Editing Toxteth

{{Short description|Area of Liverpool in Merseyside, England}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2019}}
{{Use British English|date=February 2025}}
{{Infobox UK place
| country                  = England
| coordinates              = {{coord|53.3894|-2.9713|display=inline,title}}
| official_name            = Toxteth
| population               =
| metropolitan_borough     = [[Liverpool]]
| metropolitan_county      = [[Merseyside]]
| region                   = North West England
| constituency_westminster = [[Liverpool Riverside (UK Parliament constituency)|Liverpool Riverside]]
| post_town                = LIVERPOOL
| postcode_district        = L8
| postcode_area            = L
| dial_code                = 0151
| os_grid_reference        = SJ355885
| static_image_name        = Benkid77 Toxteth sign 060809.JPG
| static_image_caption     = Toxteth sign on Croxteth Road near Sefton Park, Liverpool 
}}
'''Toxteth''' is an inner-city area of [[Liverpool]] in the county of [[Merseyside]].

Toxteth is located to the south of [[Liverpool city centre]], bordered by [[Aigburth]], [[Canning, Liverpool|Canning]], [[Dingle, Liverpool|Dingle]], and [[Edge Hill, Merseyside|Edge Hill]].

The area was originally part of a royal park and known as '''Toxteth Park'''. It remained predominantly rural up until the 18th century. Toxteth was then developed during this time and into the 19th century, mainly as a residential area to accommodate the increasing working-class community centred on Liverpool following the [[Industrial Revolution]]. The [[Welsh Streets, Liverpool|Welsh Streets]] in Toxteth were constructed in the mid-19th century to accommodate this demand. Immigration continued into the 20th century, resulting in a significant number of [[ethnic minority]] communities in the area.

Toxteth was badly hit by economic stagnation and unemployment in the late 1970s, culminating in [[1981 Toxteth riots|riots in July 1981]]. Although attempts have been made to regenerate the area and improve living standards, significant problems with unemployment and crime remain into the 21st century. Many Victorian properties in the area continue to lie derelict awaiting redevelopment.

==Description==
The district lies within the borders of the ancient township of Toxteth Park.<ref>{{cite book|title=The History of the Royal and Ancient Park of Toxteth|first=Robert|last=Griffiths|publisher=Liverpool Libraries & Information Service|year=2001|isbn=978-0902990173}}</ref> Industry and commerce are confined to the docks on its western border and a few streets running off Parliament Street. Toxteth is primarily residential, with a mixture of old [[terraced housing]], post-[[World War II]] [[social housing]] and a legacy of large [[Victorian architecture|Victorian houses]].

In the 18th and 19th centuries, as Liverpool expanded the ancient park of Toxteth was gradually urbanised. Large [[Georgian architecture|Georgian houses]] were built in the [[Canning, Liverpool|Canning area]], followed in the [[Victorian era]] by more grand houses, especially along the tree-lined Prince's Road/Avenue boulevard and around Prince's Park. The district quickly became home to the wealthy merchants of Liverpool, alongside a much larger poor population in modest Victorian terraces. Now, some of these streets of terraces are boarded up, awaiting demolition.

Two of the city's largest parks, [[Sefton Park]] and [[Princes Park, Liverpool|Princes Park]], are located in or around Toxteth. The earlier Princes Park was laid out by Richard Vaughan Yates around 1840, intending it to be used as open space, funded by the grand houses to be constructed around its edge,<ref>{{cite web |title=The grand dream and 200-year legacy of Liverpool's failed suburb |url=https://www.livpost.co.uk/p/liverpool-failed-suburb |website=www.livpost.co.uk}}</ref> as would later happen with Sefton Park. Sefton Park was created by the [[Corporation of Liverpool]] in 1872, inspired partly by [[Birkenhead Park]], across the [[River Mersey]]. Sefton Park has a large glass [[Palm House]],<ref>{{cite web | url=https://palmhouse.org.uk/history/ | title=History }}</ref> which contains a statue of [[William Rathbone V]] unveiled in 1887, and originally had many other features including an [[aviary]] and an open-air theatre.

