The L8 Activism Walking Tour invites you to take a stroll down the beautiful, tree-lined Victorian boulevard and explore the rich history of Liverpool 8 — the traditional home of the Black community since the mid-20th century. This tour traces the area’s development from its origins as a merchant-class neighbourhood in the mid-to-late 19th century, when Liverpool was considered the second city of the British Empire — its prominence largely built on the Transatlantic Slave Trade — through a period of economic decline, and finally to its resurgence as one of the most desirable places to live in 2025.
As the tour progresses, we cover the vibrant nightlife and culture of the 1950s and 60s and the Black and anti-racist activism that developed throughout the 1970s and early 1980s and which responded to local and international issues. We consider the discrimination faced by Liverpool’s Black community, which Lord Gifford in his enquiry into the causes of the 1981 uprisings, described as ‘uniquely horrific’ which brought worldwide media attention to the area. At the Rialto which, during the uprisings, was set ablaze, we view the area where battle lines were drawn and consider why certain buildings were targeted.
The L8 Activism Walking Tour culminates on the former site of the Liverpool 8 Law Center, an organisation which arose out of the ‘81 Uprisings and which played a key role in the support and empowerment of L8 and the Black communities and then onto empty plinth where William Huskinson once stood. Join us to find out what happened to him and much more history that you won’t find in books.
Starting point: Princes Park North Gates, L8 3TA End point: Former site of Huskinson statue, Princes Road, L8 1TH
*These are difficult times. We know some people may struggle to afford full price tickets. If you would like to attend this event but can’t afford to, please contact info@writingonthewall.org.uk. All queries will be treated in confidence.
The Liverpool & Slavery Walking Tour was developed and inspired by our Dorothy Kuya Archive Project, in collaboration with National Museums Liverpool. During the project our team revealed the extent of Dorothy’s involvement in the establishment of the Atlantic Slave Trade Gallery, Slavery Remembrance Day and the International Slavery Museum. Along with Liverpool activist and historian Eric Scott Lynch (1932-2022), Dorothy delivered slavery walking tours in collaboration with NML in the mid 1990s. It is local Black activists like Dorothy and Eric that have played an integral role in how Liverpool remembers and commemorates its heavy involvement in the Transatlantic Slave Trade.
On this tour we explore the many sites and streets with direct links to the Transatlantic Slave Trade in Liverpool city centre. We discuss the depth of the city’s connections to the trade of enslaved Africans and the goods they produced long after its abolition in Britain. This tour also considers the legacies of the Atlantic Slave Trade, the origins of anti-Black racism and white supremacy, which in the 18th and 19th centuries were seen as justifications for horrific oppression and continue to encourage racial hatred violence in the present day.
Starting at The Pump House, Albert Dock, Liverpool L3 4AN, the tour will then cover the L1 and L2 districts, ending at Liverpool Town Hall. Starting point: The Pump House, Albert Dock, Liverpool L3 4AN End point: Liverpool Town Hall, High St, Liverpool, L2 3SW
*These are difficult times. We know some people may struggle to afford full price tickets. If you would like to attend this event but can’t afford to, please contact info@writingonthewall.org.uk. All queries will be treated in confidence
The Great War to Race Riots tour explores anti-Black race riots that occurred in Liverpool and other seaports across the country in 1919.
This tour covers the area now known as Chinatown and the Baltic Triangle, which at the beginning of the 20th century was a densely populated and multicultural neighbourhood known locally as ‘sailor town.’ The tour follows the last journey of Charles Wotton, a young Bermudan seafarer who was murdered during the race riots. It finishes at the Queens Dock where Charles was chased into the River Mersey.
During the tour we present press reports from the run up and aftermath of the riots which, although over 100 years old, echo the fear-mongering of today. The tensions around the immediate post WWI economic slump, industrial unrest and mass demobilisation were manipulated so that Black people become the scapegoat, culminating in the racial violence on the streets of Liverpool. In August of this year, history was repeated when race rioting broke out, fuelled by the ‘divide and rule’ tactics of the politicians and the mainstream media. The events of 1919 contain important lessons for today.
The Great War to Race Riots book is available here, containing the full archive and original documents surrounding the 1919 riots. Starting point: Chinese Arch, Nelson Street, L1 5DW End point: Queens Dock, L3 4BX *These are difficult times. We know some people may struggle to afford full price tickets. If you would like to attend this event but can’t afford to, please contact info@writingonthewall.org.uk. All queries will be treated in confidence.
