A 'lost street' has been shrouded in mystery for a number of decades, but a new project plans to unveil it secrets and bring it back to life.
The enigmatic history of Southport's Nevill Street is a popular topic of conversation among local residents. It was raised in the 1900s to cover a bustling 19th Century highway in Southport, but theories still abound regarding its cobbles and old shop fronts with many believing they are preserved below.
Today, Nevill Street is one of the main routes out of the town centre towards Southport Pier and has an array of different retail and hospitality businesses including fish and chip shops, sweet confectioners. But the area has a rich history and featured a declining underpass leading down to the shore and was home to the Queen Victoria monument.
Expert reveals the best wines at supermarkets and the one that is 'worse than cold sick'
Enter our £1,000 Aldi voucher giveaway and go wild in the aisles
Set forward from the commercial terrace above, were rows of subterranean shops, pubs and traders and the continuing existence of this lower level has been the subject of much local debate for generations.
For context, Southport was historically prone to serious flooding and a number of extreme weather events were recorded throughout the 1860s and 1870s. There's been much speculation on whether this was the reason the lower level of Nevill Street was covered over.
Archive photos of the old road show that today's Nevill Street is at a level above the ground floor of the old buildings and shop fronts, leaving squat structures at street level.
Rumours persist about the underpass and some say it can be reached via certain basements beneath Nevill Street’s more historic buildings and numerous
Read on liverpoolecho.co.uk