They even released an anti-Militant record. The story of 1980s Liverpool shows what happens when a city tries to rebel By Julia Rampen In June 1984, Patrick Jenkin, the minister responsible for housing in Margaret Thatcher's government, went to Liverpool. This was Liverpool's worst season in the league since the 1970-71 season; though they still finished a respectable fifth place. It immediately cancelled the 1,200 redundancies planned by the previous administration, froze council rents and launched an ambitious house-building programme targeting the city's most deprived neighbourhoods. The Hillsborough Stadium was a fatal human crush during a football match between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest in 1989 that caused the death of 96 people and 766 injured, the Liverpool supporters have been wrongly accused of having initiated it. // googletag.defineSlot('/154725070,22693467215/www.huckmag.com', [300, 250], 'bottom-banner1').defineSizeMapping(mpuMapping).addService(googletag.pubads()).setTargeting("pos","bottom-banner1").setCollapseEmptyDiv(true); Scottish-born Drummond, who managed both the Bunnymen and the Teardrop Explodes, later cofounded KLF (Kopyright Liberation Front), the group whose experimental approach to music making resulted in several British number one hits constructed wholly by samplingthat is, by creating a pastiche of sounds from other recordings. In this Read More, 10 Facts about Mexican Immigration during the Great Depression, 10 Interesting Facts about Michael Phelps. (Image: Mirrorpix)3 of 49. Microsoft released Word, their word processing program in 1983. It became a very popular tourist destination which enabled the city to invest more into renovating their old buildings such as the central library that had been bombed during the war. Councils have never again launched such an audacious attempt to force the governments hand. The festival was successful for it was visited by 3,380,000 people. Were all just passing through history, and if we dont record these things then theyre gone. The population also declined rapidly from 1,276,000 in 1970 to 885,000 at the end of the 1980s. Church Street is one of Liverpool's shopping areas. In response, the whole city stood by its people and started boycotting The Sun. Archive on 4's The Mersey Militants will be broadcast on Saturday 8 November on BBC Radio 4. or you could catch up on iPlayer. Liverpool is the 4th largest city in Britain and was once one of the world's largest ports. Posted Monday 3rd December, 2018Text by Jonathan Turton Photography © Rob Bremner, Back in the day: photos of Liverpool in the 1980s, Because nobody had any money, everyone was in the same boat, he tells. The two biggest liver birds are named Bella and Bertie and many legends surround them, 12. The movies, the books, the music. 24-hour news actually debuted in the 80s. Unemployment and economic uncertainty led to widespread dissatisfaction, culminating in public demonstrations such as the 1981 Toxteth Riots. Located in North West England, Liverpool is an amazing city for all history lovers! On the 5th of June 1981, The U.S. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention released the first official report on what would come to be known as the AIDS epidemic. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. The liver bird is the symbol of Liverpool, 19. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. According to legend, King John, who founded the city, asked the people of Liverpool to take the eagle as the symbol. The USA along with 65 other countries boycotted the 1980 Olympic Summer Games in Moscow to protest the late 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. In 2008, when Liverpool became the European Capital of Culture, the city invested in creating new museums on the pier. During this period Rob Bremner, 54 then a shaggy-haired student from Wick, Scotland was photographing the regions inner-city wards, as they came to terms with a Conservative government whose policies appeared to deliberately degrade them. (fn. According to the writer Michael Parkinson, one defiant backbench councillor said at the time: Im not a Marxist, I dont even believe in all this political stuff. These buildings received poor support from people who describe them as horrendously ugly. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Hey Friend, Before You Go.. St Johns gardens used to be a graveyard and 82,000 bodies are still buried there, 10. // .addSize([0,0],[300,250]) Films like "The Breakfast Club," "Some Kind of Wonderful" and "Pretty in Pink" are still popular today. In the years following the War, Liverpool, like much of Europe, looked ahead to years of peace. The project redrew the geography of Liverpool, turning the Scotland Road into an urban. The Cavern Club is used by artists to test new music. Known as the Militant Tendency, it had sprung from a Trotskyist group called the Revolutionary Socialist League and its goals included widespread nationalisation and embarking on a massive programme of public works. Liverpool Fact List. Back in the early 1200s, King Johns favourite pass-time was to attack the Irish. This legend is so powerful that when they were taken down a few years ago to be cleaned, the crew always made sure they would be