguably this building that actor George Frederick Cooke alluded to as being one comprised of bricks ‘cemented [together] by the blood of a negro’ when hissed on stage at Williamson Square’s old Theatre Royal in 1806, a fact not lost on protestors in 1999 who took umbrage with the Town Hall being the venue from where a formal apology was declared after a debate into the port’s prominent role in the trafficking of Africans.

Sixty-seven Mayors were involved (directly as investors) in 1,886 slave voyages between 1703-1807 according to local historian David Hearn, author of The Slave Streets of Liverpool (2020) and the forthcoming Liverpool’s Legacy of Slavery , the latter of which features a damning figure (arrived at simplistically, granted, but not without a relative degree of confidence through mathematical equation): 450,000. This is the number of Africans that Mayors – referred to as ‘kidnapers (sic) who infested the highest municipal offices’ by Trinidadian scholar-statesman Eric Williams in his magnum opus Capitalism and Slavery (1944), recently republished by Penguin Press – collectively were responsible for uprooting and transporting into a life of forced servitude and premature death (approximately 12% died even more prematurely during the Middle Passage across four centuries) through cutting sugar cane and picking cotton on plantations in the Americas. The enslaved had, to quote philosopher Thomas Hobbes , a ‘nasty, brutish, and [all too frequently] short’ existence.

This is the first of a three-part article.

You can read part two at: http://travelthruhistory.com/liverpool-black-history-walking-tour-part-2-of-3/

About the author: A frequent ‘Letter of the Month’ winner in UK travel newspapers/magazines, Lee P. Ruddin’s entry in Senior Travel Expert’s 2018 (Heritage) Writing Competition was shortlisted as Highly Commended by judges; his entry in I Must Be Off’s 2020 contest was longlisted. His articles feature in Robert Fear’s  Travel Stories and Highlights: 2019 Edition , on the websites of Hotel Metropole Hanoi and Bath’s Royal Crescent Hotel, as well as at  TravelMag . In addition to tips appearing on  theguardian.com , he has reviewed travel guides for LoveReading and NetGalley and, to date, has travelled in and via 45 countries on four continents. Born in Birkenhead on the Wirral in North-West England, he currently resides in Birmingham, where he works in the security industry.

All photos by Lee P. Ruddin

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Liverpool Slavery Walking Tour – Commercial Side

Unbeknownst to many, the ‘Liverpool Slavery Walking Tour – Commercial Side’ offers a perspective on the city’s historical involvement in the transatlantic slave trade that is both eye-opening and thought-provoking.

As visitors navigate the streets of Liverpool, they are immersed in a narrative that unravels the intricate web of connections between the city and this dark period of history.

But what makes this tour truly stand out is not just the historical facts presented, but the way in which it invites participants to engage with the past and contemplate its impact on the present.

• Engaging storytelling brings Liverpool’s slave trade history to life.
• Knowledgeable guides narrate the city’s involvement in the dark past.
• Blend of facts and narratives creates an immersive historical experience.
• Gain a deeper understanding of Liverpool’s significant role in the slave trade.

Here's some more nearby activities we've reviewed

• Liverpool: River Cruise & Sightseeing Bus Tour
• BEST OF LIVERPOOL-Heritage, History & Culture Guided Walking Tour
• History Guided Tour of Liverpool and the Beatles
• Beatles Classic Tour of Liverpool by Private Taxi

Tour Overview

Embark on the Liverpool Slavery Walking Tour – Commercial Side to explore the city’s historical ties to the transatlantic slave trade. This tour offers engaging storytelling that brings the past to life, providing visitors with valuable historical insights .

As you walk through the Commercial Side of Liverpool, knowledgeable guides will narrate the city’s involvement in the slave trade, painting a vivid picture of the impact this dark period had on the area. Through their engaging storytelling, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of Liverpool’s role in this historical injustice.

Prepare to be captivated by the tour guides ‘ ability to blend facts with narratives, creating an informative and immersive experience that sheds light on this crucial aspect of Liverpool’s past.

Booking Information

As visitors explore the historical ties of Liverpool to the transatlantic slave trade on the Commercial Side, they can easily book the Liverpool Slavery Walking Tour with Viator

• The tour offers a deep dive into Liverpool’s historical significance in the transatlantic slave trade.
• Participants engage in a cultural exploration of the city’s past and its impact on modern society.
• Booking the tour provides an opportunity to learn from knowledgeable guides about this dark chapter in history.
• Visitors can expect an engaging and informative experience filled with historical insights .
• By joining the tour, guests can gain a better understanding of Liverpool’s role in the transatlantic slave trade.

Pricing Details

Discover the pricing details for the Liverpool Slavery Walking Tour bookable on Viator, starting from £28.00. The cost breakdown and discount options are detailed in the table below:

Viator offers discount options for seniors and youths, providing an opportunity for a more affordable experience. The tour’s pricing structure allows visitors of different age groups to enjoy the historical insights and engaging storytelling without breaking the bank.

