Liverpool Interest

A History of Liverpool’s Courtyard Housing with Elizabeth Stewart

Elizabeth Stewart discusses her recent book -Courts and Alleys: A history of Liverpool courtyard housing.  I’m fascinated by court housing! Courts are a form of high density, poor quality housing which was home to many thousands of Liverpool people from the 18th to 20th centuries, and are the subject of my new book. As Liverpool grew in the 18th and 19th century, spurred by trade through its docks, new homes were constructed at a rapid rate, including thousands of small back-to-back houses off courtyards - court housing. I’ve spent many years researching court housing since my work developing the reconstructed court at the Museum of Liverpool.