Outline Plan for Merseyside—Liverpool & Wirral—Longstreth Thompson 1945 map

£90

SKU: P-7-028559

'Outline plan for Merseyside—Summary of proposed plan'


Post-war Merseyside is replanned in bold colour on this large wall-sized map, F. Longstreth Thompson's summary of the Merseyside Plan for the whole conurbation from Southport to Ellesmere Port. Orange urban zones and purple industrial zones stand out against pale green farmland and deeper green open space, with hatched reserve areas for future growth and proposed new arterial roads. Liverpool, Birkenhead, Bootle, Wallasey, St Helens, Widnes and Runcorn are drawn into a single regional framework inside a heavy purple boundary. Dated 1944 and published by HMSO in 1945 at one inch to the mile, it makes a fascinating comparison with the overspill estates and new towns, such as Kirkby and Runcorn, that later transformed the region. The proposed arterial roads, drawn as barred double lines, are especially revealing, because many of them anticipate the motorway age. A new outer ring road swinging round the east of Liverpool from Huyton, past Knowsley and Kirkby, to Aintree closely follows the course later taken by the M57, opened in 1972–74 as Liverpool's outer ring road and ending at Switch Island. A new route east from Prescot through Rainhill Stoops towards Warrington broadly foreshadows the line of the M62, completed in the 1970s, and a new road crossing the Mersey at Runcorn Gap prefigures the Runcorn–Widnes Bridge, opened in 1961 and renamed the Silver Jubilee Bridge in 1977. South of the river, a new road east from Ellesmere Port along the Mersey shore past Stanlow towards Frodsham anticipates the M56, whose sections here opened in 1971 and 1981, while a new road south from Hooton towards Chester foreshadows the southern end of the M53, completed in 1982. Not everything happened: the planned bypass of Ormskirk resurfaced in later road plans, first as the A59(M) and then within the proposed M59 Liverpool–Preston motorway, but it was never built.

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Size 104 x 78 cm | 40.5 x 30.5 inches

Date Published: Published 1945 (map dated 1944)

Type: Vintage folding regional reconstruction plan, lithographically printed in colour

Author: Thompson, F. Longstreth

F. Longstreth Thompson (town-planning consultant and plan author); Malby & Sons (lithographers); His Majesty's Stationery Office (publisher).

Publication: Merseyside Plan 1944

Merseyside Plan 1944. By F. Longstreth Thompson; A report prepared in consultation with a technical committee of the Merseyside Advisory Joint Planning Committee at the request of the Minister of Town and Country Planning. London: His Majesty's Stationery Office, 1945

Condition: Good |

Good; suitable for framing. Please check the scan for any blemishes prior to making your purchase. This is a folding map. There is nothing printed on the reverse side, which is plain.

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Condition Guide

We assess the condition of each item using three categories: Good, Fair, and Poor. We strive to ensure that any significant flaws are clearly shown in the images provided and detailed in the accompanying condition statement.

Good

The item presents well, with no significant flaws, and is in frameable condition. Minor imperfections—such as light spotting or offsetting, small blemishes, tight margins, neatly repaired tears, or discreet/professionally executed restoration—do not materially detract from its overall appearance.

Fair

The item shows noticeable flaws but remains in frameable condition. Some buyers may feel these imperfections affect its visual appeal. Typical issues may include more prominent spotting, blemishes, bleed-through from the reverse, obvious offsetting, visible or extensive restoration, wear along fold lines or junctures, small wormholes, trimmed or closely cropped edges, or less carefully executed repairs.

Poor

The item has major flaws that significantly impact its presentation and/or suitability for framing. These may include heavy spotting, staining, bleed-through, offsetting, unrepaired damage, or poorly executed repairs such as tears, holes, or areas of paper loss (including within the printed image). The item may also be fragile and prone to further deterioration.