Method · Quantum Energy Mapping
The Old Town Time Meter
Some places carry more time than others. The Old Town Time Meter scores, from 0 to 100, how much documented history a place holds: how long the site has been in use, how old its building is, how many lives it has had, how it is protected, and how long it has kept the same purpose. It is part of Old Town Liverpool's Quantum Energy Mapping, our way of reading the accumulated time in the city's places. It measures time and history, not physical energy, and every number comes from a documented source.
How the score is built
- 40Time on this spotYears since the first documented use of the site, whatever stood there. 300 years or more scores the full 40.
- 20Age of the present buildingYears since the building you see today was completed. 200 years or more scores the full 20.
- 15Layers of historyDocumented chapters in the life of the place (3 points each, up to 5): a chapel that became a cinema and then a theatre has three.
- 15Heritage protectionHistoric England listing: Grade I scores 15, Grade II* 11, Grade II 7.
- 10ContinuityYears the place has kept the same use. 150 years or more scores the full 10.
Bands: 0–20 Recent · 21–40 Established · 41–60 Historic · 61–80 Landmark · 81–100 Deep time. Each meter shows its full breakdown, and each fact links back to the sources listed on the place's page. Scores are recalculated every year as places grow older.
Example
St George's Hall
Old Town Time Meter
94/100
Deep time
- Time on this spot277 years, since 1749 (first Liverpool Infirmary)37/40
- Age of the present building172 years, built 185417/20
- Layers of history6 documented chapters15/15
- Heritage protectionGrade I listed15/15
- Continuity172 years in the same use (concert and events hall)10/10
An index of the documented time and history held by this place, part of Old Town Liverpool's Quantum Energy Mapping. How it is measured.
Ranking
Liverpool's places, by time held
- St George's Hall 94 · Deep time
- St Luke's Bombed Out Church 80 · Landmark
- The Lyceum, Bold Street 79 · Landmark
- Liverpool Cathedral 77 · Landmark
- Liverpool Philharmonic Hall 76 · Landmark
- Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral 76 · Landmark
- Pier Head & the Three Graces 76 · Landmark
- William Brown Street 75 · Landmark
- Royal Albert Dock 72 · Landmark
- Chinatown & the Chinese Arch 49 · Historic
- Mathew Street & the Cavern Club 31 · Established
Districts
Liverpool's historic districts
Old Town Time Meter · District
100/100
Deep time
Historic Core
- Time in this district819 years, since 1207, the seven streets of the medieval borough50/50
- Layers of history5 documented chapters25/25
- Heritage protectionGrade I: Liverpool Town Hall; seventeen Grade II listed buildings on Castle Street25/25
- 1207King John founds the borough; Castle Street, Dale Street and Water Street are among its seven original streets
- 1749John Wood the Elder designs the Town Hall at the head of Castle Street
- 1786Joseph Parry paints Castle Street
- 18th–19th c.Castle Street is widened as the town becomes a port city
- 19th c.Banks build their headquarters along Castle Street
An index of the documented time and history held by this place, part of Old Town Liverpool's Quantum Energy Mapping. How it is measured.
Old Town Time Meter · District
81/100
Deep time
Baltic Triangle
- Time in this district226 years, since the 19th-century port era of timber yards and warehouses38/50
- Layers of history5 documented chapters25/25
- Heritage protectionGrade II*: Gustav Adolf Scandinavian Church; Grade II: the Baltic Fleet pub18/25
- 19th c.Timber yards and warehouses store wood from Norway; a Scandinavian community forms
- WWIIHeavy bombing leaves few of the industrial buildings standing
- 2009Baltic Creative begins restoring 18 warehouses and sheds for creative businesses
- 2012Camp and Furnace opens
- 2021A 20-year planning framework for the district comes into force
An index of the documented time and history held by this place, part of Old Town Liverpool's Quantum Energy Mapping. How it is measured.
