BBC Radio Merseyside

1 sound

BBC Radio Merseyside - corner of Hanover Street and College Lane This is the third building used by BBC Radio Merseyside in the city centre. In November 1967 the station started broadcasting from council owned offices in Commerce House on Sir Thomas Street. By the end of 1981 purpose-built studios at 55 Paradise Street became the new home of BBC Radio Merseyside and broadcasting continued there for the next 25 years. In 2006 BBC Radio Merseyside moved again, to a new location and a new purpose-built studio, on the corner of Hanover Street and College Lane, with 2 studios and a performance space area. Here Spencer Leigh conducted several interviews for his documentary ‘Soup & Sweat & Rock & Roll' celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Cavern club on Mathew Street. Accessibility note – if you take the route down Manesty’s Lane to avoid the steps at the end of College Lane, when you turn right on to Paradise Street to walk to Whitechapel you will pass the location of the former BBC Radio Merseyside studio on the left, now part of Liverpool One retail and leisure complex.

Photo metadata - Front entrance of BBC Radio Merseyside Studios. Taken on 19 March 2021 by Vicki Caren.

Merseybeat Liverpool

Step back into the early 1960s to uncover the emerging Liverpool music scene, Merseybeat. Visit the clubs, venues, and shops that became important meeting places for ideas and music to be shared and where bands formed. Some of these spaces are long gone, while others continue to play a part in Liverpool’s long musical heritage. In 2021 the Unlocking Our Sound Heritage project digitised three radio documentary series made by Music Journalist and Broadcaster Spencer Leigh for BBC Radio Merseyside. These documentaries form part of a larger collection of Spencer Leigh's work held at Liverpool Record Office. 'Let's Go Down The Cavern' was a weekly series of twelve episodes, first broadcast in 1981. ‘Soup & Sweat & Rock & Roll' was an 8-part series made to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Cavern club in Mathew Street, Liverpool, broadcast in 2007. Audio from these two collections have been used for the Merseybeat Liverpool sound walk. Many thanks to Spencer Leigh and the BBC for permission. Supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund. Accessibility note - This walk will take participants across Liverpool city centre, along roads and pedestrianised areas. The route is mostly flat with a slight gradient down from the first few stops. After the Radio Merseyside stop on Hanover Street participants will need to plan their route to the NEMS stop on Whitechapel. Please be aware that there are steps at the end of College Lane before the junction with Paradise Street. An alternative, sloping route is available via Manesty’s Lane.

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BBC Radio Merseyside

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Merseybeat Liverpool

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