Liverpool (GB)

Liverpool was issued with the 466 Post office Numeral in 1844

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Liverpool 466 Multi franked cover 7th step ordinary letter rate (+3½oz) Perfins of the Royal Insurance Co. RI/Co 1885

Liverpool is a city in Merseyside, England, on the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. A borough from 1207 and a city from 1880. The city is within the historic county of Lancashire. Its urbanisation and expansion were largely brought about by its status as a major port, which included its participation in the Atlantic slave trade. Liverpool was the port of registry of the ocean liner RMS Titanic, and many other Cunard and White Star ocean liners such as the RMS Lusitania, Queen Mary, and Olympic. Liverpool was the first provincial town to be divided into districts: Western, Eastern, Northern and Southern districts were created in 1864/65. Postmarks can therefore be found showing LIVERPOOL S.D. for the Southern District etc.

Strip of 5 1d Red Plate 91 ND-NH cancelled Liverpool

King John's letters patent of 1207 announced the foundation of the borough of Liverpool.[29] By the middle of the 16th century, the population was still around 500. The original street plan of Liverpool is said to have been designed by King John near the same time it was granted a royal charter, making it a borough. The original seven streets were laid out in an H shape: Bank Street (now Water Street), Castle Street, Chapel Street, Dale Street, Juggler Street (now High Street), Moor Street (now Tithebarn Street) and Whiteacre Street (now Old Hall Street). 19th century - By the start of the 19th century, a large volume of trade was passing through Liverpool, and the construction of major buildings reflected this wealth. In 1830, Liverpool and Manchester became the first cities to have an intercity rail link, through the Liverpool and Manchester Railway. The population continued to rise rapidly, especially during the 1840s when Irish migrants began arriving by the hundreds of thousands as a result of the Great Famine.

As early as 1851 the city was described as "the New York of Europe". During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Liverpool was attracting immigrants from across Europe. This resulted in the construction of a diverse array of religious buildings in the city for the new ethnic and religious groups, many of which are still in use today. The Deutsche Kirche Liverpool, Greek Orthodox Church of St Nicholas, Gustav Adolf Church and Princes Road Synagogue were all established in the 1800s to serve Liverpool's growing German, Greek, Nordic and Jewish communities, respectively. One of Liverpool's oldest surviving churches, St. Peter's Roman Catholic Church, served the Polish community in its final years as a place of worship.

Postmark Examples

19th century

Experimental type

In 1855/56 Liverpool employed an experimental postmark where the office name and arcs were formed of small holes made by perforating pins. This cancellation is scarce particularly on a pair.

1d Red Die II Plate 21 CE cancelled by the experimental dotted ring cancel 1856.

1856 4d Carmine cancelled by the experimental dotted ring.

Spoon Postmarks

Liverpool spoon 23 Jun 1854 on wrapper with 1d Plate 173, spoon A14 (Arundel 51)

Liverpool spoon 21 Feb 1855 on wrapper with 1d Plate 194, spoon B2 (code R earlier than recorded by Wilcocks)

Liverpool spoon 16 Apr 1855 on wrapper with 1d Plate 189, spoon C3 (issued 17 Jan 1855 together with C4), frame breakage, recut 7 Aug 1856

Liverpool spoon type 2 14 Dec 1855 with "6" sideways on Plate 5 Die II PE

Cover Liverpool 3 Jul 1856 to Wem, spoon C4 with month and day changed in date, 1d Red Die II Plate 40

Roller Handstamp

Penny Plates - plate 79 NE-PL - block of 24

Other 19th C

column of 3 1d Red Die II Plate 43 AI-CI cancelled Liverpool with the S2 duplex 466 of 1861

Oval 466 on a 1865 issue

Liverpool 466 Eastern District Duplex in 1874

Liverpool O 33 control code on the 466 duplex cancel Plate 174 in 1879

issue year?

Liverpool spoon July 1855 on Plate 10 Die II KL re-entry posted Liverpool, perf 16 C4

Plate 17 2½d Mauve used in Liverpool, issue year?

Duplex cancel in 1880

On a 1883 issue

Squared-circle Postmark: LIVERPOOL in 1880

LIVERPOOL in 1892.

Packet Letter Office

Liverpool Head Office had an office specifically to handle mail going onwards by ship to worldwide destination. There are many cancels to be found including the PLO cancellations. Code B is known with the code plug 'B' inserted sideways.

1960 6d rated letter Liverpool to New York GB 2d Blues Plate 8 IG-II & JG-JI per Persia Steamer	Steamer Persia on a cigarette card	Liverpool P.L.O. code C cancel Packet Letter Office
Liverpool P.L.O. code B cancel Packet Letter Office with B inserted sideways

20th Century

In 1911

Liverpool 50 in 1965

LIVERPOOL in 1903.

Covers

Fourpenny Uniform Rate

Liverpool to London 16 Dec 1839 unpaid, Fourpenny Uniform Rate

backside with Liverpool date stamp and receiving postmark London

Uniform Penny Postage

Liverpool to Glasgow 10 Jan 1840 prepaid, "1" in red for Uniform Penny Postage

backside with Liverpool date stamp and rectangular receiving postmark Glasgow

Other Covers

LIVERPOOL Spoon postmark on letter sent to Philadelphia via New York on the Steamer Canada in 1855.

