The 1980s saw Liverpool's fortunes sink to their lowest postwar point. Although the 1970s, along with the rest of Britain, had brought economic difficulties and a steady rise in unemployment, the situation in Liverpool went from bad to worse in the early 1980s, with endless factory closures and some of the highest unemployment rates in the UK. An average of 12,000 people each year were leaving the city, and 15% of its land was vacant or derelict.
In the 1980s Liverpool became the focus for a number of influential photographers. Martin Parr lived in Merseyside during the 1980s and photographed the city extensively.
(Images: © Martin Parr/Magnum Photos)