21 September 2011

10 things you might already know about Bold Street

It's the Bold Street Festival this weekend! Hooray! Want to clue yourself up on some street facts beforehand? Let's go.

As you might know, it’s the annual Bold Street Festival this weekend, celebrating the area’s independence, brilliance and dogged spirit. It’s a street that’s wormed its way into the hearts of filmmakers, poets, musicians (and even the busker with the cardboard guitar) over the decades, and its colour and vibrancy is set to live on for many more. That’s if we all continue to support it, of course.

To celebrate our favourite stretch of shopping street, here’s 10 of our favourite Bold Street-related facticles for your enjoyment ahead of this weekend’s two-day party. If you’ve got any particular favourites we’ve missed out, comment below.

1
Bold Street’s length was determined by the standard length needed for ropes used on sailing ships. Ropes were measured along its route. Hence the street being central to the ‘Rope Walks’ area.

2
The street is named after Jonas Bold, a slave merchant, sugar trader, and ex Mayor of Liverpool.

3
The oldest section of Bold Walk is the colonnade to the rear of 52 Bold Street (The Reflex) - once home to a grand music hall. No longer, we fear. (pic)

4
Liverpool songwriter, Eugene McGuinness celebrated the street in his song of the same name.

5
The Lyceum, home of the world’s first lending library (and Rob Gutmann’s first bar), is currently on the market for £4.25 million. Or rent it, for a mere £85,000 a year.

6
Bold Street is said to be a vortex - and site of many a time-slip (and we’re not just talking vintage clothes shops). There are, apparently, six recorded instances of such phenomena. Oh, and Psychic Sally Morgan isn’t a filthy, grief-sucking fraud.

7
Bold Street was home to the first Virgin Records shop north of London (and the third ever in the country).

8
After being bombed in the blitz, legendary department store Blacklers moved to Bold Street: to the outcry of Bold Street fans, who considered the street the ‘Bond Street’ of the north.

9
The street was once home to Berger’s Fur Coats: and once sold a pair of matching mink coats to toothy TV comedian siblings and St Bernard botherers, Mike and Bernie Winters.

10
The street was the setting for the Half Man Half Biscuit/Margi Clarke video for ‘No Regrets’ (come on, be fair. Ten facts is a tough call)

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Your Comments

5 Comments so far

VJR says:

September 22, 2011 at 11:41 pm

Alternative Fact no 10:

Bold Street is the best street in Liverpool. Fact. So Fact that Fact had to be located as near to it as possible.
Ronnie Hughes says:

September 23, 2011 at 6:07 pm

I used to work in Bold Street, in the building Oxfam’s in. We moved in around 1980, and were told by people who’d call in - and had worked there while it was a car showroom (it had a huge car lift at the back), that during World War Two, it had been requisitioned and used to make parts, possibly wings, for Spitfires.
angela field says:

September 25, 2011 at 2:16 pm

I used to love having afternoon tea and crumpet in the Lyceum, with silver teapots and jugs and the ancient waitress with the maid’s unifor.
David says:

September 27, 2011 at 7:03 pm

Yes, Angela. I remember that too. Was it a Reeces? I used to love their Welsh Rarebit. Happy days…