Early history By the 1830s, Welsh migrants were well established within Welsh firms in Liverpool. A map from 1846–1848, prior to the housing estate construction, shows an area clear of any significant dwellings, with a collection of
roperies located immediately to the east of what would become the Granby Streets. The houses were constructed in the late 19th century by Welsh builders and designed by Welsh architect
Richard Owens, a prolific architect of Liverpool's housing during the era.
Post-war multiculturalism After
World War II, Toxteth became a popular destination for
Commonwealth immigration and the Granby Streets region became one of the country's earliest
multicultural neighbourhoods. The Liverpool 8 postcode region and in particular Granby Street became Liverpool's post-war
cosmopolitan centre during the 1950s, described at the time as a "buzzing place". During this time, Granby Street was home to around 100 retail outlets which included a wide diversity of shops from a mixture of ethnic races, including a butchers and a cinema while others sold spices and curry ingredients long before they were available in supermarkets. Many of these shops were still run by ethnic minorities into the 21st century. A former resident recalled life as a child growing up around the streets, describing the area during the 1950s–1960s: "Granby Street was a haven of joviality, music, liveliness, nice people. It was a cosmopolitan area of wonderfulness. There was a community there that was together. It was a meeting place. It seemed to be like the inner core of Liverpool 8: Granby Street." One particular ethnic group in the area were the
Malays, who in 1963 purchased number 7 Jermyn Street as the new home for their social club, following a failure to complete construction of a new nearby
mosque due to lack of funds. During the 1970s, the house became the central Malay place in the city, as recalled by a Malay child growing up in a white city, who felt out of place but that the house offered a sense of community.
Substandard living conditions In the 1960s, Granby was designated as a "twilight area" and many residents who could afford to leave the area did so. Vacant properties were purchased by unscrupulous landlords keen to make quick rental profit. The living quality of many properties was sub–standard, which led to housing charity
Shelter Neighbourhood Action Project (SNAP) becoming involved from 1969 until 1972, acquiring many of the poor quality properties and renovating them. The
comedian Ken Dodd, born in Liverpool, opened flats in Ducie Street in April 1970. At the start of 1973, an estimated 17,000 people lived in the Granby Ward and called it home, despite many wanting to leave. A team of writers from the
Liverpool Echo spent the weekend of 13–14 January in the Granby Ward to report on decaying houses, violence and vandalism in the area. The percentage of dwellings with shared occupation were 34 percent, compared with 3.3 percent nationally while over half the houses were without any hot water, compared with 12.5 percent nationally. Some residents, such as those living in Cawdor Street and Arundel Street, fought to make their homes worthwhile, with the streets described by the Liverpool Echo as "like an oasis in a decaying desert". Following publication of their findings, the Liverpool Echo received many complaints from readers, although noted it had also "received numerous communications" on their reporting of the area applauding their action in highlighting the problems.
Charity renewal efforts Shelter received approval from local government to acquire 600 properties and secured a £100,000
grant () to invest over three years in the Granby area. The project was one of the earliest examples of a community-based approach to neighbourhood regeneration; after two years, around half of the properties had been successfully rehabilitated, although challenges with securing improvement grants and convincing absentee landlords to improve their properties remained. Throughout much of the 1970s, the area was relatively stable, and redeveloped into new housing by the end of the 1980s.
Decline and dereliction Following the
1981 Toxteth riots, the area entered a period of economic decline, as shops went out of business and houses abandoned as
housing associations withdrew from the area.
Liverpool City Council's regeneration policy became one of demolition of the streets and to start over with a clean slate, a process which took place over decades until just four streets remained. In the mid-2000s, one resident returned home to find both neighbours had left; at its worst, a street of 68 households had only 8 occupied. The area became notorious for
fly-tipping, including on routes that local schoolchildren would use to travel to and from school, ==Government regeneration==