==History==
===Toponymy===
There is some ambiguity as to the origin of the name. One theory is that the etymology is "Toki's landing-place". However, Toxteth is mentioned in the ''[[Domesday Book]]'' of 1086, and at this time, it appears as "Stochestede",<ref name="toxteth">{{citation|title='Townships: Toxteth Park', A History of the County of Lancashire: Volume 3 (1907), pp. 40-5|url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=41287|publisher=British History Online|access-date=29 October 2006}}</ref> ''i.e.'' "the stockaded or enclosed place", from the [[Anglo-Saxon]] ''stocc'' "stake" and Anglo-Saxon ''stede'' "place" (found in many English placenames, usually spelled ''stead'').

===The manor===
Before the time of the [[Norman conquest of England|Norman conquest]], Toxteth was divided into two [[Manor house|manor]]s of equal size. One was owned by Bernulf and the other by Stainulf. After the conquest, part was granted by Count [[Roger of Poitou]] to the ancestor of the [[Earl of Sefton]]. From this time to about 1604, the land formed part of [[West Derby]] forest. The boundaries of the manor are described in the perambulation of 1228 as follows, "'Where Oskell's brook falls into the Mersey; up this brook to Haghou meadow, from this to Brummesho, following the syke to Brumlausie, and across by the old turbaries upon two meres as far as Lombethorn; from this point going down to the 'waterfall' of the head of Otter pool, and down this pool into the Mersey."<ref name="toxteth" /> In 1327, Toxteth was granted to [[Henry, 3rd Earl of Lancaster|Henry, Earl of Lancaster]].

Over the years, various leases and grants were made and the park was owned by Adam, son of William de Liverpool, in 1338. In 1385, William de Liverpool had licence "to take two cartloads of [[gorse]] weekly from the park for 12d. a year rent." In 1383 a grant was made to William Bolton and Robert Baxter, in 1394 the lease was resigned and handed over to Richard de Molyneux. The park finally came into the hands of [[Thomas Stanley, 1st Earl of Derby|Sir Thomas Stanley]] in 1447. The parkland descended within the Stanley family until 1596, when it was sold by [[William Stanley, 6th Earl of Derby|William Stanley]], [[Earl of Derby]], to Edmund Smolte and Edward Aspinwall. In 1604, the Earl sold it to [[Richard Molyneux, 1st Viscount Molyneux|Richard Molyneux]] of Sefton<ref>{{cite news |title=The grand dream and 200-year legacy of Liverpool's failed suburb |url=https://www.livpost.co.uk/p/liverpool-failed-suburb?s=r |work=www.livpost.co.uk}}</ref> at a cost of £1,100. The estate descended from this time until 1972 with the death of [[Hugh Molyneux, 7th Earl of Sefton|the 7th Earl]].<ref name="toxteth" />

===Toxteth Park===
[[File:Toxteth Town Hall 2017-1.jpg|thumb|[[Toxteth Town Hall]]]]
The ancient township of Toxteth contains the village of ''Smeedon'' or ''Smithdown''. It stretches over an area of three miles along the [[River Mersey]] and two miles inland, the highest point being on the corner of Smithdown Lane and Lodge Lane. A brook ran from the northern end of the area, near the boundary of Parliament Street, where it was used to power a [[water wheel]] before it ran into the river. Along the river are two creeks; the one near the middle is known as Knot's Hole, and another further south, called Dickinson's Dingle, received a brook which ran past the east end of [[St Michael's Church, Aigburth]].<ref name="toxteth"/>

At some time in history the creeks were filled in. The [[Dingle, Liverpool|Dingle]] is now in the area where the old northern creek was situated, and [[St Michael's Hamlet]] is situated around the southern creek. Outside the southern boundary of the area lies the creek known as Otterspool, which formed the boundary between Wavertree and West Derby. The major road through the area was Park Lane, now Park Place and Park Road. The road ran from the Coffee House, which stood near Fairview Place, down towards the Dingle, and the "Ancient Chapel of Toxteth".<ref name="toxteth"/>

Toward the end of the 16th century, the royal park ceased to be and [[Puritan]] farmers from [[Bolton]] settled in the area. Setting up 25 farms on land outside [[Church of England]] control, which became Toxteth Village, these [[English Dissenters|Dissenters]] worshipped at the "Ancient Chapel" on Park Road, now known as the [[Toxteth Unitarian Chapel]] (not to be confused with [[Ullet Road Unitarian Church]], in Toxteth, south Liverpool). In 1611, they built a school at the Dingle, appointing [[Richard Mather]] as schoolmaster. Some years later, he began preaching to the local farmers in the chapel.<ref>{{citation|url=http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~mather/Mather/Liverpool/Liverpolitan1948.jpg|title=The Ancient Chapel of Toxteth|publisher=The Liverpolitan|date=August 1948|access-date=29 October 2006}}</ref> [[Toxteth Town Hall]], which as "Toxteth Park Public Offices" was the municipal centre of Toxteth Park, was completed in 1866.<ref>{{NHLE|desc= Public Offices (now Health and Social Security)|num=1075218|access-date=24 February 2022}}</ref>