The Dorothy Kuya Walking Tour explores the impact of Dorothy Kuya’s anti-racist activism in modern Britain as we explore the Liverpool and the L8 area.
Dorothy Kuya (1933-2013) was one of Liverpool most prolific anti racist campaigners whose activism spanned seven decades. Born in Liverpool to a West African father and white English mother, Dorothy was aware of racial discrimination from a young age. At 13 she began attending Young Communist League meetings and would stay a dedicated and respected member of the CPGB until the 1980s. Inspired by the anticolonial sentiment of her youth and the pan-African radicals living in the North West, Dorothy would also go on to become an important member of the Movement for Colonial Freedom (now Liberation) and the National Assembly of Women. Dorothy had a local, national and international profile. As the first Race Relations advisor for Haringey Council, working closely with former MP Bernie Grant and former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn. In Liverpool, Dorothy was a formidable member of the Granby Residents Association and integral to the development of the Atlantic Slave Trade gallery, the International Slavery Museum and Slavery Remembrance Day.
Learn more about the Dorothy Kuya Archive here and you can visit the archive at the International Slavery Museum in Liverpool.
Starting point: Corner of Falkner and Catherine Street, L8 7NE
End point: Jermyn Street, L8 2XA
The Great War to Race Riots tour explores anti-Black race riots that occurred in Liverpool and other seaports across the country in 1919.
This tour covers the area now known as Chinatown and the Baltic Triangle, which at the beginning of the 20th century was a densely populated and multicultural neighbourhood known locally as ‘sailor town.’ The tour follows the last journey of Charles Wotton, a young Bermudan seafarer who was murdered during the race riots. It finishes at the Queens Dock where Charles was chased into the River Mersey.
During the tour we present press reports from the run up and aftermath of the riots which, although over 100 years old, echo the fear-mongering of today. The tensions around the immediate post WWI economic slump, industrial unrest and mass demobilisation were manipulated so that Black people become the scapegoat, culminating in the racial violence on the streets of Liverpool. In August of this year, history was repeated when race rioting broke out, fuelled by the ‘divide and rule’ tactics of the politicians and the mainstream media. The events of 1919 contain important lessons for today.
The Great War to Race Riots book is available here, containing the full archive and original documents surrounding the 1919 riots.
Starting point: Chinese Arch, Nelson Street, L1 5DW
End point: Queens Dock, L3 4BX
*These are difficult times. We know some people may struggle to afford full price tickets. If you would like to attend this event but can’t afford to, please contact info@writingonthewall.org.uk. All queries will be treated in confidence.
The Liverpool & Slavery Walking Tour was developed and inspired by our Dorothy Kuya Archive Project, in collaboration with National Museums Liverpool. During the project our team revealed the extent of Dorothy’s involvement in the establishment of the Atlantic Slave Trade Gallery, Slavery Remembrance Day and the International Slavery Museum. Along with Liverpool activist and historian Eric Scott Lynch (1932-2022), Dorothy delivered slavery walking tours in collaboration with NML in the mid 1990s. It is local Black activists like Dorothy and Eric that have played an integral role in how Liverpool remembers and commemorates its heavy involvement in the Transatlantic Slave Trade.
On this tour we explore the many sites and streets with direct links to the Transatlantic Slave Trade in Liverpool city centre. We discuss the depth of the city’s connections to the trade of enslaved Africans and the goods they produced long after its abolition in Britain. This tour also considers the legacies of the Atlantic Slave Trade, the origins of anti-Black racism and white supremacy, which in the 18th and 19th centuries were seen as justifications for horrific oppression and continue to encourage racial hatred violence in the present day.
Starting at The Pump House, Albert Dock, Liverpool L3 4AN, the tour will then cover the L1 and L2 districts, ending at Liverpool Town Hall.
Starting point: The Pump House, Albert Dock, Liverpool L3 4AN
End point: Liverpool Town Hall, High St, Liverpool, L2 3SW
Testimonials
“Found the walk very interesting and enjoyable.”
“Wonderful event! Please have a lot more of these through the year, if possible.”
“Fascinating walk and talk. Thank you!”
“Really interesting topics, anecdotal stories really brought me into the life.”
