EUROPE INSIGHT
Transforming Liverpool’ s Waterfront
Andrew Davies University of Liverpool
Nick White Liverpool John Moores University 1
Liverpool’ s waterfront1 is currently undergoing major change as part of the Waterfront Transformation Project, a multi-million pound process coordinated by National Museums Liverpool with multiple funding bodies and significant community involvement. 2 This project seeks to reimagine the city’ s historic docks and port in the context of the legacies of colonialism which have shaped the city. The intention is partially to renovate some of the historic maritime architecture / facilities in Liverpool’ s city centre, but largely serves to better incorporate some of the histories and legacies of the docks into the visitor experience. This includes wider recognition of the historic diversity of Liverpool’ s population, including those communities who have been traditionally marginalised or excluded from official commemorations or museum displays. In addition, the reimagination project is about recognising the docks / waterfront as a space which connected Liverpool to other parts of the world – particularly West Africa, the Caribbean and the Americas during the Transatlantic Slave Trade.
Whilst Liverpool’ s interconnected dock system stretched for miles along the Mersey estuary, the Waterfront Transformation Project seeks to make significant alterations to a small but significant set of buildings and structures which are in the heart of the city and are a major set of tourist attractions. Since the 1990s, the tourist sector has been a major part of Liverpool’ s economy and‘ The Docks’ as they are commonly called, are the site of museums( Tate Liverpool, the Maritime Museum, the International Slavery Museum and
1 Both Andy and Nick are the Co-Directors of the Centre for Port and Maritime History( CPMH), a collaborative academic initiative between the University of Liverpool, Liverpool John Moores University and National Museums Liverpool. CPMH runs regular seminars and events related to maritime history in and around Liverpool, and members have been involved in various aspects of the consultation process for the Waterfront Transformation Project.
2 https:// www. liverpoolmuseums. org. uk / waterfront-transformation-project
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Observing Memories ISSUE 9