In 1796, the [[Herculaneum Pottery]] was established on the site of an old copper works. The site later became [[Herculaneum Dock]], which was filled in during the 1980s.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Herculaneum_Dock,_Liverpool | title=Herculaneum Dock, Liverpool - Graces Guide }}</ref>

The Pavilion Theatre opened on Lodge Lane in 1908, and hosted a Beatles concert in 1962. It later became a bingo hall and then a supermarket.<ref>{{cite web |title=Historic theatre and bingo hall to become supermarket |url=https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/whats-on/food-drink-news/historic-theatre-bingo-hall-become-27474301 |website=Liverpool Echo |access-date=7 August 2023}}</ref>

===Smithdown===
Smithdown, referred to as ''Esmedune'' in the Domesday Book, and variously as ''Smededon'', ''Smeddon'', ''Smethesdune'', ''Smethedon'', ''Smethdon'', ''Smethden'',<ref name="toxteth" /> has been merged into Toxteth Park since the granting of the Liverpool Charter in 1207. The definite boundaries of Smithdown have never been fully recorded, but the name continued in use from 1207 until the 16th century, although it is thought to have reached from Lodge Lane to the eastern boundary of Toxteth Park. In 1066, Smithdown was held as a separate manor, by Ethelmund. During the reign of [[John of England|King John]] the Manor of Smithdown was taken from its owner, and the king gave him [[Thingwall]] instead.

===Second World War===
During the Second World War, the [[Free French]] [[13th Demi-Brigade of the Foreign Legion|13th Demi Brigade]] of the [[French Foreign Legion]] were stationed in Toxteth. On 30 August 1940, the Demi Brigade departed Liverpool for operations against [[Vichy France|Vichy forces]] that would include the abortive [[Battle of Dakar]] and the [[Battle of Gabon|storming of Libreville]].

==Places of worship==
[[File:WellingtonChapel.JPG|thumb|Wellington Road Chapel, in Toxteth, was closed in 1932 and has been left vacant ever since.]]
As the area began to develop and become more urbanised, several places of worship were built to serve the growing community. The first church was [[Church of St James, Liverpool|St James's]], in 1774. Other churches built during the 19th century include St Patrick's, 1827; St John the Baptist's, 1832; St Thomas's, 1840; St Barnabas's, 1841; St Clement's Windsor, 1841; St Matthew's, 1847; St Paul's, 1848; Holy Trinity, 1858; St Silas's, 1865; St Cleopas's, 1866; St Margaret's, 1869; Christ Church, 1870; St Philemon's, 1874; Our Lady of Mount Carmel, 1878; All Saints', 1884; St Gabriel's, 1884; St Agnes's, 1884; St Bede's, 1886; and St Andrew's, 1893;.<ref name="toxteth"/>

In addition, the following may be considered landmarks: the [[Welsh Presbyterian Church (Liverpool)|Welsh Presbyterian Church]], nicknamed ''"Toxteth Cathedral"'', 1868; the [[Ullet Road Unitarian Church]], 1899, "one of the most elaborate [[Nonconformist (Protestantism)|Non-conformist]] ensembles in the country";<ref>The church and the attached church hall have been separately designated by [[English Heritage]] as Grade&nbsp;I [[listed building]]s.{{National Heritage List for England |num= 1218227|desc= Unitarian Chapel, Liverpool|access-date= 16 March 2012}}</ref> the [[Church of St Agnes and St Pancras, Toxteth Park|Church of St. Agnes and St. Pancras]], also in Ullet Road; the [[Church of St Clare, Liverpool|Church of St Clare]] on the corner of Arundel Avenue and York Avenue, and the [[Princes Road Synagogue]], 1874, "impressively combining Gothic revival and Moorish revival architecture". The [[Al-Rahma Mosque]] on Hatherley Street opened in 2008.