Reviews and Ratings

Exploring the reviews and ratings of the Liverpool Slavery Walking Tour provides valuable insights into travelers’ experiences and the overall quality of the tour. Travelers have praised the tour guides for their extensive knowledge and captivating storytelling. Historical insights offered during the tour have been a highlight for many participants, adding depth to their understanding of Liverpool’s past.

Comments often mention the engaging and informative nature of the experience, leaving visitors with a profound appreciation for the city’s history and the impact of slavery. The reviews and ratings showcase a tour that not only educates but also immerses visitors in a crucial part of Liverpool’s history.

• Tour guides’ knowledge and storytelling
• Historical insights provided
• Engaging and informative experience
• Appreciation for the city’s history
• Impact of slavery discussed

Traveler Feedback

Travelers who’ve participated in the Liverpool Slavery Walking Tour have shared valuable feedback highlighting their immersive experiences and interactions with knowledgeable guides. Many visitors praised the tour for its in-depth historical insights, which shed light on Liverpool’s involvement in the transatlantic slave trade.

The city exploration aspect was also well-received, with travelers expressing how the tour provided a deeper understanding of Liverpool’s dark past. The guides were commended for their expertise and engaging storytelling, making the experience both informative and captivating.

Additional Information

For those seeking further assistance and support, access the Viator Help Center is available to provide answers to any questions or inquiries regarding the Liverpool Slavery Walking Tour.

Historical Context : Gain insights into Liverpool’s role in the transatlantic slave trade.

Tour Highlights : Explore key sites linked to the city’s involvement in slavery.

Traveler Photos : View images capturing the tour experience and historical sites.

Viator Help Center : Get prompt assistance for any tour-related queries or concerns.

Copyright Notice : All content related to the Liverpool Slavery Walking Tour is protected under © 1997-2024 Viator

Support and Assistance

Accessing the Viator Help Center provides travelers with immediate support and assistance for any queries or concerns related to the Liverpool Slavery Walking Tour.

If travelers have questions about the tour details, booking process , or any other issues that may arise before, during, or after the tour, the Viator Help Center is equipped to assist promptly.

The customer service team can address concerns regarding the tour guides, ensuring that they’re knowledgeable and provide engaging storytelling throughout the experience.

Whether it’s seeking historical insights, clarifying tour logistics , or any other assistance needed, the Viator Help Center is the go-to resource for travelers embarking on the Liverpool Slavery Walking Tour.

Here's a few more nearby tours and experiences we have reviewed.

• Best of Liverpool Sightseeing Tour by Private Taxi
• The Beatles Story Experience Ticket
• Liverpool With a Local: Walking Tour
• The Beatles Famous Walking Tour Of Liverpool- Fully Guided
• North Wales Adventure Sightseeing Day Trip From Liverpool
• Royal Liver Building 360 – Tower Tour and Experience

Common questions

Can Children Participate in the Liverpool Slavery Walking Tour?

Children can participate in the Liverpool slavery walking tour, benefiting from its educational content. The tour’s historical significance is presented in an age-appropriate manner, ensuring an engaging and informative experience for young participants to learn about this important part of history.

Are There Any Specific Landmarks or Sites Related to the History of Slavery in Liverpool That Are Covered on the Tour?

The Liverpool Slavery Walking Tour covers significant landmarks tied to the city’s history, showcasing their architectural significance. These sites explore the cultural impact of slavery, offering modern relevance through engaging storytelling and historical insights during the tour.

How Long Does the Walking Tour Typically Last?

The walking tour typically lasts around 2 hours, allowing for breaks. Groups are moderate in size, and restrooms are available along the route. Visitors can explore Liverpool’s historical sites while enjoying an engaging and informative experience.

Is There a Specific Dress Code Recommended for Participants on the Tour?

Attire recommendations for the tour suggest comfortable clothing and footwear, considering the weather and historical context . Cultural sensitivity is essential. Participants are encouraged to dress modestly and respectfully to enhance their overall experience.

Are There Any Specific Safety Measures in Place During the Walking Tour, Especially in Busy Areas of the City?

Safety measures are in place during the walking tour, particularly in busy city areas. Children can participate, and the tour covers significant landmarks. Duration varies. No specific dress code. Visitors enjoy an engaging and informative experience.

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Discover the hidden truths of Liverpool’s involvement in the transatlantic slave trade with the Liverpool Slavery Walking Tour – Commercial Side. Gain a deeper understanding of the city’s history and its impact on the global slave trade.

Book your tour today to embark on a thought-provoking journey filled with historical insights and expert storytelling. Join the many satisfied travelers who’ve praised this tour for its informative and eye-opening experience.

Uncover Liverpool’s complex past and its connections to slavery like never before.

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• Liverpool Slavery Tours

Engage is working with Merseyside Civic Society to refurbish the Grade II listed monument in Beetham Plaza, known officially as the Piazza Fountain but more generally as the Bucket Fountain. And we wanted to explore in more depth the connections with Liverpool’s history on involvement in the Transatlantic Trade in Enslaved People.