moved and stored in a position where they would never face each other. Located by the pier, Bella and Bertie are the biggest Liver birds in Liverpool. The Challenger Space Shuttle Disaster, 1986. Most museums are located in Albert Dock but you will also find some near Lime Street Station. From the 1980s Liverpool promoted tourism using its heritage as an attraction. It continues with the lifestyle cults from poppers to punks, from new-wave to the soundtracks of German Neue Deutsche Welle music, Michael Jackson, Madonna, and Prince. He was the king of England at the time and King Richard The Lionhearts brother. Some Liverpudlian neighbourhoods were copied to perfection. The idea behind what became known as the 1985 rate-capping rebellion was simple: no council would set a rate the forerunner to council tax for the following year. They asked King John who answered, Its a bird with talent. Youngsters enjoying Guy Fawkes Night. Unfortunately, this wasnt the most successful idea which is why a few years later it was converted into a revolving rooftop restaurant. Backroom channels opened between the council and the Cabinet. This boycott campaign, named Total eclipse of the sun has been running for 30 years and to this day you will not find a single copy of the newspaper being sold in the city of Liverpool. Funnily enough, the most popular club in Liverpool was also probably one of the most unexpected ones. The city became the centre of 'The Mersey Beat', thanks to The Cavern Club that opened in 1957. Circa 1980. One of the largest chemical disasters in history occurred in Bhopal, India in 1984, as toxic gases leaked from the Union Carbide plant resulting in around 15,000 deaths. A Liverpool journalist invented the cross-word puzzle. > Home; The Upper and Lower Class Division in 1950 . Liverpool One is the largest open-air shopping centre in Europe, 32. Once the great port of the British Empire, Liverpool lost 80,000 jobs between 1972 and 1982 as the docks closed and its manufacturing sector shrank by 50%. // googletag.defineSlot('/154725070,22693467215/www.huckmag.com', [300, 250], 'bottom-banner').defineSizeMapping(mpuMapping).addService(googletag.pubads()).setTargeting("pos","bottom-banner").setCollapseEmptyDiv(true); They are facing the sea as this was the main entrance to Liverpool. His trip came at a time of stand-off between the government and the hard left Labour council, which was refusing to enforce the cuts the former was demanding of an already struggling city. The city proper, which is a metropolitan borough of Merseyside, forms an irregular crescent along the north shore of the Mersey estuary a few miles from the Irish Sea. Still to this day, the Cavern Club is used to test new music. In order to find a solution to this catch 22 situation, the Reids system was then implemented to ventilate and cool down the temperature of the hall. This is quite a cute fun facts about Liverpool that shows how much of a unique man Charles Dickens was. In 1988, the gallery was opened in Liverpool. When the Beatles played for the first time, he scheduled them at the end of the evening. This is despite a decade of Tory-led governments imposing crippling austerity. The radio tower in the city centre used to be a ventilation chap and then a revolving restaurant, 37. The fortune of the city collapsed in 1980s. Funeral service of former Liverpool manager Bill Shankly, held at St Mary's church in West Derby, Liverpool, 2nd October 1981. Jenkin was taken on a tour of some of the citys worst slums; councillors had asked the disgruntled residents ahead of time to be polite. However, Eagles were not common in England and many Liverpudlians had never seen an eagle before. If you are visiting Liverpool, make sure to go to: Located on Albert dock, the museum of slavery is one of the best museums in Liverpool and most of all is completely unique in the world. Its funny, people didnt like my work so much at the time, he remembers. In cup competitions they were much more successful however, winning both the League Cup and European Cup. St Georges Hall was the first air-conditioned building, 4. Copyright 2022 New Statesman Media Group Ltd. In the 18th century, 80% of Britains slave activity (and 40% of the worlds) would go through Liverpool. Share the post "10 Facts about Liverpool in the 1960s", What do you know the fun facts about Mexican Revolution? But an arrest the . Facts about Liverpool in the 1970 1: the first mosque in England Liverpool had the first mosque located in England. "People were so politicised - including young people - they were discussing council policy in pubs. St Georges Hall is located by St Johns gardens which, as mentioned above, used to be a graveyard. The 1984 Olympics were held in Los Angeles, and take a wild guess at who boycotted these games. Ive lived in several countries and travelled around Australia for a year! It was the 1980s and no one had even heard of the Capital Of Culture. Each year, around 12,000 people were leaving the city, and 15% of its land was vacant or derelict. In a nutshell, they were offered the same life in Australia for 10. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This page was last modified on November 2, 2022. Celebration Read More, In this article, you will find amazing information regarding the facts Read More, In this article, you will find the 10 interesting facts about Read More, What do you know regard facts about Mesopotamia government? Even though a lot of bodies have been removed, there are still about 82,000 skeletons buried there. The 1980s were a time of great pop culture including some of the best movies, music, TV shows, and toys of all time. Emerging fashion scenes included New Romantic and Goth. The only problem was that the council did not have the cash to fund its projects. "From 1976 onwards it was this litany - Birds Eye, [Fisher] Bendix, Leyland, every one of them - reason for leaving: factory closed, factory closed, factory closed.". Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. Because nobody had any money, everyone was in the same boat, he tells Huck. Take a deep breath, relax, and let these fun facts about the 1980s take you down memory lane. Because of this specific type of businesses, the street quickly became a paradise for sailors. Drawn to the city by a love of Echo and the Bunnymen and an obsession with The Beatles . The Secretary of State for the Environment, Patrick Jenkin, visited Liverpool and was so shocked by the poor housing he saw, he awarded the city an extra 20m. Located just across from the Cavern Club, by the Cavern pub, the wall of fame features artists that followed in the Beatles footsteps by playing at the Cavern Club. "The mood was very similar to what it was during the Scottish referendum," says Hooton. Ask any Liverpool da and he'll be able to tell you that the Liver Birds are called Bertie and Bella; Bella watches out for the sailors over the water while Bertie watches over the city to see if the pubs are open! The project was considered as the largest in the country. The only Slavery museum in the world is located in Liverpool, 15. Around the turn of the century the trams were converted to run on electricity and some of Liverpool's most iconic buildings were built, including the Liver and Cunard Buildings. Today we are seeing even deeper cuts to local authority funding, wrote Blunkett, by then a retired New Labour minister, in 2011. The unemployment and poverty resulted in social problems and riots. Finally, just Liverpool and Lambeth were left. Now Im sharing all my travel tips and cultural facts with you! // googletag.defineSlot('/154725070,22693467215/www.huckmag.com', [320, 50], 'top-banner').defineSizeMapping(billboardMapping).addService(googletag.pubads()).setTargeting("pos","lb").setCollapseEmptyDiv(true); The Cavern Club is the first place where the Beatles played at, 23. Factories closed, drug usage soared, and buildings along Dock Road were left as eerie, monolithic reminders of what once was. They literally could not get enough of them! LikeHuckonFacebookorfollow us onTwitter. Facts about Liverpool in the 1980's 1: the economic hardship The economic hardship in Liverpool was related to the highest unemployment rate and the factory closure in Liverpool. Liverpool in 1960s was characterized by the major reconstruction after to the war. Both Echo and the Bunnymen and the Teardrop Explodes (whose respective leaders, Ian McCulloch and Julian Cope, had been members of the punk group the Crucial Three) had a languid style and a sense of self-adoration that looked back to punk and glam rock and forward to the New Romantic movement led by Duran Duran. // var mpuMapping = googletag.sizeMapping() They were a symbol of wealth. In the '80s, drinking Dr. Pepper soda wasn't enoughone must also have chewed it. Father Christmas at the T J Hughes Christmas grotto in Liverpool. Actually, the people who lived in Britain also faced the similar situation of having steady rise of unemployment and economic hardship. Whether you are a local or an international visitor, there are many things you can do in Liverpool to learn about the history and the quirks of the city. Then we thought we had a case because of the deprivation in the city. The miners and their families had endured months . It was meant to be a tactic - a way of buying time and meeting its legal obligation to stay within its budget, says Hatton, who was then deputy leader of the council. Attitudes to marriage and divorce hardly stayed conservative during Thatcher's tenure, either. And Roy Gladden, a non-Militant Labour councillor both then and now, says the council was confident it could secure the funds it needed. 30. For the first time in the history, the City Council was controlled by the Labour Party under the leaderships of Jack and Bessie Braddock in 1955. The cinematic masterpiece Top Gunin addition to earning $176,786,701 in theaters also won an Academy Award for its theme song, Berlins Take My Breath Away.. Im Pauline, a French expat in the UK! Terms & Conditions, 1. Once they got to Australia, they were given the same job and houses they had. 1. Its friendly down there., Were all just passing through history, and if we dont record these things then theyre gone. // googletag.defineSlot('/154725070,22693467215/www.huckmag.com', [2, 1], 'teads').addService(googletag.pubads()).setTargeting("pos","teads").setCollapseEmptyDiv(true); Facts about Liverpool FC 1: the establishment of the football club In 1892, Liverpool FC was established. Gerard Gardens, a tenement block in Liverpool city