Victoria Street is a road in

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. Situated in the city centre, it runs between the

Queensway Tunnel The Queensway Tunnel ( signposted as the Birkenhead Tunnel or B'head Tunnel) is a road tunnel under the River Mersey, in the north west of England, between Liverpool and Birkenhead. Locally, it is often referred to as the "old tunnel", to disti ...

entrance to Cook Street.

History

Dating back to the 1860s, the street's offices and commercial buildings meant that it played a key part during the growth of Liverpool. During the 19th century, the street became home to fruit and produce dealers, warehouses, offices and banks, aided by its proximity to the

docks The word dock () in American English refers to one or a group of human-made structures that are involved in the handling of boats or ships (usually on or near a shore). In British English, the term is not used the same way as in American Engli ...

and

Liverpool Exchange railway station Liverpool Exchange railway station was a railway station located in the city centre of Liverpool, England. Of the four terminal stations in Liverpool's city centre, Exchange station was the only station not accessed via a tunnel. The station w ...

. At one point, three railway companies had depots on the street. The

Midland Railway The Midland Railway (MR) was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844 in rail transport, 1844. The Midland was one of the largest railway companies in Britain in the early 20th century, and the largest employer in Derby, where it had ...

built a depot on the corner where Victoria Street meets Crosshall Street in 1872. Designed by local architect Henry Sumners of Culshaw and Sumners, the building was later extended towards Peter Street in 1878. In the mid-1990s the building was converted into a convervation centre for National Museums Liverpool, known as the

National Conservation Centre The National Conservation Centre, formerly the Midland Railway Goods Warehouse, is located in Liverpool, Merseyside, England. It stands in a block surrounded by Victoria Street, Crosshall Street, Whitechapel, and Peter Street. After it closed ...

. The Fruit Exchange Building was built c.1888 in as a rail depot before being converted into a fruit exchange in 1923. During its heyday, hundreds of people would attend auctions to purchase fruit that had been shipped into Liverpool from around the world. Adjacent to it, the Produce Exchange Buildings was built in 1902 as a produce warehouse for the

Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway The Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway (L&YR) was a major History of rail transport in Great Britain, British railway company before the Railways Act 1921, 1923 Grouping. It was Incorporation (business)#Incorporation in the United Kingdom, incorpo ...

before being converted into offices. Liverpool's main post office opened on Victoria Street in 1899, having previously been in

Custom House A custom house or customs house was traditionally a building housing the offices for a jurisdictional government whose officials oversaw the functions associated with importing and exporting goods into and out of a country, such as collecting ...

at Canning Dock. The building was damaged during the May 1941 blitz and had the upper floors removed. The post office moved to another location during the 20th century and after being derelict for a while the building was converted into a shopping centre called the Metquarter. Renowned Liverpool nightclub, Eric's Club opened on Victoria Street in 1976 before later moving to

Mathew Street Mathew Street is a street in Liverpool, England, notable as the location of the new Cavern Club, the Beatles having played in the original club on numerous occasions in their early career. Mathew Street is visited by thousands of tourists a ye ...

. During its four-year lifespan it hosted local bands such as

Dead or Alive A wanted poster (or wanted sign) is a poster distributed to let the public know of a person whom authorities wish to apprehend. They generally include a picture of the person, either a photograph when one is available or of a facial composite ...

Echo & the Bunnymen Echo & the Bunnymen are an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1978. The original line-up consisted of vocalist Ian McCulloch (singer), Ian McCulloch, guitarist Will Sergeant and bassist Les Pattinson. By 1980, Pete de Freita ...

and

Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD) are an English electronic music, electronic band formed in Meols, Merseyside in 1978 by Andy McCluskey (vocals, bass guitar) and Paul Humphreys (keyboards, vocals). Regarded as pioneers of electronic musi ...

as well as international acts like U2,

Talking Heads Talking Heads were an American Rock music, rock band formed in New York City in 1975.Talking Heads

and

The Ramones The Ramones were an American punk rock band formed in the New York City neighborhood Forest Hills, Queens in 1974. Known for helping establish the punk movement in the United States and elsewhere, the Ramones are often recognized as one of t ...

Listed buildings

Victoria Street contains ten listed buildings. These include:

References

{{Roads in Liverpool Streets in Liverpool