A Merseyside town has been the subject of rumours linking it to Parisian streets for years.
Southport's historical high street was said to have been the inspiration for some of Paris's streets, with the deep-rooted connection supposedly going back almost 200 years.
It is said that in 1838 a young prince that was politically exiled to England went on a seaside trip whilst France was still rebuilding following the 1789 revolution and the devastating Napoleonic era.
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Napoleon's nephew, Cherles-Louis Napoleon Bonaparte, visited the now Merseyside town from London. At the time the town was a luxury bathing resort reserved for those of the highest etiquette.
The prince is said to have fallen head over heels for the grand Lord Street, in the centre of the town. The street itself is believed to have been one of the first boulevards in the world.
The street was lined with shops and developments, going against the mills and factories that typically filled Northern English land.
Once he was crowned Emperor Napoleon III around a decade later, he is rumoured to have ordered his architect, Georges-Eugène Haussmann (Baron Haussmann), to replicate the luxurious and spacious seaside boulevard in the industrial Parisian streets.
Those very boulevards then went on to inspire many found in American cities to this day.
And thus, the deep-rooted Southport - Paris links remain etched in history, although how accurate they are will never be know.
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