Visit of Earl Roberts and Viscount Kitchener to Receive the Freedom of the City, Liverpool (1902)

Two Boer War heroes receive the Freedom of the City of Liverpool.

The early 1900s were a proud and confident time for the city of Liverpool, with plenty of reasons to celebrate local and national achievements. This huge civic parade marked the visit to the city of Boer War heroes Earl Frederick Roberts and Viscount Horatio Kitchener. Vast numbers assembled to witness these two military celebrities being awarded the 'freedom of the city'.

The new electric tram seen in the background was designed and built to mark the coronation of Edward VII in August 1902. For the first time, developments in electrical engineering were giving the working classes alternative public forms of transportation to the horse-drawn cart. The new tramway, linking Liverpool with much of Lancashire, is lavishly decorated and on display for all to see, and symbolises the city's municipal pride as it entered the Edwardian era.