==Politics==
Politically, Toxteth is within the [[parliamentary constituency]] of [[Liverpool Riverside (UK Parliament constituency)|Liverpool Riverside]]. In the [[2019 United Kingdom general election]], [[Kim Johnson (politician)|Kim Johnson]] of the [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]], was elected the [[Member of Parliament]]. The council [[Ward (country subdivision)|ward]] is [[Princes Park (Liverpool ward)|Princes Park]], and has three Labour councillors.

==Demographics==
After the end of [[World War II]], Toxteth became a popular destination for [[Commonwealth of Nations|Commonwealth]] immigrants who arrived in Liverpool from the [[West Indies]] and the [[Indian subcontinent]].

Immigration to Toxteth has taken place from the 19th century with the arrival of [[Demographics of Africa|African]] and [[Chinese people|Chinese]] sailors and thousands of [[Irish Catholics|Irish Catholic]] and [[Welsh people|Welsh]] migrants, to the present day, most recently from the [[Caribbean]], [[Yemen]] and [[Somalia]] with relatively few from the [[Indian sub-continent]]. The area has a very large community of mixed ethnicity as a result.

== Unrest and crime ==

The economic decline of Britain during the 1970s and early 1980s hit Toxteth and most of the rest of Liverpool particularly hard, leaving it with some of the highest unemployment rates in the country. Crime increased as a result. The standard of housing in both the public and private sector also declined, which would lead to eventual widespread demolition and refurbishment.

July 1981 [[1981 Toxteth riots|saw riots]] in which dozens of young males clashed with police, resulting in numerous injuries on both sides as well as extensive damage to properties and vehicles. Poverty, unemployment, racial tension, racism and hostility towards the police were largely blamed for the disturbances, which were among the worst scenes of unrest seen during peacetime in Britain. Hundreds of people were injured, one man was killed by a police [[Land Rover]], and numerous buildings and vehicles were damaged. This wave of rioting was perhaps the most prominent of a series of riots which other inner city areas during the spring and summer of 1981, with [[Brixton]] in [[London]] being the scene of another similarly violent riot.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/1419981.stm |publisher=BBC News |title=Toxteth riots remembered |date=4 July 2001}}</ref>

A second, less serious riot occurred in Toxteth on 1 October 1985. This was largely overshadowed by the riots which occurred that autumn in the [[Handsworth, West Midlands|Handsworth]] area of [[Birmingham]] and the [[Tottenham]] area of [[London]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/october/1/newsid_2486000/2486315.stm |publisher=BBC News |title=1985: Riots erupt in Toxteth and Peckham |date=1 October 1985}}</ref>

Vehicle crime has also blighted Toxteth since around 1980. A notable tragedy occurred on 30 October 1991, when two children (nine-year-old Daniel Davies and 12-year-old Adele Thompson) were fatally injured by a speeding sportscar driven by 18-year-old [[joyride (crime)|joyride]]r Christopher Lewin in Granby Street. Lewin was found guilty on a double [[manslaughter]] charge at Liverpool [[Crown Court]] on 24 September 1992 and sentenced to seven and a half years in prison, as well as being banned from driving for seven years. At the end of his trial, relatives and friends of the two victims pelted him with missiles and threatened to attack him. Five of them were ejected from the court.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/angry-scenes-as-joyrider-jailed-for-child-deaths-1553483.html |location=London |work=The Independent |title=Angry scenes as joyrider jailed for child deaths |date=25 September 1992}}</ref>

With Toxteth still fresh in the mind of British people a decade after the 1981 riots, it was reported in the international media during December 1991 that the area still suffered from many of the problems that were said to have triggered the original riots, and some local residents claimed that things had gone from bad to worse. Despite the efforts of community groups and other services to help train young people for jobs, youth unemployment in the area was reported to be above 50%.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-12-22-mn-1490-story.html|title=Decaying Liverpool No Better Off Than During '81 Riots : England: Spotlight shifts to disenchanted youths who joy ride in stolen cars.|first=Helen|last=Smith|date=22 December 1991|work=Los Angeles Times}}</ref>
In April 1994, ''[[The Independent]]'' newspaper highlighted that Toxteth was still one of the most deprived areas in Britain, with unemployment in some districts exceeding 40%, and theft, drug abuse and violent crime abundant.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/no-go-britain-where-what-why-1370749.html|title=No-Go Britain: Where, what, why|date=17 April 1994 |work=The Independent}}</ref>