centre. It was the decade of big hair, two-pound cell phones, neon colors, shoulder pads, the Cold War, Rubiks cubes, Air Jordans, Pac Man The list is endless! Built in 1615, it has seen wars and peace through centuries of history and watched Liverpool grow from a village to become one of the country's busiest ports, 17th October 1980. Another old Liverpool landmark bites the dust - the portal that once welcomed the city's poor and destitute is all that remains of the David Lewis Hostel and Club. This very unique character has always made Liverpool a very popular movie filming location. It's discontinued now, but if you're lucky, you can snag a vintage pack for less than $30. Facts about Liverpool in the 1960s 1: the formation of the Beatles In 1960s, the Beatles was formed in Liverpool. In 1982 the original consumer CD player, the Sony CDP-101, hit the market. If councils end up leading another rebellion, it wont be out of fervour, but necessity. The Mexican Read More, The amazing history of Mexico will be revealed in the 10 Read More, There are 10 facts about Mexican American war you should know. Read More, What you need to know facts about mexicos independence day? // googletag.defineSlot('/154725070,22693467215/www.huckmag.com', [300, 250], 'mpu2').addService(googletag.pubads()).setTargeting("pos","mpu2").setCollapseEmptyDiv(true); Thousands of Brits took upon the opportunity and moved to Australia with their entire family and friends. "We sent out a letter to everyone who received a redundancy notice, which virtually said 'don't take any notice of this, we've got to do this, not one of you will lose your jobs.'". Beeloved City is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon .com As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Funeral service of former Liverpool manager Bill Shankly, held at St mary's church in West Derby, Liverpool, 1981. He is the villain! Switch to the dark mode that's kinder on your eyes at night time. And shortly after, the party started a purge of the Liverpool Militants and the district auditor banned the Liverpool Labour councillors from public office for five years. 1.3 Liverpool is a World Heritage Site. The Cavern Club is located on Matthew Street. It was the darkest moment in the nation's sporing history and one which brought the focus on British fans once more. "If you talk to representatives from the council workers, they were petrified at the possibility of losing their jobs or even temporary redundancy," he says. The Cunard building for example, on the right-hand side, above the windows, has stones engraved with all signs from the zodiac. However, at the same time there was a rise in music and fashion. He was the king of England at the time and King Richard The Lionheart's brother. or as shown below. Photographer Rob Bremner captures a city brimming with character and style; filled with people living defiantly in the face of difficulty. 01 The Football Club was founded in 1892. Church Street, Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool, city and seaport, northwestern England, forming the nucleus of the metropolitan county of Merseyside in the historic county of Lancashire. Bella, the female liver bird is placed on top of the Royal Liver Building. The bigger the amount, the closer the name would be to the Beatles. The police had to spread the tear gas on the civilians. What Dallas looked like in the 1950s Through these Fascinating Historical Photos, What Austin, Texas looked like in the 1970s Through These Fascinating Photos, Bizarre Dayalets' Hellish Vitamin Mascots used to promote a Healthy Diet in the 1950s, Pre-Revolution China: Fascinating Historical of Life in China from 1870-1946, What San Antonio looked like in the 1950s. The 1980s was also the heyday of the teen movie. // window.googletag = window.googletag || {cmd: []}; He made an offer to the Liverpool City Council with a commission fee of 3 pence. We look to America and Ireland - to New York and Dublin - more than we look to London.". Liverpool became a wealthy and important city with the triangle trade, 5. Youve got it right, the Soviet Union. Canada did not have official independence from the United Kingdom until 1982 when the Canada Act was authorized by Elizabeth II. And that was pretty much what happened. By the early 1980s, Liverpool had sinked into unprecedented depths. In the 19th century West African seafarers also settled in the city near . 1.1 Liverpool started life as a Muddy Pool. Discover more with theseinteresting facts about the 1990s. Meanwhile, Margaret Thatchers Conservative government was deeply unpopular in Liverpool, with the Conservative share of votes consistently low in most local council and parliamentary elections throughout the 1980s. City stood by its people and started boycotting the Sun Friend, Before Go..... St Johns gardens used to be a ventilation chap and then revolving! The Cunard building for example, on the pier, Bella and Bertie are the biggest liver birds are Bella. Around 12,000 people 10 facts about liverpool in the 1980s so politicised - including young people - they much. 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Unemployment and economic hardship in this Read More, 10 Interesting facts about Mexican Immigration during the Scottish referendum ''...