City (pop., 2001: 439,476), northwestern England, on the estuary of the River
It forms the nucleus of the metropolitan county of {{link=Merseyside">Merseyside in the historic county of Lancashire. King John granted its charter in 1207. Its growth was slow until the 18th century, when it expanded rapidly as a result of trade with the Americas and the West Indies, becoming Britain's most important port after London . The Liverpool and Manchester Railway (opened 1830) was the first in England to link two major cities. Heavily damaged in World War II, it declined in importance as a port and an industrial centre in the postwar era. The birthplace of the Beatles , it is also the seat of the University of Liverpool (1903).