LAST year I was doing some research on the National Library’s website.

I was looking at Welsh newspapers online when I noticed that many Welsh families in the 1850s emigrated from towns and villages in the Llyn Peninsula, right down to the Aberdyfi area, to look for work in Liverpool and the docks, so I decided to look further.

Most of the exiles were involved in shipping, (sail makers, carpenters, pulley makers) and the building industries. Some of them became architects and hundreds of them established building firms.

They were very involved in the growth of Liverpool from a small fishing village into a huge port and a cosmopolitan city by 1880. Though young and usually poor the immigrants were men and women who were determined to make a better world for themselves, though the presence of the ‘press gangs’ in the town was to say the least a hindrance! 

It is believed that there were 20,000 people from Wales living in Liverpool during the mid-1800s, by the end of that century there were 80,000 Welsh people living there. In order to provide homes for these workers, housing was required. Land in the Toxteth area of Liverpool was leased for housing development, with the streets being designed by architect Richard Owens. The construction company was D Roberts & Son himself a Welshman from Caernarfonshire.

Many of the workers who built the houses were the Welsh emigrants to Liverpool. Around 4,300 houses were built, mainly during the 1870s.

By 1860, 16 Welsh speaking chapel and churches were built, by 1900 Liverpool had 90 Welsh chapels, churches and mission halls to cater for the spiritual and cultural needs.

Many of the Welsh-built streets were named after their native areas in Wales - such as Wynnstay Street, Voelas Street, Rhiwlas Street, Powis Street, Madryn Street, Kinmel Street, Gwydir Street, Pengwern Street, Treborth Street, Denbigh Road, Snowdon Lane, Barmouth Road, Garth Road, Elwy Street, Teilo Street, Dovey Street and Admiral Street.

See this week’s north feature for the full story, in shops and online on Thursday