The town was heavily damaged in World War II with air raids against the port and other industrial targets.

Post-war economic success in the 1950s and 1960s gave way to a downturn, precipitated by a reduction in the significance of Liverpool Docks internationally, and changing levels of industrialisation, coupled with the development of modern suburbs and the expansion of industries into the Merseyside hinterlands.

[6] Some remaining large villas which housed well-to-do commuters to Liverpool are located in the area known locally as 'Bootle Village', centred around Marsh Lane.

The population of the town swelled during this period, boosted in large part by Irish immigration and the attraction of plentiful work on the docks.

[9] The wealth to pay for the splendour of the town hall and the gentrified 'Bootle Village' area was generated by these docks.

[6] Bootle was the first borough to elect its own school board, following the passage of William Forster's Elementary Education Act 1870.

In 1872 Dr R.J. Sprakeling was appointed the first Medical Officer of Health, and was instrumental in improving sanitary conditions in the town.

The Metropole Theatre on Stanley Road played host to stars such as music hall singer Marie Lloyd.

Roman Catholic and Anglican churches sprang up all over the town, and Welsh immigration brought with it Nonconformist chapels and the temperance movement.

It subsequently made good use of its Latin motto Respice, Aspice, Prospice, ("look to the past, the present, the future").

[10] The docks made Bootle a target for Nazi German Luftwaffe bombers during the Liverpool Blitz of the Second World War, with approximately 90% of the houses in the town damaged.

Memorabilia associated with Walker including the ships's bell from HMS Starling which was presented to Bootle County Borough Council on 21 October 1964 by Admiral Sir Nigel Henderson Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth.

[20] Sefton Council submitted a bid to the Government's Levelling UP Fund in July for £20 million to underpin a regeneration scheme to transform Bootle town centre.

[22] In November 2016, Liverpool2 was opened, expanding Seaforth Docks with river berths that can accommodate large container ships.

Among Bootle's neighbouring districts are Kirkdale to the south, Walton to the east, with Seaforth, Litherland and Netherton to the north.

The old civic centre of Bootle contains large Victorian buildings such as the town hall and the municipal baths.

To the north lies the New Strand Shopping Centre, which gained notoriety after the abduction and murder of two-year-old James Bulger in 1993.

[27] Firwood Bootle CC has a significant success record, with 6 Liverpool and District Cricket Competition championship titles to their name.

A third railway station is situated on the boundary of Bootle (Old Roan), and is part of the Liverpool to Ormskirk Line.

Bootle Docks used to host passenger ships to Belfast and Dublin, but now it is used solely for freight services, and it is somewhat less important than the port of Liverpool.

The town has a leisure centre, located in the North Park area, which includes a modern gym, swimming pool, and various indoor sports halls.

The Bootle New Strand shopping centre contains many of the regular high street stores, combined with a smaller collection of local businesses.

Originally a Conservative seat, Bootle elected early MPs such as Bonar Law, a future Tory Prime Minister.

It is now impregnable, politically, and since 1997 the Bootle constituency has been one of the safest Labour Party seats in the whole of the United Kingdom.

For elections to Sefton Council the town of Bootle is split between the electoral wards of Netherton and Orrell, whose three representatives, are all members of the Labour Party, and are Susan Ellen Bradshaw, Ian Ralph Maher and Tom Spring.

[34] England Lioness and Manchester City player Alex Greenwood grew up playing on the streets of Bootle.