The Medieval Era

In 1207 King John granted Liverpool its royal charter, creating a borough almost from nothing on the northern shore of the Mersey. What followed was five centuries of slow but determined growth — a modest market town gradually establishing itself as a point of departure for Ireland, a staging post for military campaigns, and eventually a place of genuine commercial ambition. By the time the first wet dock opened in 1715, Liverpool had laid the foundations for everything that followed.