You can now explore newly-digitised sound archives while you walk around Manchester, Chester or Liverpool with these immersive sound walks. And if you can’t make it in person, you can follow the maps and listen to the sounds from home!
Liverpool
Step back into the early 1960s to uncover the emerging Liverpool music scene, Merseybeat. Visit the clubs, venues, and shops that became important meeting places for ideas and music to be shared and where bands were formed and inspired. This walk was curated by Vicki Caren, Cataloguing Manager, using the Spencer Leigh radio documentaries held by Liverpool Record Office. You can either read the blog or walk the tour on Echoes.
Manchester & Salford
The Heaton Park sound walk explores the history of the park and the many changes over the years. This walk was curated by Vicki Caren, Cataloguing Manager, using audio clips from the Greater Manchester Oral Histories collection, held at Archives+. You can either read the blog or walk the tour on Echoes.
Listen to voices from Manchester & Salford cinematic history curated by Kirsty Jukes, Hub Rights Officer, in association with the North West Film Archive.
Chester
Living Memory: A Talking Tour of Chester takes you on a tour historic tour of the river Dee in Chester, curated by Cheshire Archives and Local Studies. This walk uses the Chester Archaeological Society’s oral history collection and is available on the Chester Archives and Local Studies blog or on the Echoes app.
How to access the walks at home or on foot
To experience these walks in person, download the Echoes app, find the walk and then either tap on ‘Stream walk’ or the download button (↓). Use the download option if you want to avoid using mobile data. The walk will then open in autoplay mode – the sound clips will trigger when you enter the circles on the map.
To experience these walks remotely, download the Echoes app, find the walk and then either tap on ‘Stream walk’ or the download button (↓). Then click the menu button (≡) at the top right of the map. Then slide the ‘Autoplay’ button at the top to the left to switch it off. Now you can navigate around the map or list and play the sounds.
Merseybeat Echoes link: https://explore.echoes.xyz/collections/X8VssQxYF1SzmDT4
Heaton Park Echoes link: https://explore.echoes.xyz/collections/9XzH4334E4uzNfgt
Manchester & Salford Cinema Echoes link: https://explore.echoes.xyz/collections/CFMnxm2Ftz5Ctiaz
Chester Living Memory Echoes link: https://explore.echoes.xyz/collections/CFMnxm2Ftz5Ctiaz