Opened in October 1977 as the first purpose-built centre of its kind in Britain, the African Caribbean Centre in Toxteth served for decades as a focal point for Liverpool's Black community. Plans were first put forward in 1972, and after a two-year campaign approval came in 1974 with an Urban Aid grant funding the building work. Known locally as the Merseyside Caribbean Centre, it stood on land off Upper Parliament Street and operated for some forty years as a community space, hosting family events, carnival, clubs and social occasions. Its grounds included a garden, picnic area, basketball court and cricket nets, and it carried particular significance as a gathering point during a period of social tension in the city. Financial difficulties forced the centre to close in 2013, and what was meant to be a temporary shutdown stretched on for years. Successive community groups campaigned to renovate and reopen the building, which sits on land owned by Liverpool City Council, while resisting proposals to redevelop the site or relocate the centre. The plaque marking its 1977 opening was unveiled by the then Bishop of Liverpool, David Sheppard, and the building has remained a landmark for the city's African and Caribbean communities throughout its closure. Campaigners have described it as the last community asset of its kind in Liverpool. Efforts to secure a lease and carry out repairs have continued, with the long-term aim of returning it to use as a hub for culture, wellbeing and community events. As both a historic institution and a contested site, it remains central to the identity of the Liverpool 8 area. The centre grew out of the activism of Liverpool's long-established Black community, among the oldest in Britain, and its creation followed years of campaigning for a dedicated space free from the discrimination encountered elsewhere in the city. Generations marked christenings, weddings, funerals and carnival there, and its closure left a gap that local organisations have repeatedly sought to fill through fundraising and heritage-led restoration plans.

Type: Indoor Event Space

Address: 1 Amberley Street, Liverpool, United Kingdom, L8 1YJ

Opening Date: 01/10/1977