LIVERPOOL postal Fiscal usage of the 6d Lilac Foreign Bill stamp on Registered cover local post in 1882.

LIVERPOOL Spoon cancel to Drogheda 1856 with S5 code. GB 1d Red Die II Plate 33 RD

LIVERPOOL to Drogheda 1856.

LIVERPOOL to Drogheda 1856 reverse.

In 1884 to Mexico

Packet letter Liverpool to Philadelphia 21 Jul 1848 with steamship Cambria (7th travel of the Cunard Line to Boston). 1 Sh for the packet letter, 3 x 1d for late fee (after 15 minutes from the clearing and up to 10 minutes of the time of despatch). From 1 Jul 1848 up to 15 Dec 1848 a Retaliatory Rate of 24 Cents (= 1/-) had to be payed (postwar) plus 5 Cents domestic postage (up to 300 miles) --> 29 Cents on receipt

Liverpool Floating Receiving House (1849-1864)

A clerk at the Liverpool Post Office, a Mr Brownless, proposed a plan for a receiving house to be set up on the landing stage to allow the last minute posting of letters on departing transatlantic vessels. The so-called Floating Receiving House was in place by August 1849. A double ring circular date-stamp reading "LIVERPOOL / F.R.H" was sent out from London and the late fee set at one shilling.

However, in 1859 improved railway links resulted in the main port of exit for transatlantic mail being moved from Liverpool to Queenstown (Cobh) in southern Ireland. Despite the late fee at the Floating Receiving House being reduced in September 1859 to 6d, its use rapidly declined and the facility was withdrawn in October 1864.

Handstamp exists with and without the 'A' index. (Jones & Tweed TPO Soc.)

Liverpool FRH no A

Sub Offices

Liverpool was one of the first towns outside of London to use Districts and Postcodes for their city area. Liverpool was thus divided into districts: Western, Eastern, Northern and Southern districts all created in 1864/65.

Western District Office WD

Western District Office cancel #7 dated 18 Aug 1868 and barred oval 466 W, On the reverse arrival cancel RIVADEO 23 August (Barcelona Spain)

Northern District Office ND

Northern District Office cancel #7 1903

Eastern District Office ED

Eastern District Office cancel #13 1903

Eastern District Office E/466/E on 1d red

Southern District Office SD

Admiral Street

1891 7½d Letter (1½oz) Registered (2d) sent from Admiral Street via the Liverpool Southern District office and London F1 (Foreign mail) coded Registered handstamp to Hannover Germany.

Reverse showing Hannover C receiver of 1891

Admiral Street is in the Southern District Office area of Liverpool.

In the district of Dingle near Princes Park. During the exodus of Irish immigrants to Liverpool who settled in the Everton and Vauxhall areas.

Dingle became a place for Welsh settlers looking for work. It remained mostly rural until the 1860's when more residential buildings were created and has since been expanded into by the city of Liverpool itself.

Liverpool Exchange

Pre-stamp to 1899	1900-1999	2000-Present
Post Office circa 1847 Telegraph Office 1870. Code used = LX CDS issued 24 February 1870 Money Order Office and Savings Bank 1 April 1871	Changed from BO to a Modified Scale Payment Office 1990's	Closed 3 December 2004

Exchange Liverpool

Exchange Liverpool, September 25 1891

Exchange Liverpool, August 23 1898

Newspaper Wrapper to Bombay cancelled Exchange Liverpool September 25 1891, sent via Brindisi (Italy) to Bombay, Arrival Mark Mandivi(Port) - Bombay on the reverse.

Newspaper Wrapper to HOF in Bayern cancelled Exchange Liverpool August 23 1898

East Low Hill

Situated on the East side of Low Hill and the corner of Kensington.

Previous Post office building of East Low Hill.

Map of site of Post Office c. 1928.

Cover to Marseille France cancelled by the hooded cancel of E Low Hill 466 Liverpool of 1884

Ranelagh Place

Ranelagh Place is on the corner of a busy street in the centre of Liverpool city. It was the business and commerce centre in Victorian times. The Adelphi Hotel is the prominent building on the street.

REGISTERED RANELAGH PLACE LIVERPOOL

Lark Lane

Lark Lane Post Office, 65 Lark Ln.

Squared circle with code letters

Squared circle with time at top

5/- cancelled at Lark Lane Office

Southern District Office

Great Howard Street

Great Howard Street PO served the docks area in the west of Liverpool.

Letter sent from Great Howard Street cancelled at Liverpool main office to Edinburgh 1855 with Liverpool Spoon cancel

Reverse showing Gt HOWARD ST straightline cancel and embossed image of the American & European Express Co. Liverpool and red Edinburgh receiver.

Meter cancels

Meter cancel 2007

Meter cancel 2009

Perfins

W.H.Stott & Co.

SCOTT & Co.

STOTT & Co. (Incomplete S) on Post Office issued halfpenny Post Card 1877 cancelled at Liverpool to London. Informing the recipient of a shipment from Liverpool to Demerara (Guiana).

Message side.

Hayn, Roman & Co

H.R & Co.

Hayn, Roman & Co (H.R & Co.) used with Exchange Liverpool and London postmarks