Fascinating photos of 1960s Liverpool - Mid-century Liverpool was a city of contrast. The decline of industry meant that poverty was rife, but the explosion of Merseybeat made the city synonymous with youth culture. Take a look at these fascinating photos of Liverpool in the 1960s.

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Merseybeat - A crowd watches The Merseybeats at the legendary Cavern Club.

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Cavern Club - The Cavern Club was a centre of the youth scene in Liverpool in the 1960s and is known worldwide for hosting The Beatles in their early years.

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Hands full - Liverpool mum Mary Brocks, aged 25 in 1963, with her nine children, including triplets and twins.

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Bessie Braddock - Bessie Braddock, Labour MP for Liverpool, reads an article in the Barbados Advocate newspaper in 1962.

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Peggy Robertshaw - Peggy Robertshaw stops to talk to children as she walks her daily 12 miles around Liverpool, testing shoes for Dunlop in 1965.

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Cilla Black - Pop singer Cilla Black talks to a friend at the Cavern Club in 1963.

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Sammy Davis Junior - Sammy Davis Junior skips to his Rolls Royce in 1963. He is in England for a week of variety performances at the Empire Theatre, Liverpool.

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Paul McCartney - A young Paul McCartney at the Cavern Club in 1960.

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Youth culture - Young women dance at the Cavern Club in 1963.

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The Undertakers - A member of The Undertakers on stage at the Iron Door Club.

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Beatlemania - Beatles fans sit in an alley waiting for their heroes in 1963.

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William Brown Library and Museum - The Grade II* listed building today houses part of the World Museum Liverpool and Liverpool Central Library.

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John Peel - The Liverpool-born DJ and pioneering champion of alternative music in 1968.

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Full house - The Chants performing at the Cavern Club in 1964.

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Signing in - Visitors to the Cavern Club file down steep stairs and are required to sign in, in 1963.

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Cool cat - The Cavern Club was closed in March 1973 and was filled in during construction work on the Merseyrail underground rail loop. The legendary venue was re-opened in 1984 using many of the original bricks to the original plans.

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Young crowd - Teenagers watch from the side of the stage at the Cavern Club in 1964.

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Jimmy Tarbuck - Local comedian Jimmy Tarbuck with his family at their home in Liverpool, November 1963.

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Goodison Park - Everton's home grounds in 1965.

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Winning - Roger Hunt of Liverpool scores his team's first goal during the European Cup semi-final, first leg against Inter-Milan at Anfield, May 5, 1965. Liverpool won the match 3-1.

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Transportation - The city's double-decker buses provided transportation for the working class population.

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Harold Wilson - Newly elected Labour Prime Minister Harold Wilson toasts his victory with a glass of beer in Liverpool in 1964.

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Dummies - A woman poses with two mannequins in front of a poster for the Cavern Club.

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Ford Anglias - A car park full of Ford Anglias at the Ford Motor Company's factory at Halewood, near Liverpool. Production stopped in 1965 after a strike by delivery drivers left parking spaces full.

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Solidarity - Striking delivery drivers queue up to sign for their pay. Three hundred drivers striked because a shop steward was dismissed after being convicted of dangerous driving.

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Pele - Footballer Pele arrives at the Lymm Hotel, near Liverpool, where the Brazilian team will stay during the 1966 World Cup.

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Celebration - Residents of Claudia Street decorate their houses in preparation for the match between Bulgaria and Brazil at nearby Goodison Park during the 1966 World Cup.

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Cilla Black - Pop singer Cilla Black with her husband at their second marriage ceremony at the Catholic church of St Mary's in 1969.

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A Taste of Honey - Actress Rita Tushingham is pushed around on a cart by a group of children while filming 'A Taste of Honey' in 1960.

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Observation - John Rossiter, the acting director of the Liverpool Observatory, and an unnamed staff member at the observatory in 1961.

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Bells - Bells are created for Liverpool Cathedral in 1965.

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Liverpool Town Hall - The town hall, with the Liver Building in the background, in 1963.

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Grand National - Jockey Pat Buckley bends over his horse after falling at the Grand National fence at Aintree Racecourse in 1967.

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