title: Lord Street, Southport
text: # Lord Street, Southport
  
  Lord Street is the main shopping street of Southport, in Merseyside. It is 1 mile (1.6 km) long, with a roundabout marking each end of the street. There are many water features, gardens and architectural buildings along the entire street, with a mix of residential, commercial and public buildings. It was laid out in the early 19th century.
  
  Southport Lord Street railway station, which opened on 1 September 1884, was the terminus of the Southport and Cheshire Lines Extension Railway. Although it closed to passengers in 1952, the frontage of the building was retained.
  
  ## Influence on Parisian architecture
  
  In 1846, Prince Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte, the future Napoléon III, Emperor of the French, lived for a brief period in lodgings just off Lord Street. There is compelling evidence to suggest the street is the inspiration behind the tree-lined boulevards of Paris. Between 1854 and 1870, Napoléon III orchestrated the reconstruction of the French capital. The medieval centre of the city was demolished and replaced with broad tree-lined boulevards, covered walkways and arcades.
  
  