Merseyside

Merseyside, metropolitan county, NW England. Created in the 1974 local government reorganization, the county embraced the Greater Liverpool metropolitan area and comprised five metropolitan districts: Wirral, Sefton, Liverpool, Knowsley, and St. Helens. The Merseyside county council was abolished in 1986, and the districts became responsible for all services except police, fire, and civil defense, which are supervised jointly.

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Merseyside

Metropolitan county (pop., 2001: 1,362,034), northwestern England. Located on the estuary of the River Mersey, it comprises five metropolitan boroughs: Knowsley, St. Helens, Sefton, Wirral, and the city of Liverpool. The areas to the north of the Mersey, including Liverpool, form part of the historic county of Lancashire, while the borough of Wirral to the south belongs to the historic county of Cheshire. In 1986 it lost its administrative functions, which it held from 1974, and it is now a geographic and ceremonial county without administrative authority. During the 17th century many ships sailing from Liverpool, its main harbour, were engaged in the West Indies slave trade. In the 19th century the area benefited from U.S. cotton imports. Merseyside residents possess a distinctive local dialect, “scouse,” that provides the region with a strong identity. It was bombed heavily during World War II. It is famous for its contributions to national popular culture, from the Beatles to its football teams and its noted golf links.

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Merseyside

a metropolitan county of NW England, administered since 1986 by the unitary authorities of Sefton, Liverpool, St Helens, Knowsley, and Wirral. Area: 652 sq. km (252 sq. miles)

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Merseyside 

a conurbation in Lancashire, Great Britain, consisting of 12 cities located on the banks of the Mersey estuary. Population, 1.3 million (1971). The principal center of Merseyside is the city of Liverpool, Great Britain’s second largest seaport, which has for a long time served the industries of Lancashire. Food (sugar, flour) and chemical industries and nonferrous metallurgy, which use imported raw materials, have developed near the port. Ships are built in Birkenhead, and automobile and electrical engineering industries are located in the new outlying suburbs of Merseyside.