At Liverpool Town Hall we were transported back in time to the 17^th Century. In 1669 the townspeople of Liverpool used their shared spaces and common land to help them survive. The Civil War, Black Death and Great Fire of London had all hit the country hard and Liverpool was a small township with a population of under a thousand. People in Liverpool had little to live on and owned even less, typically one set of clothes, a plate, a mug and a knife. The common on the other side of the tidal pool was the one thing that the townspeople felt belonged to them and they shared it so that everyone could survive in their own way.

Common land is land owned by one person over which other people are entitled to exercise rights of common. In 17^th Century Liverpool this meant grazing animals, cutting foliage for livestock bedding and growing food.

When Lord Molyneux began building his Bridge across the pool and denying the population these common rights the people were furious and rebelled. Edward Marsh and James Whitfield were hired by the Mayor on the people's behalf to knock Molyneux's bridge down but what would our options be today?

'pool wants to know more about shared spaces in Liverpool.
Can common land still exist?
Tell us about your local shared spaces and how you use them.

Go to the forum or email info@poolproject.co.uk


Relevant links

DEFRA : Definitions of common land

Liverpool Map - Past & Present