A third wave of rioting broke out in Toxteth on the evening of 8 August 2011 at a time when [[2011 England riots|riots flared across England]]. This was again overshadowed by worse riots happening in Birmingham and London. Vehicles and [[wheelie bin]]s were set alight in the district, as well as in nearby [[Dingle, Liverpool|Dingle]] and [[Wavertree]], and a number of shops were looted. Two police officers suffered minor injuries as a result of the rioting. It was brought under control in the early hours of the following morning.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-14455814 |publisher=BBC News |title=Riots: Violence flares in Liverpool for up to five hours |date=9 August 2011}}</ref>
Individuals arrested and charged were from addresses all across the city, with Toxteth residents being a clear minority.
Just like in 1991, once again at a time when unemployment and social unrest were high as a result of a recession, various districts of [[London]] were even more affected by this wave of national rioting than [[Liverpool]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.merseyside.police.uk/index.aspx?articleid=10760|title=Update: Details of those charged in connection with the violent disorder|date=2 December 2011|work=Merseyside Police|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120404124323/http://www.merseyside.police.uk/index.aspx?articleid=10760|archive-date=4 April 2012}}</ref>

== Regeneration ==
[[File:Derelict homes, Toxteth.JPG|thumb|right|275px|Once elegant glazed yellow-brick derelict [[Terraced houses in the United Kingdom|terraced houses]] in tree-lined Ducie Street, Toxteth.]]

Much of the area continues to suffer from poverty and urban degradation. House prices reflect this; in summer 2003, the average property price was just [[Pound sterling|£]]45,929 (compared to the national average of £160,625).

Despite government-led efforts to regenerate Toxteth after the 1981 riots, few of the area's problems appeared to have improved by 1991, by which time [[joyride (crime)|joyriding]] had also become a serious problem; on 30 October that year, a 12-year-old was killed by a speeding stolen car on Granby Street, seriously injuring a nine-year-old who died in hospital from his injuries six days later.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-12-22-mn-1490-story.html | work=Los Angeles Times | first=Helen | last=Smith | title=Decaying Liverpool No Better Off Than During '81 Riots : England: Spotlight shifts to disenchanted youths who joy ride in stolen cars | date=22 December 1991|access-date=28 November 2015}}</ref>

By the time of the riot's 20th anniversary in July 2001, it was reported that many of the issues which contributed to the riots were still rife; not least unemployment and racial tension, as well as a decline in the sense of community in some neighbourhoods. Urban dereliction and gun crime remained a significant problem. However, there had already been some significant improvements by this stage, including the rebuilding of the Rialto complex (which was destroyed in the 1981 riot)<ref>{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/1416198.stm | work=BBC News | title=Toxteth's long road to recovery | date=5 July 2001|access-date=28 November 2015}}</ref> as a mix of retail, residential and commercial properties.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hlpdesign.com/projects/project_in_full.php?id=1131|title=Rialto|work=Halsall Lloyd Partnership|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120323042048/http://www.hlpdesign.com/projects/project_in_full.php?id=1131|archive-date=23 March 2012}}</ref>

Housing in Toxteth tends to be in [[Terraced houses in the United Kingdom|terraces]] but there is a growing number of flats available as larger [[Victorian architecture|Victorian properties]] are broken up into separate dwellings. This is particularly the case in Canning, and around Princes Park.

Extensive regeneration has taken place in Toxteth over the last few years, including demolition of many of the Victorian terraces in the area. This has created much new development but also scarred the area with cleared sites and derelict streets. There has been strong local opposition to demolition of the Granby Triangle and the [[Welsh Streets, Liverpool|Welsh Streets]], attracting extensive coverage in the national media and ultimately the [[Granby Four Streets]] were removed from the clearance plans. In 2015 a community regeneration initiative which involved a collaboration between a Community Land Trust, Steinbeck Studios and the artists collective [[Assemble (collective)|Assemble]] was nominated for the [[Turner Prize]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/residents-of-granby-four-streets-in-toxteth-celebrate-turner-prize-nomination-for-community-regeneration-project-10254083.html|title=Residents of Granby Four Streets in Toxteth celebrate Turner Prize nomination for community regeneration project|work=The Independent|first=Paul|last=Gallagher|date=24 September 2015|access-date=28 November 2015}}</ref>  The prize was awarded to Assemble in December 2015.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-35031707|title=Liverpool houses win Turner Prize|work=BBC News |date=7 December 2015}}</ref>

