Life is returning to the Welsh streets of Liverpool which lay derelict for a decade

The Welsh Streets are a group of late 19^th century Victorian terraced houses in Liverpool. The houses were built by Welsh workers to house migrants from Wales seeking work on Liverpool’s docks; the streets were name after the Welsh villages and landmarks.

Until recently, these streets were not places where you’d want to live or visit, hundreds of these homes lay derelict for over a decade during a long political row about whether they should be demolished.

They stood as a testament to missed opportunities, urban decline and planning policies which left residents frustrated and the area scarred by too many broken promises. The houses were condemned for demolition because of a perceived over-supply of these types of houses, however demolition plans fell through and instead the area has undergone refurbishment, so gradually the terraced houses are being brought back to life.

Resident Amanda, 55, first moved into her home on the Welsh Streets in 2017 when the redevelopment was still in its early stages and she only had three neighbours. She told the Wales Echo: “When we moved in the back of us was Voelas Street – those houses were literally just being started. They did one street at a time. Voelas was the first street and then they moved outwards. They’ve gone from houses to homes – we watched that change over a six month period.”

One element of the regeneration which has been key to its success are the communal gardens which run between the houses. Amanda believes the communal gardens have helped to harness a sense of community spirit on the Welsh Streets which is reminiscent of what you would find in the 1960s.

As the birthplace of Beatles drummer Ringo Starr, tourists regularly visit the Welsh Streets to see his childhood home on Admiral Grove. The historic streets were also used as the backdrop for the filming of Peaky Blinders , with producers using Kinmel Street and Powis Street to recreate Birmingham in the 1920s.

Fraser and Fraser are committed to bringing empty properties back into use, we offer a variety of services including tracing missing homeowners with no charges to the council. For more information on how we can support please email us at info@fraserandfraser.co.uk or call 020 7832 1400.