![\"Jimmy](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/0_JS124601568.jpg\")
<\/p>\nFrom Liverpool’s overhead railway to Christmas grottos – ECHO readers share what they miss most about the city<\/p>\n
Jimmy Tierney and Peter Tierney outside Quiggins in September 2002<\/p>\n
Liverpool is a city celebrated for its rich history, culture, heritage, and undeniable beauty from its remarkable architecture, including the Three Graces along the Pier Head and The Bluecoat on School Lane, to its much-loved nightclubs and popular businesses.<\/p>\n
While much of Liverpool’s heritage has fortunately been preserved over the decades, the city has inevitably undergone significant change. Although there have been great additions, many places and activities once enjoyed by locals are now gone.<\/p>\n
Some of these are only remembered by older generations, while others offer a fascinating glimpse into the city’s past. We have compiled a list of eight things that Scousers miss doing in Liverpool.<\/p>\n
The <\/strong>original Quiggins<\/strong><\/p>\n Quiggins on School Lane<\/p>\n For almost two decades, Quiggins on School Lane was home to dozens of shops that gave a real alternative in the heart of the city.<\/p>\n The centre had to close to make way for part of the Liverpool ONE<\/a> development, despite a 100,000-signature petition to save it.<\/p>\n Quiggins moved to School Lane in 1988. The four-storey building became home to outlets selling goods from retro clothing to skateboards, surf paraphernalia and jewellery.<\/p>\n Paul Bruffell sad: \u201cQuiggins. The original one where Liverpool One is now.\u201d<\/p>\n Sandra Dibbert said: \u201cThis was my favourite haunt. Loved it. It smelled like nowhere else. Also Probe. When I was a child, I loved Blacklers, George Henry Lee’s, and T.J. ‘s at Christmas.<\/p>\n Jane Carey added: \u201cQuiggins! That place was the best.\u201d<\/p>\n Liverpool\u2019s Overhead Railway<\/strong><\/p>\n The Liverpool Overhead Railway was the first elevated electric railway in the world<\/p>\n Once a key part of Liverpool’s transport system, the Liverpool Overhead Railway was built in 1893 <\/a>as a response to congestion and increasing traffic on the roads around Liverpool’s giant dock.<\/p>\n The first elevated electric railway in the world, it was a landmark across the city, seeing hundreds of commuters use the service every day. It ran close to the city’s docks, providing cover to those walking underneath it, which is what led to its nickname of the Docker’s Umbrella.<\/a><\/p>\n It closed on December 30, 1956. Despite hopes that another operator could be found and that the line could be reopened, demolition of the track began in 1957.<\/p>\n Jilly Cross Ards said: \u201cOverhead railway, that would be a bonus now.\u201d<\/p>\n Yvonne Shepherd said: \u201cMy dad travelled on it daily to work in the early 1950s when he was an apprentice engineer. He said it was brilliant, but unfortunately, it wasn\u2019t invested in.\u201d<\/p>\n Shirley Dennis added: \u201cMum had a school trip on it aged seven, she’d be 89 this year, so 82 years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n Cheap drinks at Slater’s Bar<\/strong><\/p>\n Slaters Bar on Slater Street in the city centre (Image: Google Maps)<\/p>\n Anyone who grew up going clubbing in Liverpool during the 2000s and 2010s probably has an experience at Slater\u2019s Bar on Slater Street in Liverpool city centre<\/a>. A rite of passage for students in Liverpool was downing a \u201cQuad Vod\u201d mixed with WKD before heading to the clubs.<\/p>\n The bar, notorious for its cheap drinks, closed its doors in 2021 after 30 years in business.<\/p>\n Jon Harrison said: \u201cPound a pint seven days a week at Slaters. and pound a double as well.\u201d<\/p>\n Carl Carty said: \u201cUsed to get a quad vod and Redbull for less than \u00a34. Used to spend about \u00a330 on a night out.\u201d<\/p>\n Derek Liddell added: \u201cI remember getting three pints and change from a pound!\u201d<\/p>\n The Armadillo Tea Rooms<\/strong><\/p>\n Martin Cooper, standing outside The Armadillo Tea Rooms in Mathew Street. June 21, 1982(Image: Mirrorpix)<\/p>\n In 1978, The Armadillo Tea Rooms was set up by restaurateur Martin Cooper at the Liverpool School on Mathew Street. <\/a>A hub for punks, poets, musicians and artists from across the city, it served everything from tea and coffees to an array of vegetarian meals and more.<\/p>\n Christopher David Lean said: \u201cProbe and The Armadillo Tea Rooms.