We are pleased that for a long time now Laurence Westgaph has brought his walking tours to the site of the Piazza Fountain where they have stopped whilst he explains connections with the slave trade in Liverpool. The actual site today is not far from the original Goree Warehouses that were demolished at the end of World War II following extensive war damage and this place took its first name from those buildings and was known as the Goree Piazza however even though the adjacent building was known as Wilberforce House and was the site of the City Council’s Planning Department the name was changed to Beetham Plaza after the developer who took over the building.

Also when the fountain was built it was constructed by the apprentices at Camell Laird shipyards in Birkenhead and they attached an African shield design to the monument explaining their involvement and the site’s connection to the original Goree Warehouses, which name of course linked Liverpool with the island off the coast of West Africa where the slave ships went to collect their human cargo.

Uncover LPL  a website promoting Walking Tours of the city has as its second tour one by Laurence Westgaph entitled Liverpool Slavery Walking Tour. Clicking on the link there are as yet no tours advertised for this year.

There is some really interesting work being done by National Museums Liverpool based at the International Slavery Museum in the Merseyside Maritime Museum and led by Laurence Westgaph and the Liverpool Black History Research Group .

The Guardian has recently published an article about this issue called ‘ ‘Hidden in plain sight’: the European city tours of slavery and colonialism. 02.04.24 which sadly doesn’t mention the great work pioneered by Eric Scott Lynch and Laurence Westgaph here in Liverpool. We have an important story to tell and there are those now organising to tell it.

There is also a YouTube video by Laurence of a virtual tour in the city of site connected with slavery which can be viewed HERE.

Engage has gathered together all the News items we have published over the years about the fountain on our dedicated Projects page HERE

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• What’s on

Explore The City With These Walking Tours

Get your steps in and explore Liverpool in a whole new light with these walking tours.

1. The Liver Bird Safari

If you’re looking for an alternative way to discover the history of Liverpool and the famous Liver Birds, then look no further than the Liver Bird Safari . Aside from the famous Liver Bird Building there’s over 100 Liver Birds in the city, embedded in the architecture. On this two hour walking tour you’ll discover plenty of the lesser known Liver Birds and their history.

2.  Liverpool Slavery Walking Tour

Historian and writer Laurence Westgaph runs regular walking tours where you can find out about the city’s slavery history. The tours start at St George’s Hall Plateau and will take you across historical city centre locations. Sign up to one of Laurence’s tours here .

3. Reel Tours – Film & TV Location Tour

Liverpool is the most filmed city in Europe, outside London, so you can imagine there’s a plethora of tv and film shooting locations dotted across the city centre. That’s where Gary Lunt of Reel Tours comes in. Gary is the city’s film buff, who will take you on a guided tour of some fascinating film locations, parting with film trivia along the way. Check out Gary’s local film knowledge here .

4. Shiverpool Historic Ghost Walks

The multi-award winning Shiverpool Ghost Tours are one of the best ways to spend an evening exploring Liverpool. Shiverpool’s hilarious street theatre ghost tours are super fun and packed full of history and interesting stories about the city.

5. Mersey Tunnel Tour

Did you know you can tour the Queensway Mersey Tunnel ? You’ll learn about the construction of the tunnel, visit the original control room, see giant ventilation fans in action and go down to watch the traffic in the tunnel, deep below the city streets.​ You will also find out which Hollywood movies the tunnel has featured in.

6. The Old Dock Tour

Discover the origin of Liverpool’s fortune, buried underneath Liverpool ONE with the Old Dock Tour . Revealed during excavations on the site in 2001, the story of the world’s first commercial enclosed wet dock is explored on this guided tour.

7. Silent Adventures

If you’re looking for something a little bit different then Silent Adventure s offer a unique and unforgettable walking tour around Liverpool city centre. Take a guided walk around the streets, which will soon escalate into a silent disco flash mob, with you at the heart of it. Also, did you know they offer a festive Silent Disco tour around the tinsel-swept streets of Liverpool?  Check it out here!

8. Heritage, History and Culture Guided Walking Tour

Immerse yourself in the vibrant and colourful city of Liverpool with this Heritage, History and Culture Walking Tour ! This tour showcases both historic and contemporary architecture, and brings the history of the city to life through personal stories and anecdotes.

9. The Beatles Fully Guided Walking Tour

The Beatles Walking Tour is perfect for music and Beatles fans alike. The tour showcases the history and musical culture of Liverpool as your tour guide shares fascinating stories that create a fun, interesting and memorable tour.

10. Liverpool Cycling Tour

Enjoy Liverpool in a way only a cycling tour of the city can offer and join us on the award-winning Liverpool Cycle Tours who offer something for everyone, be it their Beatles Tour or their Walking and Drinking Tour, they have it all covered. Not a cyclist? No problem they also have electric motor assisted bikes.

To find out what else you can get up to in Liverpool visit our What’s On section.

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