Bootle tourist information

Bootle, the administration centre for Sefton, this area of Merseyside, just four miles from Liverpool's city centre and part of its urban area.

From 1799 the settlement supplied clear spring water to Liverpool but in the early 19th century it began to grew as a fashionable bathing resort on the sands of the estuary, much favoured by the well-to-do.

However, with the arrival of the Liverpool, Crosby and Southport Railway in the 1840s, docks were soon constructed along the whole length of the riverfront and the town became heavily industrialised.

During World War II Bootle was a target for German air raids, with around 90% of its houses damaged. In the post-War years large housing estates were built inland from the town centre.

The docks declined in importance in the 1960s and 1970s causing high unemployment but since then numerous office developments have helped provide new jobs. There are quite a few shops here, mainly around the New Strand Shopping Centre

The old civic centre of Bootle still boasts some splendid Victorian buildings to visit, including the Town Hall and Municipal Baths. To the west of these is the Leeds and Liverpool Canal and docks lining the Mersey Estuary.