*These are difficult times. We know some people may struggle to afford full price tickets. If you would like to attend this event but can’t afford to, please contact info@writingonthewall.org.uk. All queries will be treated in confidence.
The L8 Activism Walking Tour invites you to take a stroll down the beautiful, tree-lined Victorian boulevard and explore the rich history of Liverpool 8 — the traditional home of the Black community since the mid-20th century. This tour traces the area’s development from its origins as a merchant-class neighbourhood in the mid-to-late 19th century, when Liverpool was considered the second city of the British Empire — its prominence largely built on the Transatlantic Slave Trade — through a period of economic decline, and finally to its resurgence as one of the most desirable places to live in 2025.
As the tour progresses, we cover the vibrant nightlife and culture of the 1950s and 60s and the Black and anti-racist activism that developed throughout the 1970s and early 1980s and which responded to local and international issues. We consider the discrimination faced by Liverpool’s Black community, which Lord Gifford in his enquiry into the causes of the 1981 uprisings, described as ‘uniquely horrific’ which brought worldwide media attention to the area. At the Rialto which, during the uprisings, was set ablaze, we view the area where battle lines were drawn and consider why certain buildings were targeted.
The L8 Activism Walking Tour culminates on the former site of the Liverpool 8 Law Center, an organisation which arose out of the ‘81 Uprisings and which played a key role in the support and empowerment of L8 and the Black communities and then onto empty plinth where William Huskinson once stood. Join us to find out what happened to him and much more history that you won’t find in books.
Starting point: Princes Park North Gates, L8 3TA
End point: Former site of Huskinson statue, Princes Road, L8 1TH
*These are difficult times. We know some people may struggle to afford full price tickets. If you would like to attend this event but can’t afford to, please contact info@writingonthewall.org.uk. All queries will be treated in confidence.
Since 2009, the Bluecoat has celebrated the life and work of Malcolm Lowry (1909-57), the Wirral-born author of the classic modernist novel Under the Volcano, through exhibitions, performances, commissions, publications, walks, talks and other activities.
This year’s annual celebration on will focus on the Lowry’s early years. A presentation at the Bluecoat by Helen Tookey and Bryan Biggs will include rarely seen photographs from Lowry’s childhood home in Caldy and summer holidays. This is followed by a coach and walking tour of the Wirral. We will visit Caldy, West Kirby and his birthplace, New Brighton where a blue plaque on the promenade commemorates the writer. The afternoon will also take in other Lowry haunts and places that appear in his acclaimed novel Under the Volcano (1947) and other writing.
Please Note:Lunch is not provided but there will be opportunities to eat on the way, so please bring a picnic. There will be some walking including on a beach, so please wear sensible footwear and sustainable rainproof clothing. If you have any accessibility concerns, please email us.
£8 (booking required)
Liverpool John Moores University is leading an exciting new partnership with Malaysian-based music promotor Black Label Productions. Dr Nedim Hassan has developed this collaboration through his industry collective Metal in Merseyside. On 3rd and 4th October Black Label Productions will be bringing extreme metal band Black Fire to play in Liverpool as the first stop in their UK tour. The tour is supported by the Malaysian government with the backing of LJMU which also chairs the UK Malaysia University Consortium. An academic symposium will be hosted at LJMU on the Friday, exploring the impact of metal music bringing together metal music industry practitioners and academics. On Saturday 4th an evening showcasing some of the rising stars of heavy rock and metal music will take place at Liverpool city centre venue EBGBS on Seel Street. Free tickets are available at ticket website
Brian Bilston is one of the UK’s most popular poets. Having started out by sharing his poems online, Brian now has over half a million followers on social media and a raft of bestselling books.
The Catenary Wires are a group comprising Amelia Fletcher, Rob Pursey and Ian Button. Their critically acclaimed third album Birling Gap was released in 2021.
A couple of years ago, word reached Rob and Amelia that Brian was a big fan of their music. Given that they, in turn, were fans of Brian’s poetry, introductions were made, friendships were formed, and Sounds Made By Humans took shape.
The album isn’t a set of readings with musical backdrops: it’s a collection of songs, where words and music have become completely intertwined. There are verses, and there are choruses. There is no ‘riffing’, no improvisation. In many ways, Brian’s poems are already like pop songs: brief, direct, and witty; sometimes poignant or political; but always economical and accessible.