\u201d<\/p>\n Weaverham Trust added: \u201cI loved going to The Armadillo as a teenager in the 80s, thanks for sharing.\u201d<\/p>\n Suzie Barnes commented: \u201cLoved The Armadillo, my sister worked there.\u201d<\/p>\n Sally Webster posted: \u201cLoved going there for lunch. Great food and atmosphere!\u201d<\/p>\n When Scotland Road had a pub on every corner<\/strong><\/p>\n The former Throstles Nest pub on Scotland Road<\/p>\n Many Scousers can draw some connection to the Scotland Road<\/a> area in Kirkdale<\/a>, which was once home to a thriving community. Built in the 18th century, its population swelled in the Victorian era with a large Irish community coming to settle in the area.<\/p>\n With Liverpool\u2019s docklands in close proximity and a number of factories being based in Vauxhall and neighbouring Everton, Scotland Road was seen as the centre point of working class Liverpool. At one point Scotland Road was said to have a pub on every corner, with more than 100 in the wider area stretching across Vauxhall and up into west Everton.<\/p>\n Local shops and businesses also used to line the lively stretch of road. But come the early 20th century, a number of problems arose from the increasing population and area\u2019s limited housing – leading to poor living conditions and a rise in poverty.<\/p>\n Gerard Harrison said: \u201cThe old Scotty Road with a pub on each corner.\u201d<\/p>\n Steven Smith added: \u201cI would agree there, I was brought up off Breck Road, and it was exactly the same there.\u201d<\/p>\n The Christmas grotto at Blacklers department store<\/strong><\/p>\n Christmas Decorations at Blacklers department store on the corner of Elliot Street and Great Charlotte Street in December 1959<\/p>\n Opening in 1908, Blacklers was one of the biggest stores in the country in its day and employed almost 1,000 staff. It was located on Great Charlotte Street and loved by residents across the city.<\/p>\n The store had six floors and a fantastic basement full of all kinds of stationery, but it is mostly remembered today for its Winter Wonderland Grotto<\/a> and giant Santa Claus.<\/p>\n Helen Brown said: \u201cThe proper Xmas grottos in Blacklers and Lewis’s, where you walked through a tunnel with animated fairy story figures before meeting Father Christmas.\u201d<\/p>\n Estelle Porter added: \u201cOh yes, it was magical. I remember Father Christmas giving me a post office set. My mum said almost every piece of paper in the house was ‘stamped\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n Robert Owens added: \u201cI worked in Blacklers for three years. Saturdays and school holidays in the men’s department. Great people and the best grotto in town.\u201d<\/p>\n Sallyanne Walton<\/a> said: \u201cChristmas grotto in Lewis’s and Blackers.\u201d<\/p>\n 110s being \u00a3110<\/strong><\/p>\n Pictured Justin Black after he queued for Neon Nike Air Max 95s in Liverpool ONE<\/p>\n In Liverpool, “110s” is the local slang for the Nike Air Max 95 trainer. They earned this nickname because when the shoe was first released in 1995, its retail price was exactly \u00a3110.<\/p>\n While their name remains firmly rooted in their original \u00a3110 price tag, inflation over the years has driven the standard retail cost of the trainers up to \u00a3130 and beyond.<\/p>\n Francis Jones said: \u201c110s being 110.\u201d<\/p>\n Steven Donnelly added: \u201cEight years I had my originals for, full leather heavy as well, died last year. Contacted Nike about a replacement sole (bubble burst), don\u2019t make them anymore. I’ve seen the same as mine go for \u00a3300 plus now as well, have had three pairs since and all lasted about a year.\u201d<\/p>\n The shops that used to be on Church Street<\/strong><\/p>\n Boxing Day sales on Church Street<\/p>\n Church Street in Liverpool city centre lies at the heart of the city’s busy shopping district. Home to high street staples such as Primark, TK Maxx and Sports Direct, just around the corner from Liverpool ONE and St Johns Shopping Centre, its broad pavements are constantly crammed with shoppers every day of the year, from morning until often late at night.<\/p>\n Church Street has always been a bustling hive of activity in Liverpool’s history, but it has undergone some significant changes over the years. Cars and buses amongst the hustle and bustle of shoppers was once a common sight before the popular street was pedestrianised in 1974.<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Quiggins](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/0_JS124601602.jpg\")
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