===Welsh Streets===
{{main|Welsh Streets, Liverpool}}
By 1850, over 20,000 Welsh builders worked in Liverpool who required housing and land in Toxteth was leased for housing development.<ref name="livecho_bbcdoc_may16">{{cite news |url=https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/history-toxteths-terraced-streets-focus-11378347 |title=History of Toxteth's terraced streets is the focus of new BBC documentary |work=Liverpool Echo |date=26 May 2016 |access-date=18 February 2018}}</ref> The Welsh Streets were designed by [[Richard Owens (architect)|Richard Owens]]<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://www.glyndwr.ac.uk/en/AboutGlyndwrUniversity/Newsandmediacentre/Newsarchive/PressReleases2015/welshstreetsgarethcarr/|title = Glyndŵr University academic backs bid to save Liverpool's historic Welsh Streets|date = 29 June 2015|work=Glyndŵr University|access-date = 28 November 2015}}</ref> and built by David Roberts, Son and Co.<ref name="liv-welsh">{{Cite web|url = http://www.liverpool-welsh.co.uk/archive/The%20Welsh%20Builders.pdf|title = The Welsh Builder in Liverpool|first=Dr. Gareth|last=Carr|work=Liverpool Welsh|access-date=28 November 2015}}</ref> Through this collaboration, Owens designed over 10,000 terraced houses in the city of Liverpool, particularly those in the surrounding Toxteth area where the Welsh Streets are located.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ymliverpool.com/welsh-connection-liverpool/31513|title=The Welsh Connection: How Wales has helped shape Liverpool|first=Christine|last=Toner|publisher=YM Liverpool|date=23 February 2018}}</ref> The streets were named after Welsh towns, valleys and villages and were built for Welsh migrants, by Welsh builders. Musician [[Ringo Starr]] was born in 9 Madryn Street, where he lived until the age of 4 before moving to [[10 Admiral Grove]].<ref name="ringostarrhome_reconstruction">{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1498706/Ringo-Starrs-old-house-to-be-taken-down-and-stored-as-11-streets-are-demolished.html |title=Ringo Starr's old house to be taken down and stored as 11 streets are demolished |publisher=The Telegraph |first=Charles|last=Clover |date=19 September 2005 |access-date=1 December 2018}}</ref>

Council survey data published in 2005 showed the Welsh Streets were broadly popular with residents and in better than average condition, but were condemned for demolition because of a perceived 'over-supply' of 'obsolete' terraced houses in Liverpool. The proposals have divided the local community.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/4563957.stm |title=City's Welsh streets face threat|publisher=BBC News|date=20 May 2005|access-date=2 February 2009|first=Clare|last=Gabriel}}</ref> Following unsuccessful demolition plans in 2013, Voelas Street was the first in 2017 to be fully refurbished and offered for rent to tenants. Popularity of the scheme would determine whether further regeneration of the other streets would be undertaken, with later refurbishment work undertaken on Rhiwlas Street, Powis Street, Madryn Street, and Kinmel Street.

==Parks==
[[File:Seftonparklake.JPG|thumb|right|275px|Sefton Park]]

Toxteth has two parks within its borders:
* [[Sefton Park]], one of the last remnants of the royal hunting park. The park was designed by French [[landscape architect]] [[Édouard André]].
* [[Princes Park, Liverpool|Princes Park]], first major park created by [[Joseph Paxton]].

==Landmarks==
*[[Al-Rahma Mosque, Liverpool|Al Rahma Mosque]]
*[[The Belvedere Academy|Belvedere Academy]]
*[[Church of St. Agnes and St. Pancras, Toxteth Park]] also in Ullet Road
*[[Church of St Clare, Liverpool|Church of St Clare]] on the corner of Arundel Avenue and York Avenue
*[[Church of St James, Liverpool]]
*[[Florence Institute]] 
*[[High Park Reservoir]]
*[[Princes Road Synagogue]]
*[[Toxteth Unitarian Chapel]]
*[[Welsh Streets, Liverpool|Welsh Streets]]

===Demolished/former landmarks===
* [[Royal Park Hotel, Toxteth|Royal Park Hotel]]

==Transport==
===Rail===
The local railway station is [[Brunswick railway station|Brunswick]], located on Sefton Street in the south-western extremity of the district. The station is on the [[Northern Line (Merseyrail)|Northern Line]] of the [[Merseyrail]] network with trains departing to [[Southport]] via Liverpool city centre and to [[Hunts Cross]].

