Bold Street in Liverpool city centre is renowned for a peculiar 'time slip' phenomenon that has been reported for decades. Even today, visitors claim to have experienced being transported back in time, with the most famous account involving a man referred to as 'Frank'. This pseudonym was created by paranormal investigator Tom Slemen, author of the 'Haunted Liverpool' series.
Frank's 1996 Experience
In July 1996, Frank visited the city centre with his wife. While she browsed in Dillons bookstore (now Waterstones), Frank looked at CDs in Our Price, a music shop near Central Station. When he met his wife at Dillons, he was astonished to find the bookshop had transformed into a department store called Cripps. Bold Street appeared to have regressed to the 1950s, with pedestrians in vintage clothing and classic cars on the road.
A box car with a 'Caplans' logo nearly knocked Frank over. As he tried to make sense of the scene, he collided with another time traveller from the 1990s—a 20-year-old woman named Emma, wearing a lime green top, black hipsters, and carrying a Miss Selfridge bag. Both of them peered through Cripps' window at handbags and women's shoes. Suddenly, 1996 snapped back; Cripps reverted to Dillons. Frank asked Emma if she felt the shift, and she nodded, saying, 'Yeah. I thought it was a new shop that had opened. I was going in to look at the clothes, and now it's a bookshop.' They stood rooted in front of Dillons, coming to grips with their brief journey back in time.
Other Reports and Possible Explanations
Frank is likely not the first or last to encounter a time slip on Bold Street. Many people have commented below an AI-generated image of a Bold Street time slip, sharing their own experiences. One woman, Irene Morton, wrote: 'I experienced a time slip in Bold Street in 1971. I know it seems unbelievable but it was real and the people from the other time could see me too.'
The phenomenon may be linked to Bold Street's foundations. According to the BBC, the street sits above an extensive underground network of walls and waterways. In 2001, a well was discovered within one of these subterranean structures. The History Museum of Liverpool described it as 'one of the greatest finds in Liverpool City Centre.' Archaeologists spent three weeks excavating the site, uncovering clay pipes and porcelain fragments. Today, visitors can see Ye Olde Wishing Well on the premises of Jeff's.