Old Town Time Meter · District
80/100
Landmark
Duke Street
- Time in this district306 years, since the 1720s, when the street was first set out50/50
- Layers of history4 documented chapters20/25
- Heritage protectionGrade II: Dukes Terrace, merchants' workers' houses off Duke Street10/25
- 1720sDuke Street is first set out; merchants live above their premises
- 1760The Casartelli Building is built for a family of Italian scientific-instrument makers
- Early 1800sJohn Foster Sr builds the Union Newsroom
- 1852Liverpool's first public library opens in the Union Newsroom
An index of the documented time and history held by this place, part of Old Town Liverpool's Quantum Energy Mapping. How it is measured.
Old Town Time Meter · District
80/100
Landmark
Royal Albert Dock
- Time in this district180 years, since 1846, when Prince Albert opened the dock30/50
- Layers of history5 documented chapters25/25
- Heritage protectionGrade I: the warehouses of the Royal Albert Dock (listed 1952)25/25
- 1841Construction begins on Jesse Hartley and Philip Hardwick's dock and warehouses
- 1846Albert, Prince Consort, opens the dock
- 1952The warehouses are listed Grade I
- 1972The dock closes
- 1988Tate Liverpool opens and the dock is reopened
An index of the documented time and history held by this place, part of Old Town Liverpool's Quantum Energy Mapping. How it is measured.
Old Town Time Meter · District
77/100
Landmark
Georgian Quarter
- Time in this district236 years, since the 1790s, when Hope Street was straightened39/50
- Layers of history4 documented chapters20/25
- Heritage protectionGrade II*: The Philharmonic Dining Rooms; Rodney Street conservation area18/25
- 1790sHope Street is straightened, named after the merchant William Hope; houses follow from about 1800
- 1832–37Gambier Terrace is built
- 1939Herbert J. Rowse's Philharmonic Hall opens, replacing the hall lost to fire in 1933
- 2013The Academy of Urbanism names Hope Street The Great Street
An index of the documented time and history held by this place, part of Old Town Liverpool's Quantum Energy Mapping. How it is measured.
Old Town Time Meter · District
75/100
Landmark
Ropewalks
- Time in this district306 years, since the early 18th century, the age of the rope-makers50/50
- Layers of history5 documented chapters25/25
- 17th–18th c.Rope-makers rent long thin fields; selling them strip by strip creates today's parallel streets
- 1720sDuke Street, the district's oldest street, is set out
- 1802The Lyceum opens on Bold Street as England's first subscription library
- 1990sConcert Square and Fleet Street become the heart of Liverpool's nightlife
- 2003FACT opens on Wood Street
An index of the documented time and history held by this place, part of Old Town Liverpool's Quantum Energy Mapping. How it is measured.
Old Town Time Meter · District
69/100
Landmark
William Brown Street
- Time in this district172 years, since 1854, when St George's Hall opened29/50
- Layers of history3 documented chapters15/25
- Heritage protectionGrade I: St George's Hall25/25
- 1854St George's Hall opens
- 1860The library and museum funded by William Brown open
- 1877The Walker Art Gallery opens
An index of the documented time and history held by this place, part of Old Town Liverpool's Quantum Energy Mapping. How it is measured.
Old Town Time Meter · District
66/100
Landmark
Bold Street
- Time in this district246 years, since c.1780, when the old ropewalk was laid out for merchants' houses41/50
- Layers of history5 documented chapters25/25
- 17th–18th c.The land is a ropewalk, a strip over 300 metres long for making ships' rope
- c.1780Bold Street is laid out for the houses of dock merchants
- 1802The Lyceum opens at the foot of the street as a news room and England's first subscription library
- 1832St Luke's Church opens at the top of the street
- 1941St Luke's is gutted in the May Blitz and becomes the 'bombed-out church'
An index of the documented time and history held by this place, part of Old Town Liverpool's Quantum Energy Mapping. How it is measured.
Old Town Time Meter · District
27/100
Established
Cavern Quarter
- Time in this district69 years, since 1957, when the Cavern Club opened on Mathew Street12/50
- Layers of history3 documented chapters15/25
- Before 1957Mathew Street is the centre of Liverpool's wholesale fruit and vegetable market
- 1957The Cavern Club opens
- 1976Eric's opens and hosts punk and post-punk bands for four years
An index of the documented time and history held by this place, part of Old Town Liverpool's Quantum Energy Mapping. How it is measured.