[[Saint James railway station, Liverpool|St. James Station]] is a disused railway station in Toxteth. It was located at the corner of St. James Place and Parliament Street, on the Merseyrail [[Northern Line (Merseyrail)|Northern Line]]. This station is in a deep cutting, cut into the [[Northern Line (Merseyrail)|Northern Line]] tunnel, being in effect an underground station with no roof. It was closed in 1917 as being too near to the terminus at [[Liverpool Central High Level railway station]]. [[Liverpool City Region Combined Authority]] announced in August 2019 that they were planning to use part of a £172m funding package to reopen the station, subject to the plans being approved.<ref name="Echo Aug 19 Reopening">{{cite news |last1=Tyrrell |first1=Nick |title=Merseyside set to get two new train stations and replacement ferries |url=https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/merseyside-set-two-new-train-16838844 |access-date=31 August 2019 |work=Liverpool Echo |date=30 August 2019}}</ref> The station is well located to serve the [[Liverpool Echo Arena]] at [[King's Dock, Port of Liverpool|King's Dock]] and [[Liverpool Cathedral]].

[[Sefton Park railway station]], another disused station, was located at Smithdown Road and Garmoyle Road in nearby Wavertree. The station was closed to passengers in 1960.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/s/sefton_park/|title=Disused Stations: Sefton Park Station|website=www.disused-stations.org.uk}}</ref> The station is on the West Coast Main Line Spur with [[Merseyrail]] trains running through from [[Liverpool South Parkway]] and [[Liverpool Lime Street railway station|Lime Street]] stations.

===Buses===
Toxteth is well served with bus routes.

==Notable residents==
[[File:Catherine Walters00.jpg|thumb|150px|[[Catherine Walters]]]]
[[File:JeremiahHorrocks.jpg|thumb|150px|[[Jeremiah Horrocks]] makes the first observations of the transit of Venus in 1639.]]
[[File:George Melly 1978.jpg|thumb|150px|right|[[George Melly]], 1978]]
[[File:Billy Fury 8 Allan Warren.jpg|thumb|150px|[[Billy Fury]], 1968]]
=== Public service ===
*[[Robert Morris (financier)]] (1734–1806), signatory to the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution.
*[[James Yates (minister)|James Yates]] (1789–1871), Unitarian minister, scholar and antiquary.
*[[William Connolly (VC)]] (ca.1816–1891), recipient of the [[Victoria Cross]]
*[[Catherine Walters]] (1839–1920), [[courtesan]], known as ''"Skittles"''
*[[Herbert Samuel, 1st Viscount Samuel]] GCB, OM, GBE, PC (1870–1963), politician
*[[James Larkin]] (1874–1947), trade union leader and activist
*[[Delia Larkin]] (1878–1949), a trade union organiser, journalist and actress
*[[Brunel Cohen|Major Sir Brunel Cohen]] KBE (1886–1965), MP for Liverpool [[Liverpool Fairfield (UK Parliament constituency)|Fairfield]], 1918 to 1931.
*[[Ronald Stuart]] VC, DSO, RD, RNR (1886–1954), recipient of the [[Victoria Cross]]
*[[Stanley Boughey]] VC (1896–1917), recipient of the [[Victoria Cross]]
*[[Margaret Simey]] (1906–2004), political and social campaigner
*[[Reginald Bevins]] (1908–1996), Member of Parliament for [[Liverpool Toxteth (UK Parliament constituency)|Liverpool Toxteth]], 1950–1964.
*[[Alan Reid (journalist)|Alan Reid]] (1914–1987), Australian journalist.<ref>{{cite AuDB |first=Stephen|last=Holt|title=Alan Douglas Reid|volume=18|year=2012|id2=reid-alan-douglas-14435|access-date=15 July 2018}}</ref>
*[[Lilian Bader]] (1918–2015) one of the first Black women to join the British armed forces.
*Rahima Farah Labour councillor 2023

=== Science & business ===
*[[Jeremiah Horrocks]] (1618–1641), astronomer.<ref>{{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Horrocks, Jeremiah | volume= 13 |last1= Clerke |first1= Agnes Mary |author1-link= Agnes Mary Clerke | pages = 711&ndash;712 |short=1}}</ref>
*[[George William Christian]] (1872–1924), a ''[[Black British people|Black British]]'' merchant in colonial West Africa 
*[[William John Dakin]] (1883–1950), zoologist
*[[Brian Day]] FRCS (born 1947) orthopedic surgeon and health researcher in Canada

