Toxteth

Liverpool 1980s

Photographs by Leroy Cooper

Leroy Cooper’s arrest in 1981 was the tipping point of events and growing tensions that sparked the uprising in Toxteth.

Liverpool has one of Europe’s oldest black and ethnic communities. My motivation is to document the history of our struggles, our survival and the overcoming of trials and tribulations.” – Leroy Cooper.

Link to our full feature with Leroy Cooper at the bottom of the gallery.

"As a major seaport of the former British Empire, goods and people from all over the world arrived here in Liverpool. Many made the city their home. Liverpool's diversity did not start with the Windrush generation post-1945. Some families can trace their history back over ten generations."

- Leroy Cooper

“My photography is to remind us that history isn’t just composed of monumental events, fame hungry celebrities and the grubby goings on of corrupt, selfish politicians, but also the people like us, the everyday down to earth people.”

- Leroy Cooper

"I grew up in the 1960s when men did not change nappies or push prams. Then, the Women's Liberation Movement happened, and society visibly changed. Now, fathers play a much more hands-on parenting role. They change nappies, feed their babies in the middle of the night, and take their children to school in the mornings. Women are now more active in the work environment and have careers. A man's role is no longer 'just' a breadwinner. The world is a better place for the change and progress."

- Leroy Cooper

Leroy Cooper sadly passed away in May 2023, leaving behind a body of work that remains vital to the story of Liverpool and beyond. At British Culture Archive, we are honoured to have collaborated with Leroy during his lifetime, and his photography will now be preserved as a permanent part of our collections. We remain committed to celebrating his vision, ensuring that his work continues to be shared, studied, and remembered as an essential contribution to Britain’s cultural history.

"Those who are happiest are those who do the most for others. Help others without any reason and give without the expectation of receiving anything in return. Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth. We think sometimes that poverty is only being hungry, naked, and homeless. The poverty of being unwanted, unloved, and uncared for is the greatest poverty. Poverty is the worst form of violence. If the misery of the poor is caused not by the laws of nature, but by our institutions, great is our sin."

- Leroy Cooper, 2023

READ OUR FULL FEATURE WITH LEROY COOPER