The inspiring story of Liverpool's Rise to maritime glory, and of the lives and times of its seafarers across the centuries. What was "a life on the ocean wave" really like? Ken will tell you!
Liverpool, and what were to become Merseyside and Liverpool City Region, owe their existence, and their success and worldwide fame, to the rivers Mersey and Dee ~ and to the fact that these connect directly with Britain’s coastal waters; Ireland; the Atlantic Ocean; and from there to the lands and seas that cover the entire globe.
But the real founders and builders of Liverpool in particular, were the men, and eventually women too, who sailed on the rivers and the seas, first as fisherfolk and ferrymen, then as traders, merchants, explorers, and adventurers. The roles played by those who protected and defended Britain in times of peace and war are also part of this story.
Ken tells of the founding and growth of Liverpool’s unique and world-famous docks-system; the sordid yet exciting waterfront community known as ‘Sailor Town’; the legalised Liverpool pirates, the Privateers; The terrifying Press Gang; the growth of the shipping lines and international maritime trade; and Liverpool City Region’s new SuperPORT.
This very entertaining and enthralling talk also describes how the people of Liverpool and Merseyside are still ‘going down to the sea in ships’.