=== The Arts ===
*[[Hetty Spiers]] (1881–1973), screenwriter and author
*[[Tommy Handley]] (1892–1949), comedian and broadcaster
*[[Arthur Askey]] CBE (1900–1982), comedian and actor
*[[Yankel Feather]] (1920–2009), an expressionist painter.
*[[Ken Hughes]] (1922–2001), co-writer and director of ''[[Chitty Chitty Bang Bang]]''
*[[Jean Alexander]] (1926–2016), TV actress
*[[George Melly]] (1926–2007), jazz and blues singer, critic and writer
*[[Eddie Braben]] (1930–2013), comedy writer and performer
*[[Billy Fury]] (1940–1983), [[rock and roll]] singer
*[[Ringo Starr]] (born 1940), musician and [[The Beatles|Beatle]]
*[[Gerry Marsden]] MBE (1942–2021), musician.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/liverpool-pop-legend-gerry-marsden-7758447|title=Liverpool pop legend Gerry Marsden 'on the mend' after illness|first=Mark|last=Johnson|date=11 September 2014}}</ref>
*[[Willy Russell]] (born 1946), writer and playwright
*[[Paul Barber (actor)|Paul Barber]] (born 1951), actor
*[[Alex Cox]] (born 1954),  film director, screenwriter, actor and non-fiction author.
*[[Fred Lawless]], writer and playwright
*[[Holly Johnson]] (born 1960), artist, musician and writer.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cheshirelife.co.uk/people/celebrity-interviews/celebrity_interview_holly_johnson_1_3826138|title=Celebrity Interview - Holly Johnson|work=Cheshire Life|first=Howard|last=Bradbury|date=30 October 2014|access-date=28 November 2015}}</ref>
*[[Tina Malone]] (born 1963), actress
*[[Mark Moraghan]] (born 1963), actor and singer.
*[[Niall Griffiths]] (born 1966), author of novels and short stories, set predominantly in Wales
*[[Alicya Eyo]] (born 1975), actress
*[[Leon Lopez]] (born 1979), Director, Actor, Singer, Producer

=== Sport ===
[[File:Fowler, Robbie.jpg|thumb|150px|[[Robbie Fowler]], 2011]]
*[[Charles Eyre (cricketer)|Charles Eyre]] (1883–1915), first-class cricketer and WWI Army officer.
*[[Allan Ivo Steel]] (1892–1917), cricketer, played two 1st class matched for the [[Marylebone Cricket Club|MCC]] in 1912
*[[Ian Callaghan]] MBE (born 1942), footballer, played 762 games and 4 for [[England national football team|England]]
*[[Howard Gayle]] (born 1958), football player with 247 club caps
*[[Robbie Fowler]] (born 1975), footballer with 460 club caps and 26 for [[England national football team|England]]
*[[Lee Peltier]] (born 1985), footballer with over 475 games
*[[Victor Anichebe]] (born 1988), footballer with 215 club caps and 11 for [[Nigeria national football team|Nigeria]]
*[[Nikita Parris]] (born 1994), footballer with over 200 games and 71 for [[England women's national football team|England women]]
*[[Curtis Jones (footballer)|Curtis Jones]] (born 2001), footballer with 49 club caps so far
==Other==
*[[William Stuart-Houston]] (1911–1987), half-nephew of [[Adolf Hitler]]
*[[Michael Showers]] (born 1945), gangster
*[[Akinwale Arobieke]] (born 1961), body-builder and muscle-feeler
*[[Curtis Warren (criminal)|Curtis Warren]] (born 1963), criminal

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==Bibliography==
*''Liverpool District Placenames'', Henry Harrison 1898
*''Liverpool 8'', John Cornelius 2001

==External links==
{{Commons category|Toxteth}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090210115704/http://liverpoolstreetgallery.com/thumbnails.php?album=11 Liverpool Street Gallery - Liverpool 8]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120730175223/http://www.transit-of-venus.org.uk/history.htm Jeremiah Horrocks and the Transit of Venus]
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/1419981.stm A series of accounts of the Toxteth riots]
* [http://www.seftonparkliverpool.info/History.htm History of the Sefton Park]

{{Liverpool}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Toxteth| ]]
[[Category:Areas of Liverpool]]